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Opinion

Health insurance needs to be affordable

Letters to the Editor

As someone living with a chronic health condition, affordable health insurance is essential. My family purchases our own health care through the individual health insurance marketplace because we don’t get coverage through an employer. Enhanced premium tax credits have made it possible for us to afford a plan that covers the care I need to stay healthy. These tax credits are set to expire in 2026. If Congress doesn’t act now to extend them, our premiums will skyrocket. We simply can’t afford that, and neither can the other Pennsylvanians who use these tax credits to afford ...

Internet often not source of good info

Editorials

It is not uncommon to be suspicious about much of what is posted on the internet. That’s not new, of course. It’s as old as the internet itself. However, when the internet was new, most people gave scant thought to the misinformation and evils that could embrace it and be hidden within it. It was something new, something fun, something exciting, something intriguing — and people increasingly were captivated by it and its myriad possibilities. Over the years, however, attitudes and perceptions changed, the one big change being that people have, as noted in this editorial’s ...

Gerrymandering shows term limits needed

Opinion

Americans are seeing a political spectacle playing out not in town halls or debates, but in backrooms and courtrooms: redistricting - gerrymandering. What should ensure fair representation has devolved into a cynical game where politicians carve up neighborhoods like pieces of pie to guarantee re-election. We are seeing it unfolding again in Texas, California, and across the nation. Whichever party is in power manipulates district lines to entrench incumbents, silence opposition, and render elections meaningless. It has become a bipartisan sport. But here’s the truth most ...

Politicizing Federal Reserve hurts economy

Editorials

It’s not hard to find mistakes in the Federal Reserve’s recent history, but Donald Trump’s latest attempt to erode the institution’s independence is dangerous. The president wants lower interest rates, but any benefits coming from that would probably be outweighed by supercharged inflation and the economic hangover that comes with it. Last week, Trump announced that he would try to fire Fed governor Lisa Cook, whose term otherwise expires in 2038. He cited an unproven allegation of mortgage fraud that one of his appointees dug up and broadcast on social media, but Cook denies ...

Pennsylvania transportation system crumbling

Opinion

As someone who has worked in Pennsylvania’s highway construction industry my entire life, I’ve seen firsthand what strong infrastructure funding can accomplish. I’ve also seen what happens when that funding falls short, and we can’t meet basic needs. Pennsylvania has seen a 41% drop in asphalt tonnage placed on state roads. Let’s throw out the COVID years, and back up to years 2016-19, when PennDOT was placing 6.9 million tons of asphalt annually. Now, from 2022-25, that number has dropped to an annual average of 4.2 million asphalt tons placed. What this means is that ...

Legislators can help protect themselves

Letters to the Editor

​I support the general premise of state Rep. Gregg Scott’s proposals to help protect legislator’s safety. In my opinion, and many people I know from both parties, our elected officials could greatly increase their personal safety with one simple change: Take a long look in the mirror and just do your job. Reach across the aisle, find consensus and improve life for all. Your posturing, entrenched rhetoric, unwillingness to compromise, and efforts for reelection (I don’t support Scott’s proposal to let incumbent lawmakers get a free pass on getting signed petitions for ...