Opinion category, Page 355
Letter to the editor: Government is not a game
After the murder of George Floyd in 2020, many in the Democratic Party called for “defunding the police.” They believed cities could create nonviolent solutions to social problems. This proposed solution was rejected by many cities. The Republican response was not to recognize the need to address the racial inequality....
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Pa. voters deserve to see debates
As the shortest kid in my fourth grade class, I played the 5-foot-4 Stephen Douglas in our school production of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, and my tallest classmate played the 6-foot-4 Abraham Lincoln. It was the 100th anniversary of the 1858 debates. Our school had no auditions for these nonspeaking roles,...
David Chavern: Big Tech is trying to cancel local news
Facebook and Google have become the de facto regulators of news and speech — deciding what content people see and when. Their dominating control over how we communicate has serious implications for freedom of the press and our broader rights under the First Amendment. To be sure, the First Amendment...
Alexis Leondis: Biden’s student loan plan neglects older borrowers
There’s a group of student loan borrowers who may need relief more than anyone else: retirees and others who are smothered by student debt in their senior years. Sadly, President Joe Biden’s student debt forgiveness plan doesn’t do enough for them. Like the whole topic of loan forgiveness, it’s difficult...
Greg Fulton: A covid victims’ memorial?
Should there be a national covid-19 memorial? While some small memorials have been constructed around the country, there may never be a national site to remember the over 1 million people who died from covid during the pandemic and those who were essential in helping our country survive it. The dictionary...
Letter to the editor: Why so afraid of Trump?
Wow! Isn’t the raid of Mar-a-Lago the seventh investigation of Donald Trump? Apparently they really don’t want him to win in 2024. What is the deep state, Washington elite swamp so afraid of? Susan Stiles North Huntingdon...
Sounding off: Pa. not so welcoming; Biden destroying nation; GOP suppressing voters; working together on climate change
Vote to make Pa. more welcoming I am a local physician who has been practicing in Greensburg and Latrobe since 2009. I would like to point out that some of my physician colleagues are not white. Some are not Christian. Some are immigrants. And they are the kindest, most caring...
Letter to the editor: Lucky to have Geyer theater and its performers
I just wanted to send my congratulations to the cast and crew of the Geyer Performing Arts Center’s production of “American Idiot “ last weekend. How refreshing it was to see 20 young people with such talent and enthusiasm. How lucky we are to have a theater group of this...
Letter to the editor: Verify your information, then vote
Americans want the truth. With numerous information sources, this isn’t an easy task. Prior to making major decisions, purchases or voting, check many information outlets and get options from relatives and friends. We can vote out of office elected official(s) who fail to act for the benefit of all Americans....
Editorial: JCPA can stop Big Tech from playing games with the news
For some people, all they know of monopoly comes from the classic board game. If that’s where you learned about the practice of owning and controlling not just a business but also an industry, you might have come away with the idea that monopolies are a good thing. Own all...
Letter to the editor: Law has not been applied evenly
During a recent news conference Attorney General Merrick Garland talked about “applying the law evenly.” Perhaps he is suffering from Biden syndrome. Does he not remember that Hillary Clinton destroyed thousands of emails she was told to retain? Does he not remember the emails between Lisa Paige and Peter Strzok?...
Rev. Jesse Jackson: Right to register and vote is not a partisan issue
The right to vote, Dr. Martin Luther King taught in his famous “Give Us the Ballot” address, is one of the “highest mandates of our democratic tradition.” Democracy is founded on the right of citizens to decide via popular, free and fair elections who should represent them. Across the world,...
Gary Franks: Republicans don’t need a ‘Hail Mary pass’ to win the Senate
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, if you cannot win a majority in the U.S. Senate in 2022 with a “hurricane style” wind at your back, the problem rests with the person you see in the mirror. A recent NBC poll reported 74% of Americans feel that the nation is heading...
Colin McNickle: Cutting Pa.’s Corporate Net Income Tax a good start
News that Pennsylvania’s onerous Corporate Net Income Tax (CNIT) will be cut by five percentage points over the next nine years is welcome and long overdue. But the questions writ large are whether the commonwealth can sustain the phasedown, from 9.99% to 4.99%, reduce other business taxes, and enact legislation...
Letter to the editor: Media biased against Republican candidates
In “Doug Mastriano brings gubernatorial campaign to Westmoreland County” (Aug. 12, TribLIVE), the reporter grumbles at the Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate’s refusal to make himself available for interviews. This is part of a growing nationwide boycott among some in the GOP in response to biased coverage by left-leaning news organizations. With...
Letter to the editor: Let’s stop fighting and work together on climate change
Your article, “Biden signs massive climate and health care legislation” (Aug. 16, TribLIVE), was good to see. I cannot stress enough how much investing in Pennsylvania’s future is aligned with fighting climate change. As someone working with businesses and educating future decision-makers, I know how important all efforts to reduce...
Lori Falce: The broken pact of veterans’ health care
I’m thinking a lot about my uncle right now. His funeral is this weekend. I am collecting memories from family members and friends. I am compiling them into the story of a man who wasn’t rich or famous but had the kind of life built on hard work and commitment...
Letter to the editor: Biden keeps taking our money
Hey America, how are ya feeling today? How’s your pocketbook doing? If you say good, I think you’re lying. I’m wondering how people on fixed incomes who voted for Joe Biden are feeling. Every day, he and his administration dream up more ways to take your money. First it was...
Letter to the editor: GOP’s double standards
The hypocrisy of the GOP is astonishing. They talked about Hillary Clinton’s emails ad nauseum. Chants of “lock her up” are still echoed at rallies. The emails discussed innocuous matters already available in the public domain. In other words, the emails contained information that was classified, but the public knew...
Laurels & lances: Back to school, birds and buildings
Laurel: To that time of year. School started this week for many students throughout the region. For others, that first bell is just days away. College students are back in their dorms and heading back to class in universities from Pittsburgh to Greensburg and everywhere else. This could be when...
Todd Carney: Assessing Pa.’s unusual Senate campaign
The Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race has unconventional candidates on both sides. Republican nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz is a Turkish-born television doctor with a history of supporting liberal causes and sketchy health programs. The Democratic nominee, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, is close to 7 feet tall and frequently wears a hoodie....
Letter to the editor: When will our leaders address border drug crisis?
It is wonderful that the drug manufacturers will pay $26 billion for a national settlement as a result of the opioid epidemic, but in my opinion, this money will do nothing to combat addiction. When will we address the real cause of this epidemic? I’m sure these addicts are not...
Letter to the editor: Politicians shouldn’t engineer community makeup
I must disagree with letter-writer Dr. Marti Haykin’s logic (“Vote to make Pa. more welcoming,” Aug. 21, TribLIVE). In a free society, people choose where they want to live for various reasons. No one has forced anyone to move in or out of Westmoreland County, and thankfully we’re not planning...
Editorial: Push for Marc Fogel’s release unites right and left
For months, the issue of WNBA star Brittney Griner’s release from captivity in Russia has eclipsed the cases of others. Her fame has garnered her more attention than the case of Paul Whelan, an American held for espionage. It has definitely attracted more attention than the case of Marc Fogel,...
Letter to the editor: ‘Election integrity’ is just voter suppression
Pennsylvania Rep. Eric Nelson’s piece “Pennsylvania is Exhibit A for why election integrity matters” (Aug. 11, TribLIVE) repackages voter suppression as ‘election integrity’ in a coordinated Republican disinformation campaign. See the same talking points from Sen. Kim Ward (“A step toward election integrity in Pa.,” July 24, TribLIVE) Coincidence? Nelson...
