Opinion category, Page 530
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Forget Q — listen to Y before it’s too late
You’re not reading this on a smartphone or tablet, are you? I hope not, for your sake. They say the government can use imperceptible fluctuations in the light to reprogram your brain waves, giving them complete control over your thoughts and actions. You’ll be Joe Biden’s zombie and you won’t...
Pat Buchanan: Is Biden reenlisting in the forever wars?
Thursday, in its first military action, the Biden Pentagon sent two U.S. F-15Es to strike targets of Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia just inside the eastern border of Syria. The U.S. strikes were in retaliation for a missile attack on a U.S. base in Irbil, capital of Iraqi Kurdistan,...
Al Frazier and Jeffrey Shook: Time to talk about UPMC wages
There is no single organization that is more intertwined with our state’s health and well-being than UPMC. It is the largest health care provider, the biggest landowner, the largest employer and the largest tax-exempt charity in Pennsylvania. UPMC loves talking about its “life-changing” medicine, but it is time to talk...
Letter to the editor: Should we all be compensated?
I am of Irish ancestry. Before, during and after the Civil War, the Irish were at a low social station — “No Irish Need Apply.” I have never owned a slave, nor did any of my ancestors. During the Civil War, some estimates say 480,000 white people lost their lives...
Editorial: Confronting the reality of Westmoreland population decline
Accounting is a simple, color-coded kind of arithmetic. When the numbers go up, they are in black ink. When the numbers go down, they are in red. It doesn’t take much effort to figure out the bottom line when the visuals are that easy to see. Westmoreland County has been...
Letter to the editor: Fetterman better chill if he wins Senate seat
Oh my, John Fetterman is running for U.S. Senate. I sure hope before he goes he takes a chill pill so we don’t see another childish outburst like the one he had during the election fiasco. Maybe while he is out and about he can spot the illustrious Sen. Pat...
Letter to the editor: Trump did not incite riots
Former President Trump did not incite the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. The Democrats, RINOs and mainstream media incited the riots. Over the last year we watched Black Lives Matter and antifa loot and burn our cities, with many of their actions condoned by Democrats and the media. The...
Letter to the editor: Thank you, Casey and Toomey
The Jan. 6 insurrection will be an indelible memory for nearly all Americans. Five people lost their lives and our democracy was tarnished because of the calibrated planning of President Trump, as he encouraged his supporters to “take back” an election which had no evidence of fraud. I felt anger...
Letter to the editor: Veterans should get vaccine priority
Veterans have no preference in receiving the covid vaccine anywhere except the Veterans Administration health care system, but even this is limited to qualified veterans registered within the system. I am a relatively healthy (knock on wood) 72-year-old Vietnam combat vet with private health insurance. I’m guessing I’m not alone....
Letter to the editor: Biden must be held accountable, too
Regarding the Associated Press story “Biden reframes his goal on reopening of elementary schools” (Feb. 16, TribLIVE): Reframes? The media has certainly revamped their journalistic integrity in the last 30 days, haven’t they? Maybe they are just “reframing” it? The questions President Biden is getting are a complete 180 from...
Tom Purcell: Community, not money, the key to happiness
Get this: A study by McGill University has found that more money does not necessarily make people in low-income countries happier. I like more money as much as the next guy, but that does not surprise me. Sara Miñarro, the lead author, says in Futurity.org that the people interviewed reported...
Noe Ortega: Investing in students is good for Pa.’s economy
Nellie Bly was one of the most influential American journalists. As an intrepid young reporter who wanted to make a difference in the world, Bly inspired changes to the nation’s mental health care system. In 1887, Bly went undercover to investigate the conditions at Blackwell’s Island Asylum in New York....
Michael Butler: Don’t be that surprised that Allegheny County has clean air
Did you hear the news? Allegheny County has met all federal air quality standards for the first time. The Allegheny County Health Department termed the late January achievement a historic milestone in its efforts to curb air pollution. Actually, despite the region’s heavy energy production, Western Pennsylvania and the entire...
Colin McNickle: The evergreen case against prevailing wage laws
The Allegheny Institute for Public Policy is reiterating its long-standing call for the state Legislature to repeal Pennsylvania’s prevailing wage law. “Many studies over the years involving many states have demonstrated the higher construction costs … that are caused by prevailing wage laws that require ‘prevailing wages and benefits’ be...
Letter to the editor: Democrats keep hating rather than uniting
Hate is a very evil thing. It can ruin a person’s mental and physical stability and even affect the soul. It can also affect a country. For four years we watched and listened to the hatred that the Democratic leadership in Congress had for President Trump. One of President Biden’s...
Letter to the editor: Us-vs.-them nastiness must stop
I find Ken Mowl’s letter “Democrats’ end game is their ‘social justice’ ” (Jan. 26, TribLIVE) repellent. He claims that Democratic leadership “espouses conspiracies, divisiveness, greed and a lust for power. I believe their path to power is paved by racism … .” None of this is true. I do believe...
Letter to the editor: Global covid funding needed
Later this month in a virtual constituent meeting, I’ll be speaking with Sens. Bob Casey and Pat Toomey and Reps. Mike Doyle and Conor Lamb to discuss the need for additional investments in global health security. If the coronavirus pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that global health security is...
Editorial: In Harrisburg, a bipartisan bill on marijuana shows a constructive path
Two Pennsylvania senators — Dan Laughlin, a Republcian from Erie, and Sharif Street, a Philadelphia Democrat — are not typically on the same side of any issue. Laughlin is a committed member of the GOP delegation. He voted against reseating Jim Brewster while the 45th District still was being contested...
Letter to the editor: Better uses for money used to protect DC
Every one of us is constantly receiving requests for money to help our military veterans. The Wounded Warriors, Disabled American Veterans, AMVETS and a host of other organizations are trying to meet the needs of our true veterans who gave so much for our freedoms. That made me think of...
Letter to the editor: Legislators wrong to fight mail-in voting
I believe Trump supporter Leslie Rossi, Republican candidate for the state House seat in the 59th District, who’s urging like-minded voters in that district to go in person to their polling places May 18 and help her become their next state legislator, would vote to overturn our state’s mail-in voting...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of March 1
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of March 1....
Editorial cartoons for the week of March 1
Editorial cartoons for the week of March 1....
Stephen Segal: Take it from a millionaire, a $15 minimum wage is good for Pa. businesses
Lawmakers in the House of Representatives voted to approve the American Rescue Plan, a major step toward providing Americans the relief they desperately need and deserve. As President Biden’s relief package moves to the Senate floor, tense negotiations still are taking place on key provisions included in the plan. Despite...
Letter to the editor: Vaccination process positive
My husband and I are senior citizens. Our daughter started signing us up to get the covid-19 vaccine in the middle of January on at least 10 sites. We finally got a call on Feb. 8 from Mainline Pharmacy to go to St. Barbara Catholic Church in Harrison City on...
Letter to the editor: Pa. is failing its vulnerable seniors
The following is a copy of a letter I sent to Gov. Tom Wolf: I am writing to voice my disappointment if not anger at how Pennsylvania is handling the covid-19 vaccine rollout. I no longer live in Pennsylvania but was born and grew up in Greensburg. I left years...
