Opinion category, Page 136
Tom Pike: Shapiro needs to step up his environmental game
As attorney general, in 2020, Josh Shapiro made a name for himself by publishing a grand jury report that called for 2,500-foot protective buffers between residents’ homes and fracking well pads. It cited reams of evidence that living near fracking infrastructure is dangerous to Pennsylvanians’ health. Shapiro’s track record as...
Lindsey Galvao and Benjamin Klutsey: Teaching civil discourse — a classroom blueprint for all America
First-time teachers and first-time voters gearing up for the 2024 election may have only ever been exposed to toxic polarization — it’s their norm. But for those of us who’ve been in the classroom for decades, the landscape of teaching civics has changed dramatically. In the early 2000s, America was...
Aaron Brown: Wager on the NFL or invest? It’s not about morality
Does legalized online sports betting strain family finances? A recent study, “Gambling Away Stability: Sports Betting’s Impact on Vulnerable Households,” argues yes, but the conclusion reflects the moral assumptions of the authors rather than the statistical evidence. That’s not to say this is a bad study. It is a good...
Letter to the editor: South Park carry license event appreciated
I was at the recent Allegheny County Sheriff’s Department license to carry event in South Park, and I have to say that it was run as smoothly as it could possibly be. It took me 12 minutes to stand in line, have my photo taken and developed and be called...
Letter to the editor: What’s Trump’s military record?
I don’t understand why JD Vance and several Republicans keep badgering Gov. Tim Walz about his military service of 24 years. This could all be stopped by someone speaking up and saying, “What is Donald Trump’s military service record?” I’m just saying. Nancy Cochran Springdale...
Letter to the editor: Criticism of Walz’s military record deserved
In conjunction with the advent of the Harris-Walz ticket on the Democratic side, one area of continued focus and evaluation pertains to Gov. Tim Walz’s military record. The letter “Facts about Walz’s military record” (Aug. 17, TribLive) lays claim to having absolute truth to end all debate about Walz’s service....
Editorial: Iran’s attack on America: Criminal meddling in U.S. elections and protests
Back in 2016, it was the Russians who interfered with the U.S. presidential election, stealing emails and computer files from the Democrats and giving them to WikiLeaks to publish, seeking to embarrass the party and damage nominee Hillary Clinton. The culprit was the FSB, the Kremlin’s successor to the KGB,...
Letter to the editor: Biden and Harris deserve a failing grade
President Biden (and Vice President Harris, by association) have had four years to fix the rising prices, the out-of-control borders and soaring inflation that affect all of us, whether Democrat or Republican. The fact that the Biden administration has done practically nothing to fix those and the other problems they...
Letter to the editor: Harris excitement will continue
The enthusiasm and energy of Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign will continue to be a force that can’t be ignored. It presents hope for the future. “We won’t go back,” the slogan that emanated from the people, resolves to abandon the chaos, disparity and embarrassment of the Donald Trump presidency....
Editorial cartoons for the week of Aug. 26
Editorial cartoons for the week of Aug. 26....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Aug. 26
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Aug. 26....
Letter to the editor: Pirates, Steelers owners go for money, not championships
We know a rip-off when we see it, and we see it year after year. I’m talking about Pirates owner Bob Nutting and Steelers owner Art Rooney. Twin brothers of another mother. These billionaire bums shortchange Pittsburgh by making little effort to compete for championships. The City of Champions is...
Letter to the editor: Local politicians have too much taxing power
After the tax increase scam the former Greater Latrobe School Board members tried to pull last year and the one the current Westmoreland County commissioners did pull as a Christmas present to all of us, it’s obvious that the taxation powers of all local Pennsylvania politicians need to be severely...
Editorial: U.S. Secret Service has no margin for error in protection
The U.S. Secret Service has a remarkable record when it comes to protection. It was born in 1865 — not because of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln but because of wildfire counterfeiting in the wake of the Civil War. The Secret Service is a child of the Treasury Department, transferred...
Letter to the editor: Oil output under Biden tops Trump
In our politics and related economics, there are many questions whose answers largely reflect a point of view vs. a specific data-based conclusion. Are government-paid school lunches a good investment, are they morally sound? Is an abortion justifiable at three hours, three days, three months? Little in the way of...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Playing politics with the border
“That’s just politics” is a common response whenever Donald Trump says or does something outrageous, and it’s true that many of his carnival sideshow antics are worthy of nothing more than a chuckle. But his decision to get Republican senators to kill the bipartisan border bill in February deserves more...
Carl P. Leubsdorf: History hasn’t been kind to female nominees. Will it be different this time?
Once again, we are seeing how female nominees create excitement in presidential politics. But in the past, it’s mostly worn off by Election Day. Kamala Harris and the Democrats hope this time will be different, but it’s too early to know. The vice president’s nomination marks the fifth time in...
Point: Beware bias by omission
A long time ago, the American people expected reporters to gather and report the facts, explain the arguments of political parties and keep their opinions out of it. Today, reporters openly express their opinions, in their stories and in nearly every utterance on television and social media. The “objective” media’s...
Counterpoint: Media ‘bias’ is a perennial part of elections
Donald Trump’s esteem for Vladimir Putin is well known. For more than a decade, starting before he became president, Trump has expressed admiration for the Russian strongman, from his October 2013 claim that Putin had “done really a great job of outsmarting our country” to his July 2018 assertion at...
Letter to the editor: Unflattering Pittsburgh
In his op-ed “An unflattering portrait of Pittsburgh” (Aug. 17, TribLive), Colin McNickle has the courage to report what needs to be disclosed about the city: it is blunt, fault-finding and insulting,” all synonyms of “unflattering.” He states: “… the think tank researchers say Pittsburgh’s very high spending, excessive taxation...
Sounding off: Presidential politics
Trump is a real leader who cares I wanted to reply to the letter “Doesn’t Trump care, or does he think we’re stupid?” (Aug. 13, TribLive), but I found I couldn’t because he didn’t give any specifics about what had upset him. But I can reply to the tone of...
Letter to the editor: There’s still time to replace Trump
I find Donald Trump to be an old, weak liar, a stammering, cruel bully, a disgusting felon and a racist. Yet he appeals to a lot of white MAGA voters who forgive his criminal behavior, his billionaire tax cuts, his lack of any real substance. I think it’s because of...
Editorial: Was Pittsburgh credit card scandal really no big deal?
It was just an honest mistake. That was the Pittsburgh Office of Management and Budget Director Jake Pawlak’s interpretation of the misuse of city credit cards to pay a former employee as a contractor. A six-page summary of the three-month Office of Municipal Investigations probe was issued Wednesday, assuring everyone...
Letter to the editor: Beware Democrats’ Trojan horses
Four years ago, the Democratic Party presented the country with Joe Biden as its candidate for president. The DNC and its media acolytes claimed he was a moderate leader who would unify the divided electorate. Covid was raging, so the country was also suffering from conflicting policies on how to...
Harry Litman: What kind of prosecutor was Kamala Harris? The answer could be pivotal to her campaign
CHICAGO The presidential campaign is shaping up to be a tale of two prosecutors, both named Kamala Harris. Harris’ record as a tough-on-crime prosecutor was a constant refrain through much of the Democratic National Convention. A series of speakers echoed that theme. They touted Harris’ lock-’em-up bona fides. In his...
