Opinion category, Page 329
Dr. Asif Ilyas: Opioid settlements, prosecutions are heartening, but education still necessary
A $26 billion settlement with opioid manufacturers in March. A $13.8 billion settlement with pharmacies in November. And jail time for prescribers across Pennsylvania and the nation over the past few years. These settlements with the manufacturers and purveyors of narcotics and the prosecution of “pill mill” doctors are heartening....
Charles McElwee: Midterms reveal trouble for GOP in Pa.’s suburbs
This past week, Pennsylvania voters once again defied prognostications, rejected the status quo, and exhibited how demography has realigned the state’s politics. An unpopular Democratic president (born and initially raised in the region that delivered Donald Trump’s 2016 statewide victory), surging voter registration numbers for Republicans and economic disaffection failed...
Letter to the editor: Veterans appreciate Applebee’s efforts
I wanted to give a shout-out to Applebee’s restaurants for their generous Veterans Day event again this year. Very much appreciated. They were one of the first to recognize us vets, and they treat all with respect and dignity and do it with a smile that makes everyone feel special....
Letter to the editor: Our healing must start with God
During his presidency John Adams said the following to the Massachusetts militia: “We have no Government armed with Power capable of contending with human Passions unbridled by morality and Religion. Avarice, Ambition, Revenge or Galantry, would break the strongest Cords of our Constitution as a Whale goes through a Net....
Letter to the editor: What will Oz’s next moves be?
A few weeks ago, I asked if Dr. Mehmet Oz loses the election for U.S. senator of Pennsylvania, would he move to another state. Now, I would like to ask if he moves, will he move to a highly gerrymandered Republican state giving him a better chance of winning? Or...
Editorial: A real way for Kim Ward to make history
On Tuesday, state Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, notched another first. After serving as the first female Senate Majority Leader for the past two years, she was elected by her fellow Republicans to become the chamber’s Senate President Pro Tempore. She is also the first woman to serve in that role....
Letter to the editor: Is Biden delusional or scheming?
“The plausible impossible” is a phrase coined by Walt Disney to describe the animation technique of overstressing small actions to make them appear to produce major effects or actions. A touch of truth leads us into fantasy. Disney used it to amuse and entertain. I believe President Biden and his...
Letter to the editor: Baffled by Trump support
I grew up in the mill-town suburbs of Pittsburgh. The “mill hunks” of my neighborhood were tough and didn’t take any “guff.” I had thought that no blue-collar worker would vote for Donald Trump because of his well-known penchant for cheating contractors. In my old neighborhood, that just wouldn’t have...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Still fighting for an America I’ve never seen
I have never seen America. Yes, like Bruce Springsteen, I was born in the U.S.A. But, as I’ve argued before, America is less a place than a set of democratic ideals: equality, self-governance, the rule of law, freedom of speech, freedom of protest, liberty and justice for all. America is...
Albert Eisenberg: Mastriano a case study in not building a coalition
It was shortly after viewing the clip of the wife of Doug Mastriano — Pennsylvania’s ill-fated Republican nominee for governor — jumping in front of a press conference microphone to tell reporters that they “probably love Israel more than a lot of Jews do” that I thought to myself: Are...
Cal Thomas: Toxic Trump must leave the stage
“I don’t believe in living in the past. Living in the past is for cowards. If you live in the past, you die in the past.” — Football legend Mike Ditka “The future is now.” — Football legend George Allen Former president Donald Trump appears ready and eager to announce...
Letter to the editor: Electing the dead is not so unusual
According to Newsweek magazine, there have been a number of people elected to office despite the fact that they were dead. Newsweek identified Simon Silva as the winner of last Tuesday’s election for city attorney in Chula Vista, Calif., despite dying a month before the election. In Tennessee, a Memphis...
Letter to the editor: Let’s not get too optimistic, Democrats
Well, it’s a week after the midterms, and it appears the GOP might just have recovered from their Trump-induced psychosis. It should be a hoot to watch President Trump and Florida Gov. Ron Desantis go at it. The Democrats seem to be crowing a bit too much, though. Last Tuesday’s...
Letter to the editor: Disappointed in Spirit’s Ft. Lauderdale move
Regarding the article “Spirit Airlines to cut flights from Arnold Palmer Regional to Ft. Lauderdale” (Nov. 8, TribLIVE): Does Spirit Airlines fail to understand that there are thousands of direct roundtrip Ft. Lauderdale to Latrobe passengers who use this airport from other places than Western Pennsylvania? I have been on...
Editorial: Will Pa. pay the price for colleges’ tuition border wars?
The State University of New York is making it plain that it sees Pennsylvania’s high school students as an interstate commodity. “If your high schooler wants to go to college in New York, the State University of New York offers same in-state tuition as Penn State,” SUNY said in a...
Letter to the editor: We owe it to our planet to change our diets
While the world watches COP27 unfold in Egypt, I’m reminded of when “Climate Change Threatens World Food Supply” was making headlines, prompted by the release of a summary report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The report points out what COP27 overlooks. The IPCC report detailed...
Letter to the editor: Democrats, Republicans have same enemy
I have protested at Donald Trump’s and Sen. Doug Mastriano’s rallies. It is always baffling when one of the participants looks at me and, in their best authoritative angry voice, shouts at me to “get a job.” Now, with my gray hair, hunched shoulders and wrinkled skin, I am obviously...
Tom Purcell: Giving thanks
Is the glass half empty or half full? In my experience it’s always been half full — and that’s one of many things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving. We lost my father this year, and that leaves a huge hole in our hearts — until we focus on the...
Evan W. Wolfson: Social Security benefits and long covid
The article “People with long covid face barriers to government disability benefits” (Nov. 10, TribLIVE) suggests it is difficult to obtain Social Security benefits on the basis of disability. This is certainly true, as a majority of applicants are denied at the initial determination level. What is misleading is that...
Letter to the editor: Post-election hope
As we conclude another election season basking in the glory of our completed patriotic duty, we find hope in a new group of representatives. We should all take a moment to remember that we don’t have Jeffrey Epstein’s client list yet. At least democracy is safe, and the political ads...
Letter to the editor: Voters voted for democracy
I am so optimistic and encouraged by Tuesday’s election, not because of Republican or Democratic wins, but because of the voters themselves. Voters across the country stepped up in unprecedented numbers to vote for democracy, the Constitution, civility and the rule of law. They chose both Republican and Democratic candidates...
Letter to the editor: Destroying Youngwood
Well, Youngwood, I thought the only geniuses were in the Biden administration, but after over a year of having almost every street in town torn up, I stand corrected. If covid didn’t close our businesses, this mess is sure to do it. I find it hard to believe someone actually...
Letter to the editor: Pa. voters’ Forrest Gump choices
As the legendary Tom Hanks character Forrest Gump said, “Stupid is as stupid does.” This is certainly the case when the majority of Pennsylvanians choose to keep the same party in power that has over the course of only two years caused record high inflation and thrown the U.S. economy...
Letter to the editor: We must address global hunger
The global hunger crisis cannot wait. Congress must reauthorize the Global Food Security Act. Since 2019, the number of people who face acute food insecurity has almost tripled from 135 million to 345 million. Food prices have been on the rise since the start of the pandemic, and the war...
Editorial: Time is running out for Congress to save local news
Local journalism is a cornerstone of democracy. It is a vital source of information for communities across the country. Newsrooms cover local politics, high school sports, local business openings, cultural events and other matters that help a community remain vibrant and connected. But the industry is facing an existential crisis...
