Opinion category, Page 282
S.E. Cupp: Fox News admits now it lied, but can it stop?
Tuesday’s historic 11th hour settlement between Fox News and Dominion Voting Systems for a whopping $787.5 million for defamation was justice for Dominion, which Fox hosts had baselessly smeared to sow doubt in the 2020 presidential election results. “Over two years ago, a torrent of lies swept Dominion and election...
Zach Shamberg: Access to long-term care depends on workforce solutions
It seems like every industry is struggling with workforce challenges. In the industry of long-term care — nursing homes, personal care homes and assisted living communities — staffing challenges are nothing new. Long-term-care providers were battling a shortage of caregivers well before the covid-19 pandemic. But the last three years...
Letter to the editor: Tax not doubled for couples
I had occasion to read the letter “Reasons for Pittsburgh population loss” (April 7, TribLIVE). I wanted to draw your readership’s attention to this argument: “People who live in the city pay a 3% wage tax. So, if you and your spouse work, you now lose 6% of your total...
Letter to the editor: Many things can be called ‘assault weapons’
The term “assault weapon” can be applied to anything that is used to kill, injure or maim another person The FBI statistics show that more people are attacked and murdered with kitchen knives than by AR semi-automatic rifles and pistols every year. If the far-left Democrats have their way, then...
Letter to the editor: Westmoreland GOP needs new leader
Bill Bretz, Westmoreland County’s GOP chairman, is causing voters to call for his immediate resignation due to seemingly politicized, unethical behaviors. Recently, he discriminately kicked off certain elected committee members for collecting signatures for the most qualified candidates instead of the GOP’s endorsed candidates, while keeping on selected members who...
Laurels & lances: Civic duty and illegal drugs
Laurel: To a valuable education. If there’s one thing our divided political landscape proves, there are a lot of people out there who could have used a civics class. Civics is the study of what it takes to be a citizen. It teaches the mechanism of the governments that govern...
Letter to the editor: Free Narcan will always be available
The article “Western Pa. recovery experts celebrate over-the-counter naloxone, voice concern about cost” (April 6, TribLIVE) discusses how free distribution of naloxone will still be important even when it becomes available over the counter. However, it did not mention where agencies obtain their free Narcan, or how any Westmoreland County...
Lori Falce: The truth about surviving childhood
Almost every day on Facebook or Twitter or some other social media outlet, I see a version of it. Sometimes it’s just a quick one-liner from a friend. Sometimes it is dressed in a funny meme. Often it is a long passage shared by a relative who I know does...
Colin McNickle: PIT’s misleading stats, rose-colored glasses
The Allegheny County Airport Authority used a misleading comparison to make it appear that passenger and operations numbers at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) have improved more than they have, concludes a new analysis by the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy. As it happens, the PIT decline in passengers from February...
Letter to the editor: Owners to blame for underperforming teams
Regarding the letter “Time for Mark Madden to go” (April 17, TribLIVE): Madden is usually spot on with his observations of teams that have poor management, planning for the future and coaching and poor performing players. He is pointing the finger at team owners, not the fans. If the Steelers...
Letter to the editor: Safe travels for motorists, farmers
The Westmoreland County Farm Bureau is recognizing Rural Roads Safety Week this week by encouraging county motorists to be aware of farm vehicles and equipment and travel safely on rural roads. You may have noticed farmers returning to the fields to begin planting crops. Tractors, farm trucks, wagons and other...
Editorial: Fewer employees can add up to high costs
Sometimes having fewer people to do the job might mean more work for the employees but a lower bottom line for the payroll. You have a store to staff, for example. You want 10 people to work from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. You only have five. You shuffle those...
Letter to the editor: Clarence Thomas innocent until proven guilty
The front-page article “Thomas says he didn’t have to disclose luxury trips” (April 8, TribLIVE) calls out Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for possibly omitting required documentation about vacations and gifts received from a friend and his possible conflict of interest. Thomas claims he followed reporting requirements at that time....
