Opinion category, Page 198
Letter to the editor: Civil War clearly based on slavery
The author of the letter “A Civil War history lesson” (Jan. 9, TribLive) needs to take another look at the history books. I am so tired of hearing that the basis of the Civil War was the economy or state rights and not slavery. It takes less than 10 minutes...
Lori Falce: What is opinion journalism?
Opinion journalism is sometimes dismissed as not actually being journalism. Sometimes it’s reviled as the problem with today’s news consumption. There is fair criticism there. There certainly is a lot of opinion out there, and a lot of it fills the most prominent spots on cable news channels or the...
Laurels & lances: Contract and comment
Laurel: To getting it done. It wasn’t easy, but, with just days to spare, Westmoreland County avoided a strike by 500 unionized courthouse and nursing home employees. Service Employees International Union Local 668 and Healthcare PA members voted to accept a three-year deal that will include raises totaling about 17%...
Letter to the editor: The Civil War slavery myth
Bravo to the writer of “A Civil War history lesson” (Jan. 9, TribLive) for a fascinating, well-researched letter. He must have used a bulldozer to unearth this information. When the Constitution was ratified, slavery was present in every state. May smaller states feared a powerful central government. That is why...
Paul Kengor: Growing bipartisan opposition to U.S. Steel deal
What do Republican senators J.D. Vance, Josh Hawley and Marco Rubio and Democratic senators John Fetterman, Sherrod Brown and Joe Manchin have in common? They’re part of the strong bipartisan opposition to Japan’s Nippon Steel’s acquisition of U.S. Steel. Expect that opposition to grow larger and louder. In my previous...
Elwood Watson: Miss America is only human
In news you might have missed, 22-year old Madison Marsh – a second lieutenant in the Air Force and master’s student at the Harvard Kennedy School’s public policy program – was crowned Miss America in Orlando, Fla., Jan. 14. Marsh, representing the state of Colorado, is the first active-duty Air...
Letter to the editor: Where is funding for Pa. roads?
While Gov. Josh Shapiro is freely allocating funds to his “special interest groups,” where is funding for all Pennsylvania roads? U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and elected leaders tout recent $142 million in infrastructure improvements for the Parkway East and other facilities while our Pennsylvania general roadways are pothole-laden and...
Letter to the editor: Tomlin should go on to better things
There are four coaches in NFL history who have 170-plus wins, a .630-plus winning percentage and a Super Bowl ring: Don Shula, Bill Belichick, Andy Reid and Mike Tomlin. All of these coaches except Tomlin didn’t have the success they had with the first team they coached. Shula had great...
Editorial: How convenient for Westmoreland commissioners to fund their own raises but not retirees’
What is good for the goose is good for the gander, they say. The adage means what is applicable and appropriate in one area also is applicable and appropriate for a comparable scenario. Make a gravy to serve with that goose, and it will probably taste good on a roast...
Letter to the editor: Casey an undistinguished legislator
I was disgusted when I read Rep. Nick Pisciottano’s letter praising Sen. Bob Casey for securing $520,000 for Allegheny County to make county streets safer for pedestrians (“Casey helping to keep pedestrians safe,” Jan. 12, TribLive). He says he is “thankful we have an effective leader like Casey.” This $520,000...
Jonah Goldberg: Trump’s rants about NATO making U.S. weaker
On Sept. 12, 2001, 24 hours after the 9/11 attacks, representatives of the then-19-member North Atlantic Treaty Organization convened to invoke Article 5 of the NATO charter, which holds that an “armed attack” on one member “shall be considered an attack against them all.” This was the first and only...
Letter to the editor: Why the poor grammar from professionals?
Turn on your TV or radio and listen to the “professional” broadcast journalists. Whether it’s the local news or sports talk shows, the lack of knowledge of English grammar and pronunciation is disturbing. I don’t know if it’s a Pittsburgh thing, but so many add an “h” to words beginning...
