Opinion category, Page 254
Paul Kengor: Why are our churches so ugly?
My previous dispatch to you, faithful readers, came from far away, in Italy, where I reported on the strangeness of spending July 4 abroad. I mentioned in that column being inspired by the sites and traditions of the old country, including its churches. That thought inspires me again. I received...
Lori Falce: In support of writers
I have a serious love of television, and so I take things that stand between me and my ability to binge-watch it personally. How dare someone make me wait an additional year to see what happens on “The Last of Us.” I’m not sure I can live in a world...
Barry Markovsky: Why people tend to believe UFOs are extraterrestrial
Most of us still call them UFOs — unidentified flying objects. NASA recently adopted the term “unidentified anomalous phenomena,” or UAP. Either way, every few years popular claims resurface that these things are not of our world, or that the U.S. government has some stored away. I’m a sociologist who...
Letter to the editor: Nicholson Township injection well opposed
Residents of Nicholson Township in Fayette County are fighting a proposed Class II D injection well site from a company called G2 Stem out of Virginia. A permit was submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency, and only residents within a half-mile radius from the site were notified. The permit was...
Editorial: Kopas appointment as commissioner is understandable but was it the best choice?
On Monday, the 11 Westmoreland County Common Pleas judges gathered together and acted as a kind of jury, deliberating and delivering a verdict on a case in a way they normally don’t get to do. The decision they reached wasn’t about guilt or innocence or a judgment with a big...
Letter to the editor: Supreme Court should not be above the law
Supreme Court justices are given lifetime appointments so they will be immune to political influence. But the Federalist Society has created a quid pro quo system in which they receive lavish gifts from wealthy benefactors. This legalized bribery has resulted in the court trashing our norms, customs, precedence and the...
Jonah Goldberg: Why July is the cruelest month for GOP presidential candidates — unless they’re Donald Trump
Perhaps T.S. Elliot was wrong. July, not April, is the cruelest month, at least for GOP presidential contenders trying to supplant Donald Trump. Before July, the campaigns have excuses for why the momentum hasn’t kicked in yet. They can say they’re just in exploratory-committee mode, or they’re just getting the...
Peter Morici: How Ukraine joining NATO would keep critical technology out of China’s hands
The future of Ukraine in the NATO alliance will prove critical to the balance of power in the Pacific and U.S. economic leadership around the world. Tensions within NATO on the embattled nation’s status were on full display at the Vilnius Summit last week. On the agenda was Ukrainian membership,...
Brad Bushman and Sophie Kjaervik: A 1-minute video helped preteens be more careful around real guns
Children who watched a 1-minute-long gun safety video were more cautious when they found a real handgun hidden in a drawer in our lab compared to children who watched a car safety video, according to our randomized clinical trial published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. We observed this difference even...
Letter to the editor: Ending frivolous lawsuits
A woman parks in a no-parking zone at a store, gets out and injures herself falling on black ice; never mind that she violated restrictions. A hot McNugget falls on a child’s lap, causing second- degree burns; never mind that food is supposed to be hot. A man showboats by leaping...
Editorial: The heavy burden of fighting fires
The weight of a fire truck is hard to bear. The average fire vehicle comes in between 19 tons and 30 tons, according to PennDOT. It’s the equivalent of six to 10 nice big pickup trucks. The weight is important. It’s part of what makes them work. They carry a...
Letter to the editor: Cluster munitions deal condemned
The Biden administration’s decision to supply cluster munitions to Ukraine, as part of a new military aid package, is morally unacceptable and must be immediately reversed. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, “cluster munitions remain one of the world’s most treacherous weapons.” Falling over wide areas, the...
Elwood Watson: Teaching about racism without discussing race?
Ryan Walters, a far right-wing education official who currently serves as Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction, recently caused a political firestorm when he insisted the Tulsa race massacre can be taught in public schools without amounting to “critical race theory” — so long as it’s taught without discussing race. Walters,...
Nathan Benefield: Shapiro, lawmakers must choose — students or special interests?
In education policy, there are two main groups of stakeholders: parents and special interests. Parents want the best opportunities for their children, while special interests benefit from maintaining the status quo. The first group is much more numerous. The latter, unfortunately, has far greater political power — with dozens of...
Letter to the editor: Don’t facts matter to Trump supporters?
Doesn’t it concern you at all when one of the many MAGA millions claims that, as president, Donald Trump “did everything he promised to do”? It should. Did Trump repeal and replace Obamacare? Did he ever balance the federal budget? Did he work out a significant trade deal with China?...
Letter to the editor: SAFE Act would ban consumption of horse meat
I urge Pennsylvania residents to thank Sen. John Fetterman for co-sponsoring the SAFE Act, and for him to advocate that it be included in the 2023 Farm Bill. The SAFE Act was introduced in the Senate in June and would play a key role in banning horse meat for human...
Editorial: Are legacy admissions the real problem for colleges?
A legacy is something left by those who went before us. It might be a reputation. It might be an inheritance. And for some kids filling out applications, it is a leg up in the college admissions process. At least, it was. For generations, prestigious universities made a sometimes spoken,...
Letter to the editor: Biden is chasing votes
Regarding the article “Supreme Court rejects plan to wipe out $400B in student loans; Biden vows ‘fight is not over’ ” (June 30, TribLIVE): The Supreme Court’s decision to deny President Biden the authority to forgive $430 billion of student loans is all about Biden chasing votes. Promising to give tens...
Tom Purcell: The lost freedom of childhood
I dream of recreating some of the epic bike hikes I enjoyed as a kid back in the 1970s. My used Murray five-speed Spyder bike with the high handlebars only cost 25 bucks, but it was one of the coolest bikes of the age. Man, I loved that bike. During...
Colin McNickle: How the next Allegheny County executive can start fixing PRT
Change is in the air with the coming election of a new Allegheny County chief executive in November. And once the new leader takes office in January, he or she can help ensure that change is the operative word to begin fixing the long-out-of-step Pittsburgh Regional Transit, researchers at the...
Zach Kennedy: In Allegheny County, progressives are now the establishment
A political powerhouse now rivaling Philadelphia as the bedrock of Democratic electoral strength in Pennsylvania, Allegheny County has been consistently trending more progressive. This past May’s primaries in Pennsylvania’s second-largest county added another layer of icing on a cake that’s been baking for nearly a decade: In Allegheny County, progressives...
Letter to the editor: Faith can change lives
I loved the letter “Using God’s word correctly” (June 30, TribLIVE). Studying God’s word, learning the Bible and putting the word into action can change a person’s life. It will cost you time and it takes years to develop a strong personal relationship with the Lord, but the reward is...
Letter to the editor: School retirees need more money? Boo hoo.
Regarding the letter “School retirees deserve COLA increase” (July 3, TribLIVE): Boo hoo. Most people don’t have a pension. Those who do don’t get COLA increases either. Tim Scheeren Hempfield...
Editorial: Lawmakers: Carpe diem; end per diems
Taxpayers, who employ Pennsylvania legislators, should reimburse those employees for the expenses they incur while conducting the public business, just as a private employer should cover its employees’ work-related expenses. But they should do so under a comparable system. Private employers don’t simply provide employees with a flat-rate expense payment....
Letter to the editor: Facts on student loan ‘forgiveness’
The article “Borrowers disappointed with Supreme Court ruling striking down student loan relief” (June 30, TribLIVE) is full of left-wing emotionalism that omits many obvious and important facts. Despite what President Biden says , there is no such thing as loan “forgiveness.” Others will pay the debt for people who...
