Opinion category, Page 182
Editorial: Questions about hydrant in Jeannette fire require answers
You need water every day. We drink it. We cook with it. We bathe in it, wash our clothes with it, brush our teeth with it. But we also tend to take it for granted. We think about it most when it’s in short supply — when tasked with boil-water...
Letter to the editor: Founding Fathers not Christian nationalists
Republican leader Marjorie Taylor Greene recently stated that “Our Founding Fathers would’ve been considered Christian Nationalists, and I agree with them!” Greene has embraced a trope of exclusion that is factually and historically wrong. While many of the Founding Fathers were religious, they did not intend to create a Christian...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: A great tradition reborn at Duquesne
Victories are always sweet. And when Duquesne University’s basketball team qualified for this year’s NCAA Tournament, everyone who loves an underdog celebrated. The Duquesne Dukes have been great before, but it has been a while, and this revival was unexpected. In 1988, in his Los Angeles Times article “Remembering When...
Kevin Frazier: U.S. at its best when it learns from its mistakes
Learning from your mistakes isn’t just something that applies to your personal life — it’s a core lesson of political science. Ten years before the Framers of our Constitution gathered in Philadelphia to draft a new governing document, they adopted the Articles of Confederation. Our Founding Fathers were so assured...
Point: Congress is right to call for the strategic divestment of TikTok
The Chinese Communist Party in Beijing is nervous — and it ought to be. The U.S. Congress has targeted a significant tool that the CCP uses to spread disinformation among Americans, and the rulers in Beijing are not happy about it. The House has voted to require TikTok to be...
Counterpoint: Banning TikTok is a blow to free speech
The recent move by the House of Representatives to advance legislation forcing ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok represents a potentially alarming infringement on our fundamental rights guaranteed by the First Amendment. Despite national security concerns, coercing the divestment of TikTok sets a dangerous precedent that undermines the principles...
Letter to the editor: Basketball just a game? Not in Jeannette.
They say basketball is only a game. Tell that to Jeannette Jayhawks sophomore Kymone Brown, playing with flu-like symptoms after watching practice from a computer screen all week and finishing with 10 points in an unthinkable and absolutely unbelievable 48-46 overtime upset win over Greensburg Central Catholic (“Jeannette shocks rival...
Sounding off: Trump, Biden, county commissioners lead week’s topics
Don’t vote as a ‘fan’ In this forum, people write that they either favor President Trump and bash President Biden, or favor Biden and bash Trump. Whomever you vote for, I ask that you not vote if you are a fan. Fans vote for their favorite regardless of the candidate’s...
Letter to the editor: GOP must embrace mail-in voting
The 2019 Act 77 election law enabled “mail-in ballot voting” in Pennsylvania. Many Republicans are totally against this practice. I am against this practice. However, we are stuck with it. Until Republicans actually win control of the Pennsylvania House, Senate and governorship, it will not change. Recent elections substantiate the...
Editorial: Is lack of reassessment a county problem, or is it Pennsylvania’s fault?
Pittsburgh Public Schools needs more money. For school districts, there are few ways to do that. The one consistent revenue stream is property taxes, which means the easiest way to boost income is raising taxes. But why is that necessary? Yes, the cost of living goes up all the time,...
Letter to the editor: Tax hike and wasted ARPA funds
In response to the letter “Vote out county commissioners” (March 13, TribLive): I have been beating that drum for several years, pointing out that I believe Commissioners Sean Kertes and Doug Chew were using the American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funds to keep taxes down so that they would be reelected...
S.E. Cupp: Donald ‘I’m Really Rich’ Trump needs a bailout
“Here’s the good news. I’m very rich.” That was 2015 Donald Trump, who spent much of that year bragging about his immense wealth as he mounted a then unlikely run for president. “I’m the most successful person ever to run for the presidency, by far,” he said then. “Ross Perot...
