Opinion category, Page 191
Editorial: Penn State president’s retention bonus is out of touch amid cuts
Penn State is doing a lot of cost cutting lately. Under President Neeli Bendapudi, there has been a real campaign to slash what many might see as a bloated budget. The 2023-24 budget is $9.5 billion. Educating on the scale Penn State does is expensive. In addition to the sprawling...
Gary Franks: Biden vs. Trump — can we get a political reboot?
Why should funding go to any foreign nation to help them secure their borders until an obstinate President Joe Biden secures America’s border from an invasion via the use of our military or any other effective means? We spend trillions of dollars to ostensibly protect America, yet Biden refuses to...
Michael Stelzig: No need to worry about national security in U.S. Steel deal
Anyone familiar with national security knows that Japan is an important mutual defense treaty ally to our country. And anyone familiar with Pittsburgh and Allegheny County knows how important the steel industry has been to this region. Just over two months ago, we witnessed these two worlds coming together —...
Cal Thomas: The new American antisemitism
In the aftermath of “from the river to the sea” anti-Israel protests on many college campuses and in the streets comes a perfectly timed book by Johns Hopkins University professor Benjamin Ginsberg titled “The New American Anti-Semitism: The Left, The Right, and the Jews.” Ginsberg is especially hard on progressives...
Letter to the editor: The true threat to democracy
This post has made the rounds on social media: “It didn’t start with gas chambers. It started with one party controlling the media. One party controlling the message. One party deciding what is truth. One party censoring speech and silencing opposition. One party dividing citizens into ‘us’ and ‘them’ and...
Letter to the editor: Governor wrong on legal marijuana
Listening to our governor say on the news that we are losing $250 million because Pennsylvania hasn’t made marijuana legal, and using the old saying that “other states do it,” made me sick. Ever since I can remember, doctors have said it’s a steppingstone to other drugs. Our police are...
Lori Falce: Jon Stewart, bothsidesism and asking not-so-tough questions
Last week, comedian Jon Stewart returned to his chair at “The Daily Show.” He will occupy it again one night a week leading up to the November elections. It’s a move that was championed by fans and by many on the left. Stewart has long enjoyed skewering conservatives, and Trevor...
Letter to the editor: Continued promotion of ‘Big Lie’ astounding
I read the letter “Democrats’ ‘whatever it takes’ pattern” (Feb. 12, TribLive) and found it necessary to respond. The unwavering pattern of continued promotion of the Trump “Big Lie” astounds me. The letter cites an alleged poll by Heartland/Rasmussen where its poll results show overwhelming admissions by pollsters of voter...
Laurels & lances: Caps, meetings and closings
Laurel: To help in healing. Sometimes it takes a mom to recognize what’s going to make someone feel better. Heather Shuker, 49, knows what doctors have done for her daughter, Hannah, who has battled severe seizures for 20 years. But being there through it all gave her a perspective a...
Letter to the editor: Immigrants who commit crimes should be deported
I am not against properly vetted immigration to the United States. I am opposed to the thousands of non-vetted immigrants that the Biden administration has let flood over our border. The scenes of New York police officers being mauled by a gang of immigrants goes beyond words. Some of these...
Pete Shelly: Equal treatment for skill games
As lawmakers consider Gov. Josh Shapiro’s timely proposal to tax and regulate skill games, they would be wise to follow the blueprint of one the nation’s most successful state gaming industries — and they won’t have to travel far to find it. Over the last 20 years, Pennsylvania has emerged...
Kenny Mostern: Summer Lee standing up for the vulnerable
Polls have shown since at least November that a clear majority of Americans support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. The most recent data, from research by ISPU and Data for Progress, is stark: • 63% of the general public support a permanent ceasefire against only 16% opposed. • 78% of...
Letter to the editor: Can we all live by the Biden rules?
