Editorials category, Page 50
Editorial: Hotel tax collection benefits tourism — and room renters
Government always has to wait for innovation to happen before it can catch up with progress. There was no need for automobile registration before there were cars to register, for example. As utilities have changed, so have regulations for them. With the spread of computers, government’s use of them for...
Editorial: PennDOT needs to find real alternative to tolling
While the U.S. Supreme Court was making all the big news in recent weeks, the justices weren’t the only ones dropping significant decisions. On Thursday, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court decided to make some waves of its own. It did so by putting its judicial foot down when it comes to...
The Declaration of Independence
WHEN in the Course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them,...
Editorial: Why can’t Pennsylvania pass a budget on time?
The legislative process in Pennsylvania can take awhile. Government, after all, is not just about getting two parties to work together. It’s not even about the governor and the Legislature rowing the boat in the same direction. There is also the challenge of focusing 253 lawmakers on the task at...
Laurels & lances: Signing up and paying back
Laurel: To celebrating a different kind of commitment. Senior year of high school can mean a lot of attention on next steps for some kids. There are big productions made out of the athletes who accept scholarships to play their sports for marquee colleges. Then there are the brainiacs who...
Editorial: Lawmakers should put teeth in police database law
In 2020, after the murder of George Floyd under the knee of a police officer in Minneapolis ignited protests around the country, the state of Pennsylvania passed a law creating a database of law enforcement personnel records. The purpose was to prevent the shuffling of an officer with disciplinary problems...
Editorial: Allegheny County should set policy for pay increases
In 2019, a list of pay raises in the Pennsylvania governor’s office brought criticism. Gov. Tom Wolf handed out increases to some of his top staffers, ranging from 7.7% to 36%. It wasn’t that anyone questioned the work. People questioned the timing, which came just after the governor’s second inauguration,...
Editorial: Victims, community deserve discovery in Fern Hollow Bridge collapse
Law can be a patchwork quilt of intersecting and overlapping jurisdiction and authority. Much of what courts do is determine which law takes precedence in a given situation. On Thursday, that was on display in Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. Lawyers for the City of Pittsburgh countered a request...
Editorial: State law is not the way to find Joe Paterno statue
Just because you can doesn’t mean that you should. State lawmakers are able to look at issues that matter to them, propose changes and even grind axes. They can have pet projects that they make the focus of their time in office. After all, everyone’s perspective is refracted through the...
Editorial: Does the Supreme Court believe in states’ rights or not?
The United States Supreme Court certainly gave people something to think about last week. On Thursday, the court delivered a decision on a gun law in the state of New York that required people to demonstrate a need for a weapon in order to receive a concealed carry permit. It...
Editorial: Does the primary really have to move?
Every year, the closer we get to the polling stations opening, the more pious the exhortations become. Get out and vote. Do your duty. Show up. You can’t be part of the solution if you aren’t part of the process. The Pennsylvania Legislature has to stop being part of the...
Laurels & lances: Storms, gas and taxes
Laurel: To fast action. The June weather has been wild, with both bouts of high temperatures and strong storms. On Wednesday, a powerful thunderstorm came through Southwestern Pennsylvania, leaving its mark on area communities. West Penn Power reported about 12,500 customers without electricity throughout the region early Thursday. Duquesne Light...
Editorial: Easier teacher certification isn’t the problem
“The teacher shortage is real, large and growing, and worse than we thought.” This quote, from an Economic Policy Institute report titled “The Perfect Storm in the Teacher Labor Market,” is not hyperbole. The most surprising thing about it is how prophetic it is. The report was released in March...
Editorial: Is Pittsburgh serious about helping the recently jailed get back to work?
Sometimes the best solution is to try to kill two birds with one stone. Pittsburgh City Council is doing that with a proposal to get work done while giving employment opportunities to people who have recently been in jail. The proposal comes from Councilman Ricky Burgess and would partner with...
Editorial: Funding formula is PaSSHE pipe dream
Will a new formula redistribute state university money in a way that works? The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s governing board unanimously approved the funding proposal on Wednesday. It would follow what seems like an obvious plan, directing the money based on enrollment at what will be 10 universities...
Editorial: Always check the back seat for children
Today is a day to remember fathers. Instead, it seems important to urge everyone to remember kids instead. The littlest children. The ones without words yet. The ones who fall asleep quietly in the back of cars. Dads can take care of themselves. They really don’t need another tie. What...
Editorial: Victim’s stories have to be remembered
Homicide is a very clinical name given to the killing of one human being by another. Legally, killings can fall in a spectrum of responsibility. Vehicular homicide, involuntary and voluntary manslaughter, different degrees of murder. They all mean the same thing in the end. One person’s story ends. The drama...
Laurels & lances: Stress, permits and cooperation
Laurel: To valuable advice. Tim Murphy understands something about stress. Not only is he a licensed psychologist who specializes in psychological trauma, but he is also a former congressman who spent 14 years in Washington and resigned in 2017 amid a sex scandal. On Monday, he spoke at Westmoreland County...
Editorial: Workweek changes could be good for everyone
The five-day workweek is a concept that seems like it is knitted into the fabric of our culture. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s the shorthand for what it means to be in business or to have a job. Weekends are the time we have to ourselves,...
Editorial: Businesses and trails should be partners, not rivals
What is it about bikes that causes such friction? There was the push and pull with former Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto that stamped him with the “Bike Lane Bill” moniker for many critics. Now you’ve got people squaring off in Export. Fights might make sense if you were talking about...
Editorial: Public events like airshow sell area
What is the point of throwing a large public event? It might seem like just a party, but a lot more is going on when you are talking about a big-budget, big-crowd event spread over days. It is advertising. It is marketing. It is economic development. And, yes, it’s a...
Editorial: Westmoreland commissioners did right delaying meeting but could have done better
Is 48 minutes a big deal? It is when it comes to the letter of the law. On Thursday, Westmoreland County commissioners started their public voting session at 1:30 p.m. as publicized on the county’s website. The problem? The agenda for the meeting was posted there at 2:18 p.m. Wednesday,...
Editorial: What is the fix for gas price increases?
The price of gas is rising faster than almost anything — except the profits of oil companies. The average price per gallon in the greater Pittsburgh area topped $5 for the first time last week, with Somerset up to $5.08. The national average is over $5, too. It’s a 35%...
Editorial: Will rebranding Pittsburgh buses work?
On Thursday, Port Authority of Allegheny County ceased to be. But it didn’t go anywhere. The buses still roll. So does the T. But with the unveiling of a new idea, Port Authority became Pittsburgh Regional Transit. It’s called rebranding. It’s a way that organizations — often big names —...
Laurels & lances: Rodeo, resignation and graduation
Laurel: To a wild ride. Westmoreland Mall might not seem like the Wild West, but you wouldn’t have known it over the weekend. The Pro Bulls & Barrels Rodeo and Concert — coordinated by Live! Casino — took place in a makeshift arena in an empty parking lot at the...
