Opinion category, Page 413
Dennis Unkovic: Russia breaks yet another link in the supply chain
Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine, along with the immediate tragic consequences and diplomatic crises it is creating, will have long-lasting ripple effects, including further disruptions of the global supply chain. Indeed, if the lessening of the pandemic recently suggested signs of hope, we should now expect things to get worse...
Letter to the editor: Biden should sanction Russia like he ‘sanctions’ U.S.
If President Biden had imposed sanctions on Russia as severe as he has imposed on his own country, Russia would be on its knees already. Just like us. Kenneth Minyon Saxonburg...
Letter to the editor: Road conditions embarrassing
I am a retired PennDOT employee and embarrassed by what I see happening to our roads’ safety and repairs. On Route 981 south of Latrobe, it is appalling to see the so-called “dip” repair and re-repair by what I am assuming is done by our District 12 maintenance crew. Also,...
Letter to the editor: Losing our freedoms
Thank you, John Gregory Parks, for your letter “Vaxxed and unvaxxed divisions” (Jan. 27, TribLIVE). I’ve been saying for two years that we’re losing our freedom due to the dictators of government instilling such fear over something only God can control. Why are we the people allowing elected politicians to...
Letter to the editor: In praise of Norwin’s curriculum
As a former member of the Norwin School Board, it is very distressing to me to see the education of our students being challenged. An unbiased education of current events gives them the freedom to make informed decisions. This curriculum at Norwin has been ongoing for years, and it has...
Editorial: Keep focus on steel promise from State of the Union
You can’t focus on infrastructure without mentioning steel. Build a bridge or dam, and you’re using steel. Build a school or hospital, and it’s part of the process. There is steel in roadways and railroads, ambulances and firetrucks. Steel is the skeleton that supports the body of the nation. So...
John Stossel: My dream State of the Union
President Biden just gave his State of the Union Address. Here’s what I wish Biden said: “Russia’s unwarranted invasion of Ukraine reminds us why it’s crucial that America’s military remains strong, and focused on defense, not distractions like gender equity. “I stand with the people of Ukraine, and I will...
Eric Barron: University innovation, investment keys to Pa. growth
Within the current state budget cycle, governors across the country are investing more heavily in higher education. This is encouraging to those of us who firmly believe that colleges and universities have the power to elevate individuals, as well as society overall. Progress is born from innovative ideas, diverse perspectives...
Jonah Goldberg: Putin has forced the West to change how it views its role in the world
In “The Sun Also Rises,” Ernest Hemingway famously answered the question “How did you go bankrupt?” “Two ways. … Gradually, then suddenly.” The last week suggests that getting out of bankruptcy works the same way. It’s difficult to exaggerate the suddenness and significance of the change in attitudes — and...
Letter to the editor: AV sewage plant cost overruns concerning
I am writing to express my concerns regarding the cost overruns for the expansion of the Allegheny Valley Joint Sewage Authority plant (“Harmar sees 47% sewage fee hike as cost of new treatment plant soars,” Feb. 18, TribLIVE). Where is the accountability for the near 200% increase in the cost...
Letter to the editor: Setting a bad example for world bullies
I’m ashamed. I own a restaurant; next to me is a farmer who eats in my restaurant, and from whom I buy produce to use in my restaurant. On the other side of the farmer lives a small quiet family. Driving by yesterday, I saw the farmer assaulting the neighbor...
Letter to the editor: McCarthy-Trump comparison
In the 1950s, Sen. Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin terrorized the nation by claiming communist sympathizers permeated all levels of government and the military. Paranoia ensued, resulting in the firing of government workers and blacklisting of Hollywood stars. Forced “loyalty oaths” became commonplace. Many lives were ruined. McCarthy provided no proof....
Editorial: Discount groceries are more than an inflation problem
Low prices are big business. For years, more low-cost food options have been popping up like mushrooms. They dot urban areas, suburbs, rural landscapes and food deserts. It has been a growth retail area with a long-term plan. Dollar Tree has been adding refrigerator and freezer sections, particularly in areas...
Letter to the editor: Biden should reverse oil policies to pressure Putin
What is the most significant action the Biden administration could do to pressure Vladimir Putin without getting us involved in an unpopular war? If you said, “return to reinstating our own domestic oil production,” go to the head of the class. By reversing Biden’s executive orders that canceled plans for...
Letter to the editor: Where is sense of right and wrong?
Letter-writer Joan Heinz’s reality seems to be whatever the triad of Donald Trump, Fox News and RT tell her it is (“Democrats, the party of lies.”) Her inability to see that Jan. 6 was a Trump coup attempt is not surprising. The Jan. 6 committee will soon televise hearings with...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: What begins in lies tends to end in carnage
Then as now, it began with lies. On Sept. 1, 1939, Adolf Hitler’s forces crossed the border into Poland. The German chancellor did so on the pretext that ethnic Germans were being persecuted. German operatives, disguised as Poles, even staged an attack on a German radio station, yelling anti-German threats...
Rupert Darwell: Standing up to Putin means ditching net-zero
Vladimir Putin’s inflammatory speech, in which he set out his aim to reconstitute the Russian empire and blamed Lenin for its demise, and his decision to back this up with a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, signals the return of geopolitics. Until now, Western leaders have been saying that the biggest...
Letter to the editor: We must choose sovereignty
I’m waking to the sober reality that our leadership in the world is waning. I’m an America-first person who has always believed in America’s greatness, but today I find myself in disbelief of our status in the world. Our collective failures at the hands of our president, the Democrats and...
Letter to the editor: Traitorous views of Putin
“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” said Republican patriotic icon President Ronald Reagan on June 12, 1987, standing at the Berlin Wall. By sorry contrast, ex-President Trump last week said Vladimir Putin made a “genius” decision when he recognized two pro-Kremlin breakaway states in eastern Ukraine and ordered Russian troops...
Letter to the editor: Putin’s puppet
Are all you Donald Trump fans ready to admit that your guy is a traitor and a Putin puppet? He praises Putin’s unprovoked and lawless invasion of Ukraine and criticizes President Biden’s response. It could be seen to be giving aid and comfort to the enemy. And make no mistake,...
Editorial: Pour one out for Ukraine, but not with Russian vodka
Support comes in lots of forms. You can give money. You can give time. You can sign petitions or attend events or put a sticker on your car. All of these can show where your heart or your head or your sympathies lie. This charity. That movement. This party. That...
Letter to the editor: Why history matters
Mark Twain is credited with the quote “History never repeats itself, but it does often rhyme.” Putin says one reason for his invasion of Ukraine is to “de-Nazify” Ukraine. That statement operates on an Orwellian level as a vile and malignant lie. It is Putin who is following the Nazis’...
Tom Purcell: Ukraine’s hero in chief
Their bravery inspires. As I sit safely in the cozy office in my home writing this column, the people of Ukraine are greeting Putin’s massive military invasion with incredible defiance and courage. Their president, Volodymyr Zelensky, reportedly rejected an offer from the U.S. government to evacuate Kyiv — despite reports...
Letter to the editor: Another diplomatic failure in Ukraine
We are doing the same thing with Putin that we did with Germany and Japan and many other diplomatic failures over the years. I can still remember British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain holding a paper stating “peace for our time” in September 1938 after he gave Hitler what he wanted....
John Crisp: Ukrainian patriots are fighting for what we believe in
Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine last week happened to coincide with my reading of David McCullough’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Harry S. Truman, our 33rd president. Clearly, Russia has been a problem for a long time. Near the end of World War II, Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill struggled to...
