Opinion category, Page 327
Paul Kengor: A Non-American’s take on Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is quintessentially American, as is the Black Friday that follows. The former is about the virtue of giving thanks, whereas the latter is about, well, something else entirely. Let’s ponder the first, with some insights from our presidents and a non-American. In 1789, George Washington proclaimed a “day of...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Here comes Trump again
“Here you come again, just when I’ve begun to get myself together …” — Dolly Parton He’s back. Granted, he never really left. Unlike other former presidents, Donald Trump didn’t disappear from the daily news cycle once he departed the White House. Thanks to his legal troubles, the hearings into...
Aaron Chapin: PSERS has delivered for school retirees — and Pa.’s economy
In a job interview, a good human resources manager will ask about your professional experience — all of it, not just the past six months to a year. When considering contractors to fix your roof, you’re going to look at how well customers rate them — not just now but...
Elizabeth Stelle: Remove barriers to increase health care access in Western Pa.
Nearly three years after the onset of the covid-19 pandemic, hospitals still struggle with significant labor shortages. Health care workers are facing long hours and massive burnout. Earlier this year, as many as 93% of surveyed Pittsburgh hospital workers were considering leaving the profession. Pennsylvania’s aging population has upped the...
Letter to the editor: We need animal-based foods in our diets
I’m compelled to respond to the letter “We owe it to our planet to change our diets” (Nov. 15, TribLIVE), from an organization with a mission to end the use of animals as a food source disguised as an environmental advocate. As a registered dietitian nutritionist, I have a broader,...
Letter to the editor: Which side to believe?
In today’s politically polarized world, which side should we believe, the Democrats, CNN, MSNBC and The New York Times, or the Republicans, Fox News, NewsMax, conservative radio and The Wall Street Journal? One side says “the southern border is closed”; the other says “drug and human smuggling are out of...
Editorial: Is lieutenant governor question too important to be bundled?
When it comes to the U.S. government, no one is drafted to be vice president. It’s an honored invitation. Presidential candidates search for someone who is a complement, providing strengths where there are weaknesses while still having a similar overall direction. Sometimes that’s a real partnership. Other times, it’s a...
Letter to the editor: Finding good in the power of love
As the song goes, “you don’t need money, you don’t need fame, don’t need no credit card to ride this train … but it just might save your life, it’s the power of love.” Love is a gift from God, our creator, and God is a source of power and...
Tom Purcell: Digging the return to vinyl
Vinyl records are making a comeback, and it’s not just nostalgic old fogies who are driving the trend. According to Readers Digest UK, millennial and Gen Z consumers are digging the distinct sound of vinyl — and especially digging its imperfections and limitations. The scratch and crackle of a needle...
Ayalla A. Ruvio and Forrest Morgeson: Retailers may see more red after Black Friday as consumers act as if US already in recession
Retailers are gearing up for another blockbuster holiday shopping season, but consumers burned by the highest inflation in a generation may have other ideas. Industry groups are predicting another record year of retail sales, with the National Retail Federation forecasting a jump of 6% to 8% over the $890 billion...
Letter to the editor: Mail-in ballots not secret
Mail-in ballots are not secret ballots. Just saying. Dr. Bill Choby Latrobe...
Letter to the editor: Abortion as health care?
Following the logic of those who consider abortion as health care, you have now labeled the baby you are killing as an STD. Edward Biskup Penn Township, Westmoreland County...
Letter to the editor: We ‘remember,’ not ‘celebrate,’ the dead
The headline in the Oct. 28 print edition, “11 slain in synagogue shooting celebrated,” was totally inappropriate. The 11 slain and the shooting were not celebrated. The 11 slain were remembered. The 11 slain were mourned and continue to be mourned. Rabbi Sara Rae Perman Greensburg The writer is rabbi...
Editorial: What is the point of unmonitored electronic monitoring?
Electronic monitoring is one link in the chain of options when it comes to keeping track of people charged with or sentenced for a crime. It falls between incarceration and the kind of release on bail where someone is restricted by fear of losing a posted bond. Being released with...
Letter to the editor: We must end toxic threats to our waterways
Our rivers are part of Pittsburgh’s identity. We get our drinking water from them, we use them for recreation and they are important to our daily lives. But there is a substantial risk of industrial pollution, and, as a Pittsburgh resident, I want to do what I can to protect...
Letter to the editor: Looking at logic on Trump
The last time I got into an argument over partisan politics, I tried to explain to someone that the tariffs President Trump imposed on Chinese imported goods were common sense. It was a moderate course of action intended to manage the trade imbalance in a global economy. I tried to...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Nov. 21
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Nov. 21....
Editorial cartoons for the week of Nov. 21
Editorial cartoons for the week of Nov. 21....
Sen. Wayne D. Fontana: Mail-in voting is the future
In the 2022 general election, more than 5.3 million Pennsylvanians voted. More than 1.4 million of them voted by mail. More people voted in this midterm election in Pennsylvania than in any other midterm ever before, and it’s safe to say that mail-in voting is a big reason why. In...
Matthew J. Brouillette: Time to move on from the Trump-inflicted wound
It was supposed to be a Republican red wave. Instead, it turned into a riptide that swept away the GOP’s hopes of reversing harmful Democratic policies. Across the country, red seats flipped blue, tight races broke away from midterm norms and toward the president’s party, and Donald Trump-backed candidates turned...
Letter to the editor: Trump as Norma Desmond
In the classic movie “Sunset Boulevard,” an aging film star refuses to accept that her stardom has ended. She draws a male actor into a demented fantasy world in which she dreams of making a triumphant return to glory. Who cannot help but see the parallels between the fictional Norma...
Letter to the editor: We can do better with our election system
The election is over. I have been wondering how many individuals who submitted their ballot at the start of mail-in voting were deceased by Election Day? Are those ballots still viable? I think that mid-September is way too early to vote for an election on the first Tuesday of November....
Letter to the editor: Murrysville church an Election Day blessing
The Murrysville Alliance Church was a true blessing on Election Day. The pastors, staff and many volunteers offered extraordinary assistance to voters at the Murrysville — Newlonsburg Precinct 1. Our poll workers greatly appreciated the help of the outstanding church security team and nurses. The volunteers were ready to assist...
Letter to the editor: Pharmacies failing us
The large retail chain pharmacies in our area are absolutely failing to provide the critical services required by their customers. These services are necessary for the health and welfare of the community they serve and are even matters of life and death for many. Their hours of operation are irregular...
Editorial: Competence versus rhetoric in Pennsylvania elections
There is nothing as important as our electoral process. Elections have to be safe. They have to be secure. They have to be easy and accessible. All of that can seem a little contradictory at times. Does making the process encouraging prevent it from being secure? Does making it safe...
