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EDITORIAL Hits & Misses

3 min read
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MISS: The opioid epidemic continues to exact a terrible toll in our area and across the country. The latest evidence of that comes in the form of the new life expectancy numbers from the Centers for Disease Control. Life expectancy in the United States declined last year for the third consecutive year, according to a Yahoo News! report, and now stands at 78.6 years. The CDC says the decline is a direct result of the rise in opioid abuse. The report noted that the last time life expectancy fell in three straight years was between 1916 and 1918, when the nation was in the grip of a flu pandemic.

HIT: The state Turnpike Commission is raising the level of technology and speeding up the process at toll booths on the Findlay Connector near Pittsburgh International Airport. As reported this week by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, travelers on the six-mile stretch of the Southern Beltway between Interstate 376 near the airport to Route 22 in northern Washington County will no longer be able to use cash to pay tolls. They’ll have to either rely on E-ZPass, or they’ll pass under an overhead camera that will take photos of their license plates, resulting in bills being sent their way. It’s about time that the cash system is phased out. We hope it will someday be done at all toll booths.

HIT: America’s system of employer-provided health insurance came into being during World War II, when factories needed workers in a tight labor market. Many started offering insurance as a fringe benefit. Now, more than seven decades later, some big employers are offering another benefit that they hope will help them lure employees – subsidized college tuition. On Wednesday, Walmart announced it would cover most of the costs of tuition for the 1.4 million workers on its payroll if they studied business or supply chain management at University of Florida, Bellevue University in Nebraska or Brandman University in California. Walmart employees who take the company up on its offer can attend either in person or online, and are not obligated to keep working for Walmart once they graduate. The only requirement for students is they contribute $1 per day toward the cost. Walmart is joining Starbucks and Amazon in offering tuition support. More large employers should follow suit. They will be helping their bottom lines while, at the same time, helping the country as a whole.

MISS: A few years back, televangelist Kenneth Copeland claimed he needed a pricey Gulfstream jet because of the indignities of flying on commercial aircraft. To be specific, he cited “this dope-filled world” and having to “get in a long tube with a bunch of demons.” Borrowing a note from Copeland, another televangelist has initiated an effort to get his own fancy jet. Jesse Duplantis, who hails from Louisiana, has informed his followers that he needs a Falcon 7X that rubs up against the sound barrier and costs a little more than $50 million. It should be noted it would be the fourth jet in his fleet. Duplantis said he needs this particular jet because he can “go anywhere in the world, one stop.” We all know, of course, that having to make a refueling stop is comparable to the trials endured by Job.

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