Opinion category, Page 539
Letter to the editor: Should Trump be held accountable?
Is citizen Donald John Trump, formerly known as President Donald John Trump, above the law? If convicted of crimes he committed prior to and during his presidency, should he be punished to the fullest extent of the law? If he is not held accountable for his possible high crimes and...
Editorial: Unemployment benefit delayed is justice denied
If you lost your job today, how long would you be able to support yourself and your family? How long until you couldn’t make your house payment? How long until the electric bill wasn’t paid? When would you start balancing the car insurance against the homeowners insurance? And none of...
Letter to the editor: Election investigation needed
If at first you don’t succeed try, try again. Who would think that Joe Biden would be elected president after 47 years in Washington? Many of us feel this election had some serious flaws, especially with mail-in ballots. Should we have an investigation? No doubt! We want a true investigation,...
John Stossel: Myths about socialism
People hate America’s big disparities in wealth. It’s a reason why, among young people, socialism is as popular as capitalism. The Democratic Socialists of America want a country based on “freedom, equality and solidarity.” That sure sounds good. But does socialism bring that? One reason for socialism’s continued appeal is...
Mona Charen: McConnell condemns QAnon, except when he doesn’t
So now Mitch McConnell tells us that Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s views are a “cancer” on the Republican Party and on the country. Odd that he neglected to make that point when one of his preferred candidates in the Georgia runoff, Kelly Loeffler, campaigned with Greene. The party’s dilemma,...
David Osborne: Union policies force all teachers to strike at Keystone Oaks
Students in the Keystone Oaks School District didn’t attend classes this week, thanks to the strike just initiated by the local teachers’ union — and not every teacher in the district is happy about it. Given the pandemic’s effect on schools, this is already a difficult time for students, parents,...
Colin McNickle: Troubles at Pittsburgh airport
These hardly are halcyon days for Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT). Its operations have been ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic. And there’s great uncertainty ahead, what with the discombobulated vaccination regimen and new covid-19 mutations being reported on a regular basis. “The board of the Allegheny County Airport Authority must take...
Letter to the editor: For covid vaccine, how can we tell who’s a smoker?
Apart from one’s thoughts on whether smokers should be placed at the head of the line for covid-19 vaccines, as Gov. Tom Wolf has done, how is the determination to be made on who is a smoker ? It is like saying everyone who has a headache gets prioritized. Keith...
Letter to the editor: Grading ‘facts’ on the election
Let’s “grade” some facts. Grade A facts have official records; a Grade B fact is someone’s interpretation of a Grade A fact which can be questioned. Grade A facts: • A sworn affidavit is a written statement signed under penalty of perjury. • Hundreds of sworn affidavits were given by...
Lori Falce: Why did I get the vaccine?
I hate needles. Always have. Always will. I have a cartoon-like response to being approached with a syringe. But I’m also an adult and I have learned that, like death and taxes, needles are an unavoidable part of the deal. There are flu shots. My doctor will periodically want a...
Letter to the editor: Angry, sad and afraid after Capitol riot
I watched, angry at what I saw as domestic terrorists stormed the Capitol. Easily identified by their MAGA caps and flags as Trump supporters, many wore paramilitary gear and maneuvered as trained militia. The nearly all white invaders, neo-Nazis, Proud Boys, anti-Semites and white power group followers were called to...
Laurels & lances: Book, buses and banners
Laurel: To telling stories. Lots of kids can weave tall tales. Every parent asking about missing homework can attest to that. But Josh Ingram, 11, of Plum has really upped the game when it comes to childhood storytelling. The Holiday Park Elementary student doesn’t just tell stories. He wrote one....
Paul Kengor: Give Trump due credit for Operation Warp Speed
We’re full-throttle into mass distribution of covid-19 vaccines. And let there be no doubt, their rapid development is an extraordinary achievement. I want to underscore that by revisiting what I wrote here last spring, when I placed President Trump’s Operation Warp Speed into historical context — looking particularly at the...
Letter to the editor: You’re fired! Now Trump knows how it feels
Now Donald Trump knows how the contestants on his TV show felt when he told them his favorite phrase, “You’re fired!” Larry Howard Jr. Plum...
Letter to the editor: Questioning Biden’s jobs and energy plans
Dear Mr. President, I have a question about your jobs plan and your new clean energy policy. If I recall correctly, when this was implemented during the Obama presidency, it did not end well. Think Solyndra or “those shovel-ready jobs weren’t so shovel ready.” What makes you think that it...
Letter to the editor: Where has Toomey been?
Sen. Pat Toomey is still our senator? I thought he retired. I was surprised he was still our senator when he announced in October that he was retiring by not running for reelection in 2022. Where has he been? An online search found he’s been our senator since 2011! Over...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s covid ‘strategy’
Letter-writer Kathleen Bollinger (“Who will get the credit for defeating covid?,” Dec. 15) asked why President Trump should share his covid-19 strategy with President Biden when Biden would “get all the credit for defeating covid-19.” Let’s go over Trump’s strategy. First, at the beginning, he downplayed it and called Democrats’...
Editorial: Allegheny River locks have a good ripple effect
The Allegheny River is more than just a long ribbon of water. It’s part of what defines Southwestern Pennsylvania. It played a role in the settlement of the area and in its growth. It gave birth to our communities and our industries. Cleaning it has been the task of generations...
Letter to the editor: Biden buyer’s remorse
In the first two weeks of his presidency, Joe Biden has signed 42 executive actions affecting the lives of Americans. Forty-two in two weeks! President Trump signed six in his first two weeks. I know that whatever anyone says in support of Trump will inevitably fall on deaf ears. That...
Rick Stafford: What Dick Thornburgh meant to Pittsburgh
When I first met Dick Thornburgh in 1971, I was one of a small group of graduate students at Carnegie Mellon. We were working under a federal grant to develop a computer model for more effectively allocating law enforcement funds for Allegheny County. In our 20s, idealists about government, none...
David Henderson: Understaffing, underfunding risk health and safety of workers at 24/7 facilities
Front-line workers have never stopped serving the public and keeping society afloat throughout the devastating and difficult battle against covid-19, including those at 24/7 facilities like jails and prisons, nursing homes and hospitals, 911 centers, veterans centers, centers for the intellectually disabled, and emergency response services. Understaffing continues to be...
Letter to the editor: Biden will earn his disrespect
I urge everyone not to encourage disrespect for the new president. He will do enough on his own. John W. Newhouse Shaler...
Letter to the editor: Land trusts can help farmers
Only a few weeks into 2021 and we have seen it is just as bad as 2020 for local farms. Two prominent local farms, Kretschmann Farm near Rochester and Jamison Farm near Latrobe, have both announced they are shutting down operations. This is partly because of covid, but also due...
Editorial: The Department of State’s failure has many hands
Success is rarely something that happens alone. When the Steelers win a game, it’s not just because of the quarterback. When the jury returns a verdict, it’s not just because of the judge. When government makes a law, there is never just one guy who made that happen. And by...
Letter to the editor: How are people believing conspiracy theories?
I can accept that we all have our own opinions and emotions about our representatives and how our government should be handled, and we are all entitled to those emotions and opinions. But I am totally dumbfounded as to how anyone can be so gullible to buy into the conspiracy...
