Featured Commentary category, Page 53
Jim Nelson: A house (of cards) divided cannot stand
When I announced my candidacy for Congress in Pennsylvania’s 17th district, I did so with purpose, conviction and authentic intentions for service to my country. I’ve been a public servant most of my life, first in the U.S. Air Force, then as a law enforcement officer for 30 years, and...
Kenneth P. DeFurio: Independence will overcome financial challenges
The recently reported financial challenges facing Independence Health System are a result of the impact of the covid-19 pandemic. This is true for Independence Health and every health care provider in the U.S. Despite it not being long ago, it can be hard to recall the realities of the pandemic,...
Jackie Calmes: The GOP shutdown drama in Washington costs us plenty, even when Congress averts a stoppage
Tired of Congress’ repeated partisan standoffs every time a big fiscal deadline approaches, like last week’s? Weary of the breathless cable coverage of looming government shutdowns or debt defaults, knowing the partisans (almost) always come to some 11th-hour compromise, as they did last week? Or have you tuned out by...
Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis and Anita Prizio: Opening the door to people-based economic development in Western Pennsylvania
They say that, when one door closes, another opens. Western Pennsylvania lost its bid for a regional hydrogen hub this October as the Decarbonization Network of America (DNA) hydrogen hub project failed to win federal funding from the Department of Energy. It’s a hit to business leaders and the oil...
Erwin Chemerinsky: Supreme Court finally has a code of ethics, but it has a fatal flaw
Although it is welcome and overdue that the Supreme Court finally adopted an ethics code for its justices on Monday, the approach is seriously flawed in that it includes no enforcement mechanism. Instead it continues to leave it to each justice to decide whether to be recused in a particular...
Carl P. Leubsdorf: 60 years ago, in Dallas
It was one of those mild November days, typical of Washington autumns, the temperature pushing 70. Because I worked nights, I was trying to nap between picking up the 3-year-old at play school and her older siblings at 3. But excited voices interrupting the music on my favorite oldies station...
Guy Ciarrocchi: The parties have irreconcilably different visions for America
“It’s so nice to have Representative Jones, who’s a Republican, and Representative Smith, a Democrat, with us today. Even though they belong to different parties, we know that we all want the same thing for our community, and our nation.” As the former CEO of the Chester County Chamber, I...
Jodi Hirsh: Demanding an Israel-Hamas cease-fire
I am the Jewish grandchild of Holocaust survivors. My grandfather was in a camp. Although I was very close to them, I never learned exactly how my grandparents escaped Austria and then Vichy France, because the experience was so traumatizing that neither one would discuss it for the rest of...
Cal Thomas: Attitudes of gratitude and ingratitude
We have again entered the season of gratitude. You remember gratitude, don’t you? It was what we expressed before we became entitled. Last Saturday was the observance of Veterans Day, during which many thanked those who served in the military and have protected our freedoms. Next week is Thanksgiving, when...
Ari Mittleman: Pa. must work harder to combat antisemitism
Last week a 69-year-old Jewish man was killed on the streets of Los Angeles. Paul Kessler suffered blunt force head trauma when an anti-Israel protestor deliberately struck him with a megaphone. This homicide was preventable. It did not happen in a vacuum. The primary contributing factor was the increasingly normalized...
Erika Strassburger: Region at center of clean energy economy
U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm recently visited Greensburg and hosted a town hall in Pittsburgh to talk about how Western Pennsylvania can benefit from a clean energy economy. It makes sense that Pittsburgh, long a hub for industry and innovation, would be a focus of clean energy investment. We’ve been...
Elwood Watson: Israel and free speech at our nation’s universities
Debates over free speech have deeply immersed themselves into the fabric of our culture over the past few years. Wild and sharp finger-pointing has gone in both directions. Last week, a Cornell University junior accused of posting violently threatening statements against Jewish people on campus was held without bail after...
