Opinion category, Page 447
Mark Kempic: Help is available for those struggling to stay warm
Autumn’s chill air means that winter is quickly approaching, and with it, colder temperatures increase our reliance on natural gas to stay safe and warm in our homes. Each year though, many Pennsylvanians struggle financially with heating bills during the winter months, and utility providers like Columbia Gas work to...
Letter to the editor: Capitalism or socialism
A quote from Winston Churchill: “The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings. The inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.” When and where has socialism ever been successful? The dependency of U.S. citizens on their government is not what we want or need....
Letter to the editor: Why didn’t Gov. Wolf drop off his own ballot?
Why did Gov. Tom Wolf have his wife mail in his ballot (“Gov. Wolf describes having wife drop off ballot as honest mistake,” Nov. 5, TribLIVE)? I think it was to show us how easy it is to have other people vote for other people and get away with it....
Letter to the editor: Why didn’t Bob Brooks pay for parade permit?
Regarding the article ”PennDOT policy change adds cost to Lower Burrell VFW’s Veterans Day parade” (Oct. 26, TribLIVE), about PennDOT charging to close a street for the annual parade: What disgusts me is the fact that Rep. Bob Brooks is listed as a parade participant. I asked myself, why doesn’t...
Editorial: Police position vacancies more than a Freeport problem
The people of Freeport are supposed to have police protection. The borough has a police department, and council has approved funding of positions to operate it. It had people in those jobs for years, patrolling the streets and answering calls in the community of 1,813 people in Armstrong County along...
Letter to the editor: Social media users, not owners, hold responsibility
A chat with Lori Falce: Wow! That piece you wrote attacking Mark Zuckerberg was pathetic (“A very meta chat with Mark Zuckerberg,” Oct. 28, TribLIVE). That copy space could have been utilized so much better. I’d rather read a year’s worth of Joseph Sabino Mistick (not) than an editor’s high-horse,...
Letter to the editor: Party overcomes message in election
In the recent Gateway School Board election, I received more votes in person then all other candidates but could not overcome the mail-in ballots (behind by almost 1,100 votes before the in-person votes were counted) and lost by 47 votes. Only 32% of registered individuals voted. To overcome mail-in ballots,...
Letter to the editor: Traffic signal upgrades in Greensburg make no sense
PennDOT’s new $3 million signaling upgrades through downtown Greensburg are quite frankly unacceptable. How can traffic engineers overlook turning signals at Westmoreland, Highland and Urania avenues? These busy intersections have had established turning lanes for decades without proper signaling. PennDOT finally has the funding to correct this issue and they...
Tom Purcell: Give thanks for our blessings, big and small
Because life is mostly made up of little experiences, occasionally interrupted by big events, it’s easy to take the little things for granted. But Shutterfly, the photography and image-sharing company, offers a list of 100 things, large and small, that we ought to single out for our gratitude this Thanksgiving....
Turahn Jenkins and Robert Perkins: Addressing racism in Allegheny County courts
According to a recent TV news story, a meeting of Allegheny County judges this month “erupted in protest” over the draft of a new court mission statement proposed by President Judge Kim Berkeley Clark. The disputed portion of the statement proclaims that “We are committed to being fair and consistent,...
Leslie Poston and Sara Goodkind: It’s time for UPMC to do more than fly banners for our health care heroes
Around the country and across industries, workers are standing up to demand fair pay and treatment. The worker shortage — called “The Great Resignation” — is particularly acute in health care, where the staffing crisis has left many concerned for worker and patient safety. Essential care workers are being pushed...
Letter to the editor: Let’s have BLM testify about violence, too
Let’s have President Trump testify in regard to his involvement with inciting violence at the Capitol. However, let’s also have the leaders of Black Lives Matter testify in regard to their involvement with promoting violence leading up to the 2020 presidential election. Russell Dejulio Mt. Lebanon...
Letter to the editor: Following science saves lives
Just a story. My daughter-in-law told me that her best friend’s sister recently died from covid but not before she infected her husband and grandchildren. She was not vaccinated. Nor her husband. She and her husband believed covid was a hoax and they had the freedom to choose. They did...
Editorial: Toll bridges could cost municipalities
Bridges need to be repaired so that people can continue to use them. That doesn’t seem to be a hard idea to process. The bridges were built for a reason. They need to be used to get from one place to another by going over something else. Sometimes they cross...
Letter to the editor: Westmoreland Democrats need new leadership
Another election and another “shellacking” for Westmoreland Democrats. This time they managed to lose all countywide elections as well as most school board seats and local municipal seats. The last three chairwomen have pushed a social agenda alienating the voters in this county. It’s time this party refocuses on the...
Letter to the editor: Thank educators during American Education Week
With American Education Week upon us, I want to take a moment to recognize everyone who makes Pennsylvania’s public schools terrific. That includes the educators and support professionals in our schools as well as the parents, guardians and community leaders who partner with them. When it comes to educating the...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Nov. 15
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Nov. 15....
Editorial cartoons for the week of Nov. 15
Editorial cartoons for the week of Nov. 15....
Mona Charen: Welcome to the Daddy Wars
After what seems like 150 years of “Mommy Wars” in America, we haven’t solved anything. So we’re applying what we haven’t learned to a new front: We’re adding men to the fray. Welcome to the Daddy Wars! When it was revealed that Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was taking four weeks...
Colin McNickle: PASSHE must do more to reform itself
Even though efforts have begun in earnest to right-size the struggling Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE), enrollment continues to decline. And even more fundamental reforms must be undertaken for it to survive, concludes a new analysis by the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy. “The time has come to...
Letter to the editor: Union protects community
I appreciated the article, “Pandemic bonuses approved for Westmoreland Manor staff” (Oct. 21, TribLIVE), reporting on workers finally receiving pandemic pay to improve bedside care for residents, reduce short-staffing and retain our overwhelmed workforce during the covid-19 pandemic. But what many readers don’t know is that our fellow nursing home...
Letter to the editor: Biden racking up dismal record
Numerous times, candidate Joe Biden stated that because of his long tenure in the Senate, he would be most uniquely qualified as president to reach across the aisle with his agenda, bring Republicans to the table and get bipartisan legislation passed that would unify the country and benefit all Americans....
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Max Cleland, American hero
When Max Cleland died last week in Atlanta, America lost a hero, in this case a man who also left a blueprint for how to live a life of service. Cleland was a U.S. senator, Veterans Affairs administrator, state senator and Georgia secretary of state. And he was a constant...
Letter to the editor: Bring on the election investigations
Republicans “won” many seats in this election. Every row office in Westmoreland County is now in Republican hands, as is the governorship of Virginia. So I’m sure that they will do the responsible thing and investigate the obvious election fraud and conduct responsible audits of the voter rolls. After all,...
Editorial: Mask appeal is latest political power play
On Monday, Gov. Tom Wolf announced that Pennsylvania schools could set their own mask policies as of Jan. 17, opening the door for districts where parents have bristled under the state requirement to ease or eliminate the demand that students, staff and visitors mask up in the face of the...
