Opinion category, Page 225
Letter to the editor: Staff retention critical at Allegheny County Jail
The staffing crisis at the Allegheny County Jail has paralyzed staff from being able to provide a safe and humane environment to the residents of our jail. The health care staff has had 94 vacancies, and many correctional officers have to work so much forced overtime that they have to...
Tom Purcell: Enjoying the gift of giving
Here’s an unpleasant holiday statistic: Average Americans are giving significantly less to their favorite charities this year than they did just four or five years ago. Average Americans have long been among the most generous people on Earth. But this year, thanks to an economy disrupted by covid, soaring interest...
Lou Barletta: Say no to Kooth in Pa. schools
Strangers talking to schoolchildren on the internet — what could possibly go wrong? If that’s not bad enough, how about parents having no idea that it’s even happening? The newest threat to parental rights is entering our school districts behind closed doors. Kooth is a for-profit business from the U.K....
Letter to the editor: Abortion, choices and free will
I’m always amazed when letter-writers cite the Constitution and twist it to support their topic (“Unborn Americans have right to life,” Nov. 28, TribLive). But I digress. This is tough for me to write, as I am pro-life and agree with this particular letter-writer. But not for the same reason....
Letter to the editor: How did terrorist chic become a thing?
Two decades after September 2001, the formerly ostracized Islamists have learned to speak the college hipster language of anti-colonization. They remind us of the not-uncommon forced evacuations of border villages almost 80 years ago, and they understandably gripe about many Palestinians living in a stateless “archipelago.” They go on about...
Colin McNickle: The (still) high cost of PRT bus service
The cost to operate Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) buses oftentimes exceeds seven other comparison transit agencies in the United States, except New York City, concludes a new analysis by the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy. But in one key metric, and when the cost of living in the respective comparison...
Editorial: America’s high schoolers are running out of time
America’s high schools face a growing crisis: Millions of students who entered ninth grade in the fall of 2020, at the height of the covid-19 pandemic, are set to graduate this spring, with little hope of recovering from the learning loss incurred while schools were shut. Simply put, they’re running...
Letter to the editor: Say ‘no’ to speed cameras throughout Pa.
The truth has finally come out. In an amendment to House Bill 1284, the Legislature has laid its cards on the table: They want speed cameras all over Pennsylvania. Amendment 2956 directs the Local Government Commission to study the expansion of automated speed enforcement (speed cameras) on local highways and...
Editorial cartoons for the week of Dec. 4
Editorial cartoons for the week of Dec. 4....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Dec. 4
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Dec. 4....
Letter to the editor: Faith is a force, not a farce
Regarding the letter “Religion and politics shouldn’t mix” (Nov. 11, TribLive): I appreciate the forum where opinions may be shared, even when multiple millions worldwide do not share the same views. The Bible to these people is not a “fantasy book” written by superstitious people. The early apostolic writers, disciples...
Editorial: Street crime team could be solution if Pittsburgh does it better than others
Violent crime in Pittsburgh has been a talking point in recent years. There have been businesses that have closed because of it. Far too many lives have been lost to it, from children sitting in cars to women waiting for buses. Gun crimes have even happened at the most unexpected...
Letter to the editor: We must fight for accessible recycling
The article “Fluctuating prices leave recycling industry at mercy of supply and demand” (Oct. 15, TribLive) reminded me of a harsh reality: While residents in other counties can simply place their recyclables outside their homes, most Westmoreland County residents do not have that luxury. As the value of recyclable material...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Celebrating the holidays in time of war
As many Americans struggle to find the holiday spirit this year in the midst of war abroad and turmoil at home, Henry Kissinger’s death last week is a reminder that we have been here before. When Vietnam War peace talks collapsed in December 1972, President Richard Nixon and Kissinger —...
Rosalie Metro: Palestinian and Israeli children are endangered by ‘us vs. them’ narratives
“What do you want to do when you grow up?” I asked Muhammad, an 8-year-old boy. “I want to kill Israeli soldiers!” he replied proudly. This was in 1998, when I was teaching English in Shatila, a Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut. I’d come to Beirut to study abroad and...
S.E. Cupp: November has been Nikki Haley’s takeoff month
Perhaps “Nikki-mentum” is too clumsy. And maybe “Haley’s comet” is too cute. But however you want to put it, there’s no denying Nikki Haley is having a great month. Despite a brief mid-month hiccup — where Haley offered up an ill-conceived and backlash-inviting social media ban on anonymity — the...
Bruce Ledewitz: Is Christianity making a comeback?
We read stories all the time about the decline of organized religion in America. Around one-third of Americans answer “none” when asked on surveys about their religious affiliation. Self-identified Christians still make up a majority of the population — 63% — but that is down from 90% in the 1990s....
T.J. Rooney: White House, EPA must get on same page for U.S. economy
On the campaign trail in 2020, Joe Biden promised to be the most pro-union president in American history, and since taking office, he has championed the mantra “Invent it Here, Make it Here.” Both are lofty goals that should be welcomed by the American public, but have the promise of...
Commentary: Guilty plea of Illinois shooting suspect’s father should be a wake-up call for parents
Robert Crimo Jr.’s guilty plea to reckless conduct for helping his son obtain authorization to own firearms three years before Robert Crimo III allegedly opened fire on Highland Park, Ill., paradegoers should be a wake-up call to everyone: If you hear or see things about potential violence, you must alert...
Letter to the editor: Dust comes with demolition
“It’s going to be so wonderful with those ugly chimneys gone.” “I’ll be able to see the sun.” Now that the Cheswick Generating Station’s smokestacks are gone, it’s become all litigation (“DEP fines companies involved in implosion of smokestacks at former Springdale power plant,” Nov. 16, TribLive). All the necessary...
Sounding off: Presidents, abortion, Israel among week’s topics
The Obama-Trump-Biden numbers The deficit President Trump inherited from President Obama was $0.59 trillion. Trump grew that to $3.13 trillion, an increase of over 400%. The deficit President Biden inherited from Trump was $3.13 trillion. Currently, the deficit is $1.70 trillion, a cut of over 40%. The unemployment rate Trump...
Letter to the editor: The Obama-Trump-Biden numbers
The deficit President Trump inherited from President Obama was $0.59 trillion. Trump grew that to $3.13 trillion, an increase of over 400%. The deficit President Biden inherited from Trump was $3.13 trillion. Currently, the deficit is $1.70 trillion, a cut of over 40%. The unemployment rate Trump inherited from Obama...
Editorial: There’s a cost — eventually — to not raising taxes
Taxes are a fact of life. Nobody likes them. Everyone pays them — whether on purchases or income or property. We grumble and grouse, but in the end we know that they are the literal price we pay for being a part of our society. But does it have to...
Letter to the editor: Fracking doesn’t belong in parks
Even young children can understand the conservation principle known as leave no trace. When you visit nature, whether it’s the Appalachian Trail or your local park, you change nothing about it, leave nothing behind and remove only trash. This helps preserve natural spaces so that everyone can enjoy them long...
Anthony Pacilio: Neurodiversity a strategic business advantage
The workplace of today is becoming increasingly diverse. However, diversity isn’t just about race, gender or age, but also about the differences in individual brain function and behavioral traits, known as neurodiversity. This range of differences includes but is not limited to autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD. With...