Editorial: Flooded homeless camp highlights failure to address problems
Imagine you have almost nothing. The clothes you have are on your back. If you have a blanket, it might be around your shoulders. Your mattress is the cardboard from an old box. The only roof is the thin fabric of a collapsible tent. If you have things that are...
Letter to the editor: Biden not doing enough for Americans
It’s finally happening, but it’s too late. It seems now, after three years, the Democratic governors who said “our gates are open, come on in” are crying about the drains on their resources from illegal immigrants doing exactly what they were invited to do. Suddenly they think their puppet, President...
Letter to the editor: Stealing money from public schools
Last year, the Commonwealth Court ruled Pennsylvania’s school funding system is unconstitutional. It is estimated that at least $5.4 billion is needed to correct this situation. Harrisburg is struggling to come up with solutions to this problem. One wonders why, when we desperately need funds for public education, our lawmakers...
Jennifer Apicella: Robots built in Pittsburgh changing the world
In the heart of Southwestern Pennsylvania, a robotics revolution is unfolding. Examples of paradigm-shattering robotics and automation companies fill our neighborhoods. Some, like Astrobotic, pull the national spotlight by launching a historic mission to the moon. Inside Aurora, teams are creating autonomous vehicle solutions that are radically changing the trucking...
Peter Morici: 2024 election is a referendum on the Biden presidency
Progressives around the world are worried. Right-wing populists have won national elections in the Netherlands and Italy and enjoy rising strength in Germany. In the United States, despite indictments on 91 counts in three states and Washington, D.C., former President Donald Trump leads President Joe Biden in the 2024 election...
Ellen Duffield: Pa. can ensure a healthy economy by investing in worker education
The health care sector has experienced extraordinary stressors over the past few years, including staffing shortages. Research indicates these shortages will worsen in 2024 and beyond. One 2021 study projects more than 6 million lower-wage health care professionals in the United States will permanently leave their positions by 2026, while...
Letter to the editor: How can anyone vote for Trump?
I don’t know how anybody could vote for Donald Trump. The man is a bully, always making fun of people and calling them names. But don’t say anything about him or he will retaliate against you. And remember, he is never wrong — it’s always somebody else, not him; everybody...
Letter to the editor: Protecting children’s health and safety
Bad news, good news and sad news. Okay, first the bad news. A month ago, a friend broke his right hand rather badly. He is a young, talented, hard-working and right-handed plumber. Now the good news: An orthopedic doctor reset the bone and applied a temporary cast. In only a...
Editorial: Does anyone want to be a school superintendent?
Why do you need a school superintendent? The job might seem hard to understand for some taxpayers. Teachers? That one makes sense. They’re the people in the room with the students, opening their eyes to reading and math and science. Principal? That’s the person in charge of a school —...
Letter to the editor: We need smart energy policies
With inflation having risen in December, many Americans remain concerned about their economic future, as discussed in “U.S. inflation edges up, fueled by food and housing prices, but many other costs rise only mildly” (Jan. 11). Inflation is an economy-wide issue that affects everyone. Given the role of energy as...
Tom Purcell: The sad future of AM radio
You had a great 100-year run, AM radio, and your demise is breaking my heart. According to the Wall Street Journal, carmakers such as Tesla, Volvo and BMW no longer are providing AM radios in their new vehicles. Why? In part, because of the emergence of electric vehicles. As the...
Seth Lavin: I bought a flip phone and tried to get by without my smartphone. Here’s how that went.
About three months ago, I bought a flip phone and turned off my smartphone for good. I am part of a trend — interest in old-fashioned flip phones is up — but I don’t feel trendy. When I flip my phone open in a hallway of the middle school where...
Letter to the editor: Leave Punxsutawney Phil alone
I think it’s ridiculous about PETA saying Punxsutawney Phil needs to be retired taken to a nice place to live. Believe me, Phil is not being abused. Why change the tradition? It’s an event that everyone enjoys, whether Phil gets the weather right or wrong. Who cares? It helps bring...
