Featured Commentary category, Page 95
Brianna Amoscato: I took a moment in my classroom to learn tolerance
A poster with the word WEIRD written in purple ink hangs in my classroom, documenting one of the most important teachable moments of my career. At the beginning of the year, my third graders took part in a self-portrait project about the visible and invisible characteristics of ourselves. I showed...
Judith Bannon: Biden must end failed trade policy that has hurt Pennsylvanians
President Joe Biden recently made his first return to his hometown of Scranton since being elected president one year ago. This time, he came to tout legislative priorities that are focused on bolstering the nation’s infrastructure and continuing to create jobs as our nation emerges from the depths of the...
Molly Parzen: We must tackle climate change to truly Build Back Better
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden will make transformational investments in our nation’s outdated and failing infrastructure, benefiting Americans all over the country. We celebrate this bipartisan victory that will provide funding for clean energy research, grid modernization and electric vehicle infrastructure, but...
Dr. Michael Madden: Clearing the air about youth vaping
Recently, the CDC published overwhelmingly positive news: Youth vaping is down by 60% or more since the high watermark (in 2019) of kids using e-cigarettes. But you’d have to use your own calculator to figure that out if you only read the CDC’s report on the data. And the FDA...
Cal Thomas: With Oxford shooter, the signs weren’t missed — they were ignored
As has been the case with so many other school shootings over several years, last week’s murder spree at Oxford High School in suburban Detroit might have been avoided if actions had been taken in the face of several obvious warning signs. Ethan Crumbley, 15, is charged with murdering four...
Sen. John Yudichak: America’s energy future depends on Pa.
For decades, many of us in northeastern Pennsylvania have talked about knocking the rust off our regional economy and creating not only new jobs but also new industries. Diversifying our economic portfolio means creating an ecosystem for entrepreneurs that helps small businesses prosper in our downtowns through partnerships with the...
Robin Abcarian: Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones learns the laws aren’t just for the little people
Every once in a while, we get a bracing reminder that free speech has its limits. Alex Jones, the barking far-right conspiracy theorist, suffered a sweeping legal loss recently when judges in two states ruled against him in defamation lawsuits brought by the families of victims of a mass shooting...
Nicholas Goldberg: Are the school districts that ‘defunded the police’ already regretting it?
The idea of “abolishing” or “defunding” the police has always struck me as risky, to say the least, and not very well thought through. It has the potential to cause at least as many problems as it solves. So when some school districts actually decided give it a try, I...
Galit Atlas: 1 in 4 adults are estranged from family and paying a psychological price
Search “toxic parents” on Instagram, and you’ll find more than 38,000 posts, largely urging young adults to cut ties with their families. The idea is to protect one’s mental health from abusive parents. However, as a psychoanalyst, I’ve seen that trend in recent years become a way to manage conflicts...
Linda Fowler and Chris Fowler: How to make voting districts fair to voters, not parties
Should fairness to political parties be the standard for evaluating legislative redistricting? Across the nation, state lawmakers are jockeying to advantage their party — be it Republican or Democratic — while drawing boundaries for legislative and congressional districts. If the Freedom to Vote Act currently before Congress passes, many state...
David Thornburgh: Redistricting maps must be released now
Pennsylvania needs to have new congressional redistricting maps in place by Jan. 24. To make the deadline, legislative leaders need to release preliminary maps now. It is the only way to meet the deadline and give the public an opportunity to provide input on the maps. We’re running out of...
John Crisp: Breaking even against American vigilantism
The subtext of two prominent trials in recent weeks is vigilantism, the questionable notion that the institutions that we depend on — the police, especially — have declined into such impotence that ordinary citizens are called upon to maintain peace and order on their own. In both trials, justice prevailed,...
Jonah Goldberg: The tax-cut hypocrisy of Democrats’ ‘Build Back Better’ bill
For the first five years, the single most expensive item in the House version of the Democrats’ “Build Back Better,” or “human” infrastructure, bill is a gigantic tax cut for millionaires and billionaires. This provision would lift the cap from $10,000 to $80,000 on income tax deductions for state and...
