Featured Commentary category, Page 85
Julie Brogan: Why can’t we limit money in politics like the French?
My family and I are nearing the end of a gap year in France. One highlight of this adventure was watching the French presidential election in April in which Emanual Macron beat Marine Le Pen by a 17-point margin. As an American, it was refreshing to see how a democracy...
Albert Eisenberg: Keys to GOP’s Hispanic outreach in Pa. and nationwide
After this month’s historic special election win in South Texas, Republican strategists nationwide are asking themselves: how can we replicate now-Congresswoman Mayra Flores’ success in flipping an 84% Hispanic district to the GOP? Meantime, Democrats are burying their heads in the South Texas sand as Hispanic voters flee their party....
Mark W. Hendrickson: Washington’s corn-based ethanol mandates are poorly timed
Recently, President Joe Biden flew into Iowa — our country’s leading corn-producing state — to announce to appreciative farmers that the Environmental Protection Agency will require American motor-fuel refiners to increase the amount of corn-based ethanol (CBE) that must be blended into motor fuels this year. The new regulations include...
Ross Farber: Why we need fossil fuels
Let me get this straight: The most serious problem facing the U.S. (and the entire Earth) is global warming, according to President Biden. On Sept. 6, 2019, Biden said “We‘re going to end fossil fuel.” He makes similar statements very often. There are immense efforts to promote this projected catastrophe...
Eugenio Vaccari, Laura Coordes and Yseult Marique: What happens when your local council goes bankrupt
Local government fulfils an essential role in society. It provides fundamental services — from social care and transport to education, water and waste collection. And when it no longer can, when a council goes bankrupt, it is the most vulnerable citizens who bear the brunt of that failure. In the...
Gregory A. Daddis: Images of gun violence could prod the public
Another American holiday. Another mass shooting. This time in Highland Park, Ill., where seven were killed. We seem destined to both celebrate and mourn these days. While the May 24 tragedy in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 schoolchildren and two teachers were murdered, helped instigate the nation’s first gun-control legislation in...
Victor Guillen: Biden administration must expand TPS for Venezuelans
Hundreds of thousands of hardworking Venezuelans could gain temporary legal status in the U.S. if the Biden administration chooses to redesignate and extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans like myself. TPS is a humanitarian program that provides temporary legal status to live and work in the U.S for people...
Sen. Jay Costa: Addressing violence on Pittsburgh’s South Side
Gun violence continues to be an issue on which Democrats are ready to act. Recent horrific mass shootings have pushed the subject to the forefront for state legislators in Harrisburg. Back home in Pittsburgh, the issue has been on my constituents’ minds for some time. I recently held a telephone...
Donovan Schaefer: Buying into conspiracy theories can be exciting — that’s what makes them dangerous
Conspiracy theories have been around for centuries, from witch trials and antisemitic campaigns to beliefs that Freemasons were trying to topple European monarchies. In the mid-20th century, historian Richard Hofstadter described a “paranoid style” that he observed in right-wing U.S. politics and culture: a blend of “heated exaggeration, suspiciousness and...
Bill Lueders: When transparency is treated with contempt
Most of the time, public officials in Wisconsin obey the state’s openness laws. Sometimes, they need a little prodding from the courts. But the recent conduct of Robin Vos and Michael Gableman is something altogether new, and deeply disturbing. Both Vos, the speaker of the state Assembly, and Gableman, whom...
William Haupt III: Auditing the Federal Reserve would keep them honest
“Real patriotism is a willingness to challenge the government when it is doing wrong.” — Ron Paul Many people have a delusion the Federal Reserve is a federal agency that controls our money. Yet the Federal Reserve is a private corporation run by bankers. And it operates in the best...
Sen. Ryan Aument: CNI tax reform will bring economic stability, mobility to Pa.
The American dream promises that hard work equals success and a more prosperous future. But with historic inflation rates, intrusive government regulation, high taxes, bureaucratic red tape and other government-inflicted barriers, the American dream feels increasingly out of reach for millions of people. That’s certainly the case in Pennsylvania, which...
