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Canada, US relations are strained

MONTREAL — Chalk up another victim to the coronavirus that has swept across the globe: The decades-old amity that tied Canada to the United States in cross-border marriages and commercial relationships, that deepened during World War II, that took the form of three landmark 20th century free-trade agreements, and that burst into full flower when Canada welcomed American jetliners and their passengers to Newfoundland after the 2001 terrorist attacks. These new tensions — flaring now that fear of COVID-19 has gone viral — have swept away the welcome mat that Americans for ...

IU8 responding in time of need

Even though the buildings are closed, school is very much still in session for students in Bedford, Blair, Cambria and Somerset counties. Since Gov. Tom Wolf closed the school buildings on March 13, the 35 school districts in the Intermediate Unit 8 (IU8) four-county region have been hard at work making sure students get their education. School districts are facing significant challenges but overcoming them to make sure kids get an education. “As the Meyersdale Area School District strives to provide continuity of education to our students, the biggest challenge we have faced has ...

What makes seniors more at risk

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in China, we’ve known that older people have the highest mortality rates of anyone should they contract the virus. As the illness has progressed and infected America, we’ve learned in even more detail about this. We now know that 13.4% of patients who are 80 and older die because of COVID-19. Yet those in their 40s only have about 0.3% risk of mortality should they get the virus. The real turning point seems to come between one’s 60s and 70s, where rates double between the decades. Knowing this doesn’t explain why or how this happens. It ...

China’s goal would hurt United States

In the classic play, Dr. Faustus agreed to give Lucifer his life and soul in 24 years in exchange for magical powers in the interim. In our Faustian Bargain with our Lucifer, the Communist Party of China, the U.S. consumer received lower prices on certain imports and certain businesses received greater access to 1.3 billion Chinese consumers. U.S. businesses also agreed to forced technology transfers (disclosing manufacturing processes and trade secrets) to the CPC and to tolerate the theft of USA intellectual property by them as well. All this reduces American competitiveness now and ...

US can’t rely on foreign supply chains

Decades ago, corporate greed led U.S. companies to search for cheap labor in other countries — starting a trend that has relocated entire American manufacturing sectors and left millions of hard-working Americans without good-paying jobs, all while rich CEOs grew richer. Building trades, labor unions and old-school, America-first political leaders like the late Congressman John Murtha fought against this corporate ransacking of our economy, which devastated entire industries, starting with steel and manufacturing. Time has proven that Murtha, the building trades and the labor unions ...

Lawmakers must act to mitigate crisis

In the wake of the corona­virus pandemic, Pennsylvania workers, health care providers and students and families are faced with unprecedented obstacles that demand action from Harrisburg. Gov. Tom Wolf has taken a strong approach by closing schools and shuttering so-called “non-life-sustaining” businesses. But could the cost of these drastic measures outweigh the perceived benefits? State legislators have a critical role to play in answering that question. In this time of uncertainty, lawmakers must not be passive. Instead, they should advance their own solutions to the problems ...