Opinion category, Page 199
Point: Time for US Jews to rethink their Democratic loyalties
I was a guest on a Dallas radio call-in program several years ago. One caller told me that after having given the matter considerable thought, he finally understood why most Jews were Democrats. “You vote for the Democrats,” he declared, “to show the rest of us that you’re not as...
Letter to the editor: We must aid Ukraine now to avoid WWIII
Make no mistake about it: If we don’t help Ukraine now and Putin wins — and Ukraine falls — Poland is next on his hit list. Poland is a NATO country, and we are sworn to protect it. But since Donald Trump seems to be buddy-buddy with Putin, I believe...
Sounding off: Border, abortion, student loan debt among week’s topics
Johnson right to stop immigration bill Joseph Sabino Mistick is wrong to blame House Speaker Mike Johnson for putting the brakes on the immigration and border security bill that is tied to Ukraine funding (“Mike Johnson won’t be remembered as one of the greats,” Feb. 17, TribLive). Since taking office...
Letter to the editor: Biden, Harris unfit to serve
In the three long years of the Biden-Harris administration, I believe America has experienced the greatest failure of governance in its history. President Biden destroyed U.S. border security by issuing executive orders reversing policies President Trump had put in place that reduced illegal immigration to its lowest level since the...
Editorial: Pittsburgh bag ban has good intentions, bad rollout
A plastic bag ban may sound like a good idea. At the very least, it may sound like a good intention. The purpose is to pull plastics out of the environment. Although people may differ in opinion over climate change, it’s harder to deny the impact of plastics on our...
Letter to the editor: Trump, fear and intolerance
As the most depressing presidential election in my lifetime nears, I have a few thoughts I’d like to share. Never have I seen a candidate not only not try to unite America, but actually tell his base that anyone who is not MAGA is an “enemy of the state.” If...
Gary Franks: The ‘old guys’ Trump, Biden aren’t what America needs
Nearly 80% of Americans in an October Pew Research poll said they want age limits for the president of the United States. It would seem the age of 80 is the cut-off point. I thought that in a democracy the majority rules. Guess I was wrong. Does anyone know an...
S.E. Cupp: Republicans have no solutions, just grievances
“That government is best which governs least.” That famous aphorism delightfully — and somewhat snarkily — illuminates what animated the Founders to form a democratic republic and break with the oppressive rule of the monarchy. Practically since the day America was born, there’s been a national debate over government’s role....
Colin McNickle: The manifest danger in Shapiro’s budget
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro proposed spending tens of millions of dollars in commonwealth reserves during this year’s budget address. He wants to disburse the dollars to bolster spending on everything from economic development efforts, to public transit and public education, the courts forcing his hand on the latter. Shapiro has...
Chris Heck: New federal paid leave policy efforts would benefit many
When Congress left session at the end of 2023, many potential areas for much-needed reform were left unresolved. One such area is the federal paid family leave policy. Last year was the 30-year anniversary of the passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which guaranteed protection for workers...
Letter to the editor: Let the babies grow up and make their own abortion decisions
I would like to respond to the letter “Backward steps on abortion” (Feb. 19, TribLive): I think we could all agree on this issue if we would allow the unwanted babies to reach the age of 18 and then let them decide if they want to be aborted or not....
Letter to the editor: Clean air, water a right, not a ‘preference’
We are told by the gas industry that they want to be good neighbors. But what they say behind closed doors about us is different. Take Apex Energy’s letter to the Department of Environmental Protection late last year. Apex operates fracking wells in Westmoreland County. When my neighbors and I...
Letter to the editor: Johnson right to stop immigration bill
Joseph Sabino Mistick is wrong to blame House Speaker Mike Johnson for putting the brakes on the immigration and border security bill that is tied to Ukraine funding (“Mike Johnson won’t be remembered as one of the greats,” Feb. 17, TribLive). Since taking office in January 2021, President Biden has...
Paul Kengor: Of course, Nikki Haley should stay in the race
When Donald Trump defeated Nikki Haley in New Hampshire about a month ago, I wrote a piece titled, “We’ve Got a Ballgame.” Though Trump won New Hampshire, Haley did much better than projected. The numbers told the story: The morning of the vote, the final composite polling projection by RealClearPolitics...
Lori Falce: McConnell’s long goodbye
Mitch McConnell is in his last term as GOP leader in the U.S. Senate. The Kentucky legislator made the announcement Wednesday. “One of life’s most under-appreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter,” McConnell said. The implication, obviously, is that he does recognize...
Laurels & lances: Financial aid and fire
Laurel: To taking some time. There is no reason universities can’t take steps to make up for problems that affect their students. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid — or FAFSA — system was updated last year. While “update” might seem like a good thing, the process is creating...
Cal Thomas: Congress wants to shut down? Dock their pay.
When the government shuts down the people responsible continue to receive their pay because they are considered “essential.” These include the president and members of Congress. It reminds me of when it snows in Washington (as opposed to the snow jobs we get all year from politicians). The guy on...
Joseph Regan: Act would help stop ambushing of our police
It’s never been more dangerous to be in law enforcement. In Pennsylvania and across the nation, ambush-style shootings of officers have become all too common. On Jan. 2, 2023, Brackenridge Police Chief Justin McIntire was ambushed while responding to an hours-long chase with a suspect who also shot and wounded...
Letter to the editor: Biden playing ‘king’ with student loan debt move
In January 2021 President Joe Biden swore an oath of office to protect our Constitution. The Constitution clearly states our Congress controls coinage and the power of the purse. Biden is now playing “king.” The Supreme Court told him he did not have the authority to forgive student loan debt....
Editorial: Supreme Court’s sticky web: The First Amendment protects social media
The nation’s highest court Monday heard oral arguments in challenges to Florida and Texas laws in which state governments seek to force social media companies to let more people say more things on their platforms — in other words, to behave less like publishers and more like free-for-all public squares....
Letter to the editor: Minority rules in U.S.
In a democracy, the majority is supposed to rule. But, in Congress, a small minority under Trump-supported Speaker Mike Johnson is determining the fate of a nation by refusing to put Ukraine aid up for a vote even though large majorities in Congress support it. A handful of MAGA, Putin-loving...
Jonah Goldberg: Nikki Haley keeps losing — and revealing something important about Trump and Republicans
Celebrating his victory in the South Carolina primary Saturday, Donald Trump declared, “I have never seen the Republican Party so unified as it is right now.” It was an indisputable victory for Trump, particularly given that it was in the home state of his last remaining rival for the nomination,...
Elwood Watson: Women and the future of politics
It should probably come as little surprise that a majority of American millennial and Generation Z women identify as liberal. A Gallup poll released this month indicated the ideological gap between men and women across various generations has increased over the past few years and that young women today are...
Letter to the editor: Biden and border
On Jan. 20, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden signed a multitude of executive orders reversing some of the accomplishments of President Donald J. Trump. One of the most destructive orders, in my opinion, opened our borders to the world. Now Biden has announced he may sign an executive order to...
Letter to the editor: Biden must act now to clean up our air and save lives
Earlier this month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) strengthened the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for particulate matter pollution. This is critical, because too many people live with unhealthy levels of particle pollution — more than 18.8 million people — according to the American Lung Association’s “State of the...
