Opinion category, Page 431
Diana Steck, Michael Pardus and Bob Mason: Westmoreland County needs a people’s American Rescue Plan
The historic American Rescue Plan passed because working people of all races stood up, turned out and demanded a government that works for all of us. By the end of January, Westmoreland County commissioners have to finalize a plan to use the first portion of the $100 million the county...
Letter to the editor: Wilkinsburg residents should vote on annexation
Residents of Wilkinsburg, Allegheny County officials, state officials, local foundations and others have worked for years to make Wilkinsburg a thriving place to live and work. But the borough continues to lose population and businesses. And blight continues to increase. It is clear that even with outside help, the borough...
Letter to the editor: Heed words of religious leaders on vaccines
To those who cite religious objections to vaccination for covid, I suggest that they consider the words of two well-known religious leaders, Martin Luther and Pope Francis. “It is even more shameful for a person to pay no heed to his own body and to fail to protect it gainst...
Editorial: Brainstorming winter storm plowing
There aren’t quite enough people to plow the roads this winter. That’s a problem that was identified last year. In November, PennDOT reported it still had hundreds of temporary positions, plus plenty of regular full-time jobs, that needed to be filled to get through the winter. On top of that,...
Letter to the editor: Omicron? We all saw it coming.
“Nobody saw it coming.” That was President Biden’s response when asked about the omicron covid-19 surge. “Who saw it coming?” he asked, staring incredulously. Well, Joe, you did. Your administration did. We’ve heard it for years now: If left unchecked, the virus will mutate, creating variants that could be more...
Letter to the editor: Get vaccinated to help health care workers
My colleagues who are primarily responsible for the care or the most serious covid-19 patients in the ICU are burning out and need help from the community. It is very disturbing and stressful to see people who are on ventilators and dying every day who, if vaccinated, would not be...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Look to Smedley Butler, American patriot
Smedley Butler is not a name most Americans recognize. But if you were in the United States Marine Corps, you heard his name plenty. Maj. Gen. Butler, sometimes called “The Fighting Quaker,” joined the Marines at age 17 to fight in the Spanish- American War. Butler fought in wars around the...
Sounding off: Penn State rewards mediocrity
Penn State rewards mediocrity, giving football coach James Franklin, a 10-year, $75 million contract. Here is a resume of his accomplishments: One Big Ten title, and that was 2016, when he had the best running back in the country; 2 wins, 13 losses against top 10 opponents; defeated Ohio State...
Richard Kauzlarich: U.S. natural gas critical to strengthening America’s national security
In recent months, European gas prices have risen as much as 700%, leaving millions of citizens vulnerable to a dangerously unstable grid and burdened with high electricity costs heading into this winter. Disruptions from this energy crisis have been felt by households and many industries that rely on affordable power...
Sanford Goldberg: The real moral reckoning in Ghislaine Maxwell case
In the past few years, several high-profile cases of sexual abuse in the U.S. — Jeffrey Epstein, Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby and R. Kelly — have prompted serious soul-searching. How could abuses like these have persisted for so long, given the number of people who had to have known what...
Mark Hendrickson: When humans don’t procreate
Two years ago, I wrote about the pending global population implosion. Demographers predict that 90 countries will lose population between now and the year 2100. Shrinking populations have portentous implications, including major shifts in geopolitical power and the possible financial collapse of welfare states. The United States’ population is part...
Letter to the editor: Military discount policy doesn’t work for all vets
The heavily reported new Home Depot “veteran discount” policy actually excludes veterans from using the discount, rather than making it easier to use. Online registration for the discount is fairly easy, at home, on a computer. But trying to use the discount at the store is not possible for veterans...
Letter to the editor: Concerned about well blowouts in Penn Township
My wife, Marcia, and I live just 0.45 miles from the Apex Energy Drakulic multi unconventional gas-well pad in Penn Township (“Activists continue to protest gas wells in Penn Township,” Oct. 21, TribLIVE). One of our biggest concerns is a well blowout like the one in Belmont County, Ohio, in...
