Opinion category, Page 461
Sounding off: Money’s worth on the turnpike
The Turnpike Commission is laughing itself all the way to the bank! The diversion of E-ZPass and Toll by Plate has allowed the commission to drastically increase tolls while keeping the public ignorant of those increases. Turnpike usage is geared toward the commuter and not the occasional user who must...
Letter to the editor: GOP’s invasion of privacy is dangerous
The citizens of Pennsylvania are entitled to have their private records kept private. What the Senate GOP is asking for, they have no right to without our giving permission (“Pa. Senate GOP moves to collect private voter information in controversial review of 2020 election,” Sept. 15, TribLIVE). To give such...
Letter to the editor: Covid is coming over the border
President Biden has been in the news daily putting pressure on us citizens to get vaccinated. I am vaccinated and am not against the vaccine. What upsets me about his comments is that he wants to put the reason for upswing in covid on people who are not vaccinated. I...
Editorial: Ousting airport authority members was vindictive move
What would Arnold Palmer think? The question must be on the minds of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority members and those who knew the Latrobe-born professional golfer, after county commissioners removed Donald “Doc” Giffin and authority Chairman Paul Puleo from the board. The county airport is named for Palmer, the...
Letter to the editor: Carbon fee, dividend is wealth redistribution scheme
The carbon fee and dividend process (the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act) supported by Citizens’ Climate Lobby is advertised as a revenue-neutral means of reducing U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from fossil-fuel combustion. This plan is little more than a wealth redistribution scheme masquerading as a cure for the “climate...
S.E. Cupp: Kids need social media guidance, not more options
Imagine if the tobacco companies, given everything we know about the dangers of smoking, announced they were making cigarettes especially designed for kids aged 10-12. Then, imagine they said they were doing it because they believed their cigarettes were actually good for kids, that “developing age-appropriate experiences designed specifically for...
Letter to the editor: Biden needs to get serious about our real issues
We have had epidemics before, and we are going to have them again. We have made a terrible mess out of the way we have handled this one. We can’t afford to do this again. It seems all that President Biden wants to talk about is covid, and doesn’t want...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: It’s easy to see why they consider books dangerous
Here’s what happened when Ruby Bridges went to school in 1960. Four federal marshals escorted her. She walked through a mob of outraged white people. They called her names. They threatened to poison her. And to lynch her. They held up a small casket with a black doll inside. One...
Sheldon Jacobson: Covid-19 booster shot chaos
The covid-19 booster shot debate is now in full gear. Ongoing review, analysis and discussions involving the FDA, the CDC and the White House are bringing more chaos into a public health environment that needs calm and consistency, not confusion. As the delta surge continues in certain areas, many of...
Letter to the editor: Audit’s goal is to maintain election integrity
I want to reply to the mischaracterization in the letter “GOP should focus on important issues, not jeopardize voters.” The point of the audit is not to overturn the election, but to evaluate areas of potential problems related to who is eligible to vote. I personally witnessed evidence of voter...
Letter to the editor: PSEA celebrates Latinx, Hispanic communities
From Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, we celebrate the rich and diverse community of Latinx and Hispanic people whose contributions have helped shape U.S. culture and society. This celebration is designed to coincide with the independence day celebrations of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua (Sept. 15, 1821),...
Lori Falce: How multilevel marketing ‘parties’ have destroyed real parties
I have 839 Facebook friends and a disproportionate number of them are women. Some are my mom’s age — friends from places I worked 20 years ago or retired teachers from high school. Some are my contemporaries like classmates or fellow baking enthusiasts or girls from my moms’ group. There...
Letter to the editor: The 7 stages of covid
I would like to educate Monica Green, who spoke at the Sept. 21 Greater Latrobe School Board meeting (“Solicitor advises Greater Latrobe School Board to honor mask mandate as protests continue”). According to the article, Green said she believes exposure to the covid-19 virus is the best option for her...
Paul Kengor: Conor Lamb and Pa.’s political ‘moderates’
I watched last Friday to see how Rep. Conor Lamb would vote on a bill that the bishops of his church called “the most radical abortion bill of all time.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s bishop described the Women’s Health Protection Act as “nothing short of child sacrifice.” But given how...
Laurels & lances: Culture, Kody, court and carrying
Laurel: To preserving culture. The 42nd annual powwow held last weekend in Indiana Township by the Council of Three Rivers American Indian Center was an opportunity to share and appreciate native cultures. “We’re getting together to greet, meet and have fun and respect each other’s way of life,” said Russell...
Jonah Goldberg: Verbosity isn’t Biden’s problem — misreading the room is
If you’ve spent any time in Washington, you’ve heard stories about Joe Biden’s loquaciousness. Asked to give brief remarks, he’d famously meander for 30, 40 or more minutes about whatever came into his mind. But his verbosity is a symptom of his larger problem: a lack of situational awareness. After...
Colin McNickle: The PIT problem
Past likely being prologue for Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT), a billion-dollar-plus reconfiguration of the Findlay Township facility’s landside terminal could be a very expensive failure, concludes an analysis by the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy. “Given recent history, and travel that has been negatively affected by the pandemic,...
Letter to the editor: Ignoring history on Afghanistan
Dear Eileen Condie (“How can anyone praise Afghanistan withdrawal?”) and all other letter-writers who contribute to the Trib Opinion page: I find it hard to believe that you all ignore the proven history that has brought this country to where we are today — finally ending what was started with...
Letter to the editor: Mask mandates political tool
It’s apparent that the mask mandates have served their purpose. The Sept. 18 edition headlines “Mask mandate questioned by some Kiski Area parents” is placed on the front page, above the fold, while “Pentagon: Kabul drone strike ‘tragic mistake’ ” rests comfortably on the second page, below the fold. The U.S....
Editorial: State reps should endorse recess
Everyone deserves a break. Get up. Stretch your legs. Take a walk around the building or the block. Turn away from your work, breathe deep and think about something else for a minute. The job will still be there when you are done and maybe you can come back to...
Letter to the editor: Commissioners should use ARP funds to help long covid victims
Westmoreland County will receive $105 million from the American Rescue Plan that commissioners plan to spend on human service programs. I know firsthand the multi-discipline health care and mental health resources required for post-viral illnesses, since I have suffered 25 years with a disease known as ME/CFS. I urge the...
Dr. Joseph C. Maroon: Dr. Freddie Fu, visionary
In the fall of 1990, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Chuck Noll was informed that because of a concussion, his starting quarterback, Bubby Brister, should not play that week in an upcoming game against the Dallas Cowboys. Since Bubby appeared perfectly normal, Coach Noll forcefully challenged the decision and announced he wanted...
Lynne Wright: New bill would help dialysis patients
While I’ve never been diagnosed with it myself, kidney disease has touched just about every facet of my life. At home and at work, I’ve experienced firsthand just how much it can change a person’s life. From the treatments and waiting for a transplant, to the overwhelming financial challenges that...
Letter to the editor: Will workers be replaced by immigrants?
Regarding the article “Western Pa. business owners lament: Where have all the workers gone?” (Sept. 4, TribLIVE): They will be replaced by all those illegals coming across the southern border. They will take the jobs American citizens will not take, and these citizens will be put on welfare by the...
Letter to the editor: Why won’t we prevent more American deaths?
On Sept. 11, 2001, 2,996 Americans died in the terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Somerset County . Patriotic Americans went to war, willing to sacrifice their time and money, even their blood, to ensure that this never happens again. In the week leading up to Sept....
