Featured Commentary category, Page 71

States with Right-to-Work laws continue to fare much better in their job recovery statistics following covid-19 lockdowns than states without such laws, concludes an analysis by the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy. But the now-prevalent Delta variant could produce new challenges to that recovery, cautions Jake Haulk, president-emeritus of and...

Denial takes many forms, and while we often are exhorted to “trust science,” some dismiss the science of economics when it doesn’t suit their political agenda. That’s what we’re finding out about the natural gas industry in general and the nearly completed ethane “cracker” plant that is about to trigger...

This commentary is part of a series from governors of the 13 states in the Appalachian Regional Commission. ARC is an economic development agency of the federal government and state governments focusing on 420 counties across the Appalachian Region. For every home improvement project, big or small, you need the...

While some people are shocked by the current attacks on flight attendants — the biting, the spitting, the punching, the threats — this behavior doesn’t surprise me. When I became a flight attendant back in the 1990s, I didn’t realize I’d end up in one of the most-hated professions in...

Twelve months ago, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was admired and seen as a future president. Some Democrats were wishing that Cuomo was the one limbering up for the fight with then-President Donald Trump. Had the Democrats made an error by not skipping a generation to choose Cuomo? Today, New...

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, and Pennsylvania’s oil and gas industry is a major methane emitter. More than 5½ years ago, Gov. Tom Wolf promised regulations to reduce methane emissions from existing oil and gas industry operations. It’s time to finalize these regulations. Methane reduction is critical in addressing...

In recent years, an acute housing crisis has engulfed both America’s coastal metros and Rust Belt regions. California’s Bay Area, for example, confronts a crisis of affordability and limited supply that hastens a population exodus. Midwest cities like Detroit face low real-estate prices and low demand, intensifying urban decline. Pennsylvania...

Airport security checkpoints have become the nation’ measuring stick for the state of our war with covid-19 and the Delta variant. The picture is not pretty, and is likely to get worse before it gets better. Over 8,500 Transportation Security Officers have been infected to-date, with 18 deaths. At the...

With 52 of our 67 counties calling Appalachia home, Pennsylvania is no stranger to the rich geography of the region filled with stunning mountain views, rivers and streams, and wildlife. It’s home to tremendous cultural and historical resources and 5.6 million Pennsylvanians who live, work and play in our commonwealth....

Everyone knows America is experiencing a hiring crisis. Many local restaurants and stores are struggling to find staff to open. Now imagine running a nursing home, where the pandemic remains a real threat, and trying to retain and find new employees. Even if you could find potential candidates, nursing homes...

American democracy has been taking a beating lately. When people are feeling lousy about their country, experts usually recommend civic pick-me-ups to alleviate the aches and pains. Attend a veterans parade. Play bingo at a volunteer fire department. Witness a Blue Angels air show. All of those are nice, and...

The emerging spectacle of a state senator trying to audit Pennsylvania’s 2020 election absent credible evidence of fraud isn’t going to change the 2020 outcome and will only further the paranoid atmospherics, poisoning both parties. I’m a Republican. I believe in my party’s core values: personal liberty, free markets and...

The covid-19 pandemic laid bare the truth about deep inequalities in our society. Communities of color were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, and our noncitizen neighbors were among the very hardest hit because they were unable to access covid relief benefits despite the fact that they make up a disproportionate...

Hundreds of years ago, a seller might bring a pig to market in a cloth bag (or “poque”). Smart buyers knew to look inside the drawstring “poque” before agreeing to buy. A buyer on the wrong end of a con could end up with a cat and no bacon. Hillwood...

This commentary is part of a series from governors of the 13 states in the Appalachian Regional Commission. ARC is an economic development agency of the federal government and state governments focusing on 420 counties across the Appalachian Region. The hit country song “Mountain Music” by the band Alabama may...

More than 75% of Pennsylvania adults have received at least one covid vaccination dose and 61.5% are fully vaccinated. Our state is finally reopening. But the long road to economic recovery is just beginning. With campaigns for 2021 and even 2022 underway, new statewide and local leadership is on the...

In the article “Massive boost in state education funding is not much help to Franklin Regional” (July 14, TribLIVE), Franklin Regional School District Finance Director Jon Perry suggested that a ruling in the school funding lawsuit headed for trial this fall could cause his district to lose revenue. I am...

Overdose rates are higher in areas where people live in poverty and even higher among people of color living in poverty. In the last decade in Maryland, the proportion of opioid-overdose deaths involving Black people has continually risen, while the proportion involving white people has declined, mirroring nationwide trends. This...

Whatever one may think of Donald Trump or the circumstances of last year’s election or even the bitterness of this nation’s partisan divide, it ought to be easy to condemn the events of Jan. 6 and to support a broad inquiry into what happened and how to prevent it from...

We should have seen it coming. There had been too many near misses for devastating human pandemics: the Ebola virus, beginning in 1976; the “bird” flu H5N1, first appearing in 1997; SARS in 2003; Zika, beginning in 2007; MERS, starting in 2012. There were others. We had ample warnings before...

Urgent action is needed to combat climate change for the benefit of Pennsylvania’s children and grandchildren, Gov. Tom Wolf said while commenting on his administration’s Climate Impacts Assessment for 2021. The governor claims that rising temperatures, heat waves, flooding and sea-level rise associated with global warming will directly affect what...

History repeated itself during the pandemic in many ways. Students of philanthropy braced themselves for the usual dips in giving that occur during recessions, but donations actually rose in 2020. Surprising patterns of donor responsiveness are also evident in Pittsburgh’s own philanthropic history. According to data released by Giving USA...

Too many times important decisions are made that impact everyday people without getting their input. Skill games is a great example. I hear chatter about them from big out-of-state gaming corporations and powerful gaming lobbyists that tell me they know nothing about them. Last month the state Senate held three...

With a low cost and high quality of living, it’s no surprise that more than 1.7 million North Carolinians call Appalachia home. The 29 North Carolina counties that are a part of it offer great opportunities to families living in the region — welcoming communities, a strong small business environment,...

Like so many others, the fitness industry has been devastated by the covid-19 pandemic. Leaders on both sides of the aisle in Harrisburg introduced legislation to help, but no action was taken before they adjourned for the summer, leaving gyms and health clubs waiting for assistance. Action is needed to...