Opinion category, Page 196
Letter to the editor: Constitution and the border
This is for the writer of the letter “Republicans turn backs on Constitution” (Feb. 21, TribLive) and others who have forgotten our founding documents. All of them. Might I recommend that you reread the Constitution of the United States of America. Pay special attention to Article IV, Section 4. While...
Editorial: Who do we thank for freedom of information?
Ask who wrote the Declaration of Independence, and most people will promptly respond with Thomas Jefferson. Ask about the Constitution, and Broadway enthusiasts and history buffs may wax poetic about Alexander Hamilton. But who do we credit with the Bill of Rights? That honor goes to James Madison. The fourth...
Letter to the editor: Congress must work for middle class
Corporate-controlled media had been banging the drums of economic doom for months; inflation or stagflation is just around the corner. However, recently the good news cannot be contained. Unemployment has been under 4% for 24 months. Jobs have been added for 37 months straight (a figure not seen since 1960)....
Tom Purcell: Missing my Irish ancestors
Piglet! My surname means piglet! Like millions of Americans, I’ve been poking into my heritage using ancestry sites such as FamilySearch.com. That’s how I learned that “Purcell” is an occupational name of Norman origin for “swineherd.” My name derives from the Norman-French word “pourcel,” which comes from the Latin word...
Jennifer Bertetto: Preserving access to public information from public bodies
When journalists emphasize the importance of the Sunshine Act, some people might think we’re seeking special favors or a particular privilege — that we’re looking for more ways to “get dirt.” Nothing could be further from the truth, and here’s why: The Sunshine Act is about preserving public access to...
Michael Reagan: Steve Garvey and the miracle in California
A miracle occurred last week in California’s U.S. Senate primary race. In a deep blue state where Democratic voters outnumber Republicans 2-1, Steve Garvey, the former L.A. Dodger star, ran against three Democrats and came in a close second to Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff. Garvey, a conservative Republican, finished behind...
Letter to the editor: Why is Westmoreland a sanctuary county?
Did you know Westmoreland County is a sanctuary county included with another 19% of Pennsylvania counties? (See cis.org/Map-Sanctuary-Cities-Counties-and-States.) How and why did Westmoreland become a sanctuary county, subject to transportation of illegal immigrants into our area and provided support by the federal government through non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with our tax...
Letter to the editor: ‘Do no harm’ for children’s sake
It’s not your fault if you are harmed because your school does the minimum to protect you by only doing the minimum screening of its employees and volunteers. It’s not your fault if your school district does little to help with outside professional investigations or contaminate any outside investigations or...
Editorial: Fraud can affect anyone
Fraud is one of those things that happens to other people. That’s what we want to believe. That’s true of plenty of bad stuff in life. Fires, crimes, cancer — all of that is easier to accept when we distance ourselves from it. But fraud carries a little something extra....
Letter to the editor: Casey needs economics lesson
Regarding the article “Sen. Casey questions Wendy’s intent with dynamic pricing plans” (Feb. 29, TribLive): Evidently Sen. Bob Casey has never read or watched anything by some guy named Milton Friedman. Didn’t President Biden get mocked for this a couple of weeks ago? If it wasn’t for the inflation that...
Editorial cartoons for the week of March 11
Editorial cartoons for the week of March 11....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of March 11
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of March 11....
Letter to the editor: Praise for Westmoreland Cleanways
Hooray for Westmoreland Cleanways and Recycling! It’s so well-organized — convenient and easy to drop off recyclables. Plus, everyone there — staff, volunteers and others who are recycling — is helpful and pleasant, and often share comments and jokes. Shout out to visionary Sue Wiseman, Ellen Keefe and all the...
Letter to the editor: Progress on Alzheimer’s
The first-ever county level estimates of the prevalence of people with Alzheimer’s dementia were recently published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. As for Western Pennsylvania’s 14th Congressional District, 21,200, or 10.75% of those over the age of 65, are living with Alzheimer’s disease, as of...
Editorial: Why weigh in on international issues?
Allegheny County Council has reason to get involved in a lot of issues. It can take actions that impact the environment. It can do things that affect the economy of the state — even a few states given the area’s proximity to Ohio and West Virginia. It can make a...
Letter to the editor: Steelers’ stale new standard
After another average season for the Steelers, once again needing help to make the playoffs, it’s evident that the “standard” has changed. This new but stale standard that for at least six of the past 13 seasons has consisted of final week scoreboard watching and hoping for a wild card...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Gainey must be a convener to save Pittsburgh
As Downtown Pittsburgh property values continue to go down along with the tax revenue that the city needs to maintain essential services, Mayor Ed Gainey and the city are at a crossroads. Pittsburgh is not alone in this post-pandemic urban struggle, but Pittsburgh does not seem to be headed for...
Jerry Brown and Ernest Moniz: ‘Oppenheimer’s’ best performance — reminding us that we live in dangerous times
On Oscar night, millions will tune in to see whether the captivating story about the race to create the world’s first nuclear weapon will take home an armload of Academy Awards. As we watch, we must remember this: No matter who lands a golden statuette on March 10, we will...
Mark Weisbrot: The GOP wouldn’t be fit to govern, even if Trump were to leave
What is the Republican Party today? Any answer has to start with Donald Trump. He has a grip on the party that is perhaps unprecedented in the modern era, leading some analysts to see it as a cult of personality. Many Republican leaders and elected officials who do not like...
Would Reagan recognize today’s Republican Party? Absolutely.
President Ronald Reagan is remembered as one of America’s greatest presidents as he oversaw the end of the Cold War, creating an exceptional period of peace and an unparalleled economic boom. Simply put, his policies made America safer and Americans more prosperous. Today, he has an almost mythical place in...
Letter to the editor: Greensburg’s money problems
The covid relief money Westmoreland County received was to be used to help those who need it most. How does using $7 million for a parking garage at the courthouse qualify for that money? And now that the Monopoly money is gone, we get a big tax increase. How much...
Sounding off: Embryo and ballot rulings, pharmacy closures among week’s topics
Dangers of theocratic government The recent ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court that frozen embryos are children (“Bible-quoting Alabama chief justice sparks church-state debate in embryo ruling,” Feb. 23, TribLive) points out the dangers of a theocratic government that the Founding Fathers feared. The statement of the chief justice, an...
Letter to the editor: Two sides to pharmacy story
The writer of the letter “Pharmacy closures a disgrace” (Feb. 20, TribLive) regarding the closure of pharmacies in Leechburg and Lower Burrell neglects to mention the other side of this story. Currently, independent pharmacies lose money every day in order to continue to provide necessary services to their customers amidst...
Editorial: Another chance to say Marc Fogel’s name missed
After the State of the Union address, much about the annual speech is dissected. What were the highs? What were the lows? What were the priorities set or the challenges made? What gets less attention is what wasn’t said. On Thursday, President Joe Biden hit a lot of the expected...
Letter to the editor: America must come first
I found the letter “Minority rules in U.S.” (Feb. 29, TribLive) misleading in its claims that a handful of MAGA Republicans are obstructing funding of Ukrainian aid in Congress, when just the opposite is true. You can always tell what Democrats are up to by what they accuse Republicans of...
