Opinion category, Page 210
Jackie Calmes: Why 2024 may not be the worst political year ever
The 2028 presidential campaign can’t come soon enough. Just think: Fresh faces, furrowed by fewer lines. Fresh ideas, not of the authoritarian, willfully divisive kind (we can hope). Fresh blood, and without triggering Hitlerian talk of “poisoning” our nation. A new contest, not a rematch of two unpopular geriatric retreads....
POINT: Housing alone cannot solve homelessness
In March 2021, San Francisco’s Mission Hotel held a joint funeral service for seven residents. The hotel is one of the sites leased by the city to house the unsheltered population, and resident deaths have become so frequent in these facilities that joint memorials have become the norm. Although the...
Counterpoint: Housing is a human right, not a privilege
Homelessness in the United States surged by a record 12% between January 2022 and January 2023, according to a report by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. In the world’s wealthiest nation, how does this happen, and what can be done to remedy it? The primary reason people are...
Letter to the editor: Greensburg Salem school costs disheartening
The article “Greensburg Salem seeks committee to navigate potential construction upgrades” (Jan. 19, TribLive) concerning capital needs of Greensburg Salem School District was disheartening. How could such a long list of needs have developed? Has maintenance been deferred or ignored? Would the millions of dollars of covid relief funds spent...
Sounding off: Writers focus on Steelers, CEO pay, Trump, county tax hike
Post-season thoughts on Steelers In reference to the end of the Pittsburgh Steelers season, the onus has been placed upon the coaches, which is mostly valid. I offer my own thoughts on this matter. Chuck Noll went from the basement to NFL history. He demanded discipline. He drafted the best...
Letter to the editor: Trump should not have immunity
Alexis de Tocqueville, in “Democracy in America,” Volume 1, Chapter 6, states: “The right granted to the courts of punishing the agents of the executive government when they violate the laws is so natural a one that it cannot be looked upon as an extraordinary privilege. Nor do the springs...
Editorial: What is the future of volunteer fire departments?
Fire departments aren’t an optional public service. Some things we enjoy having, such as a museum or library, make lives better or help people access important services. Other things augment our communities and improve property values, such as swimming pools or baseball fields. But fire departments are something we can’t...
Letter to the editor: Biden derelict in his duties
On Jan. 20, 2021, Joe Biden spoke the following words inscribed in the body of the Constitution; “ I, Joseph R. Biden Jr., do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and...
Gary Franks: Haley must tell us why she’s better than Trump
The Republican establishment is with former President Donald Trump. Nearly every Republican elected official in Washington is rushing to kiss his ring. Yes, the same guys and gals who have played a role in getting us into this mess want to have the sole person who, along with President Joe...
S.E. Cupp: Stop deepfake porn’s assault on women
I honestly hadn’t thought about the image in a very long time, mercifully. It’s been 12 years since it first hit the internet, and I’m happy to say I — and everyone else — have moved on. But I was 33 years old when Hustler, the Larry Flynt smut rag,...
Lisa Jarvis: A promising turn in the quest to treat long covid
A new study published this month in Science makes a compelling case that people with long covid have a chronic imbalance in their immune response. The findings don’t explain why that immune response is out of whack and needs confirming in larger studies. Still, this is important new piece to...
Sen. Dave Argall: Cracking down on thieves and looters in Pa.
Retailers across the nation are under siege, with some struggling to stay afloat amid a rising tide of crime. Many of us take for granted the ease with which we can walk into a store and buy the simple items we need to go about our daily lives — a...
Letter to the editor: Lawmakers should pray
Lawmakers, make a commitment to use the Congressional Prayer Room. When considering important legislation for our country, the prayer room offers a quiet place to consider, discuss and pray about essential items on your agenda. “But when you pray, you should go into your room, close the door and pray...
Letter to the editor: Politicians won’t take responsibility for anything
I find it most annoying that I cannot say “Because I am unable to properly manage my income I am unable to pay my bills, and because of this you will simply have to raise my Social Security at least 32%.” Yet all of our politicians can do this (“Westmoreland...
Lori Falce: What is the best way to spend $65 million? Let us count the ways
Pittsburghers — like most Pennsylvanians and, well, people in general — are not really fond of change. Ask for directions, and you are likely to be given turns based on businesses that aren’t there anymore. A fair number of people still talk about Three Rivers Stadium, let alone Heinz Field,...
Laurels & lances: Cooperation and cruelty
Laurel: To cooperation. Many state and local leaders will note that Pennsylvania’s overlapping jurisdictions and duplication of services can cause a lot of headaches. Do we need 500 school districts in 67 counties? Then there are the concentric circles of municipalities that can be contained within other municipalities like a...
Letter to the editor: Authorities like MAWC need greater scrutiny
Why is the headline “Greensburg law firm gets $72K raise for Westmoreland water, sewer advice” (Jan. 17, TribLive) interesting? Not because of the sidebar covering the 9% rate hike for many customers. Also, “interesting” is the wrong word. The right word is “outrage” — actually, it’s a double outrage. The...
Sara Harmouch and Nakissa Jahanbani: How much influence does Iran have over its proxy ‘Axis of Resistance’ — Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis?
From attacks by rebels in the Red Sea to raids in northern Israel and the Oct. 7 assault by Hamas, Western analysts have pointed a finger of blame toward Iran. Regardless of how involved Tehran is directly in the planning and carrying out of such incidents, the accusations get at...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s my guy
“Trump’s your guy” (Jan. 15, TribLIVE) made me wonder about the hate in the writer’s heart that prompted him to write such a letter. And to what end? Is he trying to change the minds of those who reveled in the low cost of gasoline and groceries and who were...
Letter to the editor: Dereliction of duty at our border
The writer of the letter “Trump was derelict in his duties regarding Jan. 6” (Jan. 23, TribLive): If we want to honestly talk about dereliction of duty, have you been paying attention to the southern border? That is a true dereliction of duty under President Biden. I will give you...
Letter to the editor: Learn from Hitler’s rise to power
As a lifelong reader of history books, nonfiction, textbooks, “popular” history books and historical fiction, I have learned much, but there are two lessons I continue to encounter: One, there is always more to be added about a history of anything, and two, I can look back into history to...
Editorial: PETA’s annual groundhog swap suggestion
It’s possible the good people at PETA — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals — have seen the movie “Groundhog Day” one too many times. The Bill Murray classic features a Pittsburgh weatherman who journeys to the frozen hamlet of Punxsutawney for the annual rite where a groundhog emerges...
Letter to the editor: Post-season thoughts on Steelers
In reference to the end of the Pittsburgh Steelers season, the onus has been placed upon the coaches, which is mostly valid. I offer my own thoughts on this matter. Chuck Noll went from the basement to NFL history. He demanded discipline. He drafted the best athletes, not necessarily the...
Jonah Goldberg: Vague laws hand extreme power to courts and bureaucrats. Where’s Congress?
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments last week in a case about fishing boats, and it could spell the end of government as we know it. I hope it does. The legal questions might not be all that fascinating. What is fascinating, however, is how the legal issues help explain...
Edward Timmons: Cutting red tape will help nurse practitioners fill gaps in care in Pa.
Long wait times and long commutes to get access to health care have become commonplace in Western Pennsylvania . I always hesitated to cancel an appointment when I lived in Pennsylvania. I knew it was likely I would need to wait several more weeks or months to get rescheduled. Fortunately,...
