Opinion category, Page 425
Letter to the editor: Polarization has replaced unity
I was touring Ireland when foreign terrorists attacked the U.S. on 9/11. So it wasn’t until I returned three weeks later that I really began understanding that event. I recall how proud I was seeing the waving flags and sense of national unity I returned home to. But no more....
Laurels & lances: Partners, verdicts and a voice
Laurel: To assembling assistance. Chris O’Donnell is the state humane officer for Armstrong County. That means she has more than enough on her plate trying to handle cases of abused or neglected animals. But some cases are bigger and more challenging than others — like the St. Patrick’s Day 2021...
Rep. Emily Kinkead: As governor, Shapiro will protect our democracy
Attacks on our democracy are only getting worse, and our next governor must be committed to defending our democracy and protecting our right to vote. On Jan. 5, 2021, I was sworn into my first term in office. It was an awe-inspiring day that I was able to share with...
John Sparks: Supreme Court renders mixed decisions on vaccine mandates
The U. S. Supreme Court has rejected President Joe Biden’s OSHA vaccination overreach for private sector employees, but has upheld the Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services (CMS) mandate for healthcare workers. The decisions are important for their immediate effects. The OSHA-related opinion, NFIB v. Department of Labor, bars the president, through...
Joshua Windham and Daryl James: Get Pa. agents off private land
Hunter Jon Mikesell and his friends thought they were alone when they reserved a clubhouse on private land in rural Pennsylvania for a Fourth of July retreat. But somebody was watching them the whole time. A man dressed in camouflage tracked the group’s activities from a hidden spot in the...
Letter to the editor: Other forms of indoctrination in schools
Reagarding Cheri Blum’s letter “Indoctrination in schools”: If schools aren’t supposed to be used for indoctrination, why do students say the Pledge of Allegiance? And why do Catholics have their own schools? Kris Weinschenker Unity...
Letter to the editor: Volunteers seem to care more than commissioners
Westmoreland County residents should thank Diana Steck, Bob Mason and Michael Pardus for their leadership and advocacy around the American Rescue Plan funds ("Westmoreland County needs a people’s American Rescue Plan," Jan. 9, TribLIVE). For almost a year, these three concerned citizens, alongside the many volunteers at Voice of Westmoreland,...
Editorial: Rallying around missing monkeys and a curious canine
Monkeys on the loose during a pandemic? It was a little too perfect — too deliciously ironic. When the news broke about the Friday crash near Danville, it seemed like just the latest in the never-ending series of jokes about the new and different variety of apocalypses on the horizon....
Letter to the editor: Vaxxed and unvaxxed divisions
We are at a tipping point in this country. Around the world, countries are locking in the unvaccinated and forcing vaccinations on citizens, with some putting the unvaccinated or those with covid in “quarantine camps” for their, and society’s, safety. Here in the United States, we are being divided into...
John Stossel: San Francisco, Sick City
San Francisco’s liberal mayor declared a “state of emergency” to try to deal with the city’s “nasty streets.” How did it get so bad? Journalist Michael Shellenberger’s new book, “San Fransicko,” argues that it happened because of progressive ideas. “The town I love is sick,” says Shellenberger. He came to...
Derrick Smith: Pa. is hurting. Where is Sen. Toomey?
I voted for Sen. Pat Toomey back in 2010 because he seemed like he wanted to look out for working people like me. He didn’t seem afraid of going against his party and working across the aisle to help working Americans. It’s the same reason that I proudly voted for...
John Wasik: Bad news — you’re in debt. Worse news — you’re in phony debt.
The email from “Norton Protection” said I owed $999.99, which was “charged successfully and it will appear on your bank statement in 24 to 48 hours.” Although I have an account with a leading cybersecurity company, I’ve never paid that much for its products. To “cancel” the charge, I was...
Letter to the editor: Look to help life on earth, not find it in space
Instead of looking through a telescope for life somewhere else, look through the body to find a cure for arthritis and cancer. Bobby Rowe Arnold...
Letter to the editor: MINDS Act will prioritize mental health
Mental health awareness has been on the rise in recent years, especially with the added pressures covid-19 has supplied. We’ve come a long way as a society creating a space for those suffering from mental health issues, of any capacity, and creating a supportive and resourceful community. However, there is...
Letter to the editor: Celebrate farmers by taking climate action
The recent Pennsylvania Farm Show celebrated Pennsylvania farmers with a 1-ton butter sculpture. Unfortunately, climate change is poised to impact our state’s dairy and agriculture industry. Average annual temperatures in Pennsylvania have risen roughly 0.5 F (0.3 C) over the last century. Climate change causes an increase in the number...
Editorial: Just draw the redistricting maps already
Pennsylvania is less than four months away from the 2022 primary. The ballots will include one U.S. Senate seat. Right now, that is the only legislative position that isn’t in dispute about who it will represent because it represents every Pennsylvanian. But when it comes to the rest — the...
Letter to the editor: Commissioners must help most vulnerable
Many Westmoreland County families have suffered job loss, reduced hours, covid infection and loss of loved ones over the past two years. The America Rescue Plan (ARP) allocates over $1 million to help relieve countywide covid- related traumas. County Commissioners Sean Kertes, Gina Cerilli Thrasher and Doug Chew have a moral...
Letter to the editor: Making Pittsburgh more accessible
Regarding the article “Pittsburgh looks to make city more accessible for people with disabilities”: As a full-time wheelchair user and student at the University of Pittsburgh, I unfortunately have experienced many accessibility issues in Pittsburgh. Reexamining policies and programs in place for those with disabilities would be extremely beneficial. In...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: GOP has zero interest in bipartisanship
It took Barack Obama four years to figure it out. The 44th president was into his second term before some psychic switch seemed to click and he finally realized what had long been obvious to everyone else. Namely, that the Republican Party had zero interest in bipartisanship and, for that...
Jonah Goldberg: Joe Biden could learn a lot from Bill Clinton
“You and my husband think so similarly when it comes to politics,” Hillary Clinton once told Joe Biden. “You guys were almost separated at birth.” It’s interesting to think about how Biden’s first year as president would have gone differently if this were in fact true. The easiest way to...
Nathan Benefield: Pa.’s out-of-control spending is driving away residents
Gov. Tom Wolf recently declared 2022 a “magical year” for the Pennsylvania budget, citing the possibility of a surplus. However, Pennsylvania’s Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) predicts this “magic” will not last long. The IFO’s latest Five Year Budget Outlook projects that the state will return to a deficit by fiscal...
Cal Thomas: McConnell deconstructs Biden
The art of deconstructing an argument by refutation and holding a person accountable for previous statements that the person now contradicts was once an honored tradition. It has now mostly gone the way of other traditions in favor of sound bite statements formulated in political party meetings and used to...
Letter to the editor: Indoctrination in schools
Regarding the article “Norwin school board member wants to bar CNN news show for students” (Jan. 12, TribLIVE): Schools are for teaching, not for indoctrinating. Cheri Blum Canonsburg...
Letter to the editor: Dealing with public health emergencies
We are faced with allowing the executive branch full powers to deal with public health emergencies. Before you decide if you agree with that, consider two things. First, covid-19 is not the flu. It has already killed nearly 1 million Americans. Perhaps half of those hospitalized suffer serious, long-term health...
Letter to the editor: Trump should be ashamed
In every ward, precinct and voting district throughout the United States, there is a judge of elections who certifies the votes after both Democrats and Republicans count the votes. Likewise, at the county and state levels, both parties count the votes with poll watchers overseeing the process. It’s very difficult...