Rep. Bryan Cutler: RGGI decision and executive overreach
The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court rightly recently rejected an effort by prior Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration to unlawfully impose an energy tax on Pennsylvanians by entering the state into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). RGGI is a multi-state compact that would ultimately lead to higher energy taxes on Pennsylvania consumers...
Aaron Moore: Too many pardons? No — way too few.
You may have seen the news last January that outgoing Gov. Tom Wolf had granted 2,540 pardons over his two terms. They were recommended by the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons, which you’ve probably never heard of. This past week, that board recommended 114 more people for pardons, bringing their total...
Rick Santorum: My point on Election Night
On Newsmax last week, I commented on the passage of the Ohio initiatives that created constitutional rights to recreational marijuana and abortion. I stated that “pure democracies are not the way to run a country.” Columnist Lori Falce posited that I am “not a fan of letting people make decisions...
Bruce Ledewitz: I sent $1,000 to the Dean Phillips’ Democratic presidential campaign — here’s why
Joe Biden has done a very good job as president. I want to see his record vigorously and effectively defended in the 2024 presidential election. Because of his age, I don’t think Biden is the right candidate to do that. That is why I sent a campaign contribution to U.S....
Viewpoint 2: A 4-day workweek is a win-win for all
The four-day workweek has gained increasing traction over the past decade because of technological advancements, improved productivity and pandemic shifts in the labor market. The covid-19 pandemic gave us a chance to reimagine the work-life balance, and we should continue on that path by truly considering the benefits of the...
Viewpoint 1: 40-hour workweek is under scrutiny
Technology is making the 40-hour workweek an outmoded tradition. Historically, the workweek concept was based on the cycle of working from sunup to sundown, stopping either because the necessary work got done or it got too dark to see. The invention of gaslights in the late 19th century, followed by...
Mark Z. Barabak: Overwhelmed? Confused? Here’s what to make of all those presidential polls.
The New York Times recently released polling from a half-dozen political battleground states, and you might have thought Moses himself had descended Mt. Sinai with a commandment: Thus shall be decided the 2024 presidential race. The findings weren’t good for the Democratic incumbent. President Joe Biden trails the serially indicted...
Gregg Behr and Ryan Rydzewski: Children teaching us lessons in kindness
When people think of Mister Rogers, they often remember his famous quote about helpers: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” That uplifting anecdote served...
Dan DeBone: Supporting pro-growth tax reform
In 2022, our state Legislature achieved a significant milestone by successfully passing legislation to reduce Pennsylvania’s corporate net income (CNI) tax rate. This reduction is a remarkable achievement, as it lowered our state’s CNI rate from the highest flat rate in the country, 9.99%, to 8.99% as of Jan. 1,...
Alanna Caffas: Honor veterans by giving them access to clinical trials
For more than 95 years, Veteran Administration (VA) Research and Development programs have improved the lives of veterans, and all Americans, through groundbreaking health care discovery and innovation. This work has transformed the medical landscape through critical discoveries including tuberculosis treatment, cardiac pacemakers, nicotine patches, hearing aids, covid-19 vaccinations and...
Mandy Simons: What does it mean to be pro-Israel?
“Pro-Israel.” That’s a standard term in American discourse about the Middle East, and now more than ever. We hear of confrontations between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian protesters. Praise and blame are handed out to those seen as adequately or inadequately pro-Israel; the political lobbying organization AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee),...
Peter Morici: ‘Bidenomics’ is a bust, and even Democrats don’t want him to run again
The economy is improving, but President Biden doesn’t get much credit. Now it appears that could be enough to cost him his job. In contrast to last summer, most economists put the likelihood of a recession at less than half. Although the National Bureau of Economic Research considers several variables,...
Ron Klink: Protecting the earned income tax credit for families
Over 81% of Pennsylvanians receive the earned income tax credit, the federal government’s refundable tax credit to low and moderate-income families. This tax credit saves our state $2 billion annually — an average of $1,874 per household. Unfortunately, the IRS is now taking action that can jeopardize this windfall tax...
