Opinion category, Page 208
Editorial: Should U.S. Steel deal be open to political threats?
Some things are too complicated for a campaign promise. That never stops anyone from making them, though. On Wednesday, former president and Republican front-runner Donald Trump said that, if elected, he would block the sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel Corp., a leading steel producer based in Japan. The...
Letter to the editor: Water concerns in Brackenridge
The Pennsylvania Coalition for Oral Health, a nonprofit working to improve oral health for all Pennsylvanians, has concerns regarding recent developments in Brackenridge. For nearly 75 years, water fluoridation has been recognized as a health measure to safely prevent tooth decay that reaches everyone. Benefits of water fluoridation are particularly...
Letter to the editor: Nikki Haley is the only answer
The 2024 election may be the most important election in American history. Our enemies (Russia, China, Iran, etc.) are laughing at the disarray in this country, and the unbelievable election comedy brewing between a chaotic, uncontrollable, baggage-laden Donald Trump, and a feeble, party-hack, questionably sentient Joe Biden. A vote for...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Border politics trump the national interest
It is clear now that some Republican members of Congress have a hard time taking “yes” for an answer. For years, during both the Trump and Biden administrations, they have demanded immigration reform — tighter border controls and asylum and parole procedures. In October, Republicans felt so strongly about new...
Letter to the editor: Looking at Trump’s ‘foibles’
I didn’t see hate in the letter “Trump’s your guy” (Jan. 15, TribLive). I saw a letter listing very succinctly all the many reasons why President Trump should not be our guy. The letter “Trump’s my guy” (Jan. 25, TribLive) says we should look past the “foibles” of Trump. I...
Sounding off: Tomlin, Civil War, Casey among week’s topics
Keeping Tomlin shows disregard for players, fans I have been a Steelers fan for well over half a century and remember the days when Buddy Parker was allowed to walk away, Mike Nixon was terminated after only one season and Bill Austin was let go after three. What has followed...
Letter to the editor: Steelers’ version of Groundhog Day
Every year, it’s “rinse and repeat.” I’m talking about Steelers owner Art “The Enabler” Rooney who, like Punxsutawney Phil, comes out of office, sees his shadow and declares at his annual postseason season press conference that his team is improving. He clearly thinks Steelers Nation are a bunch of morons...
Editorial: What is going on in the Westmoreland County Register of Wills office?
It is a little embarrassing to be called on the carpet at work. It’s a lot worse when the person doing the scolding is a judge — or two. In a hearing Wednesday, Westmoreland County Common Pleas judges admonished Register of Wills Sherry Magretti Hamilton. The language was longer and...
Letter to the editor: Biden has not been a unifier
After reading the letter “Trump’s call for unity rings hollow” (Jan. 22, TribLive), I again felt compelled to respond. As usual, the letter-writer either fails to, or refuses to, look at both sides. I agree that President Trump can be less than ideal when addressing his political opponents. And there...
Gary Franks: A good economy? I don’t think so.
How strong is America’s economic chain? Our federal government just reported that in 2023 we had a near $2 trillion annual deficit. Add this to the nearly $6 trillion that President Joe Biden racked up in prior years, and you have almost $8 trillion of spending that we could not...
S.E. Cupp: Gullible MAGA believes Taylor Swift is a psyop
By now you’ve probably heard the shocking news: Taylor Swift, the billionaire mega-celebrity pop star, is actually a Pentagon psyop, or psychological operation, whose ultimate mission is to get President Biden reelected. Now that the singer’s beau Travis Kelce and his Kansas City Chiefs are going to the Super Bowl,...
Colin McNickle: Opportunity in ‘jock tax’ demise
There’s a counterintuitive question for Pittsburgh officials in the aftermath of a second straight court ruling that struck as unconstitutional the city’s “jock tax,” says Eric Montarti, research director at the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy: Sans a successful state Supreme Court appeal, where will the city — instead of...
Dave Anderson: Time to drop the term ‘moderates’
If you held a conference for moderates — inviting federal politicians and citizens — it is unclear who would attend. In Washington, moderates tend to be House members, senators, the president or vice president, or Cabinet officials who belong to either the Democratic or Republican party. One is therefore a...
Bruce Ledewitz: Why can’t we have open immigration?
The crisis at the southern border is caused by bad laws. We could cure the problem by returning to an older American tradition — structured open immigration. Not an open border. Whatever the law is, it must be enforced. It is not acceptable that our current laws are ambiguous and...
Letter to the editor: Biden a win-win for Democrats
It’s a presidential election year, and President Biden is lagging in the polls, so get ready for him and his handlers to start a war with Iran. War-time presidents almost always get reelected. For Democrats, having Biden run again even with his advancing years is a win-win situation. They know...
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...
