Featured Commentary category, Page 6
Mary Ellen Klas: Threats against judges have crossed the line
The destruction of South Carolina Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein’s home in a fiery inferno Oct. 4 immediately led to speculation it was an act of political violence. South Carolina officials are still investigating, and they said Monday “there is no evidence to indicate” the cause of the explosion “was...
Sheldon H. Jacobson and Dr. Janet A. Jokela: Sage advice — get a flu shot this year
The influenza (flu) season is fast approaching. With it brings the risk of upper respiratory discomfort, fever and various aches. Those over 65 years of age and children under 2years of age have historically been at the greatest risk of poor outcomes, including hospitalizations and even death. In the 2024-25...
Patricia Murphy: The biggest losers of the government shutdown, for now
This column started out as a list of winners and losers of the government shutdown. But it’s obvious that there are no winners in a situation like the one we’ve got today. It’s the first government shutdown in seven years, but also the first I can remember where both sides...
LZ Granderson: Anyone calling Bad Bunny un-American needs a geography lesson
Is there a better inkblot test for America right now than reaction to Bad Bunny being the halftime act for Super Bowl LX? Soon after his name was announced, social media exploded into meritocracy debates as if the National Football League’s decisions are culturally motivated and not commercially. Taylor Swift...
Albert Eisenberg: Congressional Republicans can win big with health care solutions
We are living in a time of high and growing suspicion toward “the Establishment,” be it political, financial, cultural, media — and especially health. Much of this is well-founded. For years, Americans have been told to “trust the science” and not believe our own eyes. The disconnect between experts and...
Kim Scouller: The financial nightmare of domestic violence
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Many people think of bruises or broken bones, but there’s another weapon of abuse that leaves scars you can’t see on the outside: financial abuse. Experts estimate that more than 10 million adults experience domestic violence, and almost 100% also experience financial abuse. Sadly,...
Dan DeBone: Small businesses need support during federal government shutdown
With the federal government officially shut down, small business owners are once again facing a period of uncertainty and concern. While large corporations often have the resources to withstand disruptions like these, small businesses — the backbone of our local economy — feel the effects almost immediately. Shutdowns have consequences...
Cal Thomas: Bring back Clinton-Gingrich
On Aug. 5, 1997, President Bill Clinton and the Republican-controlled Congress, led by Speaker Newt Gingrich, enacted the Balanced Budget Act. This bipartisan agreement aimed to balance the federal budget by 2002. Most of the credit goes to Gingrich because Clinton had vetoed previous Republican proposals for reducing the debt....
Counterpoint: The court isn’t drifting rightward — the pedal is to the floor
Whether the Roberts Supreme Court will continue to push American jurisprudence to the right — bending the law toward their preferred policy outcomes rather than precedent or originalist intent — is no longer a matter for debate. The question is how brazenly and how quickly it will press forward in...
Point: Another momentous term is in the offing
The Supreme Court’s recent refusal to grant a stay of a lower court decision telling South Carolina it has to allow a transgender girl to use the boys’ bathroom in a public school emphasizes the importance of issues the court will be reviewing when its new term starts Oct. 6....
John T. Shaw: Congresswomen unite for immigration reform and show us the statesmanship that’s possible
During this time of fear and division in the United States, it is heartening to see an example of courage and unity, especially as it pertains to one of our most contentious issues: immigration. President Trump seized on fears related to immigration in the 2024 presidential campaign to help win...
Rep. Arvind Venkat: New infrastructure means healthier families, healthier Pa.
As an emergency physician and current state legislator, I’ve spent my career serving Pennsylvanians and supporting them in a lifelong journey to live healthy, fulfilling lives. We know that eating nutritious foods and exercising regularly is important. Practicing good hygiene — brushing your teeth, washing your hands, and keeping clean...
Karen Feridun: Preserve local control on natural gas
The burgeoning data center boom in Pennsylvania is reminiscent of the early days of the fracking boom. No attention was given to the impacts fracking would have on public health or the environment. Unlike New York and Maryland, no studies were done to guide policy decisions about how, or even...
