Featured Commentary category, Page 8
Jonathan Levin: What the tomato teaches us about free trade
Most tomatoes from Mexico will face a 21% tariff effective July 14, the U.S. Department of Commerce said recently. Ironically, the “love apple” may be the perfect illustration of how trade contributes to economic prosperity — and of the folly of President Donald Trump’s protectionist policies. First and foremost, the...
Leon Ford: Pittsburgh’s political divide shouldn’t break our bonds — a call for collaborative leadership
As Pittsburgh’s mayoral race heats up, a growing divide is surfacing — not just between candidates, but between neighbors, friends and even longtime community collaborators. We’re witnessing respected leaders fall out, meaningful partnerships dissolve and years of trust unravel over political affiliation. This isn’t new. We’ve seen it before —...
Scott L. Bohn: Equipping first responders for the age of synthetic opioids
When I started my career in law enforcement, I took an oath to serve and protect my community. Now I see that oath being lived by my fellow law enforcement colleagues throughout Pennsylvania. Members of the Pennsylvana Chiefs of Police Association represent every type of community throughout the commonwealth —...
Point: Trump’s first 100 days — the start of a Golden Age
President Donald Trump’s first 100 days back in office have been a whirlwind of action and change not seen in Washington in decades. The president won a decisive Electoral College victory in November to carry out his campaign promises of securing our southern border, repairing our economy and ending the...
Counterpoint: Trump’s first 100 days — a MAGA mess and authoritarian overreach
As we quickly approach the 100-day mark of the second Donald Trump presidency, let us look at what has happened. A lawless authoritarian blitz is a good summary. Maybe a MAGA mess? Let’s review some of the lowlights by checking in on some predictions and questions I asked after Trump’s...
John Eckenrode: Closing jails a death sentence for communities
Last month, hundreds of members of Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association (PSCOA) descended on Harrisburg to fight for the future of SCI-Rockview, SCI-Quehanna and the community corrections centers (CCC) of Progress and Wernersville — all of which are being targeted for closure by the Shapiro administration. The state Department of...
Staten Rector: Targeting international students puts America’s reputation at risk
Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk was on the way to see her friends when masked ICE agents in plainclothes cornered, handcuffed and forced her into an unmarked vehicle. She is now being detained over 1,500 miles away in Louisiana. Carnegie Mellon University student Jayson Ma had his visa suddenly revoked...
Steve Catanese: It’s time to recognize 911 workers for what they are — first responders
What’s the first thing we do in an emergency? Dial 911. The very first person you speak to typically works long, irregular hours. Your call may be about a cat stuck in a tree or a downed power line. It could be for a life-endangering accident or even a shooting....
Erika Strassburger: Pa. must lead on renewable energy
With the potential repeal of clean energy tax credits looming in Congress and crucial decisions about our power grid’s future hanging in the balance in the next few months, Pennsylvania stands at a crossroads. Our choices today will determine not just the cost of powering our homes, but also the...
Keith G. Kondrich: Today’s ‘traitors’ in good company
If it is treason to criticize U.S. health care policies based on pseudo-scientific half-truths and conspiracy theories promulgated by a charlatan, then I am a traitor and should be deported immediately to a maximum security prison in El Salvador. If it is treason to criticize the gutting of critical services...
Kimberlee Josephson: The hidden costs of IRS Direct File for Pennsylvanians
Tax season just came and went, but one Pennsylvania congressman appears worried that thousands of commonwealth residents may have overpaid. Republican Pennsylvania Congressman Mike Kelly, chairman of the House of Representatives’ tax subcommittee, has been sounding the alarm about the IRS’s new Direct File program, a government-run tax filing tool....
Thomas C. Willcox: Don’t blame AI for Pa.’s high rent
Pennsylvanians might be more politically divided than ever before, but there’s one thing they can all agree on: the rent is too darn high. In the commonwealth, rents are expected to jump by more than 6% in 2025, well above the national average of 4.8%. This lack of affordability has...
