Opinion category, Page 221
Letter to the editor: Strong women fight for our democracy
Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates, who opposed President Trump’s Muslim ban, was among the first to get fired because she stood up for the rule of law. She refused to be cowed by the most powerful man in our country. With integrity and courage, she put the country before...
Tom Purcell: The best Christmas gift ever — re-embrace childlike joy
The best Christmas gift I ever gave anyone was the one I gave my father about 20 years ago: a Lionel train set. Every year, we got him the same gifts, you see. And every year he’d tell me to tell us, “For God’s sakes, please, no more sweaters.” As...
Christine Vendel: Genetic testing can save lives. I believe it saved mine.
I lost a lot this year. My breasts. My ovaries. My uterus. My belly button. (I’ll explain that last one later.) But I gained a lot, too. After enduring four surgeries that benched me from work for a total of 14 weeks, I have removed the vulnerable body parts to...
Letter to the editor: Retired teachers’ raises
Regarding the letter “Comparing pay raises for legislators, retired teachers” (Nov. 29, TribLive), about public school teachers not having a raise since 2004: When I retired Jan. 1, 2000, I had to sign a paper indicating that I understood there would be no raises to the set sum on the...
Letter to the editor: Condemnation of Israel hypocritical
Pro-Palestinian protestors hypocritically criticize Israel for overreacting to the Oct. 7 attack. That attack murdered, tortured, raped and/or abducted over 1,500 Israeli civilians without warning or provocation. Gaza had not been occupied by Israel since 2005. Since then, the Palestinians have received billions in foreign aid intended for humanitarian purposes...
Editorial: So Fetterman’s not a progressive?
John Fetterman, the Democratic U.S. senator from Braddock, says he isn’t a progressive. That might seem like a surprise to a lot of people. We are talking about the most unconventional legislator in the Senate. This is a man who caused an uproar with his wardrobe of shorts and hoodies...
Letter to the editor: Life begins at conception
I have to ask if the writer of the letter “Abortion, choices and free will” (Dec. 4, TribLive) is aware that human life begins at conception. A quick internet search of “When does human life begin” will conclude that when the male sperm fertilizes the woman’s egg, the union creates...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Dec. 18
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Dec. 18....
Editorial cartoons for the week of Dec. 18
Editorial cartoons for the week of Dec. 18....
Michael Reagan: Shut the open door to America
We’ve got Israel looking for billions. We’ve got Ukraine begging for more billions. And the president and Democrats can’t wait another day to cut fat checks for both countries. Thank God the Republicans in charge of the House of Representatives are telling Democrats that before we dish out money to...
Letter to the editor: Border lessons from the Roman Empire
One of the main reasons the 1,000-year Roman Empire collapsed was that the rulers did not secure the borders. The Visigoths, the Lombards, the Vandals and other barbarians streamed over the borders, killed Romans and destroyed Roman society. Think about it, long and hard! Maria Maliszewski Brackenridge...
Letter to the editor: Help for caregivers during holidays
The holiday season can be a stressful time for many, but for the more than 400,000 family and friends serving as unpaid caregivers of people living with Alzheimer’s and dementia in Pennsylvania, the holidays can be especially challenging. In Pennsylvania, 22% of caregivers report feeling depressed and 56% have a...
Editorial: The best use of opioid settlement funds
Pennsylvania’s share of settlements with opioid manufacturers and from retailers like CVS and Walgreens is huge. The state will receive more than $2 billion. It’s the kind of significant outlay that hasn’t been seen since the tobacco settlement of 1998. The money will roll in over 18 years and be...
Letter to the editor: Dangers of dishonoring an oath
To quote an underrated statement, “Words do matter.” A complete understanding of that statement is required the moment a person in public trust takes an oath of office that begins their commitment to those they serve. An oath of office is a solemn commitment by public officials to uphold the...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Courthouse holiday displays spread cheer, hope
The return of a holiday display — a Christmas tree and a framed depiction of a menorah — in the public square outside the Westmoreland County Courthouse is a small thing when compared to the big events of the day, but if it helps spread the holiday spirit, it may...
Philippe Lazzarini: We must prevent humanitarian aid from being used as an instrument of war
AMMAN, Jordan Every hour of every day of the last two months, aid agencies have pleaded for deliveries of humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip. We have been placed in the intolerable position of requesting permission to do lifesaving work. Last week, I wrote to the president of the United...
Counterpoint: Balanced economic growth provides the best route for ‘fixing’ Social Security
The Social Security program is projected to face a funding shortfall in just over a decade. To be clear, this is not as big a nightmare as is often described. Even if we hit this date and Congress did nothing, the program would still be paying more than 80% of...
Point: Social Security can’t grow its way out of trouble
In just 10 years, Social Security will be insolvent. Some politicians think we can ignore the problem or grow our way out of it — but that’s a recipe for disaster. Without action, the law calls for an immediate 23% across-the-board benefit cut upon insolvency. That’s a $17,400 cut for...
Letter to the editor: Fighting the ideological book banning battle
The writer of the letter “Protect children from adult material” (Dec. 11, TribLive) makes vague claims that “adult material” is somehow being made available in public school. Yet he conveniently fails to list even a single title of the supposedly offending material. Instead, he chooses to hide his ineptly constructed...
Sounding off: Gun safety, book bans, Israel, university ‘leftists’ among week’s topics
What is Lisa Baker doing about gun safety? An open letter to Sen. Lisa Baker, chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee: Regarding gun safety legislation now pending before your committee, you are quoted in the Tribune-Review saying, “I said we would invite proposals from anyone that represented something of...
Letter to the editor: We must continue aid to Ukraine, Israel
I can’t believe it’s happening! Aid to Ukraine and Israel is being held up by Republicans in the House of Representatives who object to aiding our allies fighting Russian aggression and Hamas terrorism. I did not think I would see the day when so many Americans, especially Republicans, would side...
Editorial: Commissioners should take action to protect holiday displays
The tree outside the Westmoreland County Courthouse is 23 feet tall. It is covered with bright lights and red bows. Nearby stands a blue and white menorah in a silvery frame. These aren’t unusual for the season. Symbols of Christmas and Hanukkah are everywhere. But these types of holiday displays...
Letter to the editor: We must continue to support Israel
On Oct. 7, Israel was brutally attacked by the terrorist organization Hamas, which is the governing body in Gaza, elected and supported by the Palestinian residents of Gaza. Hamas massacred over 1,200 innocent civilians, including over 30 American citizens, women, children and infants. They committed mass rape and torture, burned...
Gary Franks: Attention Iowa and New Hampshire voters — polls say Haley beats Biden by 17 points!
Former President Donald Trump has a big lead over other Republicans fighting for the nomination, but he finishes a distant second to former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley in a theoretical head-to-head matchup against President Joe Biden. The liberal media is quick to cherry-pick what they want...
Renee Y. Hsia: Same hospital, same injury, same child, same day — why did one ER visit cost thousands more?
The Kaiser Family Foundation recently reported that the annual cost of family health insurance jumped to nearly $24,000 this year, the greatest increase in a decade. While insurance executives and employers may cite a plethora of reasons, one of the chief culprits is lack of oversight over the Wild West...
