Opinion category, Page 149
Helen Ubiñas: There’s only 1 right response to the Trump shooting
I was boarding a plane from Los Angeles back home to Philadelphia when the news hit that former President Donald Trump had been injured during a rally in Butler County. The details were sketchy, but the responses online and on the plane were already wild — and entirely predictable. This...
Gaurav Singal and Anupam B. Jena: It’s not just hype. AI could revolutionize diagnosis in medicine
The history of medical diagnosis is a march through painstaking observation. Ancient Egyptian physicians first diagnosed urinary tract infections by observing patterns in patients’ urine. To diagnose diseases of the heart and lungs, medieval doctors added core elements of the physical examination: pulse, palpation and percussion. The 20th century saw...
Letter to the editor: Supreme Court rulings jeopardize our safety
Thank you to Lori Falce for an insightful, clear explanation of the effects of the recent Supreme Court rulings (“Politics is infection in Supreme Court rulings,” July 5, TribLive): “Let us hope Roberts, et al., have a better understanding of nuclear physics and software engineering than Congress has shown.” Federal...
Letter to the editor: Unity should protect community when considering solar farm
Unity Township residents are concerned about a proposal to build a solar farm on 34 acres along Charles Houck Road north of Route 982. The Unity Township supervisors have the responsibility to protect the community with meaningful zoning ordinances pertaining to commercial solar facilities. As more solar projects come, so...
Letter to the editor: Pa. leadership must advance Alzheimer’s funding
Pennsylvania Senate Bill 840 and House Bill 2400 have passed their respective chambers, each receiving bipartisan support. But both have stalled. SB 840 is with the House Health Committee, while HB 2400 has yet to be referred to a Senate Committee. Each has the potential to drastically improve the commonwealth’s...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of July 15
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of July 15....
Editorial cartoons for the week of July 15
Editorial cartoons for the week of July 15....
Editorial: Democracy must stand up to violence
Violence and democracy cannot exist in the same arena. On Saturday, former president and GOP candidate Donald Trump was struck by a bullet as he spoke to an enthusiastic crowd of supporters in Butler County. Trump, bloodied and defiant, was quickly removed from the stage. Despite the injury to his...
Letter to the editor: Choosing candidates based on polling data?
It is interesting to read the stories regarding the calls to replace Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee for president. Those calling for his replacement are the same ones who have said “every vote matters” and “the voters decide.” In this case, the voters have spoken. They chose Joe Biden...
Letter to the editor: Legislators’ inaction on gun legislation shameful
In response to the op-ed “Supreme Court gives Pa. way to stop domestic violence killings” (June 29, TribLive) — I couldn’t agree more wholeheartedly. I’m the mother of a 12- and a 10-year-old, and I worry every day about their safety at school. Every parent remembers where they were when...
Editorial: Could presidential race swing Pennsylvania politics?
Pennsylvania’s history as a swing state always gets attention during presidential election years. In the last two such elections, it has made all the difference. Suburban voters in Beaver, Butler and Chester counties helped put the Keystone State in Donald Trump’s column in 2016. Erie and Northampton counties switched to...
Letter to the editor: The world would change if we all told the truth
Mellowing with age (80) allows me more time to contemplate just how screwed up the world has become. I have come to the conclusion that if people just told the truth, our world would change dramatically. It is said that once a person begins lying, it is all downhill from...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: In search of a silent majority
When President Richard M. Nixon appealed to the nation for support of his Vietnam War policy in a televised address, he called on the “silent majority” of Americans to side with him. The term “silent majority” has come and gone and been used in various ways, but it suited Nixon’s...
Jennie Sweet-Cushman: Worried about saving democracy? Staying the course isn’t the answer.
What do The New York Times Editorial Board, George Clooney and (as of last count) 10 congressional Democrats, two out of three Democrats, and famed political strategist James Carville have in common with a professor of political science (namely, me)? We all have such grave concerns about President Joe Biden’s...
Counterpoint: The economy, threats to democracy are top issues
Recent polls show that the economy is still chosen by more voters than any other issue as the most important issue in this election. A Washington Post/Schar School survey shows this to be true also for the swing voters in the swing states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and...
Point: Military readiness is a crucial election issue
As the 2024 presidential election approaches, a critical issue remains largely unaddressed: the alarming deficiencies in the U.S. military. Political debates about the extent of our engagement in foreign conflicts — whether in support of Ukraine, Israel or the defense of Taiwan — assume the United States has the necessary...
Letter to the editor: Project 2025 threat to our democracy
As I watched the July 4 celebration at our nation’s Capitol, I was struck with the contrast between two events. Jan 6, 2021, saw a violent mob bent on destroying our democracy; July 4, 2024, saw a peaceful gathering celebrating our democracy. These two events are metaphors, reminding us of...
Sounding off: Presidential race tops writers’ concerns
Biden should step aside Joe Biden claims this year’s presidential election is about preserving democracy and that Donald Trump is running solely to feed his oversized ego. If Biden truly believes this, then he should step aside. The Democrats would then be able to nominate a practical centrist around whom...
Letter to the editor: Remembering Lorin Maazel
The legacy of the “City of Champions” is more than Super Bowls, Worlds Series, Stanley Cups, NCAA Championships or superstars. It also includes Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra stars like Victor Herbert, Fritz Reiner, William Steinberg — and Lorin Maazel, who died July 13, 2014. From a child prodigy in Paris, LA...
Editorial: Start planning path to next Pennsylvania budget now
Pennsylvania has a 2024-25 budget. Hallelujah. The budget came in a mere 11 days late. In Pennsylvania political time, that’s practically early. The 2023-24 budget overshot the June 30 deadline by almost half a year. The last parts were signed Dec. 14, making it closer to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s February...
Gary Franks: Biden helps Trump increase his lead
It is a miracle. President Joe Biden has done what few Americans have ever done or even thought possible. He has caused former President Donald Trump to be relatively silent. Trump is speechless. The latter does not have to do or say anything as long as Biden persists in being...
S.E. Cupp: Democrats, Republicans and the death of common sense — we’re stuck with Biden and Trump
Common sense. We all know what it means, but common as it is, definitions and ideas of it have changed over centuries. Aristotle connected common sense directly to the senses, and the ways in which we use different tastes, colors, feelings, smells and sounds to collectively perceive and categorize things....
Kari Xander: Pittsburgh must do better for its nurses
Pennsylvania is heading toward the worst nursing shortfall in the entire nation and will soon have over 20,000 empty positions. Here in Pittsburgh, our enormous health systems have the financial resources to lead the way in solving this crisis. Instead, the health care industry has done the exact opposite and...
Letter to the editor: Is Mark Madden rooting for Pirates to fail?
I’ve never written a letter to the editor in all my 66 years. But Mark Madden has gotten me fired up enough to give it a shot. Is he ever positive about the Pirates? In his column “Bryan Reynolds’ contract turning out to be bargain for Pirates” (July 6, TribLive),...
Letter to the editor: Vote for legislators who listen
Most Americans, no matter their religion, race or political party, want the same things from our government: • 98% support changing the way our political campaigns are funded. We want a reduction in big money’s influence. • 85% believe in access to abortion. We want reproductive freedom. • 75% support...