Elwood Watson: Meghan Markle doesn’t have to help Princess Kate
I knew it was only a matter of time before segments of the right-wing media, both here in America and in Britain, would reignite their propaganda/outrage machine toward Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex. Meghan has been urged to defend her sister-in-law, Princess Kate, after she found herself at the...
Marian Schneider: Westmoreland should be making it easier to vote, not more difficult
In early March, two of the three Westmoreland County commissioners announced that they would not consider installing a ballot drop box anywhere in the county in 2024, despite doing so in each election year since 2020. The commissioners claim that drop boxes in recent elections weren’t getting enough use. But...
Letter to the editor: Commissioners should be voted out over tax hike
Everybody is disgusted with our Westmoreland County commissioners. Their tax increase is ridiculous! This affects a lot of people on fixed incomes. When my husband and I make a purchase, we budget for it. I guess our commissioners just raise taxes. When I filled out my tax rebate in February,...
Letter to the editor: Palestinian propaganda
Palestinian supporters misunderstand the term Palestinian. In 70 AD, the Romans vanquished the Jewish kingdom of Israel. Most of the Jewish people migrated throughout the world for the next 2,000 years of the diaspora. But, throughout that time, the land was occupied by Arabs, Christians and a few Jews. The...
Lori Falce: Fire sales and forum shopping
I love shopping. Not just picking out the perfect shoes or a great dress. I like grocery shopping. I like vacation shopping. With PowerBall and Mega Millions both in spitting distance of a billion dollars, I’m doing quite a bit of fantasy real estate shopping right now. I don’t care...
Laurels & lances: March Madness edition
Laurel: To sweet victory. In a city filled with colleges and sports teams, it can be hard to stand out. The Duquesne Dukes are doing just that. It started with the Atlantic 10 championship in New York City, as the Dukes took the crown. The 57-51 win over Virginia Commonwealth...
Letter to the editor: Solving Pittsburgh’s housing problem
A specter is haunting the city of Pittsburgh — the specter of organized renters and unhoused people. All the powers of ruling-class Pittsburgh are teaming up to stop us. From real estate developers to landlords, from technology to health care CEOs and elected officials, all are leaning in to enforce...
Maya Haber: Opponents as enemies a dangerous tactic
I was born and raised in Tel-Aviv, Israel. On the evening of Nov. 4, 1995, I attended a rally there to support Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s peace initiative. At the end of the rally, an ultranationalist assassinated Rabin. The next morning, an IDF soldier I was speaking with insisted that...
Letter to the editor: Sad state of sports in Pittsburgh
The way all the Pittsburgh pro sports teams have played in the last several years is about as bad as it gets. In my opinion the owners are in it just for the money. I am so upset the way the owners are doing business. Every team — baseball, football,...
Letter to the editor: Westmoreland’s many issues
In 2014 our three commissioners decided to avoid lawsuits in our prison system by allowing a watered-down sanctuary status. In 2019 and 2023, I ran for county commissioner and spent $102,000 of my retirement money to wake Westmoreland up on a number of issues. I mailed 140,000 flyers to every...
Editorial: Firefighters show up when it matters most
If you want to know why it is important to support emergency services, look to Jeannette. At 12:02 a.m. Wednesday, the first call came in about a fire with entrapment on Guy Street. Jack Mull was a neighbor who made the call after he stepped out for a cigarette and...
Letter to the editor: Start a kindness movement
It takes one person to start a movement. That one person could be you. Today, with divisiveness being stoked by politicians and the media, change may seem hopeless. But it does not have to be this way. The power others seem to hold they have because we give it to...
Jonah Goldberg: Did Trump literally threaten a ‘bloodbath’? No, and claiming he did only helps his campaign.
At a rally in Ohio on Saturday, Donald Trump said that if he is not elected in November, there will be a “bloodbath.” That he said that much is true. Having actually read the text of his remarks, however, I do not believe he was threatening: Elect me president or...