Jonah Goldberg: Crime follows national trends in U.S., but it requires local solutions
We live in a moment when everyone seems compelled to talk about national trends and systemic problems. There are plenty of reasons for this. Politicians in Washington, Republicans and Democrats alike, think Washington should call the shots. Presidents and presidential aspirants feel the need to talk about our vast country...
Elwood Watson: We don’t need to mandate ‘trigger warnings’ in college
Amen to Cornell University President Martha Pollack and Provost Michael Kotlikoff for refusing to ratify a proposal introduced by the student senate to mandate trigger warnings into syllabi and course content. In a statement, Pollack and Kotlikoff said such a mandate “would infringe on our core commitment to academic freedom...
Peter Morici: Silicon Valley Bank’s failure is no reason for stricter bank regulation
Silicon Valley Bank’s failure rattled confidence in small- and mid-sized banks across the U.S. and once again ignited cries to more tightly regulate banks. That’s wrong-headed. We need to step back and examine how non-money center banks, which are essentially depositories, get into trouble and better apply the tools we...
Jason Altmire: Pennsylvanians deserve real Medicaid solutions
More than 12 million people live in Pennsylvania, and 3 million of them — nearly one-quarter of the state’s population — depend on Medicaid. That’s why it’s so concerning that the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) recently issued new guidelines that will add an extra burden to Pennsylvania’s...
Letter to the editor: Tiger Woods is responsible for his own actions
Regarding Mark Madden’s column “Tiger Woods is golf’s most popular attraction, so make some exceptions to sacred rules” (April 10, TribLIVE) and his views about Woods not being able to walk the course anymore: Woods is totally responsible for his inability to traverse the golf course. Providing him a cart...
Letter to the editor: Does Catholic Church discriminate, demonize?
Regarding the letter “Pick a side, good or evil” (April 10, TribLIVE): How dare the writer declare “you cannot be Catholic and vote Democrat.” Who made him pope? According to him, you can discriminate against God’s children who he made LBGT, and still be Catholic. According to him, you can...
Letter to the editor: UPMC should better support its workers
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey is right to challenge UPMC’s status as a purely public charity (“Gainey to challenge tax-exempt status of UPMC properties, other nonprofits,” March 28, TribLIVE). It doesn’t matter how much money UPMC “donates to the community” when they’re creating conditions that leave employees like myself struggling to...
Editorial: Frustrating parallels between North Side and Alabama shootings and the agonizing wait for answers
In Alabama, there is mourning for the loss of four people who were attending a 16th birthday party Saturday in Dadeville. There is concern for the health and well-being of 32 more who were injured. But people are frustrated by the lack of answers about what happened and who is...
Letter to the editor: Trump a threat to U.S.
The letter “Bad logic on Trump’s presidency” (March 29, TribLIVE) rebutting the letter “Why Trump was a great president” (March 7, TribLIVE), which was a rebuttal to my letter “No comparison between Trump, Reagan” (Feb. 27, TribLIVE) was excellent. The writer is correct when he says that the covid-19 pandemic...
Letter to the editor: Reverse Biden policies to heal nation
The writer of the letter “Bad logic on Trump’s presidency” (March 29, TribLIVE) dismissed the Trump administration’s contributions to low inflation, gas prices and unemployment and positive growth in the economy and stock markets. His logic is flawed. These things happened as a result of President Donald Trump’s policies and...
Election letters deadline
Note on election-related letters: The Tribune-Review will accept submissions of election-related letters until May 6. Election-related letters will not be published after May 13....
Dr. Andrew Smolar: Medicine and humanity
Doctors have known for some time that we are falling short of our humanistic ideals. It was my turn to learn it firsthand. I had avoided covid until February. Although I had a short course — mitigated by Paxlovid— some weird lab results surfaced after I recovered. My internist wanted...
