Opinion category, Page 26
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Pittsburgh must be itself
As Pittsburgh’s leaders search for a path to a happier and healthier city, they can find some solid advice in Alan Ehrenhalt’s recent article in Governing magazine, “A Message to Struggling Cities: Be Yourself.” “When it comes to generating a revival, trying to copy what has succeeded somewhere else usually...
Angeles Ponpa: Why young people don’t run for office
One of the first lessons I learned when I tried to run for local office is that politics is less about ideas than it is about paperwork. I was in my early 20s, excited to run for alderman. I thought I could bring fresh energy to my community. At the...
Ro Khanna, Seth Levine and Elizabeth MacBride: Revive America’s innovation economy before it’s too late
For decades, the United States has been the world leader in innovation. Generations of business, political and educational leaders evolved a balanced system of public-private partnerships, deep science funding and support for small and emerging businesses. All Americans had a hand in creating a culture that celebrates a unique level...
Stephanie A. (Sam) Martin: Who was Charlie Kirk? The activist who turned campus politics into national influence
The fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10 has drawn widespread condemnation and renewed attention to the climate of political violence in the United States. To many, Kirk was not just another partisan commentator. He was one of the...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s ‘accomplishments’
The letter “Instead of right and left, let’s look at what Trump has accomplished” (July 25, TribLive) didn’t mention any accomplishments. It seems that if you don’t go along with President Trump’s every whim, you have Trump derangement syndrome. Let’s go over Trump’s accomplishments. War in Ukraine is still raging....
Letter to the editor: Kirk’s death should not be celebrated
The assassination of patriot Charlie Kirk was horrific and devastating. While most Americans are mourning this loss, there are some celebrating this killing. My friend was at a doctor’s office when they announced that Kirk was dead. She was in shock and saddened by this act of hatred. A man...
Editorial: Politics should not have a body count
When we look at our history, it is a timeline where the major marks are often political and frequently violent — and too regularly both. This is not unique to America. It is not a problem of modern history. It is global and timeless. Assassination has changed the face of...
S.E. Cupp: Kirk assassination shows that America is broken
Charlie Kirk was in the middle of a college campus, as he had probably been hundreds of times before. He was surrounded by a mix of supporters and critics of the influential MAGA youth leader. The large, all-caps block writing above his head read, “PROVE ME WRONG.” Kirk’s project was...
Cal Thomas: The girl on the train
She fled Ukraine for fear she might be killed in the war with Russia and came to America where she thought she might be safe. She was wrong. Iryna Zarutska, 23, was sitting alone on a train in Charlotte, N.C., when a security camera showed a man getting up from...
Derek Dressler: Killing pundits is killing our nation
What can be said that hasn’t already? Political violence has no place in ordered society. It is a hallmark of this nation — since its forebears’ earliest thoughts — that the most powerful tool in politics was the pen, not the sword. In 1787, James Madison wrote of political violence...
Letter to the editor: Heartbreaking future of America
I was away from Westmoreland County for the two weeks traveling in South Africa. Our tour guide was a white South African who lived through apartheid. He is none too pleased with the U.S president, as he sees the kind of tyranny he lived with during apartheid. The disparity between...
Letter to the editor: Pittsburgh needs commuter rail line
When I visited Pittsburgh this summer I was very impressed with its public transportation network, Pittsburgh Regional Transit. However, I feel as though it is missing a key element: a commuter rail line. Said commuter rail line should replace the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway and run all the...
Lori Falce: Finding a solution to political violence is science fiction
One of the best things that my husband gave me was an introduction to “Doctor Who.” Yes, I know, you are here for the politics on a week where the news is kind of noteworthy. But trust me, we’ll get there. We just have a slight sci-fi detour. I resisted...
Editorial: Cleanup & questions
Laurel: To cleaner water. When you live near waterways, you know that sometimes things end up there that shouldn’t. It might be trash. It might be chemicals. It might be sewage. But often it’s tires. There is no way of knowing how many tires end up in rivers, lakes or...
Letter to the editor: Trump and Hitler? No comparison.
As one whose parents were Jewish Holocaust survivors, I am offended by those writers and political pundits who use references to Hitler and Nazism as an anti-Trump talking point (“Republicans following orders,” Sept. 3, TribLive). By doing so they negate the actual horrors of those who suffered under the Nazi...
Paul Kengor: Baseball Karen and ballpark vulgarity
You may have seen the viral video of a disturbing moment at a Philadelphia Phillies vs. Miami Marlins game. A dad fetched a home-run ball for his son — for his birthday. As always in these situations, fans scrambled for the ball but applauded the lucky person who ended up...
Jonah Goldberg: Trump now has the NRA standing up for trans rights
Given the tsunami of news demanding your attention you might have missed an interesting trial balloon launched by the Department of Justice last week. Officials briefed reporters on preliminary discussions among the department’s top brass to ban transgender people from buying guns. This was in the wake of last month’s...
Colin McNickle: Transportation funding’s red herring
“Life is full of a thousand red herrings, and it takes the history of a civilization to work out which are the red herrings and which aren’t,” once noted Welsh screenwriter and film director Peter Greenaway. Or a public policy think tank that condenses the long history of facts to...
Letter to the editor: Remember these Pa. stats when voting for governor in ’28
Open letter to anyone debating our governor in ‘28: 1) Pennsylvania has the second highest per mile toll in the nation, and it rises every year. 2) Pennsylvania has the third highest gas tax in the nation. 3) Pennsylvania is one of only five states in the nation with a...
Letter to the editor: Decency matters
My father and four of his brothers fought in World War II. He was held as a prisoner of war for 21 months. Nazi officers, for their amusement, forced the POWs to fight each other gladiator style and to play Russian roulette under armed guard. My husband is a disabled...
Editorial: What was forged on Sept. 11
It is hard to remember a time that Americans were on the same side. Except on Sept. 11. Every year on this date, the anniversary reminds us of the grim day in 2001 when we were united by the dark and unbelievable horror of the worst terrorist attack in our...
Letter to the editor: Employers of undocumented should be punished, too
A big round of applause to the writer of the letter “Employers who hire the undocumented should be fined, jailed” (Aug. 13, TribLive). I couldn’t agree more. Try getting on a plane, flying to another country and seeking employment, and see if you don’t end up detained or possibly in...
Chip Minemyer: ‘Up to us’ to be worthy of the heroes of Flight 93
Many speakers at Sept. 11 anniversary events at the Flight 93 National Memorial over the years have urged those gathered to live in a manner worthy of the sacrifices made there. On the 20th anniversary of 9/11, Gordon Felt, brother of Flight 93 passenger Edward Felt, said: “The path we...
Commentary: How Donald Trump can safeguard our drug supply
The Trump administration believes — correctly — the existing prescription drug supply chain endangers our national security. China, a military adversary under a communist regime, plays a key role in 90% of generic antibiotics and 8% of all active pharmaceutical ingredients consumed by Americans. According to The Brookings Institution, 3.5%...
Letter to the editor: Memories of Mayor Sophie Masloff
I enjoyed reading Tanya Panizzi’s article “Author Barbara Burstin details legacy of the late Sophie Masloff, Pittsburgh’s 1st female, 1st Jewish mayor” (Sept. 3, TribLive). It brings back a memory of me meeting her on the steps of Mellon One. It also brings back the memory of her and the...
