Opinion category, Page 367
Lori Falce: Blinded by political party colors
There was a time in my life when I couldn’t tell you the political parties of almost anyone I knew. Parties didn’t define any of those people as much as other things about them. They weren’t Democrats or Republicans. They were teachers, bankers, farmers, electricians, nurses, housewives, mechanics, retirees, students....
Letter to the editor: Hospitals need better system for excessive wait times
My husband recently had to drive me to the emergency room. I have a heart condition that will cause my heart to race and beat erratically. This could result in a blood clot, potentially leading to a stroke. I was asked to sit in the waiting room. I met a...
Letter to the editor: Supreme Court’s decisions correct
I was puzzled by the editorial headline “Does the Supreme Court believe in states’ rights or not?” (June 26, TribLIVE). The author insinuates that the court politically chooses between what is a constitutional right. The court, in reversing Roe and the New York gun law, was both consistent and logical...
Paul Kengor: Signs of the economic times
Last week I rented a car, a standard SUV. I do that often, but this time was very different. The price was shocking. It was $650 to rent from 4:30 p.m. on Friday until 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, before insurance and other costs. I actually didn’t need the car until...
Laurels & lances: Social work, medical bills
Laurel: To a smart thought. The problems of police departments have been an ongoing topic of conversation in the state and across the country — especially in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020. While much of the problem-solving has been lost in the fight...
Peter Morici: America needs to take more risks in Ukraine
America will have to take more risks to accomplish its legitimate objectives in Ukraine. We should want the Ukrainian army to push back the Russians to its preinvasion borders. Retaking the Crimea as President Volodymyr Zelensky aspires, is a terribly remote prospect absent direct NATO military engagement. Defense Secretary Lloyd...
Dean McFarlin: Allegheny county executive navigates complex issue with competing constituencies
During a special meeting Tuesday, Allegheny County Council overrode County Executive Rich Fitzgerald’s veto of a bill to prohibit new natural gas leases in Allegheny County parks, capping a period of tumultuous negotiating and debate around fracking and drilling issues and what is best for the county. Everyone agrees that...
Letter to the editor: Corporations play by their own rules
Regarding Julia Bojalad’s letter “Stop corporate gouging” (July 1, TribLIVE): Ha, ha. That’s what corporations do, Julia. They’re not legal “fictions” for nothing. I’m not disparaging capitalism here. It works — on the small. Your small businessman, your roofer, plumber, hairdresser and restaurateur actually participate. They also bear most of...
Letter to the editor: America’s downfall
Today, we have no school prayer, God is missing from virtually all public sponsored events, and it’s legal to kill an unborn child. The disrespect of authority is so significant that we hate each other when it’s not our leader in power. We lowered standards to improve performance and raise...
Editorial: Veto not a defeat for Fitzgerald but a victory for people and process
A veto is an important part of the system that limits the power of one office by offering power to another. The system of checks and balances modeled at the federal level and copied by the states and even some local governments is how we keep our leaders from becoming...
Letter to the editor: Protesters are protected
So many of your letter-writers (Douglas Johnston, “Why are protesters allowed to break the law?” July 6, TribLIVE) seem to forget that protesting for the redress of grievances is enshrined in the Constitution. It is as sacred as the Second Amendment. In fact it is a First Amendment right, which...
Jonah Goldberg: Progressive Democrats can’t stop criticizing the Joes (Manchin and Biden)
The wall-to-wall coverage of progressive carping about Joe Biden has been interrupted by reruns of progressive carping about West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin. Last week, in the wake of horrible inflation numbers, Manchin said, in effect, “I’m out” on President Biden’s climate, energy and tax package. Because the Senate is...
How I moved, lost my dog and regained faith in humanity over 5 days in July
Sometime late last fall, my husband, two sons and I decided to move. We’d lived for 17 years in Brentwood — front-row seats to the best Fourth of July parade around — but wanted a house with two bathrooms, maybe a game room and a bigger yard for the boys...
Letter to the editor: Why no sanctity of life on death penalty?
As the Rowe v. Wade decision divides the country over the sanctity of life, it makes me wonder what the Supreme Court would do to overturn the death penalty in the United States. It appears that a number of the same folks who are anti-abortion are pro-death penalty. Maybe the...
Letter to the editor: Women, make your choice before conception
Women’s rights are not taken away by banning abortion. You still have the right to choose. You just need to choose before conception. There are many options to prevent pregnancy, and they do not interfere with “pleasure,” although pleasure is not what sex was designed for. Casual sex results in...
Letter to the editor: We can’t govern by poll
It’s apparent that letter-writer Katie Forsythe thinks our country should be run based on public opinion polls and that courts, including the Supreme Court, should follow the polls when making their rulings (“Partisan Supreme Court is restricting our freedoms,” July 6, TribLIVE). If our government were to operate according to...
Editorial: Accreditation could be key to fixing police database
There is no situation that cannot be improved with accountability. In recent years, how many trusted or beloved institutions have been rocked by the knowledge that such trust and love was betrayed? Children have been abused by coaches, teachers, even their own parents. Grand juries have uncovered not only sexual...
Letter to the editor: Mt. Lebanon School Board members chose silence
A 17-year-old was assaulted earlier this month, and her life will never be the same. A Mt. Lebanon school director was charged in the assault, which for me questions the credibility of our school district leaders (“Police: Mt. Lebanon school board member charged in Florida assault of teen,” July 7,...
Letter to the editor: No need to wait for drug prevention; Reality Tours available
Regarding the article “Overdose deaths in Allegheny, Westmoreland counties hit highest level since 2017 peak” (July 8, TribLIVE), on Pennsylvania’s search for drug prevention programs, readers need to know a program is reaching thousands of families in Pennsylvania, without cost to state or local budgets. It can be started by...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Trump ‘fell under malignant influence’?
“Donald was enabled from the beginning …” — Mary L. Trump, “Too Much and Never Enough” Liz Cheney sure called that one. In her opening statement at the July 12 hearing of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection, the Wyoming congresswoman advised America of a change in strategy...
Sen. Ryan Aument: We have the number for real growth, so let’s put it on speed-dial
A vibrant economy is sometimes just a matter of the right number, and for Pennsylvania the right number has never been 9.99%. That’s the mind numbingly high rate our commonwealth levied on corporate net income (CNI), a rate that arguably has scared off out-of-state investors and prevented us from replacing...
Letter to the editor: What about male responsibility?
When a female becomes pregnant, it was a male who caused the condition. Is there no shared responsibility? Lynne Henry Greensburg...
Letter to the editor: Parents have right to decide what children see
Parents have the right to direct their child’s education. With that right comes the responsibility to oversee what their children are exposed to, especially when it comes to deeply personal topics like sex and sexuality. Unfortunately, it seems Sen. Lindsey Williams thinks she knows better than parents. Recently, she voted...
Letter to the editor: Why Mastriano is feared
As an older citizen, I have long been following Pennsylvania political news. Yet I recognized only two names of the nine Republicans, the majority from southeast Pennsylvania, listed as endorsing Josh Shapiro in the article “Democrat Josh Shapiro picks up Republican endorsements in race for governor” (July 6, TribLIVE). Shapiro...
Editorial: Westmoreland County handles elections office like an afterthought
Westmoreland County commissioners have come to a decision about who will run the elections bureau, and it seems to be a decision they could have made official a long time ago. Greg McCloskey will continue to serve double duty as he has done since taking on the responsibility of the...
