Opinion category, Page 322
Gary Franks: Selecting House speaker should not be that hard
The House Republicans are poised to do the unimaginable — prove to the nation that as bad and incompetent as the Democrats have been lately, the GOP could actually be worse. Could showing harmony on the first day of the new Congress by smoothly electing a House speaker be all...
S.E. Cupp: GOP pols accepted Trump’s Constitution contempt
“Disqualifying” and “un-American,” says John Bolton, the former national security advisor to former President Donald Trump. Trump is “spinning out of control,” says conservative Fox News contributor Marc Thiessen. “I’m at a loss for words — we need to move on,” says Sen. John Cornyn, who voted twice to acquit...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Trump and the Constitution — have we finally learned our lesson?
Last week, Donald Trump finally crossed the Rubicon. That is, he took to his social media platform and, for the first time, issued an explicit call to abolish the U.S. Constitution — the document he once swore to “preserve, protect and defend.” Still fuming over widespread election cheating that exists...
Julie Reed: Cherokee Nation wants to send a delegate to the House — it’s an idea older than Congress itself
In 1835, the Cherokee Nation was promised a delegate in Congress as part of the same treaty — Treaty of New Echota — that led to the death of thousands on the Trail of Tears. Nearly 200 years later, the Cherokee are still fighting to make that promise a reality....
Lori Falce: Do we really understand gaslighting?
Gaslighting is Merriam-Webster’s word of the year. When I heard this, it set my teeth on edge. I certainly understood the reasoning. The dictionary’s website saw a 1,740% increase in people checking out the definition in 2022 alone, but its use has exploded over the past four years. “Gaslighting” is...
Letter to the editor: One-side sources leave people ignorant
I enjoy reading the Letters section, but I am amazed at the level of misinformation and ignorance regarding the economy, the environment and politics that exists in our community. For example, one writer claims he is unaware of any plans the Republicans have to combat out-of-control inflation and crime the...
Laurels & lances: Fires, colds and blood
Laurel: To rising from the ashes. St. Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic Church in Arnold was decimated by fire Dec. 4, 2021. The 74-year-old building endured more than $4 million in damage. It is the kind of event that could kill a parish. In truth, many a house of worship has been...
Letter to the editor: GOP, not Trump, responsible for election losses
The media was quick in blaming Donald Trump for the outcome of the recent election. However, the Republican Party played a major role, along with the right-wing media and conspiracy followers, who elevated Trump to the status of prophet of the Republican Party. How many times over the last six...
Paul Kengor: Deer days in Western Pa.
“Do you actually eat the deer after you shoot it?” So asks an incredulous friend who lives in a large city. It’s a rhetorical question, with a sharp degree of derision. The expected reply: “Oh, no, no. We’d never do that. Instead of eating the deer we, well, well …...
Colin McNickle: Cheerleading aside, Pittsburgh International Airport’s struggles deepen
Much rah-rah-sis-boom-bahing has been coming out of the Allegheny County Airport Authority about how robust passenger and cargo traffic has been at Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) as we continue to put the coronavirus pandemic behind us. But a new analysis of the latest-available numbers suggests such cheerleading is misleading, according...
Letter to the editor: Can’t fix stupid, but you can prove it
I am compelled to respond to Steve Ignatz’s letter "Can`t fix stupid” (Nov. 26, TribLIVE). In typical Republican form, he follows the Fox News playbook to the letter (by the way, you left out “wokeism”). He has the audacity to call other people stupid and uneducated, when his opinions are...
Letter to the editor: Go ‘green’ and stop funding Putin’s war
Duquesne Light recently announced a substantial rate increase in energy supply cost for residential customers due to a sharp rise in the worldwide price of natural gas. If you are looking for someone to blame, you could curse Vladimir Putin and his war against Ukraine. But I recommend a different...
Editorial: Financial literacy is key to student debt crisis
The student debt crisis illustrates the fact that two things can be true at the same time. Yes, personal responsibility for financial decisions is critically important. But it is just as true that the cost of a college education has escalated in a way that is unreasonable and untenable. Questions...
Letter to the editor: A plan for election integrity
A plan exists to solve the problems of election integrity. Voters want security. They want themselves in charge of election security. Give each voter the means to audit their own vote as verified and counted. Each voter will vote on a paper ballot that will have an ID number on...
Jonah Goldberg: Sorry, Iowa and New Hampshire. Having voters choose candidates is bad for democracy
At President Biden’s behest, the Democratic National Committee is poised to throw Iowa and New Hampshire under the bus. Assuming he gets his way, the new order will be South Carolina, followed by Nevada, New Hampshire, Georgia and Michigan. It’s fine with me. I like both Iowa and New Hampshire,...
Letter to the editor: Banning negative ads is censorship
Trib Total Media President and CEO Jennifer Bertetto’s recent announcement on eliminating negative political ads was a total surprise to me (“Why Trib Total Media is nixing negative political ads,” Nov. 27, TribLIVE). While I sometimes find your newspaper’s positions or articles objectionable, they generally do not violate my expectations...
Peter Morici: The Fed should keep hiking rates, but talk about it less
Federal Reserve policy makers should not waver in their pursuit of 2% inflation but talk less about it. As measured year-over-year by the consumer price index, inflation slowed from 9.1% in June to 7.7% in October but the Fed faces tough challenges beyond the reach of monetary policy. Sanctions on...
Letter to the editor: Christmas tree fires are no joke
Regarding the Dec. 5 editorial cartoon that depicted a Christmas tree being burned in a fireplace: Although the point was made about the high cost of home heating, I was appalled at the image. Christmas tree fires, whether in the room or worse, being burned in a fireplace, cause thousands...
Letter to the editor: Why is it OK for Obama to demean Walker?
We all know President Trump is out of line when he makes fun of people. And I agree he should not make fun of people; it’s not what we should do. And now to my point: Why, then, is it OK for President Obama to make fun of and insult...
Letter to the editor: LGBTQIA+ shouldn’t live in fear
The hate-motivated shooting at Club Q in Colorado is extremely disheartening to everyone who belongs to the LGBTQIA+ community around the world. It is said that U.S. citizens live in a free country due to the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, but how can this be so if we...
Editorial: Do Real ID deadlines really matter?
In a move that should surprise no one, the government has once again called a timeout on requirements for Real ID. On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security pushed back the deadline for getting the enhanced identification cards needed for getting on a plane or gaining access to a federal...
Letter to the editor: Dumping negative political ads a smart move
I wholeheartedly approve of the Tribune-Review’s recent decision to restrict negative political ads (“Why Trib Total Media is nixing negative political ads,” Nov. 27, TribLIVE). The adjective-laden, hyperbolic diatribes really served no good purpose other than to reduce political discourse to a series of schoolyard taunts. I also found it...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Why is America like this?
But why? It is the question that haunts every mass shooting. It seems to be asked in the tacit belief that if we could just find a reasonable motive, just suss out a cause, it might provide a way to comprehend the incomprehensible — even suggest a road map to...
Cal Thomas: Congressional lame duck quackery
There is little Republicans and Democrats in Congress agree on these days, but spending (and borrowing) money is as nonpartisan as it gets. House Democrats apparently have decided to leave their majority with a spending spree. They’ll do it the way they usually do. In a script familiar to an...
Letter to the editor: Solutions for Pittsburgh police
Regarding the article “Pittsburgh needs to step up police recruitment efforts, officials say” (Dec. 1, TribLIVE): I have a few suggestions for the city. First and foremost, stop mandating what I believe is an unsafe and ineffective vaccine for your police officers. Untie the hands of those out there risking...
