Opinion category, Page 421
Letter to the editor: Candidates should recognize importance of technology
As we continue to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, now is the time to set our city on a path that will meet our reputation as the most livable city while maintaining the innovative drive that has created jobs and fostered innovation over the last decade. As mayor, Ed Gainey...
Letter to the editor: The nuances of socialism
The right likes to demonize the word socialism and conflate ordinary public policies with authoritarian regimes in Venezuela, Cuba or Nazi Germany, which are socialist in name only. But a detailed look at some of our democratic socialist policies paint a more nuanced picture. Social Security, Medicare, roads and bridges,...
Tom Purcell: The scandalous silence about China
It’s possibly the only scandal we are allowed to discuss. In 2015, the peaceful and tiny world of competitive curling was rocked by a broom kerfuffle that sent the ancient sport reeling. Curling — which is currently getting its quadrennial global TV exposure at the Winter Olympics in Beijing —...
Editorial: Pittsburgh City Council salary vote was poorly timed
What difference can two days make? In the great scheme of government, two days is usually not a big deal. Government generally moves at a sloth-like speed with the number of committee meetings and debates and questions and sending things back to the start before decisions are made. It’s like...
Cal Thomas: The real cause behind the rise in crime
While President Biden and local officials keep talking about causes for the rise in crime in our major cities, proposing “solutions” that have failed in the past, like former President Bill Clinton’s Midnight Basketball idea, the real reason for its escalation is deeper than what we see on the surface....
Letter to the editor: Wendel residents lost more than convenience when post office closed
It has been nearly a year since the Wendel post office was closed. Wendel residents on our side of town now must go to Manor to pick up our mail. A two-minute trip has turned into a 20-minute expedition. In a letter dated Jan. 20, 2021, Curtis Williams, manager of...
Letter to the editor: Consolidation sorely needed in Allegheny County
Regardless of what happens with the proposed merger of Wilkinsburg and Pittsburgh, the need to consolidate the number of government entities within Allegheny County endures. At present, the townships and boroughs of Allegheny County more closely resemble the Kleinstaaterei of the Holy Roman Empire than the government structure of a...
Letter to the editor: Alzheimer’s patients entitled to treatment
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its draft decision on coverage for monoclonal antibodies targeting amyloid for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. This draft proposes a coverage decision that is so restrictive, it can hardly be considered coverage at all. It effectively denies access to all current...
Editorial: Constables have to follow law to enforce it
Why does Westmoreland County have so much trouble with the people enforcing the rules playing by them? For years, it was the sheriff’s office that was the problem. There were times that multiple leaders in the department were charged with crimes or on suspension or both all at the same...
Letter to the editor: End covid reimbursement policies
Throughout the covid-19 crisis, there has been intense debate about the course of action that policymakers should take to fight the disease. However, the common goal across the spectrum has been unwaveringly consistent: Minimize the number of deaths and severe outcomes. Early on, state and federal subsidies were offered to...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Feb. 7
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Feb. 7....
Editorial cartoons for the week of Feb. 7
Editorial cartoons for the week of Feb. 7....
Mona Charen: Trump coup is ongoing
Some look back on the events following Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss and think we dodged a bullet: There was a coup attempt, and thankfully it failed. Others believe that the whole thing has been overblown. Even as evidence piles up that the coup was far more extensive than siccing...
Letter to the editor: Simple math on bridge collapse
The “stupid light” is flashing again. The weight limit on the Fern Hollow Bridge was 26 tons. The weight of a fully loaded fire truck can be 30 tons. The weight of a fully loaded garbage truck can be 32 tons. The weight of a fully loaded tractor-trailer can be...
Letter to the editor: Whatever happened to second opinions?
Gone are the days when second opinions from another doctor were required or recommended. It had been standard practice for insurance companies to actually insist you get a second opinion before proceeding with surgery or treatment. Why was that practice abandoned? It is heart-wrenching to watch a loved one not...
Letter to the editor: Decisions of today’s women
I read with interest Betty Harp’s letter “Avoiding abortion” (Jan. 20, TribLIVE). Harp’s rudimentary understanding of modern social dynamics was on full display when she stated, “So, young women, keep yourself clean for that special man when you are old enough to get married. My mother was a wise lady.”...
Editorial: Clerical error doesn’t mean PSERS has no responsibility
There’s nothing like a good scapegoat. Who wouldn’t like to be able to just put all the blame for things that go wrong on someone else? It’s a good deal if you can find one. Except that just because you blame the goat doesn’t mean you don’t have any responsibility....
Letter to the editor: Legislators should do their jobs
I am beginning to resent our Pennsylvania legislators relying on the courts to have the final say on issues they have legislated. This is also true with recent movements to amend the state Constitution by sending referendums to voters. Whether it is creating new legislative districts or changing the way...
Letter to the editor: Vaccine-Holocaust comparison
Do you know about what happened to the Jews in Germany in the 1930s and 1940s? Do you know about the German concentration camps? If you read and know the historical facts, you know that because of their religion, Jewish men, women and children were taken from their homes. Many...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: For the mayor of Pittsburgh, bridges are basic
Bill Peduto traveled the world for eight years and held forth on matters far beyond the power of any local official. What the people of Pittsburgh needed was for him to stay home and pay attention to the basics of city government. Now, the Fern Hollow Bridge has collapsed into...
Sounding off: Cops under the microscope
How would you like a job where when you made a mistake, a big red light goes on and 18,000 people boo? That’s a quote from Jacques Plante, goalie of yore for the Montreal Canadiens. Unfortunately, it’s like that for today’s cops, who are being scrutinized on the way they...
Letter to the editor: Confused by Trump’s pardon plans
I’m so confused after Trump’s recent statement that if he is elected president in 2024, he may pardon the Jan. 6 insurgents. I thought, according to many MAGA followers and Fox/Faux News, that those rioters were actually antifa and FBI agents. Is that what Trump meant, he will pardon these...
Editorial: Pennsylvania bridges need regular attention
Bridges are being taken seriously right now. The collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge in Frick Park in Pittsburgh on Jan. 28 was one of those bellwether moments — the clanging bell that alerts everyone about impending danger. Of course, the bell clanged a little late for the people on...
Letter to the editor: Socialism is not Christian
Regarding Lawrence Josephs’ letter “Socialism in line with Christian faith” (Jan. 16, TribLIVE): No, it is not. Nowhere in the Gospels did Jesus implore anyone to take money and material possessions from one and give it to another. That’s called theft. He asked the wealthy man to give his wealth,...
Gary Franks: Supreme Court can help narrow the racial income gap
Ironically, Republicans may be the reason for President Biden’s announcement of the kind of person he would nominate for the Supreme Court. Former President Reagan, upon being elected, made it clear he was going to pick the first woman for the court. And former President Trump declared no male need...