Jim Howell: Shapiro’s proposal to protect seniors and the lottery deserves bipartisan support
Given the charged political environment that we are enduring, I am hopeful that lawmakers will come to a consensus in support of a key component of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget proposal: the need to protect older Pennsylvanians who rely on programs funded by our state lottery. Our state lottery...
Christine Flowers: Big part of being Catholic is speaking out over injustices
My alma mater was wrong. Villanova should have barred a young man from walking at graduation after filming a young woman being sexually assaulted. Instead, he basically skated. No arrest, no charges, no penalties. It took an intrepid journalist with a solid moral compass to bring the story to the...
Counterpoint: Conventional wisdom behind birthright citizenship is flat error
Once upon a time, doctors were convinced that using leeches and drawing the blood of patients cured illness. No matter how widely accepted that error was, leeches didn’t cure anything. The same is true for the belief that anyone born in the United States automatically becomes an American citizen. Please...
Point: A defense of birthright citizenship
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump issued an executive order aimed at ending automatic citizenship — known as “birthright citizenship” — for children born in the United States to two noncitizen parents. His argument rests on interpreting the phrase “subject to the jurisdiction thereof,” found in the...
Cal Thomas: Time to stamp out the post office
Better buy your “Forever” stamps now, because the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has announced another price increase. On July 13, the cost of a first-class stamp is scheduled to rise from 73 cents to 78 cents. The plan is to raise prices four more times by 2027. Meanwhile, it appears...
Ruth Johnston: Assisted outpatient treatment can help people like Cody Balmers
His face breaks my heart, though I realize most people will not react that way to Cody Balmer’s mug shots and arrest footage. Cody attacked our state’s official residence, leaving charred furniture and forcing the governor’s family to flee in the night — on Pesach no less, forcing them to...
Peter Morici: Trump’s tariffs boost Democrats’ prospects for winning big in the midterms
President Trump is wagering tariffs on Republican majorities in Congress. Even with most of his reciprocal tariffs temporarily suspended, these import taxes make a recession more likely, and Mr. Trump won’t be able to turn around the economy quickly enough to save the Republicans’ bacon. Trump’s tariffs and prices He...
Daniel Nelson and Phillip Suderman: ‘No Trespassing’ means government, too
Private Property. Keep Out. No Trespassing. These are all signs that your average American inherently understands: This land belongs to someone else, and the public has no right to enter. But to Pennsylvania wildlife officers, those signs rate as suggestions, not strict rules. That’s because Pennsylvania grants its wildlife officers...
Greg Fulton: Penn State branch closures would harm communities
The announcement by Penn State that it plans to close up to 12 of its 19 branch campuses, of which four are in Western Pennsylvania — Beaver in Monaca, Greater Allegheny in McKeesport, New Kensington and Shenango in Sharon — was disheartening to people in those communities and current and...
Cal Thomas: Tax Day, time to again feed the insatiable beast
America’s annual rituals and observances include days we usually celebrate together (July Fourth, Memorial Day, Veterans Day) or as members of special groups (Passover, Easter and Christmas). The one annual ritual it can be safely said most Americans despise is April 15, when the half of us who pay federal...
Stephen Mihm: The atomic bomb set the stage for the college funding fight
In recent weeks, the nation’s most selective universities have been waking up to a new reality: the billions of dollars in federal funding that have long sustained them now come with strings attached. The Trump administration has put Columbia, Harvard and Princeton on notice, threatening to withhold research funds unless...
Lynn Schmidt: Missing Mike Pence
I miss Vice President Mike Pence, and you should too. That is, if you appreciate the second in command standing up for his oath to the Constitution instead of a man, and if you long for the days when America respected our European allies and was a proud member of...
Jason W. Park: American Dream or American Nightmare? Choose wisely!
For many people living and working in this country, the American Dream defines their aspirations. By hard work and meaningful sacrifices, Americans can reach their lifelong goals, whether a short-order cook or a NASA astronaut. The “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” that our Founding Fathers penned seems to...
