Opinion category, Page 491
John Stossel: Capitalism makes us better off
Last week, I debunked three myths about capitalism. Here are four more: Myth No. 4: Capitalism creates unsafe workspaces. “Greedy capitalists” will risk workers’ lives to increase production if government, through agencies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), doesn’t stop that. It’s logical to assume that government...
S.E. Cupp: Why it matters that the first active NFL player just came out as gay
My best friend James reminds me every year of the day he came out to me. It was in November 2006. It wasn’t a shock to me — we’d known each other for nearly 10 years by that point, through college and our early 20s, when all the good stuff...
Benjamin V. Allison: How the 2-party system could self-destruct and save American democracy
Legally, Donald Trump can run for reelection in 2024. That’s bad. But it could break up the two-party system. That’s good. Since the election, talk of a Republican split has waxed and waned, with rumors that Trump or moderate Republicans might break from the GOP to create a new party....
Letter to the editor: Why spend $30 million for turnpike widening?
The Harvison Road bridge in Penn Township will be demolished to accommodate a $30 million project to widen the Pennsylvania Turnpike between Irwin and Monroeville from four to six lanes. According to the article “Penn Township negotiating with turnpike commission in advance of bridge removal” (June 14, TribLIVE), it is...
Letter to the editor: Freedoms, masks and election laws
In her letter “GOP’s election plans will take away voters’ rights” (May 30, TribLIVE), Frances Weiss misquoted me when she stated: “George Silowash said he believed state mask mandates have taken our rights away.” My words in my letter “How about we all make our own mask decisions?” (May 23,...
Lori Falce: Why Carl Nassib coming out matters
When I was 20, I stood on the steps of Schwab Auditorium at Penn State as my dearest friend had a kind of confirmation. It was Coming Out Day, and people from across campus were declaring who they were inside. Gay, lesbian, bisexual — they stood up, spoke the truth...
Letter to the editor: Dairy farmers protect health of their cows
As a member of a fourth-generation dairy farm, I was frustrated to read allegations from a vegan organization in the letter “Plant-based dairy a viable option” (June 13, TribLIVE). Here’s the real story of what happens on a dairy farm, where my most important priority is the health and well-being...
Laurels & lances: Attitude, delay and entertainment
Laurel: To a positive outlook. When Sara Belt of Unity was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at 53, it could have been a crushing blow for her and her family. Instead, she chose to be appreciative of the answers the diagnosis gave for her symptoms. Three years later — when estimates...
Nathan Pikarsic: Competing in global auto race requires US industry to retool
This month, Jeep opened the first new auto factory in Detroit in three decades. Auto workers and suppliers have responded by celebrating. With reason — it’s the Motor City’s first new auto factory in 30 years and is expected to employ almost 5,000. Jeep deserves credit for investing in the...
Jonah Goldberg: Battle over critical race theory won’t benefit GOP in the long run
It feels like yesterday that my wife and I were shopping for grade schools for our daughter — the same daughter who just graduated from high school. We visited a bunch of private schools where the children of Washington’s elite get turned into the feedstock of the meritocracy. The most...
Letter to the editor: Which lives matter?
Regarding the article “Wolf again vows to veto any bills that limit abortion access in Pa.” (June 11, TribLIVE): Guess Gov. Tom Wolf doesn’t believe Black Lives Matter. In 2019, Black people made up just 12% of the U.S. population but accounted for 38% of the reported 889,000 abortions that...
Letter to the editor: No dignity from Biden, either
Letter-writer Ed Svitek states that it’s “Biden’s job to restore our dignity” (June 10, TribLIVE) and writes about lies by President Trump and Republicans. When a person makes a false statement, it could be because he or she does not have all the facts; when a person lies, he or...
Editorial: Don’t fall for a phony ‘forensic audit’ of 2020 election
How long does the 2020 presidential election need to haunt Pennsylvania politics? Almost seven months after the polls closed in November, the state is still being harangued by questions of whether or not to count the ballots yet again. Former President Trump — who lost Pennsylvania and then the White...
Letter to the editor: Thanks for helping Alle-Kiski kids
As the co-founder of Project SEED, I would like to extend a sincere thank-you for the tremendous support and generosity we have received from so many individuals, businesses, clubs and organizations in the Alle-Kiski Valley and beyond. We just completed our eighth year of providing food to hungry children in...
Joe Bell: Ongoing trade war limits recovery for U.S. businesses
With vaccination rates increasing and businesses reopening across the country, there’s good reason for optimism. Businesses that have struggled to survive the challenges posed by the covid-19 pandemic are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. For businesses across the nation, however, there is still a big...
Letter to the editor: Yielding our rights to government
Did Joe Biden leave out the word “don’t” before “yield”? This is from an official transcript of his remarks after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 16: “I told him that, unlike other countries, including Russia, we’re uniquely a product of an idea. You’ve heard me say this...
Letter to the editor: Politicizing the Eucharist
How dare the bishops politicize the Eucharist (“U.S. Catholic bishops OK steps toward possible rebuke of Biden,” June 18, TribLIVE). Their proposed “teaching document” is aimed directly at Joe Biden. What about politicians who support the death penalty? What about divorced Catholic politicians, such as twice-divorced Newt Gingrich? What about...
Letter to the editor: More reasons for high turnpike tolls
Professor Paul Kengor’s column “Highway robbery on the Pa. Turnpike” (June 10, TribLIVE) criticizes the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission for raising toll fees despite the cost savings resulting from eliminating over 500 tollbooth workers and substituting E-ZPass and Toll by Plate. Kengor fails to mention that the turnpike has been required...
Editorial: The dual good causes of local fire departments
Volunteer fire companies play two valuable roles in most Pennsylvania communities. First, they are an irreplaceable service. They do more than douse flames, as if that wouldn’t be enough. They rush into emergencies that aren’t burning buildings. They respond to car crashes and natural disasters. They save us from acts...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Right to bear arms does not extend to Black people
Conservatives have a special purgatory for uppity Black women who dare question America’s founding myths. New York Times journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones — her Pulitzer Prize-winning “1619 Project” centralized slavery in America’s origin story, a heresy that inspired laws banning her work from classrooms — now lives there. And she’s about...
Letter to the editor: Climate change and cold weather
It’s supposed to get (relatively) cold the evening of June 22. Low in the 40s. Probably not as cold as the all-time cold for the date, 42, set in … 1988. The reason that’s interesting is that later in the summer of 1988, Pixburg had its longest and hottest stretch...
Letter to the editor: Can Harris stop the scabs in Pittsburgh?
Isn’t it great that Madam Vice President visited our fair city? I was hoping she would be able to stem the influx of undocumented non-union scab workers who are swimming across the Mon! Andy Shubik Stoystown...
Pat Buchanan: Will bishops deny Biden Communion?
Last week, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops voted 168-55, more than 3-1, to provide new guidance for receiving Holy Communion. Behind the decision? Bishops’ alarm that the public religious practice of President Joe Biden is conveying a heretical message to the faithful and the nation. At Sunday Mass, Biden...
Letter to the editor: Not all charter schools are high quality
There were some assertions and questions in the letter “Wolf cutting charter school lifeline” (June 11, TribLIVE) that warrant a response. Public schools have greater costs per student than charters, and during covid, there were zero days to prepare. Existing deficits already had tightened budgets, and unlike charters, huge cash...
Editorial: Holding university funding hostage won’t solve this impasse
We depend on our leaders to fix problems when they are presented. Whether it is a state of emergency in the face of a hurricane or recognizing a new kind of fraud and declaring it a crime, the people we elect to run our government need to find ways to...
