Opinion category, Page 197
Gary Franks: America can’t afford the $6.20 morning coffee
Oh America, when you go to buy that $6.20 morning coffee, you will need to “borrow” $1.75 to pay for it. Thank God you have an unlimited credit card. But your credit card balance is now an eye-popping $34 trillion, the U.S. national debt. America, this is troubling. To borrow...
S.E. Cupp: Nikki Haley tried to save the Republican Party
Nearly 10 years ago, Donald Trump rode down a gaudy, golden escalator from his high perch atop Trump Tower down to the masses to announce his run for president. That moment would dramatically change the trajectory of the Republican Party in America — for the worse, and maybe irreparably. That...
Vicki Crawford: The women who stood with Martin Luther King Jr. and sustained a movement for social change
Coretta Scott King is often remembered as a devoted wife and mother, yet she was also a committed activist in her own right. She was deeply involved with social justice causes before she met and married Martin Luther King Jr., and long after his death. Scott King served with civil...
Tricia Wachtendorf and James Kendra: 2.5 million displaced by disasters in 2023 tell story of recovery in America and who is vulnerable
People often think of disasters as great equalizers. After all, a hurricane, tornado or wildfire doesn’t discriminate against those in its path. But the consequences for those impacted are not “one-size-fits-all.” That’s evident in the U.S. Census Bureau’s newly released results from its national household surveys showing who was displaced...
Letter to the editor: Q&A for liberals
This month’s lib Q&A: 1) Which U.S. presidential candidate does Putin support? Answer: Biden. 2) Which U.S. presidential candidate does President Xi of Communist China support? Answer: Biden. 3) Which U.S. presidential candidate do the citizens inflicted with Trump Derangement syndrome (TDS) support? Answer: Biden. 4) Since when did “make...
Letter to the editor: Don’t open doors to tyranny with your vote
Millions of people all over the world wish for what we already have. Some would die for it. Our freedoms must never be taken for granted. There are elements to our complicated system of government that define the United States as a free country. The Constitution, the Rule of Law...
Lori Falce: Put students behind the wheel of democracy with civics
There’s a lot of debate about what kids should learn in school. What needs to be prioritized? Should reading, writing and math still be the tent poles, or is science and technology where the focus should be? Do we need the arts? What about life skills like balancing a checkbook...
Laurels & lances: Letters and bills
Laurel: To an elegant return. Some schools are making sure that in a world of texting, the time-honored skill of handwriting doesn’t get lost. State Rep. Joe Adams, R-Wayne/Pike, has introduced a bill that would require public schools to teach cursive. While some schools — like Mary Queen of Apostles...
Letter to the editor: US must commit to a healthy world
For millions of children, immunizations can make the difference between a life of poverty and one of possibility. When kids are protected from infectious diseases, they can go to school, their parents can go to work and their communities can thrive. Over the past two decades, the world has made...
Robert A. Strong: Supreme Court rules it’s unconstitutional for state governments to decide on Trump’s qualifications
When the Supreme Court ruled on March 4 that former President Donald Trump could appear on state presidential ballots for the 2024 election, it did not address an idea that seemed simple and compelling when Justice Brett Kavanaugh raised it during the Feb. 8 oral arguments in the case: “What...
John M. Hammond: Reining in pharmacy benefit managers
Julia Maruca’s reporting of issues facing pharmacies should help bring more attention to the subject of prescription benefit managers’ (PBMs) inordinate influence in the pharmaceutical marketplace. I believe there should be more investigation into the vertical integration of PBMs, health care insurance companies, pharmacies and specialty pharmacies, and I submit...
Letter to the editor: Be patient with AI
AI is a tool. Almost any tool can be used for nefarious purposes. A hammer can drive a nail or bash in a head. It is wrong to blame the tool. AI still is in the relatively early stages of development, and there are problems that need to be sorted...
