Breaking News

Other Commentaries

A mockery of ‘emergency’ spending

Remember how, mere months ago, the debt-ceiling deal struck between Democrats and Republicans to avoid a government shutdown was touted as “an historic first step toward shifting government back toward common sense and conservatism?” The hope was that the spending caps in the deal would actually constrain spending. Well, it took less than two months for politicians to start evading the caps with an old trick: emergency spending. In theory, there’s nothing wrong with emergency spending. Rarely does a year pass without some unforeseen event requiring prompt access to federal funds. ...

Governor’s approach to grid reliability moves in the wrong direction

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has asked regional power grid operators to enhance the electricity system’s dependability—and he’s got ideas about how to do it. But his premises are flawed, and his suggestions misguided. Shapiro wants reliable power, yet he’s banking on unreliable sources to provide it. That approach isn’t just wrongheaded; it’s a recipe for failure. “Here in the Commonwealth, we are embracing the advantages that cheaper, lower carbon fuel sources offer,” Shapiro wrote in a letter to the management of PJM Interconnection, the non-profit which ...

Does an independent bid by ‘No Labels’ stand any chance?

A number of years ago, I was asked to manage a campaign for a former Williamsport City Councilman who wanted to run for Mayor. However, he decided to run a third party campaign. I said to him, “The first thing we need to do is have a party name.” We created a party and ran he did. He came in third, but made it possible for an incumbent to be defeated by the challenger. It was a great history lesson. When it came down to election day, we were unable to field the poll workers and “get out to vote” telephoners necessary to be anything other than a spoiler party. The history of ...

State should reverse higher mortgage fees

Since May 1, many hardworking middle-class Americans have been paying more to buy a home because of an outrageous new rule imposed by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). Instead of rewarding families who play by the rules, the FHFA is now penalizing them with higher mortgage fees. It’s completely backwards. In fact, let’s call it what it is: The FHFA policy is a tax hike that will cost American families millions of dollars. To end these unconscionable fees, the U.S. House passed the Middle Class Borrower Protection Act, H.R. 3564, with a bipartisan vote on June 23. I ...

These days, it’s easy to put a spin on something and pedal it as if it is the undisputed truth. Take legal skill games, for example. Fear-mongering arguments pushed by the Pennsylvania Lottery and casino industry take great efforts to ignore both the facts and the law. A recent Pennlive editorial claimed, “Gambling in Pennsylvania needs the strong oversight only casinos can guarantee.” PennLive’s Editorial Board apparently is of the opinion that the lottery should be run by casinos. What I hope might finally put an end to the false narratives is legislation I have ...

The fall of a great city

PITTSBURGH — It’s 10:30 a.m. on a Thursday morning and a homeless man is curled up against the decorative angled brick below the archways of the large pane windows that line the office building known as the Fort Pitt Commons. For context, it is important to understand that 40 years ago this building was a turn-of-the-century industrial warehouse that was converted into a breathtaking six-story structure with exposed brick, natural beams, an atrium lit by a skylight and various-sized balconies overlooking all floors. The structure was so well architecturally regarded the year it ...