Opinion category, Page 423
Letter to the editor: Dealing with Jan. 6 traitors
In the unlikely event that Americans are naïve enough to reelect Donald Trump, he has made it clear that he may pardon the violent criminals and domestic terrorists who murdered law enforcement and attempted to undo a free and fair election. This wouldn’t be the first time in America’s history...
Editorial: Funding emergency equipment is vital responsibility
The siren of an ambulance, a fire truck or police car can herald a pricey proposition. For most people, that would seem to be about the hospital bill or the insurance deductible or that speeding ticket. But first responders know just how much it costs to keep the specialized equipment...
Letter to the editor: Memories of Forbes Avenue bridge
Many things in my life have concerned the recently collapsed Forbes Avenue bridge. I used to cross that bridge to go to church. I crossed it in a streetcar and in a bus. I walked across it coming home from high school. I walked out to the middle of it...
Letter to the editor: Nursing homes in crisis
While we applaud the proposed investment in hospital front-line health care workers announced recently by the Pennsylvania General Assembly, nursing homes continue to be ground zero for the pandemic. Our members’ staff, residents and their families continue to reel under the pressure of the pandemic and its impact on our...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Some of us still have some growing up to do
“I know you are, but what am I?” Remember that kid from fifth grade? That little riposte constituted his entire arsenal of comebacks. Slam him with the most devastating putdown the schoolyard had ever seen, and he’d always hit you with that same trite retort, a lame bit of rhetorical...
Cal Thomas: Crime and a widow’s eloquence
Trust in government has been declining since the administration of President Lyndon Johnson. According to Pew Research, only 36% of Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents and 9% of Republicans and those leaning Republican now trust government. Who can blame them given the failure of government to perform on many levels? One...
Reps. Joanna McClinton, Matt Bradford and Jordan Harris: Coming together for a brighter future for Pa.
It’s an unprecedented budget year for Pennsylvania, and for once the news is positive. Separate of the nearly $3 billion in unspent federal stimulus dollars left over from last fiscal year, state revenues are now coming in $1.5 billion over estimate (and climbing). This budget snapshot shows us that when...
Robert Smith: Frick Park’s glamour shot
We have all seen the celebrity glamour shots at awards shows. The well-designed backdrop, adoring peer group crowd, high-end clothing and jewelry, and sudden strike-the-pose camera snapshots. We also regularly see the politician glamour shot. The biggie-sized check, adoring crowd typically full of political cronies, poser snapshots or filmed snippets...
Letter to the editor: Defending foundational freedoms of our nation
Take a bow, Mr. John Gregory Parks (“Vaxxed and unvaxxed divisions,” Jan. 27, TribLIVE). Your brilliantly worded assessment of the current state of covid hits the nail squarely on the head. Thank you for standing up and saying what we the unvaccinated think and live every day. In my not...
Letter to the editor: Strive for truth and trust
We all know that truth is in short supply these days. To be true is to be consistent with fact or reality. To have trust, you must have the truth. How many of us have absolute trust in our politicians, judges, police, clergy, corporations and other institutions? When you wonder...
Letter to the editor: All should have skin in Ukraine war game
Let’s ensure that all Americans, including politicians and their families, have “skin in the game” before committing combat troops to defending Ukraine. Here’s how: 1. Enforce the War Powers Act, so the military commitment decision includes Congress, not just President Biden. Authorization must include measurable criteria for success and for...
Editorial: Keystone State built on bridges
So what happened to the Fern Hollow Bridge? While most people might not necessarily know the name of the bridge that transported traffic through Frick Park, it gained national attention when it broke apart Friday and plummeted into the ravine below. The timing of the collapse, just hours before a...
Letter to the editor: New Republican leaders needed
As a Pennsylvania Republican, I find myself with questions I’m struggling to answer. On Nov. 13, 2020, a Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency-led group, including its director, Christopher Krebs, issued a statement calling the Nov. 3 election “the most secure in American history.” On Nov. 30, 2020, Attorney General William...
Letter to the editor: Reality check on animal research
Regarding the article “Pennsylvania monkey truck crash spawns conspiracy theories after woman at scene falls ill” (Jan. 25, TribLIVE): The recent truck crash in Pennsylvania, which sadly resulted in the deaths of three research monkeys, has naturally received widespread media attention. It’s also unsurprising those opposed to animal research —...
Tom Purcell: Thin Mints should be our next government ban
The federal government should ban them. Girl Scout cookie season is upon us, my friends — the most agonizing of all the seasons. Dieters with ever-worsening health like me who need to lose weight are always at the mercy of those devilish treats — as Thin Mints clearly are as...
Bernie O’Neill and Eugene DePasquale: Legislative action on charter reform is long overdue
Our roles as former elected officials from both of the major political parties have given us unique perspectives into not only Pennsylvania’s political process, but also its public education system, particularly charter schools. Charter schools in the state have grown tremendously in the 24-plus years in which they have existed....
Letter to the editor: Unemployment mess
What is going on with the unemployment mess? People are waiting months and months for their unemployment, and nothing is coming. Some call their congressmen, and they promise to look into the mess, and still nothing is happening. Some people are told that someone has stolen their identify, but it...
Letter to the editor: Democrats’ Ponzi schemes
According to letter-writer Kenneth Powell, the Democrats gave me Social Security and Medicare (“Most of our benefits come from Democratic leaders,” Jan. 19, TribLIVE). I say the Democrats gave me nothing but Ponzi schemes that will soon run out of money without a rescue plan. I paid into Social Security...
Letter to the editor: Too many men ‘don’t get it’
Andrew Yang has started a new third political party, the Forward Party. He sent me an email titled “American Men,” in which he cites many statistics and studies that convince me that boys and men have indeed fallen behind girls and women in many ways. He writes “I’ve long felt...
Editorial: Nursing shortage can use rescue plan funds
A shortage of nursing care is the kind of problem everyone can notice and everyone agrees needs to be addressed. It’s not, however, the kind of thing where the answer is readily apparent. See a fire, grab a hose. The solution is literally as simple as water. But the nursing...
Letter to the editor: Allegheny County’s discredited newcomer tax scheme
“I’m from Allegheny County government, and you can trust me.” This is what we expect when we pay our property taxes. The Pennsylvania Constitution mandates uniformity in the way tax bills are divvied out. Assessed values haven’t changed in 10 years. County leaders say they could remain frozen for another...
Letter to the editor: Republicans have their own version of ‘cancel culture’
Why is it that Republicans scream “cancel culture,” but the minute they don’t agree with something, that something needs to be silenced? Letter-writers Lou Hoetzlein (“S.E. Cupp not credible,” Jan. 21, TribLIVE) and Frances Olyarnik (“Why run S.E. Cupp’s bitter diatribes,” Dec. 20, TribLIVE) don’t agree with columnist S. E....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Jan. 31
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Jan. 31....
Editorial cartoons for the week of Jan. 31
Editorial cartoons for the week of Jan. 31....
Mona Charen: Everybody’s getting CRT wrong — except most Americans
In 2020, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., included so-called whiteness traits in its “Talking About Race” online portal. The museum advised that traits like “hard work” and “objective thinking” were vestiges of “whiteness.” When this created a stir, the museum (which is fantastic, by the way) removed the online...
