Opinion category, Page 415
Gene Barr: It’s time U.S. energy policy stops empowering Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin has plunged Europe into crisis with his invasion of Ukraine. His stated goals are to destabilize the country to bring the nation back under Russia’s control. In response, it’s time we hit Putin where he knows it will hurt — through the energy sector. Unfortunately, there’s...
Letter to the editor: Students being denied a full education
Regarding the article “Norwin board pulls plug on CNN 10” (Feb. 14, TribLIVE): I am a 1969 graduate of Norwin High School. My parents taught there, and my dad was assistant superintendent. I thought the idea of public education was to obtain a well-rounded education. You are exposed to things...
Letter to the editor: Medical aid in dying law needed in Pa.
Thanks for printing George Will’s column “Medical aid in dying should be our right” (Jan. 20), as well as the article “Easing pain at the end” in November 2016. I have spent many moments of my life speaking on my husband’s dead voice to have Pennsylvania pass such a law,...
Letter to the editor: Opposition to Mon Oakland Connector
Regarding your article “Focus of Pittsburgh’s proposed Mon-Oakland Connector project changes” (Feb. 11, TribLIVE): Although it is true that the project has “generated strong opposition” from transit advocacy groups “and from some Greenfield residents,” naming only these groups implies that only a handful of residents oppose the MOC roadway. Since...
Lori Falce: The family drama of international politics
Sisters have a special kind of relationship. They share a bond that is hard to compare to anything else. They share more than just DNA and a bathroom and Grandma’s eyes. They are the only ones who will understand the highs and lows, the good and bad, the in-jokes and...
Letter to the editor: Socialism distinctions
To letter-writer Richard London (“We all benefit from ‘socialism,’ ” Feb. 13 TribLIVE): The following are corrections to some of the things I believe you’ve got wrong. The definition of socialism does not change relative to its practitioners. It still means government control over business and industry no matter who’s doing...
Letter to the editor: Bridge collapse is a wake-up call to government
The recent collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh’s Frick Park is a wake-up call to correct misguided government spending priorities. Pennsylvania’s 2021-22 budget is $39.8 billion. Allegheny County approved an operating budget of $942.5 million and $182.5 million in a capital improvement budget. The City of Pittsburgh is...
Laurels & lances: Theater, politics and resurgence
Laurel: To an encore performance. “Hamilton” has been undeniably the biggest thing to hit musical theater in years. It wasn’t just a smash on Broadway. The traveling company has been just as in demand when it visits, as it did in Pittsburgh in 2019, and again now as live theater...
Colin McNickle: Drastic changes key to better Pittsburgh job growth
The evidence is clear that right-to-work metropolitan areas out-performed non-right-to-work areas for private-sector jobs as they began to recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic in 2021, concludes an analysis by the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy. And Greater Pittsburgh remains a poster child for the malaise that results...
Rep. Dan Frankel: Bridge collapse symbol of toxic politics, but doesn’t have to be
As political backdrops go, you can’t beat the collapsed Fern Hollow Bridge. Visits from politicians may gloss over the terror and bodily injury endured by people driving and riding over the bridge and the fears of the entire neighborhood as the smell of gas filled the air. They may overlook...
Letter to the editor: Double standard in sports’ covid rules
What is happening to our brains? I saw on TV where tennis player Novak Djokovic was barred from playing in the Australian Open because he refuses to get the covid-19 vaccine. He has been barred from playing in other tournaments as well. Then I change the channel and see a...
Letter to the editor: Killing contests must be banned in Pa.
Many Pennsylvanians will be appalled to learn that wildlife killing contests — a bloodsport comparable to dogfighting — occur right here in our state. In fact, Pennsylvania has more contests than almost any other state, with January and February being peak season. In these detestable spectacles, participants kill native wild...
Editorial: Diebold’s prison sentence is deserved
It is hard to argue that you didn’t know how to follow the law when that was how you made your living. Attorneys for Michael Diebold did just that. Luckily, it didn’t work. Armstrong County Judge James J. Panchik sentenced the former Leechburg police chief to 18 to 36 months...