Alexander Ciccone: Congress should not turn a temporary handout into a permanent burden
Pennsylvania families already face some of the steepest health care costs in the nation, with premiums and deductibles eating up bigger chunks of household budgets every year. The Pennsylvania Insurance Department has warned that premiums are expected to rise by nearly one-fifth in the year ahead, putting even greater pressure...
Reps. Eric Nelson and Mike Schlossberg: Funding school mental health should be a top priority
Mental health is often discussed in whispers; we all must confront the growing reality that many of our young people are struggling. A recent survey of Pennsylvania youth found that 41.5% of students reported feeling sad or depressed most days in the past year. Students of all ages are struggling...
Greg Fulton: The magic of Three Rivers Stadium and Willie Stargell
Today marks the 25th anniversary of the Pirates’ last game in Three Rivers Stadium — Oct. 1, 2000. It would also be the last time the fans would see Pirate great Willie Stargell. The ballpark and Stargell were intertwined, and their time together represented some of the most remarkable years...
Sen. Kim Ward and Pat Halpin-Murphy: Ensuring no-cost diagnostic breast imaging for Pa. women
Two years ago, when Act 1 of 2023 was passed unanimously, Pennsylvania became the first state in the nation to require insurers to cover supplemental breast cancer screenings such as MRIs and ultrasounds, as well as BRCA-related genetic testing and counseling for high-risk individuals — all at no cost. The...
Bill Johnson: Universities must lead the way on freedom of speech
Freedom of speech has always demanded courage, and courage is the one virtue universities cannot delegate. When free speech becomes fatal speech — as it did recently with the assassination of Charlie Kirk on a college campus — Americans demand — and deserve — a change. I believe our nation’s...
Panini A. Chowdhury: Southwestern Pa. must plan smarter for data centers
Artificial intelligence is changing nearly everything about the way we live, work and — before long — govern. We see the headlines about breakthroughs in generative models and predictive engines, but what we don’t see as easily is the physical backbone powering all of this: data centers. Every AI application...
Cory Franklin: The dark reality behind the Chinese president’s hot mic moment about transplanted organs
During a recent military parade in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, Russian President Vladimir Putin was caught on a hot mic saying to Xi Jinping, his Communist Chinese counterpart, “Human organs can be continuously transplanted. The longer you live, the younger you become, and (you can) even achieve immortality.” Xi responded:...
Elizabeth Shackelford: Why we need dissent
This month I began teaching a new undergraduate course on Dissent and Democracy in the World. I started developing the course over a year ago, convinced that the subject is not only essential to well-functioning communities, but also not well understood or appreciated in American society today. When the class...
Patricia Lopez: ICE raids or work permits? The White House wants it both ways
President Donald Trump’s promise to ratchet immigration levels back is colliding headlong with his other goal: a thriving economy that brings manufacturing and foreign investment back to the U.S. He can’t have it both ways, but he doesn’t seem to understand that. Perhaps that’s why his administration keeps dangling —...
Counterpoint: The Smithsonian should not propagate ideology
President Donald Trump is right. The Smithsonian is “out of control.” And it should be a concern to all Americans, whether you agree with Trump on other issues or not. It is the heritage of us all that is under assault. The Smithsonian’s 19 museums and galleries in the Washington...
Point: Yes, Trump is censoring history
On the eve of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Trump administration is rewriting history by wielding the tools of censorship and erasure. At the National Park Service site honoring Charles Pickney, who wrote a draft of the Declaration of Independence, for example, references...
David Walmsley and Dr. Tawfik Jelassi: Your right to know — why journalism and access to information matter more than ever
If we lose our fundamental universal right to access to information, and if independent journalists lose the ability to report the facts, then our rights and democracies may vanish entirely. Access to information is a fundamental human right empowering us all to make informed decisions, participate in democratic processes and...
