Opinion category, Page 489
Jonah Goldberg: Biden needs a do-over
In 2020, it was widely reported that Joe Biden wanted to be a “transitional” president. At a campaign event in Detroit, appearing with several younger, more progressive Democratic politicians, he seemed to endorse this idea. “Look, I view myself as a bridge, not as anything else,” Biden said. “There’s an...
Letter to the editor: U.S.-Russia nuclear weapons freeze critical
I don’t know if nuclear first strike capability is possible. We need to determine whether an arms race with Russia could lead to our annihilation, and if so, we need to have both countries agree to a freeze on new nuclear weapons. There should of course be immediate inspection of...
Letter to the editor: Trib is fair and balanced
Howard L. McHenry’s letter “Are you a political fool?” (June 5, TribLIVE) awakened the need for a letter that I have been meaning to write for some time. McHenry seems to insinuate that the Associated Press (AP) coverage as presented in the Tribune-Review is somehow not to be trusted, and...
Letter to the editor: Big business should pay fair share
The writer of the letter “We don’t deserve the wealthy’s money” (April 11, TribLIVE) asked, “Why do we deserve their money?” and stated that “we do not.” Excuse me — do these wealthy leeches not profit from the roads, railroads, schools and other forms of infrastructure which they use to...
Laurels & lances: Opening early, taking too long
Laurel: To exceeding expectations. Remember last week when we gave a lance to the crash on the Tarentum Bridge? The one that happened right there in the middle of the construction project that was already complicating everyone’s commuting? It was going to delay reopening of the bridge amid the $3.24...
Lori Falce: Court puts colleges before students
It can be hard to feel bad for a college athlete. You look at what many are being given. Full-ride scholarships and world-class training facilities. Training table meals and a staff of people to keep them healthy. Tutors to keep their grades up and, hey, if you go to the...
Pastor Lance Rhoades: McKinsey opioid settlement isn’t enough for Pennsylvanians
Few states have been hit as hard by the massive epidemic of opioid use disorder as Pennsylvania. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have died over the last few years from substance use disorder of opioids, many that began through legal prescriptions. Countless more families have been torn apart as they...
Letter to the editor: Cocktails-to-go no solution for Pa. economy
Pennsylvania Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward has called the recent bill that would approve the sale of alcoholic mixed drinks “to go” a step toward normalcy that could “jump-start the economy” (“Pa. Senate passes bill to legalize cocktails-to-go, sends to House with modifications,” June 17, TribLIVE). LOL! Surely you jest,...
Letter to the editor: Biden must fix border to save lives
I realize there are many problems for President Biden to resolve, but I believe one important duty is being forgotten or ignored: the duty to protect the people and provide security and safety for all Americans. Biden announced at the G-7 Summit that the United States will be donating coronavirus...
Letter to the editor: Sen. Kim Ward should side with the wounded, vulnerable
Some Catholic bishops claim they worry about the president’s soul if he keeps taking Communion despite disagreeing with their views on abortion. Here’s a suggestion: How about focusing less on the soul of America’s most powerful adult and more on the safety of America’s largest powerless children, who remain vulnerable...
Editorial: Remove the mystery around Westmoreland elections bureau
The position of Westmoreland County Elections Bureau Director is up for grabs again. Officially now. It’s been almost three weeks since JoAnn Sebastiani was suspended with pay on June 8. Since then, the county commissioners have done little but confirm her absence while remaining tight-lipped on the reasoning. Until Tuesday,...
Colin McNickle: Port Authority must reorder its disorderly fiscal house
The Port Authority of Allegheny County could find itself between a rock and hard place given its rising budget, higher employee count, still-flagging ridership but higher fares and uncertain future funding, concludes an analysis by the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy. “(T)the egregiously high costs at (the Port Authority) …...
Jonah Goldberg: Infrastructure battle bodes well for our politics
The ongoing infrastructure drama in Washington is a perfect illustration of how, when dysfunction becomes normal, normal politics looks dysfunctional. Let’s set the context. For most of U.S. history, major legislation worked its way up the committee system in Congress. Deal-making, logrolling and agenda-setting would get hammered out over months...
Letter to the editor: Manchin makes fools of Republicans
How does Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin keep making fools of the GOP? They haven’t realized by now he is never going to vote against whatever the Democrats put out there. And yet time and time again the GOP think he is going to do the right thing. Nada. John Newhouse...
Letter to the editor: The audacity of Coke
I question the motives of Coca-Cola and other Atlanta-based companies boycotting the MLB All-Star Game and forcing the game’s move to Denver. Many Atlanta restaurant, hotel and stadium workers, many minorities, will not have the advantage of baseball fans nationwide coming to town. This only to protest honest voting measures...
Editorial: Some drug laws catch wrong targets
The world of illegal substances can create webs of other social or legal problems — child or domestic abuse, theft, assault, death. Those problems then have to be handled by the government, which can mean new laws being written or old ones being tweaked. Yet government involvement almost always means...
Letter to the editor: Radiologist assistants key to effective care
Having worked in health care for nearly 30 years, I am passionate about ensuring timely access to quality care for patients. Unfortunately, even before the covid-19 pandemic, there was a shortage of radiologists in Pennsylvania and across the U.S. Thus, our seniors, especially those in rural areas, already were facing...
Pat Buchanan: The return of ‘Law and Order’ in New York
Last week, Brooklyn Borough President and former police captain Eric Adams took the lead in the New York mayoral race with 32% of the Democratic primary vote, 10 points more than progressive Maya Wiley, who had the endorsement of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Adams’ anti-crime and pro-cop campaign carried four of...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: No mystery why conservatives find education dangerous
I owe a lot to Gary Mahoney. He was the campus conservative back in the middle ’70s, when I was a student at the University of Southern California, and we went at it hammer and tongs a few times on the opinion pages of the Daily Trojan. I no longer...
Ronald Linden: Changing the rules — in life as in baseball
The Little League World series began in Pennsylvania in 1947 and for most of the next 20 years, American teams won. Then, as baseball grew in popularity in other parts of the world, Asian teams began to take the championship. Teams from Taiwan and Japan took all but one title...
Letter to the editor: Liberals’ class envy will cost Americans dearly
I have never understood class envy. I think most liberals are guilty of this behavior. It is vindictive, punishing people who take risks and succeed. Also, it is very expensive. Rich people will pay more but they will pass their increased expenses on to their customers. No one wins. In...
Letter to the editor: Youngwood mine fields
If any of you unlucky people either live or drive through the small town of Youngwood, I’m sure you’ve noticed that the roads are like minefields. They say it’s to make improvements to all the underground systems and the roads themselves. I don’t know who the genius is who decided...
Editorial: The Steelers and Saint Vincent belong together
The coronavirus pandemic isn’t done with the economic gut punches yet. As more and more people have been vaccinated, the covid-19 precautions have been slowly rolled back. On Monday, Pennsylvania’s mask mandate was lifted. That means the state isn’t requiring the unvaccinated to wear masks in public places anymore. Individual...
Letter to the editor: Voter fraud ‘what-ifs’
Regarding “Pa. GOP proposes major election overhaul, including stricter voter ID and in-person early voting” (June 10, TribLIVE): What if someone goes to rest homes and other elderly people to harvest ballots? What is the advantage for a ballot harvester? Does he just get the voter to sign the ballot?...
Tom Purcell: Civics lesson for the Fourth
You become an American citizen by being born in the USA or you can become one by getting “naturalized.” Becoming naturalized is a heck of a lot harder. It not only means having to meet all the legal and residency requirements Congress has established, it means passing a U.S. civics...
