Opinion category, Page 268
Editorial: The proud history of Pittsburgh Pride
Sometimes the word pride is associated with a glowing, crowing satisfaction in something that has been achieved. People take pride in their awards or their bank accounts. People feel pride in their children or their résumés. But that isn’t all that pride is. As with many words, there are other...
Letter to the editor: Prevention, awareness key for Lyme disease
Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria. The bite of a black-legged tick or deer tick transmits the disease. It causes flu-like symptoms and a rash. If left untreated, the infection can cause swelling and pain in your joints. It can cause problems with your heart and nervous system. A...
Gary Franks: Some Democrats give hypocrisy a bad name on education
“Public schools are good for your kids but not good for … my kids?” This should be the Democratic Party’s motto. They practice this hypocrisy, and sadly get away with it. The liberal media is AWOL on challenging them. Democrats would say “let public funds be used only for public...
S.E. Cupp: Christie may not win, but can he thwart Trump?
In 1965, William F. Buckley Jr. decided to avenge the loss of Barry Goldwater to Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1964 presidential election by running for mayor of New York. His goal was to restore attention to conservatism as he understood it, and take votes from Republican John Lindsay, who...
Roger Thomas: Reforming jury compensation
Pennsylvania adopted “42 PaCSA § 4561(a).Compensation of and travel allowance for jurors” in 1959, when minimum wage was $1/hr. Eight hours of jury service, plus one hour of travel time, equaled $9/day paid by the local county. The Act provided neither a sunset provision nor a cost-of-living allowance. This -well-intentioned-...
Hunter Tower: SEIU resorts to more influence-peddling in Pittsburgh
Two years ago, hell-bent on getting its hooks into the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) — the largest private workforce in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania — SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania effectively bought the Pittsburgh mayor’s office. In November, the union intends to pay more than twice as much to consolidate...
Lori Falce: Synagogue shooting trial spotlights a horror that hasn’t changed
Everyone sees terrible things every day. We just see them from a safe distance. We see people die in horror movies in ways that make you question the sanity of the person who wrote the script. Television serves up the kind of fictional crime dramas that are a staple of...
Letter to the editor: Dead man’s curve on Veterans Bridge
Anybody riding a motorcycle knows that, once you lean into a curve, it’s difficult to renegotiate. You either brake or stand it up and pray you don’t crash. My first time entering the Veterans Bridge on-ramp when it first opened, I caught myself heading for the Jersey barrier. I braked...
Letter to the editor: Elon Musk can sell more Teslas
Maybe Elon Musk sees this as his chance to sell Tesla EVs to Republicans. Clem Zahrobsky Delmont...
Letter to the editor: We’re too willing to give away our privacy
Are you aware of open road tolling? It is a scheme whereby your vehicle’s travel is monitored by road sensors. (Already being done on some roads in Pennsylvania). A toll is then generated for your car and billed accordingly. No need to even slow down as you pass the sensors....
Laurels & lances: Speaking up and reaching out
Laurel: To the power of participation. We harp a lot on the responsibility of voting. We urge people to register and to get out and do their duty. There still are a lot of voices that chime back about what good it does. Can one vote really matter? What makes...
Letter to the editor: Enforce existing gun laws
The so-called Common Agenda to End Gun Violence is no more than a feel-good law for the anti-gun crowd. I seriously doubt that anyone who values the Second Amendment would favor it. So what is going to be accomplished by enacting this as a law? None of the points of...
Matt Harris: House approval of debt ceiling deal a triumph of the political center
Talking with a friend about the debt ceiling negotiations, I mentioned that there were incentives for centrists in Congress to cobble together a deal. My friend said, incredulously, “Do we actually have centrists in Congress?” Certainly, it is true that the country’s two major parties have sorted and separated over...
Gary Pezzano: Time is right to build a national model for senior care in Pa.
As the new governor and new state Legislature take the reins on their first budget, there is a sense of anticipation of what their leadership will bring to the commonwealth. While the Shapiro administration and General Assembly have developed their priorities, we urge them to seize this opportunity to build...
Letter to the editor: Independence Health System’s ‘expense reduction’
The recently combined Excela Health and Butler Hospital System lost over $62 million. President and CEO Ken DeFurio said they need to develop a “significant expense reduction plan.” The hospital system recently announced it is adopting a new name, Independence Health System. It will cost hundreds of thousands, if not...
Letter to the editor: The truth about Clarence Thomas
Regarding the letter “Clarence Thomas innocent until proven guilty” (April 20, TribLIVE): The Supreme Court justice has boasted on air that he comes from “regular stock” and claims that one of his greatest joys comes from touring America and parking his RV at Walmart. Actually, he has been yachting and...
Editorial: Increased electric bills are power struggle
Every year on June 1 and Dec. 1, Pennsylvanians face the struggle between power and money. That is when the state Public Utility Commission allows electric companies to make price changes. As it happens just twice a year, it’s definitely more stable than gas prices. And, hey, just because it...
Letter to the editor: New AG Henry ready to go
While Michelle Henry may only be taking over the attorney general’s seat for the next two years, that isn’t stopping her from kicking into gear and diving into the work ahead. With state Senate confirmation, Henry is ready to pursue her responsibilities as the state’s top law enforcement officer and...
Jonah Goldberg: Why ‘Bud Lighting’ isn’t stopping any time soon
A lot of conservatives are very excited about “Bud Lighting” — a freshly minted term for boycotting companies that cater to various “woke” causes, particularly transgender issues. The term derives from the spectacular implosion of Bud Light in the wake of its decision in March to enlist transgender social media...
Peter Morici: Biden’s bid to create U.S. semiconductor jobs may do more harm than good
President Joe Biden’s industrial policies aim to make America a world leader in semiconductor manufacturing, but the effort could do more harm than good. Post-World War II U.S. foreign-trade policies promoted trade based on comparative advantages, but too often America’s trading partners put up import barriers and subsidized domestic industries...
Letter to the editor: Alzheimer’s drug insanity
Regarding Rep. Jessica Benham’s op-ed “Federal agency could help Alzheimer’s patients” (May 23, TribLIVE): It is hard to imagine the nightmare of an Alzheimer’s patient in need of lifesaving medication approved by one huge federal agency (the Food and Drug Administration) that it is not available due to another federal...
Letter to the editor: Biden, Harris should be excommunicated
We continue to be deep in the bowels of hell. Earlier this month President Biden, who is theoretically Catholic, walked up on stage and gave a bouquet to Vice President Harris, who is theoretically Catholic, at a gala thrown by Emily’s List, an organization that adores fetal slaughter. Hey, Francis...
Letter to the editor: Pittsburgh’s progressives
Regarding Yarone Zober’s op-ed “Innamorato needs big action for an Allegheny County that has been thinking small” (May 20, TribLIVE): Thinking of small, Zober uses a lot of “small” words in his commentary but could not provide any examples where the progressive ideology was a successful form of government. Words...
Editorial: Cold cases demand continued questions to find answers
With a missing persons case, sometimes it seems as though the only answer sought is about location. It isn’t. A disappearance is a chain reaction of questions that beg to be answered. “Where?” is only the first. It is also the one that kicks off the dominoes of those that...
Letter to the editor: Coal can still provide reliable, cheap energy
I disagree with the letter “We shouldn’t be celebrating coal” (May 23, TribLIVE) criticizing the legacy of coal in Pennsylvania. Although coal power plants provide only 12% of our state’s electricity today, they once provided the majority of our electricity powering our manufacturing plants and providing cheap energy to make...
