Opinion category, Page 293
Letter to the editor: Mastriano running again?
I am delighted to learn that failed gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano is contemplating another bid for high office, possibly an effort to become Pennsylvania’s next United States senator. I would look forward to Mastriano adopting the same “winning formula,” the tactics he used as he was humiliated in his high-profile...
Paul Kengor: Remembering the Sparrow Lady
“Ross woman missing for 3 decades found in Puerto Rico, police confirm.” That was a Tribune-Review headline March 3. It was the kind of newsflash too common in this world, so much so that I normally might not have bothered with it. But for some reason, I was prompted to...
Laurels & lances: Communication and court
Laurel: To staying connected. On Jan. 2, the people of Harrison, Tarentum and Brackenridge were trying to follow what was happening with the manhunt for a wanted fugitive. Social media was lighting up with information — not all of it accurate. The day ended with the death of Brackenridge police...
Jim Pieffer: Federal staffing mandates would hurt Pa. nursing home care for seniors
There has been an undeniable nursing home workforce crisis in recent years. While many have moved on from the pandemic, the stress and anxiety continue in nursing homes as employees work hard to protect those most vulnerable to covid-19. Though well-intentioned, a proposed federal staffing requirement by the Centers for...
Letter to the editor: Communities should support Lower Valley Ambulance
Why is Oakmont willing to pay a different ambulance service $50,000 plus another $50,000 for a new ambulance (“Oakmont officials select Parkview EMS as borough’s new ambulance service,” March 7, TribLIVE)? How much did they pay Lower Valley Ambulance Service? Borough Manager Scot Fodi stated council had concerns following a...
Letter to the editor: Are Fox News personalities grooming their audience?
Grooming: You may have heard the term as it applies to children, but adults also can groom adults. By definition, grooming is when someone builds a relationship, builds trust, an emotional connection with someone or a group of people, with the explicit intention to manipulate, exploit or use them in...
Editorial: Should UPMC and other nonprofits worry about Tower Health ruling?
Tower Health might be the canary in the nonprofit coal mine. The Reading-area health system has four hospitals. It has joint ventures with Drexel University. It has about 11,500 employees and was ranked No. 8 in Pennsylvania by U.S. News & World Report in 2022. In 2020, it had total...
Letter to the editor: Taxpayers not responsible for student debt
President Biden’s attempt to buy votes in the 2022 midterms and beyond by abusing his authority under the Heroes Act of 2003, and offering up to $20,000 in student loan forgiveness, is hopefully going to be struck down by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional. The Heroes Act was put in...
Jonah Goldberg: Following the law on Jan. 6 was the least Pence could do. Why are we praising him?
On Saturday night, Mike Pence unleashed his anger at Donald Trump. “History will hold Donald Trump accountable for Jan. 6,” Pence declared at the Gridiron Dinner, a normally jovial event for prominent journalists. “Make no mistake about it: What happened that day was a disgrace, and it mocks decency to...
Colin McNickle: 3 proposals to fix Pa. school funding mess
Now that the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court has ruled the Keystone State’s school funding model does not meet the state constitutional standard of equity in education, the obvious question is “What’s next?” Sans a state Supreme Court reversal, “If the Legislature wants to focus on reducing the wide disparities in per...
Letter to the editor: We have a heart problem, not a gun problem
After reading the many letters to the editor in favor of more laws that could lead to confiscation of guns from legal gun owners, I have but a short note for them: Cain killed Abel without a gun. What we have is not a gun problem but a heart problem....
Letter to the editor: EPA’s power plant rules good for all of us
Railroads aren’t the only purveyors of pollution. Power plants bring us electricity, but they send us smog and soot, too. For anyone who breathes, this is bad news. The good news is the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed stronger power plant pollution rules. For the last month, I have battled...
Editorial: Westmoreland GOP chair says lawsuits are about eliminating rivals
So what is up with the Westmoreland County commissioners’ race? The primary election that will decide the two Republicans and two Democrats who advance to the November general election still is two months away. While legal catfights over legitimacy have become the default in Pennsylvania politics, that seems like something...
Letter to the editor: Republicans’ plans for Social Security, Medicare
I wish to expound on the letter “GOP and ‘fixing’ Social Security” (Feb. 10, TribLIVE). Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida has proposed a plan that would “sunset” all federal legislation in five years; “if a law is worth keeping, Congress can pass it again,” he said. He also said...
Sofia Sunseri: Give abuse survivors their justice
From the time I was 5 years old until I reached puberty, I survived repeated sexual abuse. Like far too many others, there was no justice. The legal system failed me and protected the abuser. I repeatedly and profoundly suffered abuse throughout my life while being held to normal expectations...
Vidhura S. Tennekoon: The U.S. banking crisis isn’t over yet
Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank failed with enormous speed — so quickly that they could be textbook cases of classic bank runs, in which too many depositors withdraw their funds from a bank at the same time. The failures at SVB and Signature were two of the three...
Robert Smith: Waters of the United States
We are once again locked in a debate regarding the proper role of the federal government to regulate what is termed waters of the United States (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act. On Dec. 30, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the final “Revised Definition of ‘Waters of the...
Raymond Tonkin: Pa. should retain death penalty for murder of police
In the early hours of Sept. 13, 2014, my phone rang. I answered. On the other end of the phone was a dispatcher informing me that the Pennsylvania State Police were requesting me because two state troopers had been shot outside the Blooming Grove Barracks. I quickly dressed and headed...
Ross Nicotero: PRT’s hiring and retention is crisis that must be addressed now
Several weeks ago, Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) launched a public input process to overhaul the downtown bus network. This is the first portion of a system-wide transit network redesign, to ostensibly make our bus routes faster, more understandable and more effective in serving our riders’ needs. As transit workers, we’re...
Letter to the editor: Will government release covid origin information? Doubtful.
From a Feb. 27 U.S. News & World Report article: “There is not a consensus right now in the U.S. government about exactly how covid started,” (National Security Council spokesman John Kirby) said during a White House press briefing. “There is just not an intelligence community consensus. “When asked if...
Letter to the editor: Don’t be afraid to question climate change claims
The writer of the letter “Vote out climate change deniers” (March, TribLIVE) says all climate change deniers must be voted out and that the Republicans are the problem because they get so much money from the fossil fuel companies. First off, fossil fuels are never going away. Nothing else can...
Editorial: Oscar speech a reminder of imprisoned teacher Marc Fogel
On Sunday, in front of a glittering array of Hollywood luminaries and the eyes of millions, a documentary about a man unjustly held in a Russian prison was honored with an iconic golden statuette. In accepting the Oscar, “Navalny” director Daniel Roher stood alongside a team of others — including...
Christopher Baxter: Secrecy is too often the norm in Pa. state and local governments
Our state and local governments exist to serve our communities. We pay our taxes each year, and in return, we the taxpayers have a right to know what our government is doing, how it’s spending our money and whether we’re getting the services we deserve. But there are fewer and...
Letter to the editor: Always check your sources
The writer of the letter “Has America turned its back on God?” (Feb. 27, TribLIVE) cites James Madison as the source of a quote on the Ten Commandments. Some of those commandments prohibit bearing false witness, spreading untruths. The quote cited has never been proven to originate in Madison, though...
Tom Purcell: In need of St. Patrick’s Day humor
The St. Patrick’s Day spirit has arrived, and we sure are in need of some Irish levity. The economy is limping, and inflation is hitting us hard. It reminds me of the laborer who fell off a roof at a construction site: “Were you hurt by the fall?” asked his...