I’m as old as Joe Biden. Can I get the same stay-out-of-jail card he has? I occasionally call my kids, my wife and my pets by the wrong name. Bottom line, does the above-the-law rule apply to me? Edward Biskup Penn Township, Westmoreland County...
Letter to the editor: Trump ‘flaws’ show little character
I believe Donald Trump when he says he never read “Mein Kampf,” even though he fails to complete the statement with “… or any other book.” His ignorance of history or any other serious subject is too obvious to deny. I try ignoring this twice-impeached serial adulterer and sexual assaulter,...
Editorial: Fern Hollow Bridge collapse was human fault, not an act of God
An act of God might sound biblical, but it has a legal definition. When it comes to contracts and liability, an act of God is the kind of calamitous natural event that is unpredictable and unavoidable. It’s something that is outside of human control. And it is not what happened...
Letter to the editor: Gas drives energy, environmental and economic progress
Creating a false choice is a convenient tactic to sway opinion when the facts aren’t on one’s side. Such seems to be the case in the letter “Renewable energy investments protect jobs, public health” (Feb. 14, TribLive), which attempts to force readers into an either-or narrative of developing natural gas...
Ed Gainey: What we learned from Fern Hollow
When I woke up on the morning of Jan. 28, 2022, I was prepared for our city to be the focus of the nation with a visit from the president of the United States. But just weeks into my administration as mayor, we were met with one of our biggest...
Jonah Goldberg: No, Donald Trump does not equal Alexei Navalny
Alexei Navalny didn’t simply die. He wasn’t just murdered. He was tortured to death. It didn’t happen on the rack or mid-beating, but Vladimir Putin — who had tried to eliminate him earlier — slowly killed Navalny all the same. Vladimir Putin sent the Russian dissident and anti-corruption activist to...
Cory Yedlosky and Chris Taylor: How we exposed corruption in Pa.’s corrections union
Supervising inmates is no easy task. It’s easy to feel outnumbered and vulnerable. To do our jobs as corrections officers well, we have to trust that our colleagues will be there when we need backup. Together, we’re stronger. Likewise, for years, we trusted our union to have our backs and...
Jacqueline White: Rethinking our response to youth homelessness
Consider the situation of Charles — a young Black man who showed up at HOPE 4 Youth, a drop-in center for youth facing homelessness in suburban Minneapolis. His grandmother, who he was staying with, had given him until the end of the month to find a new place. His name...
Letter to the editor: Jennifer Crumbley guilty of neglect
Lori Falce wrote an excellent column on the Jennifer Crumbley verdict in the 2021 Oxford High School shooting (“Crumbley verdict and respect for guns,” Feb. 9, TribLive). Some feel the charge of involuntary manslaughter is too severe. However, four students died due to the lack of “plain and simple” parental...
Letter to the editor: Casey helping to ‘get stuff done’
A few weeks ago, I was proud to announce that Pennsylvania secured $132 million to make critical repairs to the McKees Rocks, Fort Duquesne and West End bridges. These bridges are essential to drivers of Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania’s economy, helping to connect Pennsylvanians to one another and making sure people...
Letter to the editor: Thankful for Biden
It is encouraging to open the newspaper and see the large amount of economic development in our area. We have the airport modernization project, the upgrade of our waterways and improvement in our sewer systems. There are funds for the demolition of dilapidated structures, revitalizing of roads and bridges, improvement...
Editorial: Snow story gets cold shoulder from haters
TribLive shared a story Sunday about kids getting a chance to try something out of the box for them. Children from Pittsburgh were getting an opportunity to try an outdoor activity. They were learning to ski and snowboard. This isn’t a controversial topic. We know controversy. We see it all...
Letter to the editor: Republicans turn backs on Constitution
It seems state Republicans have given up on the U.S. Constitution. State Senate Resolution 234, authored by Republicans Kim Ward, Scott Martin, Joe Pittman and Ryan Aument, “voices support for the Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.” The U.S. Supreme Court ordered Texas to allow federal immigration agents access to the state’s...
