Opinion category, Page 41
Counterpoint: One Big, Beautiful Bill is robbing working-class Americans
The “One Big, Beautiful Bill” that passed through Congress is a raw deal for working-class Americans. It should be called the “Billionaire Bailout Bill.” At the center of the bill is a cruel tradeoff: deep Medicaid cuts that rip healthcare away from millions in exchange for tax breaks and corporate...
Point: Trump’s tax bill is built for the working class, not the donor class
President Donald Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill is not what you think it is. It’s not a stunt. It’s not a meme. It’s the most unmistakable evidence yet of a transformed Republican Party. To understand who benefits from this bill is to recognize the party’s new political mandate: delivering for...
Letter to the editor: Are we going backward with RFK?
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a well-known vaccine skeptic. His replacements for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will come under the same cloud that he, Kennedy, is under: vaccine skeptic. Vaccines have a proven track record of preventing illness. Under Kennedy and President Trump...
Letter to the editor: What is lunatic politicians’ agenda?
We now have lunatic politicians who openly encourage people to go after law enforcement people, mainly ICE, for doing their jobs. The politicians and others even want ICE offers to not wear masks. I guess it’s to show their faces so their lunatic thugs can go after them at their...
Editorial: Was McCormick event at Carnegie museum political?
When is a political event not a political event? When everything is very carefully phrased. On Tuesday, Pittsburgh sat at the intersection of politics and money. Carnegie Mellon University was the site of the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit. It was coordinated by U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pittsburgh. President Donald...
Letter to the editor: Remembering Hamas’ actions
In the letter “Speaking out for Palestinians” (June 30, TribLive), regarding events at the “No Kings” rally in Pittsburgh, Israel is accused of genocide, forced mass starvation, relentless bombing, constant displacement, an illegal siege, ongoing ethnic cleansing, colonization and apartheid. The writer also states that an objective of the rally...
S.E. Cupp: Sorry, Jeffrey Epstein isn’t going to destroy MAGA
For all of his high-profile connections to presidents, moguls and royals, Jeffrey Epstein probably couldn’t have imagined just how politically important he would one day become. The long-deceased convicted sex offender and pedophile is at the epicenter of a seemingly seismic blowup inside MAGA, in which splintering factions are now...
Ria Sharma: Fiscally responsible solutions for the unhoused
Imagine you’re presented with two options as an investor. Option one: Spend $50,000 annually to trap a homeless person in a cycle of incarceration, poverty and repeated release into the streets. Option two: Spend $15,000 annually to lift someone out of homelessness, reduce crime, lower emergency service costs and restore...
Judge Paul R. Michel: To win the tech race against China, restore power of U.S. patent
The United States is falling behind in the global race for technological leadership. China now leads the U.S. in 37 out of 44 critical technologies. This includes fields that will define the future, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and advanced manufacturing. If we’re serious about keeping pace with China,...
Letter to the editor: Proposed energy bill violates our rights
House Bill 502, now moving through the Pennsylvania Senate, proposes a new “RESET Board” to fast-track energy projects — including power plants — by bypassing local zoning laws. While advertised as a clean energy initiative, the bill also covers fossil-fuel infrastructure and places final siting decisions in the hands of...
Letter to the editor: Trump and divine intervention
MAGA is back to asking us to believe President Donald Trump survived last year’s assassination attempt because of divine intervention from God. I have railed against mixing politics and religion before and have found the near Christ-like worship of Trump to be the most un-Christian act anyone can do. But...
Lori Falce: Jeffrey Epstein, Donald Trump and the unexpected consequences of encouraging supporters
When my sister was in second grade, we went to church on a Friday morning for her first confession. The church was huge, with an echoing quality amplified by its tomblike silence. One by one, the little kids shuffled into the confessional while parents and other Catholic school students sat...
Letter to the editor: Higher wages will boost economy
Rep. Mike Kelly’s op-ed “Big Beautiful Bill a gamechanger for Western Pa.” (July 5, TribLive) states the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was a success. However, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities concludes it was a failure. It skewed benefits toward the rich. Households in the bottom 60%,...
Paul Kengor: Trump assassination tragedy still on minds of many
One year ago, Donald Trump was nearly assassinated in Butler. In my hometown. It was a historic, tragic event that affected not only the loved ones of those killed or injured but so many of us in this region. Personally, it has been strange over the last year when I...
Stuart I.R. Haniff: Lawmakers must protect Pa.’s anti-hunger programs
A hunger crisis is happening across Pennsylvania — in every county and every legislative district — but you wouldn’t know unless you look. Food insecurity, according to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap Report, has risen 40% over the last two years in the commonwealth. Now, one in eight of...
Laurels & lances: New tech, new info
Laurel: To new access. We hear a lot about the dangers of technology, especially related to artificial intelligence. Yes, there are valid questions to raise. Yes, Hollywood movies and science fiction books have postulated vivid scenarios. But artificial intelligence also can give back accessibility that makes life easier. In some...
Pete Shelly: It’s time to rein in the skill games industry
Pennsylvania lawmakers have an opportunity to finally address a critical need and pass common-sense legislation to regulate and tax skill games in the coming days as they work to finalize the fiscal year 2025-26 state budget. This challenge is about much more than generating new tax revenues. It’s about public...
Rep. Summer Lee: One Big Beautiful Bill will harm many
On the Fourth of July, President Trump signed into law one of the most harmful bills in modern history. This legislation, the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB), makes the biggest cuts to Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) ever, guts clean energy tax credits and investments, threatens hundreds of...
Letter to the editor: Clearances protect children
I must take issue with letter-writer who objected to the requirement for clearances in order to volunteer with a church (“What would Jesus think of all these clearances?,” July 14, TribLive). It is not only the Catholic Church that has this requirement, but any organization where children are served —...
Letter to the editor: Trump can’t win
You are damned if you do and damned if you don’t. That’s what our president is up against. Dion Urban East Vandergrift...
Letter to the editor: The president hates me
The president of the United States hates me, and he tells everyone. He hates me because I care about people and the environment. He hates me because I voted for Kamala Harris, Josh Shapiro, Chris Deluzio and Anita Kulic, among others. He says I have TDS, and I probably do...
Editorial: Energy and innovation aren’t the same as money and power
The Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit at Carnegie Mellon University was ostensibly, as the name implied, about energy and innovation. In reality, it was about money and jobs. The event provided an opportunity for investors and politicians to get a moment in the sun as they announced a roster of...
Letter to the editor: Leg shackle referendum should be reviewed
At the recent Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board meeting, Allegheny County Councilwoman Bethany Hallam showed support for sheriffs taking over inmate hospital trips. They voted in favor of studying feasibility. She is vocally against corrections officers using leg shackles on inmates at the hospital but not sheriffs. This flip-flop is...
Jonah Goldberg: Yes, Mr. President, they’re still talking about Jeffrey Epstein
“Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?” President Trump shot back at a reporter during a Cabinet meeting. “This guy’s been talked about for years. … I mean, I can’t believe you’re asking a question on Epstein at a time like this, where we’re having some of the greatest success...
Philip Martell: It’s time to modernize school funding and stop punishing property owners
For decades, Pennsylvania’s public school funding model has relied too heavily on one thing — the local property tax. It’s a system that rewards wealthier ZIP codes and punishes rural and working class communities. No matter how much we tinker around the edges, we cannot fix education in this commonwealth...
