Featured Commentary category, Page 22
Ian Kelly: Has America first become America alone?
Article 5 of the NATO treaty is the bedrock of the alliance: It is the pledge that an attack on one is an attack on all. It created a single security space among the democratic nations in North America and Europe. The concept of a one-for-all, indivisible security across the...
Marc A. Levin and Khalil Cumberbatch: Common ground in Pa. on criminal justice
Polarized politics have led many Pennsylvanians to dark places, but could a common vision of justice for all illuminate the path to unity? A beacon of hope is a new declaration of principles endorsed by many of the nation’s most respected conservative and liberal groups. It encapsulates our shared aspirations...
William Cooper: The American government’s people problem
The president of the United States should be competent, ethical and full of vigor. This is obvious given the demands of the job. Yet former President Joe Biden, who’s 82 years old, didn’t run for reelection over concerns about his mental facilities. And current president Donald Trump, himself 78, actively...
Cal Thomas: A ‘constitutional crisis’?
Democrats are raising an alarm about what they call a “constitutional crisis.” If there is one, they should know because they are to blame for it. That’s because their party, since the days of Franklin Roosevelt, have been violating the boundaries and restrictions on government set forth in our founding...
Tatsiana Kulakevich: Trump’s move to closer ties with Russia does not mean betrayal of Ukraine, yet
The United States’ steadfast allegiance to Ukraine during that country’s three-year war against Russia appears to be quickly disintegrating under the Trump administration. President Donald Trump on Feb. 19, 2025, called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “a dictator” and falsely blamed him for the war that Russia initiated as part of...
Allison Schrager: Trump risks making the same economic mistakes as Biden
There is one surefire way to know when someone is trying to pull one over on you: If they’re promising something for nothing — like a tax cut that pays for itself or an investment strategy that offers a higher return and lower risk — then you need to be...
Jordan Miller: Layoffs affect CDC’s ability to respond to current crises
In just a few short weeks, the Trump administration has brought drastic changes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and public health. Beginning with the removal of websites and key public health datasets in January, the Trump administration has taken actions to dismantle established public health infrastructure as...
Athan Koutsiouroumbas: Black men poised to shake up Pa. political landscape
Thanks in part to Black men, Pennsylvania’s political tectonics are shifting in ways that were unimaginable just a short time ago. In the 2024 presidential election, 24% of Pennsylvania’s Black men voted for President Trump. Given that 14% of Pennsylvania’s Black men voted for Trump in 2016, adding 10 points...
Chris Sandvig: Administration, lawmakers must work together to keep transit rolling in Pa.
If you’ve ever been four-wheeling and got stuck in the mud, then you know it takes everyone getting out of the vehicle and working as a team — pushing and pulling — to get rolling again. It’s also like that with transportation funding. It’s really a fitting analogy, because that’s...
Point: It’s time to get tough on wasteful spending, starting with USAID
The opening month of the second Trump administration has been marked by incredible speed and progress, especially toward their goal of scaling back the bloat of the federal government. The pace has left an out-of-power Democratic Party reeling. Rather than propose their own spending cuts, most Democrats have decided to...
Counterpoint: First, they came for USAID
It wasn’t until after Martin Niemöller, a Lutheran pastor, ended up in a Nazi concentration camp that he realized he should have done more to help Hitler’s victims. He saw what was happening but he never thought they’d come for him. Of course, they eventually did. And that’s what Americans...
Cal Thomas: No substitute for victory
In his 1951 farewell address to Congress and the American public (known as the “old soldiers never die, they just fade away” speech), Army Gen. Douglas MacArthur said something the Trump administration should recall as it seeks to end the war between Russia and Ukraine: “… once war is forced...
David Rullo: Wanted for being Jewish
“Complicity In Genocide.” I would love to tell you I was shocked by the charge on the wanted poster with my face on it, but I wasn’t. It’s not the first time a radicalized, anti-Zionist, anti-Israel or antisemitic group has targeted me online. In fact, the same group — or...
