Opinion category, Page 365
Letter to the editor: Why gas prices are high
Why are gasoline prices high? There’s plenty of crude oil. The essential problem is that the world, and the United States in particular, lacks refining capacity for gasoline. There has not been a major refinery built in the United States since 1977, and there are no plans to build new...
Letter to the editor: Biden and the brain trust
The presidency was finagled by the combined efforts of corporate America, academia/big tech and the media. This nefarious trio formed a national version of filmdom’s Three Stooges — Corporate Curly, Laboratory Larry and Media Moe, the bulwark of President Biden’s Build Back Better brain trust. Their zany antics torpedoed President...
Laurels & lances: Grants and punishment
Laurel: To healthy commitment. The Highmark Foundation is putting its money where its mission is by pouring funding into schools to support health and fitness programs. Across Pennsylvania and West Virginia, 81 schools are sharing in a $454,400 pool from the foundation’s School Grants and Awards program. In the Tribune-Review’s...
Colin McNickle: State, counties lack will to restore assessments fairness
The General Assembly’s steadfast refusal to mandate that every Pennsylvania county conduct regular property reassessments for tax purposes is patently unconstitutional, reiterates a new analysis by the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy. “The Pennsylvania Legislature has known of the property tax problem for a long time,” says Jake Haulk, president-emeritus...
Greg Fulton: Campaign promises easy to make, harder to keep
It’s an election year and again Western Pennsylvania voters will be hearing various promises from candidates running for office. In recent years candidates have focused on how to retool the local economy for the 21st century, bring better paying and longer-term jobs to the region, and improve opportunities for local...
Letter to the editor: Responsible, effective laws keep us safe
Letter-writer Mike Rock (“Fully automatic weapons not legal,” July 9, TribLIVE) stated that my letter “We need lifesaving gun laws” (June 28, TribLIVE) is full of untruths. I reread the letter several times looking for untruths and could find none, just possibly that I used the wrong terminology. My information...
Letter to the editor: Mastriano’s dangerous plans for Pa.
William Penn, the founder of our commonwealth, was an advocate for religious and personal freedom for all people who came to live here. As opposed to Doug Mastriano, the current Republican candidate for governor, whose inflammatory comments have appeared in newspapers all over the state, including his promise to overturn...
Editorial: Steelers camp or Trump rally? Westmoreland security decisions are inconsistent
Consistency might be the hobgoblin of little minds, but it is important when it comes to government. We need our laws to be consistent so people obey them. If speeding isn’t illegal for everyone, why would anyone obey the speed limit? Embezzlement, shoplifting, fraud — prosecution shouldn’t be a matter...
Letter to the editor: Roe v. Wade uproar ridiculous
All this crying and uproar about Roe v. Wade is ridiculous. No. 1: Why should the rest of the country be dealing with the personal problems of anyone? No. 2: Women, if in fact you don’t want to become pregnant to begin with, there are many things you can do...
Jonah Goldberg: Was last week the beginning of the end for Trump?
“It’s not like in the movies,” is good advice for almost any field or endeavor, from war to Wall Street. But perhaps nowhere is it more true than in politics. At the end of “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” Claude Raines admits he was the villain all along. Lonesome Rhodes,...
Peter Morici: Conservative Supreme Court taking America back to first principles
Judging by reaction to recent Supreme Court decisions on abortion, environmental rule making, freedom of religion, and gun rights, the hard left has as much trouble accepting losses as Donald Trump and Stacey Abrams. In Dobbs v. Women’s Health Care Organization, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and feminist...
Mary Inman and Taline Sahakian: Are high prices really inflation? Pa. lawmakers want your help to find out.
There is no doubt that recent economic forces have driven up prices — inflation is creating hardship for consumers in Pennsylvania and the rest of the country. But alongside rising oil costs and supply chain woes, politicians (and pundits) suspect something more sinister may be afoot. The economics that explain...
Letter to the editor: Who leaked Roe v. Wade decision?
