Opinion category, Page 273
Letter to the editor: Is lack of maintenance to blame for derailments?
My first job out of college in 1964 was with the B&O, then owned by Chessie and now CSX. In those days a major problem was something referred to as “deferred maintenance,” a euphemism for not making enough money to afford to properly repair tracks. Today, when I read about...
Letter to the editor: Wildlife should stay wild
Last month, the Pennsylvania Game Commission voted to pass a change to menagerie regulations, thereby allowing wild animal exhibitors in our state to monetize public contact experiences with most wildlife. The vote ignored serious concerns raised by various organizations committed to wildlife protection and conservation. It was passed even though...
Editorial: Municipal Assistance Program funding is a common good
Pennsylvania is one of four states that differentiate themselves from their 46 American brethren by use of a different word. Like Kentucky, Massachusetts and Virginia, it officially goes by the lofty sounding name of “commonwealth.” In practical use, there is no difference. It is the difference between pancakes and flapjacks...
Letter to the editor: Trump, the ‘ugly duckling’
It’s not very hard to understand why they keep going after Donald Trump. If only people would open up their eyes and cast aside their prejudices. Trump was the proverbial “ugly duckling.” He didn’t belong. He was too radical. He didn’t fit in. But the average men and women in...
Jonah Goldberg: After Title 42, there’s a border crisis whether Biden admits it or not
The lifting of Title 42 — which allowed the government to use the covid-19 pandemic as an excuse to expel migrants for public health purposes — has not resulted in “chaos” at the border, according to most news accounts. Intended or not, this is a great example of managing expectations....
Letter to the editor: Money for migrants should be spent on Americans
In a May 5 news conference, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the Biden administration has distributed $330 million more to communities and agencies to “address the humanitarian needs of migrants” coming across our southern border. Relocation help, housing, hotel rooms, meals, health care, etc. Where is the $330 million...
Danielle Acker Susanj: ‘Right to Organize’ amendment violates Constitution
This month, Pennsylvania House lawmakers approved legislation, House Bill 950, that purports to add a new fundamental right to the state’s Constitution: the right to organize. In practice, however, the measure would try to rob the commonwealth’s public-sector employees of rights they already possess under the First Amendment. Though the...
Letter to the editor: Soft-on-crime activists, legislators to blame for gun violence
I am a Marine veteran and member of the NRA. I am a registered Republican and owner of several firearms. Whenever a mass shooting or murder with a firearm happens in our country, the left is quick to blame the GOP, the NRA and law-abiding gun owners. I’ve grown tired...
Letter to the editor: Defaulting on national debt would be catastrophic
In response to the letter “Government should default on national debt” (April 30, TribLIVE): Well, I do agree that as citizens we have no input on the national debt and someone has to be responsible, but this is what you overlooked. Experts agree the following events would occur: • Unemployment...
Editorial: Springdale shouldn’t rezone Cheswick plant for housing
Recycling isn’t just for aluminum cans and water bottles. It is also how old properties find new uses. An old church can become a concert venue or comedy club. A school can become a luxury home with a multimillion dollar price tag or an affordable apartment building for seniors ....
Letter to the editor: Time for government to step up and help us all
My God, what the hell is happening to our country? My opinion is that we are going to collapse, and our government seems to be standing by watching it happen. All of them. Everyone can see the economy is in the tank. Go to the market or to buy gas...
Letter to the editor: This may not have happened … yet
Age and faulty memory have combined to force me to come to terms with both fond and unpleasant recollections of things that I know never happened. Reading media mogul Rupert Murdoch’s testimony in the defamation lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News is one example. Under oath and...
Jo Recht: If you care about ending gun violence, speak up now
Last month marked 4½ years since our congregation, Dor Hadash, along with New Light and Tree of Life congregations, was attacked by a man spewing antisemitic and anti-immigrant hate, and wielding weapons of war. It also marked the start of jury selection in his trial. Eleven congregants in our three...
Peter Morici: If Biden gives China leverage to broker peace for Ukraine, he can then defuse the cold war over Taiwan
The United States needs detente with China to deescalate the danger of an armed conflict over Taiwan, losing control of maritime routes through the South China Sea and other potential Pacific region hotspots. This requires looking past China’s rhetoric about achieving broad technological dominance and recent provocations to focus on...
Letter to the editor: Don’t let Biden ‘finish the job’
President Barack Obama described conservative Americans as “bitter people, clinging to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them.” Wannabe president Hillary Clinton described us as a “basket of deplorables.” Supporters of the Democrats described us as “smelly Walmart shoppers.” Now, President Joe Biden describes conservative Americans...
Letter to the editor: Time for plastic bag ban to spread through Pa., country
Philadelphia recently released a study showing its plastic bag ban has been successful at tackling plastic pollution throughout the city and its suburbs. From October 2021 to August 2022, the amount of plastic bags being used decreased by 94%. So far, the ban has prevented the use of over 200...
Editorial: Even in a primary election, you have to show up and make your voice count
It’s that time again. Twice a year, we remind you to get up and do your job as a citizen — of America, of Pennsylvania and of the counties and communities that make up the red, white and blue crazy quilt of our region. Some people might yawn and shrug...
Letter to the editor: We deserve debates to learn more about Biden
Now that President Biden has announced (by videotape, not in person) that he is running for reelection and the DNC has decided there will be no presidential primary debates, we have moved ever closer to anarchy and socialist government with single-party rule. And I guess Biden will once again hide...
Letter to the editor: Let’s get our country headed in the right direction
It seems like everyone you talk to notices that the weather is getting more intense. Not everyone agrees on what is causing it. Some say it’s caused by the burning of oil, gas and coal and the cutting down of trees, which causes more carbon dioxide to be in the...
Letter to the editor: Honor Cowan when renaming Mount Odin roads
I agree with Greensburg City Council about providing names to the roads in Mount Odin for the purpose of responding to emergencies (“Greensburg eyes contract for repaving streets,” May 2, TribLIVE). I do hope, though, they take into consideration Frank Cowan’s love of Norse mythology. I was raised near Mount...
Tom Purcell: Curing our loneliness epidemic
There is a loneliness epidemic in the United States, but there are some simple ways we can address it. A few weeks ago, the U.S. surgeon general released a report titled “Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation.” The report found that even before the covid lockdowns chased us into months...
John Opdycke and David Thornburgh: Time for open primaries in Pa.
One of us, John Opdycke, founded the national advocacy group Open Primaries in 2009: “Back then it was like opening an institute for UFO research. People thought I was wasting my time on an irrelevant and illegitimate reform issue. I wasn’t a very sought after dinner guest.” Times have certainly...
Letter to the editor: We don’t need more laws, just to behave and lead by example
It is disturbing to hear the news of the day — gun violence, attacks on individuals, robberies, etc. And it usually ends up with the conclusion that there should be a law. We have so many laws that I don’t believe there is anyone who knows all the laws. Whether...
Letter to the editor: Biden a traitor?
We are used to politicians lying to us from the time they swear to abide by their Oath of Office and beyond. President Biden swore to enforce the laws of our land and protect us from enemies domestic and foreign. A large disservice of Biden is his ignoring our immigration...
Letter to the editor: Reflecting on Pittsburgh sports’ corporate welfare
As I sat in construction traffic recently, I was reminded of a statement I heard in 2001 when Heinz Field and PNC Park were built: “Can you imagine how nice our region would be if the hundreds of millions spent on the stadiums was spent on infrastructure?” At the time,...
