Opinion category, Page 323
Letter to the editor: Mayberry’s legacy
To get away from the incessant political and insurance ads, I decided to go back to a simpler time and began binge watching the antics going on in Mayberry. While watching “The Andy Griffith Show,” I came to the conclusion that a certain fruit-named company ripped off what was to...
Editorial: Another child shot dead in Pittsburgh is too many
Sometimes being right is a terrible thing. In June, the Tribune-Review presented an editorial headlined “De’Avry Thomas won’t be the last victim.” That came after the death of an 18-month-old boy who was killed in a drive-by shooting in Downtown Pittsburgh while in a car with his mother. Indeed, that...
Letter to the editor: Disenfranchised Pa. counties should secede
As I surveyed the midterm election results county by county, one glaring truth jumped out at me. As long as the Democrats control the vote in the eastern end of Pennsylvania via Philadelphia, along with Harrisburg and Allegheny County, they will always win in Pennsylvania. There is not enough population...
Tom Purcell: Truth is, we like to be lied to
My dog Thurber has been lying to me. It only figures, because it’s impossible to avoid mistruths these days. We just exited a miserable election cycle in which truth stretching, name calling and vote pandering were all in high gear — and inescapable. Our politicians in both major parties really...
Jonathan Zimmerman: University rankings spur a revolt. What we need are more meaningful evaluations
In the beginning, God created the heavens, the Earth and American higher education. We lived in a bucolic state of nature until an evil serpent, U.S. News & World Report, tempted us to partake of the Tree of Knowledge — namely, college rankings. A fall from grace ensued. That’s what...
Liz Terwilliger: Power of listening can produce better candidates
Election Day is behind us, but as of this writing, the election is far from over. Races around the country remain contested, heading for a run-off or likely to wind up in the courts. I can say only one thing for certain about this election: A lot of voters are...
Ellen Glover: Congress can prevent more overdose deaths
We all want our homes to be filled with joy, comfort and the people we love the most during the holidays. But many of us will miss someone at the holiday table, because our country’s overdose crisis now touches almost every family and community. Overdoses took over 108,000 lives in...
Letter to the editor: On Trump’s claim what about Nixon?
Regarding the article “Trump files lawsuit to avoid Jan. 6 committee subpoena” (Nov. 12, TribLIVE): President Trump’s suit asserts that “no president or former president has ever been compelled” to provide testimony or documents in response to congressional subpoenas. What about Watergate and President Nixon? The only reason he didn’t...
Letter to the editor: Covid affects disability community disproportionately
Regarding the article “After a year, omicron still driving covid surges and worries” (Nov. 25, TribLIVE): Most people want to move on from covid-19. But many health professionals warn of a potential surge in respiratory illnesses this winter, especially after holiday gatherings. For Pennsylvania’s disability community, however, the pandemic never...
Editorial: Senate should follow House, end luxury car leases
A former state representative once joked that he wisely kept his sparkling new state-leased vehicle out of sight in his home garage when he was in the district and drove around town in an old beater to remind his constituents that he was a man of the people. Like everyone...
Letter to the editor: GOP needs new leadership
Wave the great “red wave” goodbye. The disaster that was the 2022 midterms falls directly at the GOP establishment’s feet. Mitch McConnell, Kevin McCarthy and Ronna (ROMNEY) McDaniel could be given the ball on their opponent’s 1-yard line and four plays later have scored a safety. This group makes the...
Editorial cartoons for the week of Dec. 5
Editorial cartoons for the week of Dec. 5....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Dec. 5
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Dec. 5....
David Osborne: Shapiro should follow Tennessee’s lead on dealing with unions
After contributing nearly $11 million to Governor-elect Josh Shapiro’s campaign, executives of Pennsylvania’s biggest labor union will surely expect a return on their investment. But for Shapiro, fulfilling those expectations would be a grave mistake, as the incoming governor can learn by studying contrasting examples from Illinois and Tennessee. During...
Letter to the editor: Guns are safe until humans get involved
Regarding the letter “Our gun culture makes ‘life’ pleas ring hollow” (Nov. 8, TribLIVE): If only it were that easy. Unfortunately, human beings are involved, and that changes the whole concept that guns are dangerous. We have a gun safe full of guns and not once have those guns left...
Letter to the editor: Thankful for truck drivers, turnpike
While traveling across the state on the Pennsylvania Turnpike on Thanksgiving day, I was surprised by the number of trucks on the road. While most of us were spending time with family, many truckers were working to deliver the goods that we all need and want. Without truckers, this country...
Editorial: Creative solutions needed for homeless crisis
According to the Department of Community and Economic Development, there are about 15,000 Pennsylvanians who don’t have a home on any given day. They might be the stereotypical homeless — people making do on the streets of a city like Pittsburgh. They might be the people you would never know...
Letter to the editor: Abortion leak, not Biden, gave Dems the win
In his column “Happy Birthday, President Biden” (Nov. 19, TribLIVE), Joseph Sabino Mistick cites President Biden’s record as president as a major reason Democrats scored an upset in the midterms. Biden’s legislation passed because the Democrats held majorities in both houses chaired by experienced legislators A lot of this legislation...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Citizens’ work is never done
Most Americans have moved on from politics now that the 2022 midterm election is behind us. They voted in record numbers, defied the self-proclaimed political experts and rejected extremism in many places. It raised the hope of a revival of good citizenship. Possibly, Thanksgiving dinner was a little less stressful...
Edward Cunningham: Jiang Zemin propelled China’s economic rise in world, leaving successors to deal with massive inequality that followed
By the summer of 1989, a series of problems were threatening China’s stability. Soaring inflation was undermining the economy at home while the violent suppression of Tiananmen Square demonstrations had left it largely a pariah state abroad. Yet, within a few years the nation rebounded — beginning two decades of...
Teresa Wright: Protests in China are not rare — but the current unrest is significant
Street protests across China have evoked memories of the Tiananmen Square demonstrations that were brutally quashed in 1989. Indeed, foreign media have suggested the current unrest sweeping cities across China is unlike anything seen in the country since that time. The implication is that protest in China is a rarity....
Lisa Jarvis: That blockbuster Alzheimer’s drug? It’s not a cure.
Biogen Inc. and Eisai Co. caused a stir in September when they announced positive results in a late-stage trial for a closely watched Alzheimer’s drug, lecanemab. Doctors tempered their excitement, though, until they could scrutinize the full peer-reviewed data. That data arrived Tuesday night. And while it is stoking enthusiasm...
Letter to the editor: Jail staff’s voices must be heard
When the National Commission on Correctional Health Care did its assessment of suicide prevention at the Allegheny County Jail (ACJ) in August 2019, it found “staffing challenges” of 37 vacancies of medical and mental health staff at the jail. Now there are 69 vacancies of medical and mental health staff...
Sounding off: Politics and politicians on readers’ minds
Run elections like the lottery Our election system is archaic. Consider the lottery system: Hundreds of millions of entries are recorded, and a winner is known within a few hours. Not only the winner, but also the location where the ticket was purchased, plus all the lesser winners that didn’t...
Letter to the editor: Thanks for nothing, Mr. President
Dear Mr. President, Thank you for the 8.7% increase you gave me for my Social Security monthly payment in order to cover the increase in my cost of living. I had no idea you had so much money to give away. Can you tell me how you have managed to...
