Opinion category, Page 274
Letter to the editor: We must be a climate leader
I believe the Trib is doing a disservice to its readers when it publishes articles promoting the natural gas industry. We know all too well the devastation the industry causes to our health and environment. Yes, natural gas produces about half the carbon dioxide emissions than coal power when burned,...
Editorial cartoons for the week of May 15
Editorial cartoons for the week of May 15....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of May 15
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of May 15....
Michael Reagan: AOC and the war on our appliances
AOC and her Green New Deal buddies in the Biden government are not just winning their crusade against fossil fuels. They’re also wrecking the country — appliance by appliance. Our washing machines, refrigerators and microwaves have been made less efficient and more expensive because of new federal standards pushed by...
Greg Fulton: The power of personal relationships and the birth of Israel
May 14 represents the 75th anniversary of Israel’s birth as a nation. It is a momentous time for a nation that many people gave little chance for success or survival. Israel’s declaration of independence was controversial and received with little enthusiasm from many around the world, unwelcome by surrounding nations....
Letter to the editor: Why are the extremists ruling America?
It’s amazing how the extremes of the two major parties are ruling the day in America and have been for quite some time. There is perhaps 1% of kooks on each end of the spectrum, yet they have a large portion of the other 98% rushing to take one side...
Letter to the editor: Cross-filing doesn’t matter — vote for the person
I enjoy the Tribune-Review. It is a very focused hometown newspaper. Sometimes, however, when it publishes an article that affects the entire state, it really goes overboard in trying to be a big metropolitan newspaper. The article that provided that impression was “Party affiliation can be misleading in some local...
Editorial: Arrests of public officials are all too common
Very public investigations and arrests in recent years demonstrate the complexity of law enforcement that involves public officials. On a national level, the most obvious example is the various state and federal cases involving former President Donald Trump. There are also the charges announced recently against U.S. Rep. George Santos,...
Letter to the editor: Ending gun violence
“The boogeyman is at my door, he’s turning around in my driveway, he’s trying to get into my car, he’s rolling a ball into my yard.” Illogical, impulsive fear, coupled with the plethora of easily accessible guns, has led to multiple incidents of high-profile gun violence recently. Is this the...
Letter to the editor: Guardianship issues in Pa.
Regarding the editorial “Revamp laws for legal guardians” (April 24, TribLIVE): Much as the desperately flawed and often harmful Pennsylvania guardianship system itself, Senate Bill 506, while presumably well-intended, falls short of its purported goal of protecting our precious elderly and disabled populations. I’m glad to learn it is not...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Becoming American more difficult than ever
Chaos on our southern border and the failure of our immigration policies are leading the news again. The crisis is getting worse with the end of Title 42, the pandemic-era immigration provision that enabled the government to quickly turn people away at the border. It is a human disaster on...
Christian Appy: Ellsberg’s decision to release Pentagon Papers didn’t happen in a vacuum
In 1971, when Daniel Ellsberg arrived at a federal court in Boston, a journalist asked if he was concerned about the prospect of going to prison for leaking a 7,000-page top-secret history of the Vietnam War. Ellsberg responded with a question of his own: “Wouldn’t you go to prison to...
Letter to the editor: Reelect Kertes and Chew, proven county leaders
I received a mailer from a Republican challenger to Westmoreland County Commissioners Sean Kertes and Doug Chew, which stated if elected, he’d downsize from three commissioners to one and that he’d distribute the remaining covid Relief Funds to the people. I don’t think he has a clue. The county code...
Letter to the editor: Kopas, Hovis best choices for commissioner
As the May primary election nears, Westmoreland County residents need to pay attention to the commissioners race. County commissioners make decisions that impact our day-to-day lives. I am alarmed at proposals made by a Republican candidate running as a challenger to incumbents Doug Chew and Sean Kertes. In a campaign...
Letter to the editor: Keep Yakopec as judge
I support our current magisterial district judge, Cheryl Peck Yakopec, because of her experience. Yakopec worked with the Burrell School District to develop a plan to solve issues like truancy, handling them at the school instead of the courtroom . Parents, administrators and Yakopec worked together so that, instead of...
Editorial: The discouraging infighting among Democrats in Allegheny County
Allegheny County government is proof that political fights can have nothing to do with party lines. The 15-member county council is overwhelmingly Democratic. Only at-large member Samuel DeMarco and District 2 member Suzanne Filiaggi are Republicans. Every county row officer is a Democrat too, including County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. So...
Letter to the editor: Buccerio for Franklin Regional board
After reading the hateful characterizations made in the letter ”Don’t vote for radical Franklin Regional board candidates” (May 9, TribLIVE), I rushed to my computer to respond to his judgmental remarks regarding an outstanding candidate for Franklin Regional School Board, Deb Buccerio. I would be proud to have Buccerio representing...
Letter to the editor: Weinstein for county executive
I’m voting for John Weinstein for Allegheny County executive on May 16. Weinstein gets it. Under law, the assessment office is run by the executive as chief assessor. Is the assessment office prepared to reassess 585,000 parcels? Nope. Although I favor cyclical reassessment, Allegheny County government keeps moving the goal...
Gary Franks: Former Republican congressman regrets supporting Clarence Thomas
Last May at a conservative function held in Dallas, the Old Parkland Conference, where Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was in attendance for the weekend event, along with dozens of minority conservatives, I had an interesting experience. I got “kicked out” of the conference because I challenged the views of...
Zach Kennedy: Dems in strong position to hold Pa. Senate seat
Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, Jr. has quietly built one of the most successful political legacies in Pennsylvania history. Prior to Casey’s 2018 reelection victory, never before had a Pennsylvania Democrat won three terms to the United States Senate. As the Scranton native eyes his 2024 reelection campaign, he not...
Cal Thomas: Trump and the old razzle dazzle
“The reason I talk to myself is because I’m the only one whose answers I accept.” — George Carlin Former president Donald Trump’s appearance at a CNN Republican Town Hall in New Hampshire stretched the truth beyond any standard by which that virtue can be measured. Trump told more lies...
Pat Browne and Jason Kavulich: Now is time to expand the Property Tax/Rent Rebate program
For more than 50 years, Pennsylvania has held the unique distinction of being the only state in the nation where proceeds from its state lottery are directed solely to programs that benefit older adults. This partnership between the Pennsylvania Lottery and our commonwealth’s seniors has generated nearly $34 billion in...
Letter to the editor: Keep Chew as commissioner
I appreciate all that Commissioner Doug Chew is doing for the overall well-being of people in Westmoreland County. I shout his praises any time his name is mentioned. In my 20-plus years working in the mental health field, he has been more present and involved than any other elected official....
Letter to the editor: Yakopec more than just a great judge
I am writing to support Judge Cheryl Peck Yakopec because she is a public servant who gives back to the community. She is an excellent judge, but it is all the other things that she does that make her irreplaceable. She has students do community service at the American Legion...
Lori Falce: Feinstein and Santos need to choose a new adventure
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and U.S. Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., don’t have a whole lot in common. Feinstein will turn 90 next month, three months before the next-oldest member of Congress, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. She is the senior senator from California, holding her seat since 1992. Only Grassley...
