Opinion category, Page 209
Letter to the editor: Abortion not the answer to overpopulation
Regarding the letter “Abortion and overpopulation” (Dec. 7, TribLive): I am incredulous of the writer’s idea to alleviate overpopulation by killing unborn babies. Why stop there? Maybe you could create a committee to decide who among the elderly should be eliminated to alleviate overpopulation. I cannot fathom how you consider...
Sounding off: Bidenomics, Christmas, energy, politics among week’s topics
Bidenomics has been disastrous The article “Biden goes into 2024 with the economy getting stronger, but voters feel horrible about it” (Dec. 11, TribLive) quoted a few “experts” that stated they were “mystified” as to why Americans weren’t more positive about Bidenomics. They cited the reduced inflation rate of 3.2...
Letter to the editor: Hospitals should provide price lists ahead of time
Regarding Renee Y. Hsia’s op-ed “Same hospital, same injury, same child, same day — why did one ER visit cost thousands more?” (Dec. 15, TribLive): What would really be helpful are price lists. I can’t think of anything else where you have no idea what you are paying for ahead...
Letter to the editor: Christmas is under attack
Yet again, Christmas is under attack. Multi-billion-dollar companies deceiving some into thinking that Christmas means getting and receiving material things, consumers flooding the stores of multi-billion-dollar owners, gluttons feasting on Christmas dinners, going to church and filling the coffers for the next golf outing, and yet homelessness hits a record...
Editorial: Is massive Westmoreland tax increase an overcorrection?
The most dangerous part of an imminent crash can be the attempt to avoid it. This being Pennsylvania, most of us are familiar with the hazards of driving on an icy road. When the wheels slip, you can make cautious adjustments that help you regain control — or you can...
Letter to the editor: Smart policies will secure Pa.’s energy future
With the holidays upon us, many Pennsylvanians are trying to budget for everything from gifts and family get-togethers to fuel for long car rides. Fortunately, it seems the focus can stay on holiday cheer and not gasoline costs this season, as discussed in “National average gas cost falls for 3...
Gary Franks: Could the Colorado ‘insurrection’ decision give Trump momentum?
The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that former President Donald Trump will not be allowed on the ballot in the state due to his alleged breaking of the insurrection clause of the 14th Amendment. The clause was meant to prevent Jefferson Davis, among other Confederate leaders, from seeking political office...
Noah Feldman: Supreme Court unlikely to uphold Colorado ruling disqualifying Trump
In a remarkable plot twist, the Colorado Supreme Court has found that former President Donald Trump must be excluded from the state’s primary ballot because he engaged in insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. Now the pressure is on the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether Section 3 of the 14th...
Paul Thornton: Christmas gift-giving turbocharges our trash problem. This is how I cope.
Every time I rip open a lovingly wrapped gift (and plenty of us will be doing a lot of that soon), one thing pops into my mind: trash. The wrapping paper, trash. The package hidden underneath it, trash. And the gift itself, in most cases, future trash, given enough time....
Jerald McNair: ’Tis the season to be more neighborly. And doing so can transform communities.
You rake your leaves and wake up the next morning only to see more on your lawn. You look to your neighbor’s lawn and realize their leaves have found their way onto your lawn. You say to yourself, “If only they would rake their leaves, my yard would be fine.”...
Letter to the editor: Are airlines being threatened over Latrobe service?
After reading the article “JetBlue mum on post-merger service at Arnold Palmer airport” (Dec. 15, TribLive), I began thinking about it. Ever since construction on Greater Pitt began, Spirit has eliminated service from Latrobe. I used to fly to Myrtle Beach and Fort Myers and Orlando, and must now take...
Letter to the editor: Let’s remember the real Christmas story
On. Nov. 26, I scanned the Tribune-Review’s listing of Christmas movies and specials being aired on TV. I don’t think one of them was an actual Christmas story — you know, about the birth of Christ, or the journey of the wise men, or the reason for the journey to...
