Opinion category, Page 202
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...
Letter to the editor: Immigration insanity on the left
I have tried very hard over years to avoid getting caught up in the divisive and extreme ideologies of the far left and right. It’s now nearly impossible because, in Washington and Harrisburg, the middle has nearly disappeared entirely. I’m observing things I never dreamed I’d see in my lifetime....
Elwood Watson: Congressman shows we still have a long way to go on race
From the Duchess of Sussex and actress Meghan Markle to former Harvard President Claudine Gay to Vice President Kamala Harris, Black women have been the target of severe attacks in recent months. The most recent example (and there have indeed been many as of late) are the distasteful comments made...
Bradley Tusk: Pa. should feed all hungry kids
In Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget address, he took credit for feeding kids in Pennsylvania. One line specifically caught my attention: “Pennsylvania Democrats and Republicans care about kids, and we are coming together to feed them.” But that’s not true. There isn’t a single additional kid who will be fed in...
Peter Morici: Higher interest rates, inflation will challenge post-covid economy. AI will save it.
The post-covid economy is emerging as Americans’ pandemic-era savings dwindle, while work-from-home activity moderates and new patterns of consumer behavior come to the fore. As households and banks consolidate finances, a few quarters of U.S. GDP growth in the range of 1% should be followed by a rebound and then...
Letter to the editor: Will Biden get reelected as a war-time president?
The Democrats’ latest trick to get President Biden a win seems to be to start a war and campaign on the slogan “We can’t change presidents in the middle of a war.” Clem Zahrobsky Delmont...
Letter to the editor: Pharmacy closures a disgrace
The closure of pharmacies in Leechburg and Lower Burrell Jan. 31 was a gross travesty (“Pharmacies in Lower Burrell, Leechburg abruptly close,” Jan. 31, TribLive). Decades of loyal customers and employees only found out that day. No notice of any kind was given. One co-owner blamed Giant Eagle for wanting...
Letter to the editor: Who is destroying our country?
I wonder if the writer of the letter “Trump only cares about himself” (Feb. 8, TribLive) has jumped the gun on Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed legalization of marijuana. Maybe he could coin the phrase “Get woke, just toke!” You know, cannabis-addled brains distort perception. How else to explain the author’s...
Editorial: The fight over cyber charter money
Cyber charter schools in Pennsylvania are a different animal from the run-of-the-mill public school. A charter school is still a public institution. It doesn’t play by the same rules, however. It could have a different goal or a different method — like focus on a nontraditional curriculum or an unusual...
Letter to the editor: Think about tax policy when voting
It appears that the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was a massive con game. Eighty percent of the gain from tax cuts flow to the top 10% of wage earners and only 20% flow to the bottom 90%. Because of tax cuts, 34% of large profitable corporations like Amazon,...
Letter to the editor: Industrial safety born in Western Pa.
The field of industrial safety is rooted in Western Pennsylvania, starting with Crystal Eastman, a member and secretary of the New York State Employer’s Liability Commission. She reviewed injuries and fatalities in Allegheny County occurring from July 1906 through June 1907. The county was essentially the Steel District, with 70,000...
