Opinion category, Page 397
John Stossel: Media, politicians are Uber clueless
The media’s ignorance about basic economics is galling. I expect it from politicians. I expect it from The New York Times. But it’s sad to see in the New York Post, my town’s rare alternative to Democrat media. Recently, the tabloid freaked out over higher prices imposed by ride-share companies....
David Callahan, Robert Brundrett and Charlie Burd: Celebrating Appalachia’s green transformation
Our fellow Americans may not consider the so-called “Rust Belt” to be the epicenter of our nation’s green economy. But the discovery of our region’s abundant and clean natural gas resources over the last 15 years has transformed Appalachia into a technology hub and innovation-driven economy at the forefront of...
Jonah Goldberg: Ukraine, Russia and the moral clarity of ‘good guys’ vs. ‘bad guys’
One of the silver linings of the very large dark cloud of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is the clarity it provides. This is, broadly speaking a contest between good guys and bad guys. A lot of people who fancy themselves foreign policy realists roll their eyes at talk about...
Ashley Priore: Pitt chancellor Gallagher leaves lasting impression
Every weekday morning around 7 a.m., as I waited for my bus to get to school, I would see a man on a walk down Fifth Avenue heading toward the Cathedral of Learning in Oakland. We shared our daily hellos (and maybe a joke or two about the weather). I...
Letter to the editor: Why America has lost its identity
In response to Leonard Pitts Jr.’s column “Americans have lost the willingness, ability to share a common national identity” (April 12, TribLIVE): I would argue that Pitts is your typical Democrat using projection to blame the Republicans for what the Democrats actually do. That is called projection, but I agree...
Letter to the editor: Fighting Legionnaires’ disease
Westmoreland County has had its share of scares with Legionnaires’ disease, a deadly but highly preventable respiratory illness that’s spread by breathing mist contaminated with the bacteria. Concern about the disease has been magnified by covid-19, which forced many public buildings to shut down. When buildings have low or no...
Editorial: As mask mandates lift, we should respect others’ decisions
A federal judge in Florida issued a ruling against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s mask mandate early in the day. By evening, the Transportation Security Administration was announcing it no longer would enforce the requirement. That drops one of the final demands of the federal government, leaving any...
Letter to the editor: Doom, gloom and Democrats
Dave Majernik writes a deceptive letter, painting a gloomy picture for the future based on a false premise that “radical policies” are calling for banning gasoline cars and oil drilling (“Radical fuel policies would bankrupt us”). As a strong defender of the environment, I would never advocate that. At the...
Letter to the editor: Censorship threatens intellectual freedom
April is National Library Month. Here are some important points to ponder as we celebrate the intellectual freedom that libraries provide. Intellectual freedom, the very basis for our democracy, supports the right of every individual to both seek and access information from varied points of view without restriction. Censorship, the...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: The Republican Party is a clear and present danger
Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” — James Baldwin Here’s what we’re not going to do here. We are not going to indulge the lazy rationalizations, false equivalence, cheap gaslighting and other forms of rhetorical chicanery that have become...
Editorial: Westmoreland ARP funds need tentative plans
In 2021, Westmoreland County received half of a $105.3 million coronavirus relief fund allocation under the American Rescue Plan. It’s a significant amount of money. The county’s entire budget for 2022 is $367.6 million, so being given nearly a third of that as a windfall with comparatively few strings opens...
Greg Fulton: Anthony Bourdain, another casualty of depression
With CNN airing its new “Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain” this month, the public’s fascination with the late chef, writer and travel storyteller, who died in 2018, continues. Part of the interest may be due to Bourdain committing suicide and the difficulty for many to understand why someone at...
Students: Mayor Gainey, please focus on environmental justice
Dear Mayor Gainey: We are high school students concerned about climate change and the environment. Through our firsthand experiences and the stories that we have heard, we believe that it is essential to share our voice for the future of Pittsburgh and the world. We urge you to fulfill and...
Letter to the editor: Reflect on consumption during Alcohol Responsibility Month
April marks Alcohol Responsibility Month, a time for adults to reflect on their alcohol consumption. According to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, adults who drink alcohol should limit intake to two drinks or less a day for men and one drink or less a day for women. Knowing what counts as...
Letter to the editor: Commissioners must address subsidized housing conditions
Subsidized housing conditions in Westmoreland County are deplorable. Deficiencies include problems with water and mold, bug and rodent infestations, worn-out appliances, inefficient heating and cooling, and waste removal . This housing is disproportionately used by working families, veterans and seniors on limited incomes. Even though these vulnerable populations have been...
Editorial: What do we do about gun violence?
“It was a war scene.” This is a short statement, but it is vividly, viscerally descriptive of the violence that erupted on Pittsburgh’s North Side in the early-morning hours of Easter Sunday. Almost 100 gunshots — half fired inside a home by the corner of Madison Avenue and Suismon Street,...
Letter to the editor: Who benefits from critical race theory?
I believe critical race theory utilizes “stories” and “counter stories” to propagate “systemic racism,” replacing factual right and wrong with perceived wrongs. In my opinion, CRT holds victimhood in high regard, removes individuals’ rights and promotes “special” rights for “special” groups, “normalizes” intolerance, bullies and objects to free speech. So...
Letter to the editor: Time to downsize Pa. General Assembly
Since the 2020 election, there has been crying and whining by members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. There are too many political wannabes in this state. If you can’t find a regular job, become a Pennsylvania legislator. Because their “main man” lost, they want results overturned. These are the same...
Tom Purcell: Taxes always on my mind
“In this world, nothing can be said to be certain but death and taxes.” That quote is often attributed to Ben Franklin or Mark Twain, but whoever said it, no truer words have ever been spoken. I filed my annual income tax extension April 18, the last day of this...
Andrew Shubin: Statute of limitations reform will enable justice to be served
Thank you, Gov. Tom Wolf, for pressing the Pennsylvania Legislature to immediately enact civil child sexual abuse statute of limitations reform so that thousands of middle-aged and older survivors can bring predators and their institutional enablers to justice. For far too long, perpetrators and the religious institutions, schools, summer camps,...
Letter to the editor: Denying the horror show
What has been exposed over the past few years through corruption and crimes beyond the pale, all verifiable and undeniable, has shown that our nation has almost reached its moral and ethical nadir. And the fact that hardly anyone has been held accountable for anything shows that we may be...
Letter to the editor: More mental health facilities needed in Westmoreland
Westmoreland County needs additional mental health resources, especially for those in immediate crises. Pathways, a former Excela program, helped people with mental issues avoid hospitalization. Reinstituting this program would deliver services directly to people in need and avoid costly hospitalizations. A return to Pathways would give people appropriate levels of...
Editorial: Common problems, common sense solution
Hear that kids are being locked out of the school bathrooms, and it can bring up questions. It’s an issue that is happening at Kiski Area High School. Is this allowed? The number of bathrooms in a building are not just randomly assigned. They are prescribed by building codes and...
Letter to the editor: Democrats and racism
Critical race theory in our public schools has raised a lot of controversy. I Googled some interesting facts of U.S. history that relate to theories of racism in the U.S. but are probably overlooked by the Democratic teachers union. 1. President Abraham Lincoln formulated the Republican Party to end slavery....
Letter to the editor: The good ol’ days of January 2021
Ah, the good ol’ days. January 2021: Gasoline averaged $2.67 a gallon in the East and $3.70 a gallon in the West. Household electricity was 13.09 cents per kilowatt hour. Eggs cost $1.67 a dozen. Yep, January 2021. Think everything costs more? Guess what? Even President Biden’s U.S. Bureau of...