Peter Morici: Republicans should force Biden to spend less in coming debt-ceiling showdown
As Congress returns from Thanksgiving fresh from carving turkeys, eating pumpkin pie and serving up polemics about the manifest blessings of America, it will be wrangling about raising the federal debt ceiling — again. The federal government collects too little in taxes to pay its bills, and most months it...
Cal Thomas: Isn’t it rich? Thank you, Stephen Sondheim.
The death of composer Stephen Sondheim at 91 is more than the end of an era. It is the end of a chain of great Broadway musicals dating back to the 1920s when Jerome Kern’s “Showboat” first dazzled theater audiences. I met him only once. It was at Barbara Cook’s...
David Wassel: Reapportionment means never having to say you’re sorry
Following every census, legislative districts are redrawn to reflect population changes, preserving the idea of “equal representation.” Districts are currently being drawn for state legislative elections next year. This process is already generating debate, with concern over gerrymandering, misrepresentation of the 2020 presidential election results and attempts to curtail voting...
Andrew Chew: In Pa., civic engagement is a critical challenge
Northeastern Pennsylvania is defined by its culturally distinct communities, from dense small cities and coal-region boroughs to bucolic townships and newer suburbs. From the beginning, the area has been shaped by a deep tradition of civic engagement — an unseen force defined by volunteerism, pride, community ties and showing up...
Rabbi Barbara AB Symons and Rabbi Aaron Bisno: Shining a light on fair representation
Today, Jews throughout the Pittsburgh region, and around the world, gather to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah. On this night, we light the Shamash, or the helper candle, to light every candle on the menorah, adding one every night to honor the eight days that a little vial of...
Lucille and Clyde Bittner: Put aside differences and help people
As a married couple of 27 years, where one of us identifies as a Republican and the other as a Democrat, we understand better than most the idea that politics shouldn’t make it to the dinner table. During the last election, we were a split Trump and Biden household — and...
Janet Swim and Nathaniel Geiger: Americans support climate change policies, especially those that give them incentives, clean up energy supply
As the Biden administration tries to build support for new climate and energy policies, a set of studies offers some insights that could help them appeal to the widest audience. We are social scientists who examine how people think about climate change solutions. In the studies, we explored how the...
Greg Fulton: In honor of James Harrison, the ultimate grinder
If there were a Grinder Hall of Fame, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison would be in it. In fact, his statue might be in front of it. Grinder is a term in sports that refers to a player who may not have been born with great natural skills or physical...
Gene Barr: ‘Shop small’ takes on new meaning this year
Small businesses — the backbone of the American economy and the heart of many Main Street communities in Pennsylvania — have experienced unprecedented setbacks due to the covid-19 pandemic. Those challenges, combined with workforce shortages, labor market issues and supply-chain disruptions, have left small businesses struggling to survive. In fact,...
Cal Thomas: Thanks for giving
For some, this Thanksgiving — like last year — is a more difficult occasion than previous ones. Perhaps a loved one has died from covid-19, or you feel isolated from relatives and friends due to lockdowns, quarantines, travel restrictions, vaccinations (or not), masks and “distancing” and might think you have...
Jim Gluch: Scrutinizing Pa.’s stake in infrastructure deal
The local politics of the bipartisan infrastructure bill is worthy of scrutiny as we contend with our 21st-century issues and endeavor to make that future happen. The breakdown of Pennsylvania’s stake in the so-called BID (Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal) was made after its passage in the Senate this summer. It bears...
David Greineder: Increased taxes harm workers and hinder American competitiveness
In Pennsylvania, our recovery from the pandemic depends upon a pro-business environment both enacted and maintained statewide. Our workers and businesses have been hit hard by the economic fallout of the pandemic — we cannot increase taxes, regulations and other financial burdens from the government at a time when so...