Commentary: Here’s how the Trump administration can curb housing costs
One reason American voters handed the country’s reins back to President Donald Trump was the extreme inflation in housing prices that took place under his predecessor. The federal government has less influence over this issue than, say, California mayors and legislators — but whoever is in the White House can...
Mary Ellen Smith Glasgow: Addressing Pa.’s nursing shortage requires bold solutions
Pennsylvania is facing an urgent nursing shortage that threatens the foundation of our health care system. The numbers are staggering — by 2026, the state is projected to be short 20,000 nurses, exacerbating an already strained workforce. Without decisive action, hospitals and health care facilities across the commonwealth will struggle...
Trudy Rubin: At Munich Security Conference, Trump makes it clear that Europe and Ukraine are on their own
MUNICH, Germany — Last weekend will be remembered as the historic moment when the Trump administration broke America’s historic bonds with fellow democracies in Europe to pursue alliances with far-right extremist governments that admire Russia more than they do the United States. The drama took place at the annual Munich...
Jonah Goldberg: Is Trump’s Napoleon quote just idle trolling? This context suggests otherwise
The president of the United States posted a possibly apocryphal quote often attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte on social media Saturday: “He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.” This is an indefensibly stupid thing for a president to say — at least absent the sort of situation in...
David L. Nevins: Just words, or did Trump mean it: ‘He who saves his country violates no Law’
Last week, President Donald Trump shared this quote on Truth Social and X: “He who saves his country violates no Law.” I’ve learned with Trump not always to take him literally but to take him seriously. In this case, I am taking his comment very seriously. It appears that this...
Kathryn Anne Edwards: Americans would pay higher taxes to save Social Security
Social Security’s deep popularity among voters has earned it a reputation as the third rail of politics, meaning Congress is afraid to touch it. But the program’s finances require reform, and soon. The trust fund set up to fill a shortfall between what the government takes in for Social Security...
Catherine Coleman Flowers: Poverty, the seemingly intractable problem that the U.S. can actually solve
Even as incomes rose in 2023, the number of Americans living in poverty went up. More and more people are struggling to afford their basic needs. But this is a problem we can actually solve. With a fully mobilized, multidimensional effort, the U.S. can slash the poverty rate — especially...
John Walliser: Stay the course on methane rules
The need for clean, affordable, reliable sources of energy to power our homes and economy is growing more urgent as energy demands rise and the consequences of unchecked greenhouse gas emissions become increasingly evident in the extreme weather events threatening every community. Pennsylvania has long been an energy powerhouse and...
Peter Zaleski: Reasonable skill game tax rate would generate needed Pa. revenue
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s recent budget proposal to tax skill game revenue at 52% will fall well short of his estimated $8 billion projection over five years. How far short? To answer that question, one needs to look no further than Pennsylvania’s experience with tavern games. Tavern games, which are games...
Noah Feldman: JD Vance is playing a dangerous legal game
The federal district courts have been standing up to Donald Trump’s illegal executive actions, blocking or pausing multiple orders from the denial of birthright citizenship to unprecedented data access for Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency.” It’s neither surprising nor especially worrisome that Musk is now attacking the courts —...
Counterpoint: Let parents and teachers, not bureaucrats, make decisions about cellphones in schools
Should kids have access to smartphones in school? Some argue the smartphone problem leads to distraction. Others say smartphones are necessary for reasons related to safety or other concerns. In reality, it is a more complicated question than it appears. Yet, oftentimes, when complicated questions arise, broad state-level policies that...
Point: Cellphones are distractions, not toys
In today’s digital age, the ubiquitous presence of cellphones has transformed them into essential tools for communication, information and entertainment. However, when placed in the hands of children under 16, these devices can become detrimental, leading to physical inactivity, social isolation and addiction driven by sophisticated algorithms. As a scientist...
