Opinion category, Page 500
Letter to the editor: Pa. needs a gift ban for lawmakers
Pennsylvania legislators have a strong sense of entitlement. The recent article “From frames to furniture to food, here’s how Pa. lawmakers spent millions of taxpayer dollars” (May 12, TribLIVE) shows how generously the state taxpayer supports the perquisites of legislators in running their offices. If that isn’t bad enough, legislators...
Pat Buchanan: Merkel flips off Biden’s protest — to buy Putin’s gas
When the U.S. created NATO, a primary purpose of the alliance was to serve as a western wall to defend Germany against the 400,000 Russian troops on the eastern side of the Elbe River. Seventy years later, Germany has decided to double its dependence on Vladimir Putin’s Russia for the...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: ‘Isn’t it time we moved on’ from Jan. 6?
You didn’t see what you thought you saw. You got it wrong, you misunderstood. Your memory is playing tricks. But who can blame you? It was so long ago. We’re talking way back on Jan 6. That’s four whole months. That’s a third of a year! Who can remember back...
Jim Snell: Hacking is just one threat to Colonial Pipeline
The hacking of the Colonial Pipeline showed Americans the vulnerability of our energy supply, and how much we depend on it to power our economy. Stretching from Texas to New York, Colonial transports 45% of the East Coast’s fuel supply, carrying gasoline, heating oil, diesel and jet fuel. The pipeline...
Letter to the editor: Torrance workers not protected
Because our call to address danger at Torrance State Hospital has been ignored by management, we feel compelled to go public about a series of assaults against forensic security employees being committed by a prisoner. The assaults began in March and have occurred as recent as May 14 when a...
Letter to the editor: So much waste in stimulus bill
Why can’t our know-it-all leaders run our government like most of us run our households? You don’t put yourself so far in debt that you never can pay it back. What happens when 100% of your income is taken in taxes? Are we then living in slavery? We have more...
Editorial: Westmoreland wisely invests in election workers
The people of Westmoreland County will be investing a lot more in their elections. On Friday, county commissioners voted to lay out a great deal more cash for the process, but unlike the 2019 purchase of $7.1 million in new voting equipment, this time, the money will not be going...
Letter to the editor: The truth about Trump
Honestly, why are so many Trump idol worshippers so snide, aggrieved and misinformed? I don’t get it. I voted for Joseph R. Biden principally because Donald Trump made such a dishonest hash of American diplomacy. It was bad enough when Trump fawned over Vladimir Putin even after American intelligence agencies...
Letter to the editor: Aren’t we one nation under God?
Thomas Jefferson: “I, however place economy among the first and most important republican virtues, and Public Debt as the greatest of dangers to be feared. To preserve our independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt.” John Adams: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral...
Tom Purcell: Beefing about price of beef
There are few things I enjoy more than grilling up tasty steaks for a group of close friends, but red meat isn’t going to be on the menu this summer. The cost of beef is higher than ever. According to Bloomberg, “Food inflation has been inching up for months, driven...
Letter to the editor: Biden’s actions hampered US Steel
In his column “Broken promises in the Mon Valley” (May 8, TribLIVE), Joseph Sabino Mistick says U.S. Steel should “stop stringing us along” with “hemming and hawing and double-speak that is used for corporate bad news.” He says nobody should have been surprised when the plug was pulled on its...
Letter to the editor: Beware of air quality near industry
The American Lung Association recently released its 2021 State of the Air report. Allegheny County once again received failing grades in every category, giving it some of the worst air quality in the nation. This means more people will likely suffer health problems or die early. Some surrounding counties, Westmoreland...
Letter to the editor: Questions for Hempfield on solar permit
Sunrise Energy LLC in 2019 contracted with the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County to purchase renewable energy produced at a 12-acre industrial solar farm in Hunker, now owned by SolRiver LLC of Denver, Colo. Hempfield Township seemed mostly concerned with stormwater runoff, and thus issued a special use permit for...
Editorial: Go beyond voter support for fire departments and EMS
On Tuesday, a ballot question asked Pennsylvanians to take a side on the Municipal Fire and EMS Services Loan Measure. That very formal-sounding title boils down to a simple idea. Should municipal fire departments and ambulance companies be able to borrow from the state’s loan fund to support capital upgrades?...
Letter to the editor: Rebuilding our nation’s soul
I was impressed by Leonard Pitts Jr.’s column “Small wonder the church is shrinking” (April 6, TribLIVE). He stated that for the first time since Gallup has been tracking religious membership in America since 1937, it has dropped below half. In 1937, 73% of us belonged to a house of...
Letter to the editor: DC deserves statehood
More than 200 years ago, our ancestors fought a revolution over taxation without representation; they fought a revolution for the right to create a democracy, and as a result, the United States of America was born. But to this day, the residents of Washington, D.C., our nation’s capital, are denied...
Editorial cartoons for the week of May 24
Editorial cartoons for the week of May 24....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of May 24
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of May 24....
S.E. Cupp: Cuomo throws the book at New York
New Yorkers have yet another reason to feel betrayed by their governor, Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo is set to receive a galling amount of money — $5.1 million — for a book he wrote touting his leadership during the global pandemic. “American Crisis: Leadership Lessons From the COVID-19 Pandemic” was published...
Letter to the editor: Pittsburgh’s mayor should put city’s best interests first
Pittsburgh will soon have a new mayor. It doesn’t matter if he is a Democrat or Republican, Black, white, blue or green. The question to be asked is, is he the right person to lead this city in the right direction? Is he honest and trustworthy, and does he prioritize...
Letter to the editor: How about we all make our own mask decisions?
I was both saddened and amused by the front-page story in the May 18 print edition with the headline “On? Off? Mandate on masks confuses.” Let me propose a novel idea. How about letting people decide for themselves whether or not they want to wear a mask? It is called...
Letter to the editor: All in Pennsylvania are deserving of an honest living
Thought experiment for Gene Barr, president of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, who, according to the article “Is extra $300 in federal unemployment assistance stopping people from applying for jobs?” thinks we should take “that extra $300 (per week of unemployment benefit) and offer it to jobless workers...
Letter to the editor: Kelly and Reschenthaler’s loyalty
Regarding Reps. Mike Kelly and Guy Reschenthaler, the cancellation of Liz Cheney and their support for Sean Parnell (“Parnell is the leader Pa. needs in Senate”): Two weeks before Election Day, I stood in line at the Butler County courthouse because my mail ballot was delayed, and I did not...
Editorial: The Pitcairn election shows the political need for wisdom and youth
Government is often seen as an old folks’ game. The math shows why. The average age of a U.S. governor is 64.5 — old enough to be planning a retirement party. For a member of Congress, it swings between 58 for the House of Representatives and 63 for the Senate....
Letter to the editor: Denying science on masks
In no small part due to the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in the U.S., the spread of covid-19 has been significantly decreased across Pennsylvania. Nationally as of May 10, more than 115 million Americans are fully vaccinated, yet there are less than 1,000 cases of hospitalizations...