Who leaked the Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision? The silence is deafening. First, they tried to blame one of the justices’ aides. That did not pan out. Could it be one of the progressives’ justices who did it? This leak was unprecedented and was to be punished because of...
Letter to the editor: Does Jan. 6 committee think Trump could win in 2024?
The Jan. 6 committee is really strange. I think they are trying to make President Donald Trump look bad so he can’t run for president in 2024. Everyone knew there could be trouble at the rally because of intelligence and the large crowd size. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund pleaded...
Letter to the editor: Let’s blame Harry Truman
It seems fashionable to blame a former president for this country’s current woes, so I blame Harry Truman. “Truman?” you might say, but let me defend my position for a moment. If not for Truman, we might not have nuclear threats. When he gave the go-ahead to bomb Japan (twice!),...
Editorial: Steelers training camp gets back to basics
The relationship between a sports franchise and its fans can be a cynical thing. It can seem purely commercial if not downright transactional. The teams play in massive venues often paid for with public funds. The players pick up staggering paychecks that are nothing in comparison to the ownership’s take....
Letter to the editor: We need bold action on gun violence
A few years ago, my dear friend was shot and killed. I still feel the pain of that loss as gun violence ravages our communities. This ongoing carnage has raised concerns at community action group Voice of Westmoreland. We cannot stand by while our loved ones are gunned down in...
Letter to the editor: Government should be downsized
In response to George O. Curry’s letter “Trump won’t make America great again” (July 12, TribLIVE). Mr. Curry, the real joke is that somebody wants to pin the rampant inflation our people are experiencing on President Donald Trump. President Joe Biden, through executive order, restricted nearly every aspect of the...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: ‘Massive resistance’ goes both ways
They called it “massive resistance.” That, some of you may recall, was what Virginia dubbed its campaign of defiance of Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 Supreme Court ruling that outlawed school segregation. The Virginia crusade was just part of a drive by conservatives all over the South to...
Letter to the editor: Could gas station owners drop prices?
I could not help but notice the gas price difference recently between Sam’s Club and all other stations along Route 30 from Jeannette through Latrobe. For the past few weeks, Sam’s was selling gas for $4.45 to $4.55 while everyone else was at $4.75 to $4.89. I am the last...
Letter to the editor: Comparing covid mortality in Pa., Fla.
With reference to Simon P. Solar’s letter “DeSantis endangering lives” (July 11, TribLIVE): According to information found at www.worldometers.info, Pennsylvania has the distinction of the highest covid mortality rate in the entire country, whereas Florida’s is the same as the national one. It would also seem that stricter adherence to...
Letter to the editor: Operation Dignity a fitting farewell to veterans
This letter is to acknowledge the “going the extra mile” efforts of Westmoreland County Coroner Timothy Carson, his staff and their many partners who sponsored and supported Operation Dignity on July 15 at Hempfield Park and the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies. The selection of the title given to the...
Letter to the editor: Foreign aid is important to Pa.
The covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing inflation reminded us of the interconnected nature of global markets; one action a continent away can have effects on jobs, prices and shipping here. For this reason, foreign aid is more important than ever, especially for Pennsylvanians. Foreign aid can be broad in its...
Editorial: Why so quiet on state-related money, Gov. Wolf?
There usually is nothing politicians love better than their moments of benevolent generosity. Legislators who opposed a program they deemed a pork project will nonetheless stand beaming with a large sweepstakes-winner-style check for a photo opportunity. The negotiations about who will announce a grant, loan or other funding when the...
Letter to the editor: Traffic, parking rates threaten Cultural District
My family recently attended two outstanding CLO productions, “Jersey Boys” and “Godspell,” on June 11 and July 16, respectively, at the Benedum. Unfortunately, excessive parking rates and traffic jams due to bridge closures have dampened our enthusiasm for future weekend shows. The “Jersey Boys” show coincided with the Three Rivers...