Letter to the editor: Justice system failing us
After reading the article “Family objects to plea deal for uncle’s role in overdose death” (Feb. 27, TribLive), I have come to the conclusion the justice system is failing us. As a former employee of that system, I must point out it is a pendulous system that sways back and...
Editorial: Does the presidential primary matter in Pennsylvania?
The Super Tuesday dust still is settling. On one day, 16 states and one territory had a caucus or primary — in Utah, both were held. People decided which candidates would receive the Democratic or Republican delegates toward the nomination of a presidential candidate. There had been similar contests in...
Letter to the editor: Constitution deemed expendable
The U.S. Supreme Court has decreed the Constitution does not mean what it says. The clause of the 14th Amendment which precludes insurrectionists and those who have given aid and comfort to insurrectionists from running for public office has been defanged. In my opinion, Donald Trump instigated the vicious mob...
Jonah Goldberg: This is what’s wrong with the rush to accuse Israel of committing genocide in Gaza
If I were a Palestinian struggling amid the rubble in Gaza, I would probably think Israel is committing genocide. If I were a German hiding in Dresden or a Japanese civilian outside Hiroshima in 1945, I’d probably feel the same way about the United States. But none of these amount...
Salewa Ogunmefun: It’s time to make it easier to vote in the birthplace of democracy
Presidential primary election years are unique because they offer the opportunity to get a state-by-state look at the different ways elections are run across the country. In real time we can compare how various election policies make it easier or more difficult for eligible voters to cast their ballot. A...
Matt Smith, Darrin Kelly and Greg Bernarding: Seizing Western Pa.’s unique hydrogen opportunity
While proudly recognizing its industrial past — which helped to build our region and the modern world — Pittsburgh has emerged as a beacon of transformation primed to redefine America’s cleaner energy future. Think about it: President Biden’s plan to tackle climate change demands swift economy-wide decarbonization, creating and preserving...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s appeal continues to grow
After watching President Trump’s March 2 rally on Newsmax, my hopes became considerably higher that he will be the Republican nominee for president and win the presidency in November. The more the print and mainstream media attempt to hurt and destroy this man, the stronger his appeal becomes to voters....
Letter to the editor: God loves us all but hates sin
Some readers will recall the Super Bowl commercial paid for by the He Gets Us organization, where vignettes of foot washing included a scene in front of a family planning clinic. Other commercials by the group espouse a more liberal view of migrants who face persecution and may cross national...
Letter to the editor: Generosity in the Alle-Kiski community
The Feb. 25 spaghetti dinner fundraising event held at the Natrona Heights VFW in support of injured EMT Kelly Jackson was a testament to the way in which the Alle-Kiski community responds to need. The event was spearheaded by Lori Miller, president of the Hilltop Hose VFD Auxiliary, who garnered...
Editorial: Last-minute Monroeville Convention Center save is a community and economic win
A convention center serves an important role for a community. Actually, it serves more than one. It’s a gathering place for significant events that require large spaces. Those can be within a specific population like a trade or business interest. It might be broader interest like a bridal or home...
Letter to the editor: God help us, because Biden won’t
So President Biden says give me the power and I’ll close the border. Flashback — on day one I guess that magic pen just wrote the executive order to practically open the border all by itself, plus cancel Title 42 and sell the remaining border wall (that we paid for)...
Letter to the editor: Facts and opinions
Regarding the letter “A nation in denial” (Feb. 27, TribLive): I see how the writer sees his nation is in denial. There are sources that give us pseudo-facts and, in my opinion, are a detriment to this nation. Let’s see … Joe Biden is old and forgetful. OK, how about...
Lynn Greenky: Publishing Taylor Swift’s flight information — stalking or protected free speech?
Jack Sweeney, a junior at the University of Central Florida, says the First Amendment gives him the right to publish publicly available information about the flight paths of private jets owned by the rich and famous — including Taylor Swift. Swift’s legal team — and many of her fans —...
