Michael Garing News Today

On books, whose beliefs matter more? When I read the article “‘It’s a small number of people who are very loud’: Local libraries grapple with book challenges, bans” (Aug. 22, TribLIVE), I was somewhat taken back by the headline and further by the story. The story described how the number

According to U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, fully 54% of our current inflation is actually the result of corporate price-gouging of the American consumer. This corporate greed started in 1982 when the Reagan administration made stock buybacks legal, then Republican administrations allowed an unprecedented number of corporate mergers resulting in virtual

The government will always get you Regarding the article “Poll: Taxes, cost of living driving away young residents from Pennsylvania” (July 5, TribLIVE): I’ve developed a theory over the years that the government is going to get you somehow regardless of where you live. There will be exceptions, and one

Sensible gun laws will help us back the blue A recent feature article regarding law enforcement line-of-duty deaths was truly disheartening and speaks to our culture of gun violence. Eight local officers who lost their lives while serving our communities were highlighted. Five of those eight officers were fatally shot

If the average person lies on an employment application, he or she can get fired. If people lie under oath, about their taxes, to the police or on a mortgage application, it is a criminal offense; they can be fined and face jail time. Why do we hold our elected

From the results of the November election, one can conclude that a stable democracy is important to the people of Pennsylvania. We do not want our Legislature to be able to nullify our votes, or Republican lawmakers claiming the 2020 election was stolen, or representatives going to court to oppose

Republican Sen. Joe Pittman’s op-ed “You can’t have family-sustaining jobs without employers” (Aug 13, TribLIVE) is typical Republican doublespeak and a race to the bottom. Tax give-aways to big corporations and failure to increase the minimum wage are what got us into the situation we are in today. Our middle-class

Lessons for Pa. from Kansas Kansas voters’ crushing rejection of the amendment that would have removed the right to abortion from the state’s Constitution sends a loud message to Pennsylvania’s GOP legislators. Underhanded tactics likely won’t play well here either, even with many conservatives. The Kansas amendment was deliberately worded

Guns are now the No. 1 killer of our children. Forget thoughts and prayers, we need answers and action. The overwhelming majority of Americans have been screaming for gun reform for years. We know what needs to happen: get weapons of war off the streets. We have 4% of the

The right likes to demonize the word socialism and conflate ordinary public policies with authoritarian regimes in Venezuela, Cuba or Nazi Germany, which are socialist in name only. But a detailed look at some of our democratic socialist policies paint a more nuanced picture. Social Security, Medicare, roads and bridges,