Opinion category, Page 566
Letter to the editor: A ‘Star Wars’-like ending to Trump presidency
The post-election celebrations across the nation reminded me of the ending of the “Stars Wars” film “Return of the Jedi.” The second Death Star was destroyed. The Dark Sith (President Trump) and Evil Empire were vanquished. The galaxy celebrated joy, relief and a sense of new hope from tyranny. To...
Letter to the editor: Disrespected by Norwin board president
I have become very saddened and disheartened by the behavior of the Norwin School District’s school board president. As a concerned mother of three kids in our district, I have emailed our superintendent concerns about the asynchronous learning the school wants to put into place instead of bringing our kids...
Letter to the editor: Harris, Biden and Roethlisberger
I was all set to write a letter saying “Take that, Democrats” after the election, but alas, the outcome was very shocking and contrary to what I expected. As a supporter of President Trump, I realize he did it to himself; his big mouth and ego couldn’t be toned down,...
Editorial: The quest for clarity in state covid data and actions
On March 20, Pennsylvania had 20 diagnosed cases of covid-19. The state was at the very beginning of measures that Gov. Tom Wolf implemented to address the spread of the disease. Ten days later, Wolf was upping the response, issuing stay-at-home orders for 26 counties because the numbers were rising....
Tom Purcell: Covid-19 obscures so many ways 2020 is best year ever
As challenging a year as 2020 has been, we still should be thankful that it has been the best year in human history to be alive. Consider: In 1920, according to the book “Enlightenment Now,” the average person spent 11.5 hours each week doing laundry. By 2014, he or she...
Jonah Goldberg: Why Joe Manchin is more important to Democrats than AOC
Here’s something you probably won’t hear from either the left or the right: West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin is a much more important and influential Democrat than New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (or “AOC” for marketing purposes). Manchin has done something far more consequential than anything AOC has done in...
Letter to the editor: About this pope
Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI were revered as pope. I’m sick that a mere mortal who defines himself as pope dares to promote internationally the utter evil licentiousness of any sort in the Lord’s temple. Hell holds a special place for that soul. God have mercy on...
Letter to the editor: What’s the ‘threat’?
I was sadly surprised to see the Nov. 9 front-page headline “Red wave threatening 3 Western Pennsylvania state lawmakers.” Since when has any vote, any win, been considered a “threat”? Of course, it could be possible that the headline writer does not understand the concept of connotative language. So is...
Letter to the editor: Global pandemic requires global response
While I am extremely grateful that President Trump recovered from covid-19 in October, not everyone has had the opportunity to access care to fight this virus. Our leaders tried to come to an agreement on domestic financial aid for the effects of the pandemic and should keep trying. It’s threatening...
Letter to the editor: We should all want an honest election
It is a felony to tamper with election ballots. An online video showed a Republican poll watcher in Philadelphia illegally being prevented from entering a ballot counting center. (He was later admitted.) In Detroit, workers in a ballot counting center were seen on video putting up cardboard on windows to...
Editorial cartoons for the week of Nov. 16
Editorial cartoons for the week of Nov. 16....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Nov. 16
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Nov. 16....
Editorial: This holiday season, let’s put seniors at the center
The holidays tend to make us focus on one area of family more than any other. Kids. It makes sense. So much of the period between Thanksgiving and the New Year is child-centric, or at the very least, family friendly. School pageants. Pictures in those adorable outfits that moms love...
Joe Welch: Teachers resolve to do best for students
“Character is who you are when nobody else is watching.” A middle-school English teacher introduced this phrase to me. We recited it each day in class, and it is a lesson that I have carried with me throughout my life and into my teaching career. Now, in 2020, I think...
S.E. Cupp: Trump’s post-election meltdown typical and pathetic
The front page of The New York Times on Nov. 11 probably hit him hard: “Election Officials Nationwide Find No Fraud.” This one, in the formerly friendly New York Post, probably hit him even harder: “Biden’s popular vote lead over Trump grows to more than 5 million.” By all accounts,...
Letter to the editor: Trump-Haley a great ticket
I keep thinking how amusing it’s going to be if one of President Trump’s sons decides to run for president in four years and what a hit it would be if he chose Nikki Haley as his running mate. Lordy, Lordy, I would pay money to see that happen. Talk...
Letter to the editor: Americans must move past our divide
The 2020 presidential election will be ingrained in the minds of Americans for decades. The current numbers show the divide that our country faces. There is no red wave or blue wave that the candidates promised. So what is the future of our country? Joe Biden has consistently promised that...
Letter to the editor: We need capitalism that considers long-term effects
Your Sept. 27 print edition featured side-by-side op-eds with incompatible objectives (“Making clean air a priority in Pittsburgh,” Sept. 26, TribLIVE; “Trump’s manufacturing, energy revival supports Pa. workers,” Sept. 22, TribLIVE). The people of Southwestern Pennsylvania do want a pollution-free environment, but that is not possible with fracking. Just ask...
Letter to the editor: Polio was conquered; covid-19 will be, too
There was a virus that consumed our country some years ago called polio, poliomyelitis or infantile paralysis, since it affected many children. In its early stages, its symptoms acted as the common cold or the flu, but in the advanced stage, it attacked the spine and lungs. This caused paralysis...
Letter to the editor: We all should support fixing election system
Approximately 70 million Americans are questioning the U.S. election results due primarily to distrust of the use of the new mail-in ballots and alleged irregularities in the processing and counting of ballots at polls around the country. Pennsylvania did not escape criticism. If mail-in ballots are the wave of the...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Now it’s time to come back together
Gloating is not our most attractive trait, but it is a natural human response. Republicans gloated plenty in 2016 when Donald Trump beat odds-on favorite Hillary Clinton for president. They kept it up for four years, celebrating Trump’s moves more if they aggravated Democrats more. And now Joe Biden has...
Caleb Verbois: Fraud claims undermine faith in democratic process
Free and fair elections are a relative novelty. Even in America, where we have always had a Republican democracy, for much of our history a relatively small portion of Americans could vote. It was not just that women and slaves lacked the franchise; most men could not vote, unless they...
Dr. David Dausey: What to do about Thanksgiving
We are now eight months into the covid-19 pandemic with little end in sight other than the promise of a vaccine ready for mass distribution sometime in the new year. This means that most Americans will need to make critical decisions about what to do for the upcoming holiday season...
Editorial: Westmoreland commissioners half-right on following mail-in ballot rules
Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew has a point: There are rules for a reason. On Friday, the county’s Elections Board rejected 343 mail-in ballots that were improperly dated on the mailing envelope. Democratic Commissioner Gina Cerilli voted to count them. Chew and his Republican counterpart Sean Kertes declined to vote...
Sounding off: Won’t be listening to politicians’ holiday advice
Regarding Dr. Rachel Levine’s holiday advice (“Pa. health secretary urges that gatherings be limited to households”): Limit holiday gatherings to those within your own home? Will you be avoiding your elderly mother this holiday season, Dr. Levine? I will never forgive myself for following your advice this Easter. Many of...