Lori Falce: What’s in your stocking?
The question of Christmas stockings has been quite the topic on social media lately. They have become more than just big, fake socks that hang over the fireplace, or from the railing by the stairs, or are placed artfully by the tree. For some, they have become a symbol of...
Laurels & lances: Reaching for stars, praying for rain
Laurel: To a moonshot. Pittsburgh-based space company Astrobotic was set for a Christmas Eve launch of its lunar lander, but that was scrapped less than two weeks out. That move was attributed to “routine” ground system problems. But a Christmas launch will come early in the new year as the...
Letter to the editor: Keeping union momentum going
With membership steadily decreasing, the past several decades have been dark ones for the union movement. Now, because of a combination of forces, including covid, CEO greed, income inequality and a positive political environment, workers are finding their voices once again. Recently there have been big wins for organized labor....
Paul Kengor: A wonderful Jimmy Stewart story
In 1946, legendary director Frank Capra teamed up with legendary actor Jimmy Stewart to make a legendary Christmas movie, the iconic “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Indiana, Pa. native Stewart was Capra’s favorite actor and the favorite of many. The film, of course, is filled with scenes leaving you laughing and...
Terry Fitzpatrick: Beyond platitudes on clean energy
It’s popular to talk about the need to transition to “clean energy” to combat climate change. But what is clean energy? It should mean any type or use of energy that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and keeps energy reliable and affordable. But to some activists, clean energy means only renewable...
Letter to the editor: Send some lottery proceeds to EMS providers
I’m sure most of us are aware of the mandate requiring the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to pay so much every year to PennDOT. We were reminded by the annual increase in tolls. Those of us who keep up with the news are also aware of the dire financial crisis facing...
Letter to the editor: Calcium chloride is damaging our roads, bridges
I recently reached out to PennDOT about the dangers of using the chemical calcium chloride on our roadways. It is extremely caustic to most metals, including brake lines and components, and the rebar in our roads and bridges. This could lead to premature failure, putting drivers at risk. Many auto...
Letter to the editor: Republicans’ revenge impeachment
I doubt that anyone is surprised that Republican U.S. House members have voted unanimously to continue and deepen the revenge impeachment proceedings against President Joe Biden. Biden’s self-appointed mortal enemy, Donald Trump, is surely delighted. The House GOP is a bunch, after all, which cast their votes in unison for...
Editorial: Student philanthropy shows lessons beyond the classroom. It’s our role to support it
Kids learn a lot of important lessons in school. They learn the alphabet and simple arithmetic. They learn to read and, for some, to love it. They learn to make baking soda volcanoes. They learn about the scientific method, what happened in 1776 and how to find Nebraska on a...
Letter to the editor: More energy production = more consumer savings
Natural gas development has yielded significant benefits for Western Pennsylvanians in terms of jobs, economic activity and cleaner air. Add consumers benefits to that list, with the Trib reporting that up to a 65% decline in purchased gas prices will be reflected in residential heating bills this winter (“Southwestern Pa....
Jonah Goldberg: The right’s antisemitism problem is well known. What about the left’s?
The good news is the bad news is wrong. The bad news? Harvard-Harris poll which found that 67% of 18 to 24-year-olds believe that “Jews as a class are oppressors and should be treated as oppressors.” One piece of good news: The poll is pretty lousy, as Ilya Somin, author...
Stacy Garrity: The hospital that stole Christmas
In early December, my telephone messages were filled with the pained voices of veterans who felt more like prisoners than liberators, men about to be robbed of Christmas by the endless quarantine at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Wilkes-Barre. It would mark the fourth consecutive Christmas where overreaching covid regulations...
Joshua Jansa and Eve Ringsmuth: Sandra Day O’Connor saw civics education as key to the future of democracy
Beyond her trailblazing role as the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor considered iCivics — a civics education nonprofit founded after she retired from the court — to be her “most important legacy.” “The practice of democracy is not passed down through the gene...