Letter to the editor: Why the world is laughing at us
Recent letter-writers have said “the world is laughing at us.” If the world is laughing at us, here’s why. Sixty courts, including the Supreme Court, said there is no evidence of fraud, yet former President Trump continues to try to overturn the election. Many Republican lawmakers have said in private...
John Stossel: The Woke AMA
The American Medical Association now tells doctors: Use woke language! It’s issued a 54-page guide telling doctors things like, don’t say “equality”; say “equity.” Don’t say “minority”; say “historically marginalized.” Much of the AMA’s advisory sounds like Marxism: “Expose … property rights … Individualism is problematic … Corporations … limit...
Jonah Goldberg: Putin’s wish and the consequences he can’t control
Vladimir Putin announced Monday that he had decided to recognize two regions in eastern Ukraine as independent breakaway “republics” and immediately ordered Russian troops into those territories to carry out “peacekeeping” functions. A better term would be “tornaway republics” since Putin has been waging war there for years. It remains...
Mark Hendrickson: Inflation — who or what is the culprit?
Inflation — defined herein as a widespread increase in the prices of widely purchased consumer goods – has gotten worse since I commented on it last spring. According to the official Consumer Price Index (CPI), inflation is currently running at 7.5% year over year — the highest since 1982. What...
Letter to the editor: Protecting the underperforming
I worked at No. 19 rolling mill for the Jones and Laughlin Steel Co. in 1971. The United SteelWorkers contract specified the number of workers to cover each shift, and I remember some shifts I was assigned to sweeping floors. Sweeping a steel mill floor is like vacuuming a coal...
Letter to the editor: Climate deniers hurting fellow citizens
Jack Bologna’s letter “Facts on ‘global warming’ ” (Feb. 14, TribLIVE) quotes “facts” that are out of date. I also call attention to Bologna’s sick ad-hominum device, attacking right-wing boogeyman Al Gore as foil. Such tricks are signs of weakness. Gore is merely summing up what every science academy in...
Letter to the editor: Moving on from Mon Oakland Connector
Good news overall, but “Focus of Pittsburgh’s proposed Mon Oakland Connector project changes” (Feb. 11, TribLIVE) needs a few corrections. The Mon Oakland Connector drew opposition from a wider range of Pittsburghers than “public transit advocates” and “some Greenfield residents.” Neighbors from Hazelwood, Greenfield, Oakland, Panther Hollow, Four Mile Run...
Editorial: Is marijuana marketing proof it’s the next Big Pharma?
The conversation surrounding marijuana has shifted over the years. It went from being demonized for decades to being suggested as helpful in relieving symptoms of some medical conditions to being touted as all but a miracle cure. In 2016, Gov. Tom Wolf signed the law that made medical marijuana legal...
Letter to the editor: Local governments need power, accountability
Kenneth R. Nath’s letter “Government should start doing more with less” (Feb. 11, TribLIVE) is a valuable comment about local government. Hundreds of elderly patients died in nursing homes during the pandemic. A bridge collapsed after it was inspected and deemed safe to use. These failures were not due to...
Letter to the editor: Jonah Goldberg off base on ‘coup attempt’
Jonah Goldberg’s op-ed “RNC’s idea of ‘legitimate political discourse’ shows how far gone it is” was one of the most vicious, descriptively unpleasant and emotionally raw points of view I have ever read. However, Goldberg’s rage keeps him from seeing certain relevant facts. When the Jan. 6 committee was being...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Does being a land of plenty make us a land of good?
A week or so ago, it was peanuts. Unsalted, roasted in the shell, to be exact. But lately, it’s always something, some commonplace commodity that suddenly cannot be found at the store. Strawberries. Peppers. Ground turkey. And Lord, don’t even get me started on Ore-Ida Golden fries. I used to...
Christopher Brooks: Supreme Court should revisit history in affirmative action cases
The Supreme Court recently agreed to hear lawsuits against Harvard and the University of North Carolina for unconstitutionally discriminating against Asian-American students in its admissions program. As justices revisit the issue of affirmative action, they could learn something from John S. Rock, the first Black attorney admitted to practice before...