Editorial: Watch the spending, DA Ziccarelli
When you run for office, it’s all about selling yourself to the voters. You are the product, and the price is a ballot. But after you win, the job becomes only partially marketing. The rest of the time is spent doing the mundane work of the office you have taken:...
Letter to the editor: Bringing down out-of-control prescription drug prices
The op-ed “AARP’s drug pricing conflict of interest” (Jan. 1, TribLIVE) reads like all the other opinions that Big Pharma and its enablers recycle. If anyone has a conflict, it is astroturf groups like Patients Rising, claiming to speak for patients but cozying up to Big Pharma. For decades, millions...
S.E. Cupp: The new right wants division, cruelty, ratings
Edmund Burke. Russell Kirk. And … Jesse Watters? One of the hosts of Fox’s “The Five,” Watters said the quiet part out loud Monday evening, when discussing President Biden’s agenda and pushback he’s getting from progressives in his party. “(D)o I feel sorry for Joe Biden? No. I work at...
John Stossel: Andrew Yang’s Forward Party
Independents are now America’s largest group of voters. After George Bush’s presidency, fewer people called themselves Republicans. After Obama’s, fewer called themselves Democrats. How will these independents vote? Andrew Yang hopes they’ll vote for him. In my latest video, the former Democrat explains why he’s started a new party, the...
Letter to the editor: Why hasn’t synagogue shooting suspect gone to trial?
A white supremacist in California murdered worshippers at a Passover service in a Southern California synagogue in 2019. Both federal and state trials were held, and the accused was found guilty and sentenced to life sentences. Those who defended this individual reported he was influenced by the killings at the...
Letter to the editor: Time for Biden to go
For President Biden: If you were accused of being an American citizen with a profound belief in our Constitution and Declaration of Independence, would there be enough evidence to convict you? Three (among many) items are noteworthy: 1. Actions in accord with the sanctity of life. 2. Responsibility for our...
Letter to the editor: Scanlon a conservative after carjacking?
Regarding the article “U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon carjacked in Philadelphia park, uninjured” (Dec. 22, TribLIVE): The best way to turn a liberal into a conservative. Clem Zahrobsky Delmont...
Lori Falce: The worst Christmas present ever
In early December, I got an early surprise. It wasn’t a holiday card or a Christmas present or a plate of cookies. It was a lease renewal — with a 20% rent increase. Was this because I got a 200-pound Mastiff or decided to keep exotic snakes in my spare...
Letter to the editor: Attacks on Shapiro demonstrate right-wing fear
I despise negative campaigning, and it started a year before the critical Pennsylvania gubernatorial election. I already have received by mail multiple hit pieces that attack the presumed Democratic nominee, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro. They emanate from Commonwealth Partners of Harrisburg, an association of radical right-wing entrepreneurs. The group...
Paul Kengor: Covid and conscience
Covid vax mandates continue to head to the Supreme Court. Currently, the court is reviewing the Biden OSHA mandate seeking to forcibly vaccinate Americans who work for organizations with more than 100 employees. Recently, the court declined to stop a state vax mandate for health care workers invoking religious objections....
Laurels & lances: Hospital, classrooms and a diner
Laurel: To being proactive. As covid-19 numbers in Southwestern Pennsylvania swell with the spread of the omicron variant, UPMC Children’s is taking steps to address the impact on a growing demographic. The variant is contributing to rising cases among pediatric populations. UPMC Children’s already had one unit dedicated to coronavirus...
Letter to the editor: Carbon taxes won’t hurt consumers
Letter-writer Ralph Dunsworth (“Carbon emissions tax will hurt consumers”) is concerned about the cost of carbon taxes to consumers. No need to be. For example, House Resolution 2307 puts an “atmospheric dumping fee” on carbon emitters, but all fees are rebated to consumers. As such, 85% of Americans receive as...