Salewa Ogunmefun: New legislative maps offer 10 years of opportunities for Pa. BIPOC communities
Last year’s legislative reapportionment process resulted in maps, particularly in the state House, that will offer BIPOC communities across the commonwealth with an unprecedented opportunity to choose elected officials who will truly represent them and help build a brighter future for these communities who have been overlooked for far too...
Dana Siler: Climate legislation matters … now more than ever
The Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling in West Virginia v. EPA is a disappointment to those who want to see strong, quick climate action. Given the volatility of implementing greenhouse gas reductions via actions from the executive branch, the impetus is now on Congress to act on climate change. The court’s...
Peter Morici: Employers must embrace hybrid work to attract top talent
Employers that insist workers return to the desk five or even four days a week are facing tough resistance. When Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon ordered his bankers to their desks full time, just 505 of his base employees showed up. Subsequently, young bankers were threatening to quit and otherwise...
Bruce Castor: No pipelines means more coal, less safety
The Pittsburgh metro area has emerged as one of our nation’s leading energy hubs, though this status does not come without risks. Right before the busy Memorial Day weekend, a Norfolk Southern Train struck a vehicle, causing a significant train derailment that sent nine carriages into a tributary of the...
Dr. Andrew Smolar: Prevention, mental health and our current crises
I see that we have a collective blind spot. We don’t understand mental health. Our media talks and writes about elevated rates of anxiety during Covid, depression and substance abuse during mid-life, and suicidality among adolescents and veterans. Mental health professionals are rarely consulted. We have three current crises that...
Marc Stier: We need a budget for all Pennsylvanians
It appears that state budget negotiations are continuing and we may have some announcement of a budget deal in the next day or so. The last few weeks of public debate in Harrisburg have been deeply revealing of the different approaches of the two parties. One of those parties has...
Greg Fulton: July Fourth and the American dream
We celebrate the Fourth of July as Independence Day because that is the date credited for when the Declaration of Independence was signed. The signing of the Declaration also represented the beginning of an experiment that the world had not witnessed before. It was the initial step in the creation...
Viewpoint 2: On Independence Day, we could do better
Independence Day is recognized across America as the day to celebrate freedom. As the popular song says, “I’m proud to be an American/Where at least I know I’m free.” Yet many people don’t feel terribly free. Some think the traditional American way of life is under attack. Others think that...
Viewpoint 1: Our freedoms are under attack
Recent headlines, from the Jan. 6 committee’s hearings to the Supreme Court rolling back the right to reproductive health care, profoundly implicate the freedom that many will celebrate this Independence Day. Opponents of democracy — a system that works best when it empowers people to have an equal say in...
Rob Altenburg: Supreme Court hurts EPA’s ability to fight pollution
The Supreme Court’s decision in West Virginia vs. EPA is a major setback and hobbles the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ability to regulate the pollution that causes climate change, but it doesn’t stop Pennsylvania from taking necessary steps here at home. The court’s ruling may have far-reaching consequences...
Peter Morici: Defending Taiwan starts with standing up to Putin
President Joe Biden’s recent statement that the United States would intervene militarily if China tried to take Taiwan by force was hardly a gaffe. The U.S. policy of strategic ambiguity has outlived its usefulness. Since President Richard Nixon went to China and put the two nations on the path to...
Kenneth W. Gatten III: Dr. Oz’s misinformed oil and gas policies
As prices at the gas pump hit record highs, U.S. oil and gas policies are proving to be key issues heading into the November midterm elections. Recently, Republican Senate nominee Mehmet Oz railed against the Biden administration, lamenting that President Biden’s “failed energy policies have crippled us” and calling to...
Eric Epstein: Electric fantasyland led to higher rates, higher taxes and more terminations
On Aug. 4, 2000, Republican Gov. Tom Ridge announced that electric competition would lead to job growth, economic expansion and decreased rates. According to Ridge, “Pennsylvania’s national leadership in electric competition continues to bring dramatic savings and economic benefits to Pennsylvanians.” The Department of Revenue rolled out the pompoms and...
