Opinion category, Page 560
Letter to the editor: Biden deserves same chance Trump got
Oh, by all means, Ron Giuliana, let’s “Give Biden a chance” (Nov. 29, TribLIVE). Let’s give him the same chance that the Democrats gave President Trump when he was elected. Let’s begin immediately forming plans to spend the next three years of his presidency doing everything we can to impeach...
Letter to the editor: An ode to the year of covid-19
2020 has been quite the year, Less celebration and a lot more fear, A new enemy is among us Invisible to the eye, As if it literally dropped from the sky. Covid is all around us, it is very real, It is not a hoax, it is the real deal....
Editorial: Pa. should take it slow on legalizing marijuana
Marijuana is the trend the whole country is watching. Weed was first banned by Massachusetts in 1911. Pennsylvania was one of the last states to outlaw it in 1933. The federal government followed in 1937. For a long time, everyone was on the same page about it — at least...
Letter to the editor: As president, Biden must support Roe v. Wade
In her letter “Biden against death penalty, but not abortion?” (Nov. 30, TribLIVE), Michele M. Lucas proclaims the president-elect supports abortions but does not support capital punishment. As a practicing Catholic, Joe Biden is supposed to support life, from conception to natural death. He has noted this often. But as...
Letter to the editor: Republicans need to learn to fight
To answer Paul Kengor’s question at the end of his column “Is Western Pa. home to a new Republican coalition?” (Nov. 27, TribLIVE), about whether the GOP can keep the “Reagan Democrats” voting for American values: I don’t think the Republicans can keep those voters and others who hold those...
Peter Morici: Biden must make a covid-19 stimulus bill happen now
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” the oft-quoted opening line from “A Tale of Two Cities,” is an apt description of the American economy. And we know how those times ended — in revolution. The stock market booms as if America shines more brightly...
Jonah Goldberg: Republicans need to find a way out of this mess
“How do we get out of this?” That’s the question preoccupying the right these days. The specific “this” varies, but what unites all the concerns is the mess Donald Trump has made. For Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the “this” is the embarrassing mess in Georgia, where many gettable Republican...
Jonathan Goldstein: How we know who wins elections, and why it matters
By now we know the story of the 2020 election. One with heroes and villains. Laudatory tales and vile conspiracies. And, most importantly, a fog that obscured the winner for days. In a normal year, we tune into the news on election night to learn who won and who lost....
Joseph Sabino Mistick: A lesson on patience from Henry Gunther
When Henry Gunther, a young American Army sergeant, was killed on a battlefield in the Argonne Forest at 10:59 a.m. Nov. 11, 1918, he became the last American killed in World War I, and his death made no sense at all. Earlier that day, before sunrise in the woods outside...
Ruben Navarrette Jr.: Biden is not ‘The One’ to fix America’s race problem
SAN DIEGO — Joe Biden wants to be the civil rights president. You don’t say? That old dog isn’t likely to learn new tricks, and so it’s no shock that the 78-year-old president-elect sees America in Black-and-White. However, what is new — and noteworthy — is that the Biden White...
Sounding off: Give Joe Biden a chance
Can we just get over it? I am referring to the election. As I read the paper, on the Opinion page I see lots of pros and cons about President-elect Biden and President Trump. “Let the implosion begin” says letter-writer Paul Gernhardt (“Implosion of our country”). He lists several of...
Letter to the editor: Democrats ignore Obama’s debt
Funny how Sandra Kramer didn’t mention President Obama in her letter “Republicans’ legacy of debt” (Dec. 1, TribLIVE). Our biggest debt, dollar-wise, incurred under him. Yes, as she states, there is “a pattern here.” And it is one of Democrats ignoring those eight years. William R. Iski Penn Township, Westmoreland...
Letter to the editor: Commissioners applauded for following law
Regarding the article “GOP commissioners reject defective mail-in ballots” (Nov. 13, TribLIVE): I would like to thank Republican commissioners Sean Kertes and Doug Chew, who have stood up for our commonwealth’s election laws. Democrats seem to have a fundamental misunderstanding of election laws, believing the campaigns aren’t over until enough...
Editorial: The awful math of church abuse settlements
It can be hard to calculate damages when you can’t see the breakage. Crash a car, and the body shop can tell you precisely what it will cost to turn bent and twisted metal back into a shiny vehicle with a sleek paint job. Burn down a house, and the...
Letter to the editor: Trump focused on himself, not country
As an independent who votes the candidates, I was hoping to heap some praise on President Trump for his accomplishments — for example, increasing the defense budget and promoting our military buildup. But he has reverted to his typical lies (over 23,000 false or misleading claims at last count, as...
John Stossel: Capitalism is better than charity
Many of us will give money to charity this month. Americans give more than any other people in the world. Good for us. Fifty-six years ago, because American charities hadn’t ended poverty, politicians said they would end it. They declared a “war on poverty.” That “war,” so far, has cost...
Letter to the editor: Half the country who voted for Trump not going away
Half the country, 74 million Americans, voted for Donald Trump. Yet it seems only 3% of television news talks to them. The crony capitalists who run the three networks, Wall Street, most newspapers and the left coast ignore these 74 million who aren’t going away. It’ll be interesting to see...
Letter to the editor: $5 million grant to Excela wrong
Regarding the article “Westmoreland County opens up second round of covid-relief grants” (Nov. 13, TribLIVE): $5 million to a huge company is wrong. The first problem is calling a company (Excela) that has several executives making well over six-figure salaries a nonprofit. If I thought for a second this money...
Letter to the editor: Errors don’t disqualify votes
The “crown jewel” of democracy lies in our ability to conduct fair and untampered elections. Just like our Westmoreland County commissioners, I believe in free and fair elections and that our votes should count. Our commissioners need to live up to their values and the commitment they made when they...
Walter Williams: The tragedy of Black education
Editor’s note: Walter Williams, whose syndicated column has appeared in the Tribune-Review and Valley News Dispatch for many years, died Dec. 1 at the age of 84. His last column will appear next Saturday. Several years ago, Project Baltimore began an investigation of Baltimore’s school system. What they found was...
Lori Falce: Monolith is 2020 puzzle we needed
I love a puzzle. Give me a stack of crosswords and a pen and I can entertain myself for hours. I am the reason they put those little peg brain-teasers on the table at Cracker Barrel. I have spent more than 30 years turning an unsolved murder over and over...
Letter to the editor: Electric car fees? Fair is fair.
The Associated Press article “Pa. House votes to impose fees on electric cars” (Nov. 21) raises concern for the left, again. The House passed a bill to the Senate requiring those who own electric or hybrid vehicles to pay a tax to cover their cost of road usage. Road maintenance...
Letter to the editor: Presidential greatness
President Trump demonstrated presidential greatness over four years. At the beginning of covid-19, he kept it quiet as he believed Americans couldn’t handle the truth — that a half million could die. Many know his tax breaks should go to the wealthy so it all trickles down to the rest...
Laurels & lances: Volunteer, vandalism, overdose
Laurel: To volunteering again. Getting people to step up to participate in a project is often the hardest part of the job. Marc Wagner is the kind of guy who is willing to jump in. For 35 years, he has been a part of the Pitt Men’s Study. He was...
Letter to the editor: Schools should be online
Considering that there is no random covid-19 test sampling in schools to make any determination of spread; considering that the covid-19 spread has more than doubled in the past couple of weeks; considering that many traveled for Thanksgiving or had bigger family gatherings to help promote the spread of covid-19:...
