Opinion category, Page 613
Letter to the editor: Kennywood offers us some normalcy
Letter-writer John Bentz’s “Wolf’s decisions hurt Pa.” (July 29, TribLIVE) states that “Wolf sees no reason to further limit Kennywood Park.” Kennywood is an outdoor space. Among its covid-19 precautions were limiting the number of guests per day, requiring reservations, taking temperatures of guests before allowing them to enter and...
Letter to the editor: Sacrificing our children for safety of adults
According to the Centers for Disease Control, between Feb. 1 and July 25, 52 children under age 15 have died as a result of covid-19 nationally. For perspective, 105 children died of influenza over the same period. In Allegheny County, there have been 769 confirmed cases of covid-19 in people...
Letter to the editor: Mask is a small price to pay to save lives
I immediately started wearing a mask when the virus hit Pennsylvania. Many times, I pulled it down and asked people what color my beard was. The answer would be gray, white or a blank look. My reply would be: “74 years of wisdom.” I would then share with them that...
Letter to the editor: John Lewis’ example should guide us all
All Americans of good will are saddened by the death of U.S. Rep. John Lewis. He was a voice for justice and compassion in a world that has too little of it. By some, he was dismissed as just a politician, concerned only with his “own people.” Lewis saw all...
Robert and Rachel Millman: Voting, our most important civil right
As we get closer to Election Day 2020, we hear a lot about our political divide, the unbridgeable tribalism of left and right. At the same time, we’re also told that voters hold common-ground views on a variety of issues. How can both be true? The answer is gerrymandering, a...
Tim Murtaugh: Joe Biden’s energy plan will destroy Pa.’s economy
President Trump unleashed an American energy revolution. During a speech at the Double Eagle Energy oil rig in Texas July 29, Trump detailed the historic accomplishments of his administration on restoring American energy dominance. “For the first time in nearly 70 years, we have become a net energy exporter,” he...
John and Gisele Fetterman: Let the ‘Dreamers’ dream
The Supreme Court was very clear less than two months ago: President Trump broke the law when he tried to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a federal program that protects immigrants who were brought here without documentation when they were children. The program has allowed hundreds of thousands...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: What can you do for your country? Wear a mask.
The most tragic problems with this pandemic are the result of Americans who don’t seem to get it or don’t seem to care that they are putting others at risk. Without masks or social distancing, they crowd into bars and onto beaches, and even try to force themselves into stores....
Editorial: Wolf needs to stop playing chicken
And the can gets kicked down the road again. On Friday, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association took a tepid fake-out from Gov. Tom Wolf and didn’t try to make a play for the end zone. On Thursday, Wolf made an unexpected drop-in comment at a news conference, saying sports should...
Sounding off: Citizens should be able to vote out bad cops
We the people should have the right to vote out a police officer based on proof that he’s a bad cop. Citizens pay tax dollars to pay officers to protect and serve, and that’s not what’s transpiring in many situations. We the people can vote out mayors, governors, Congress members...
Letter to the editor: Democratic Party hijacked
Wake up, Americans. I believe the Democratic Party has been hijacked by left radical anarchists who hate the middle class and minorities and want to destroy the America you know. In my opinion, Americans’ ignorance is because of hijacked media funded by global elites and George Soros. A country can...
Letter to the editor: John Lewis’ funeral fiasco
Jesus Christ himself would not have received the send-off that the remains of Rep. John Lewis endured recently. What should have been a reverent and solemn rite of Christian burial turned into a weeklong extravaganza of overblown media coverage, social justice gamesmanship and celebrity-speak. President Obama showed his true colors...
Letter to the editor: Dr. Birx takes a stand for truth
Now you’ve gone and done it, Dr. Deborah Birx! You had to blow the whistle and tell the American people the truth, on national television (“CNN Sunday,” Aug. 2), no less: that we are in a new phase of coronavirus plague with no segment of the country immune, including rural...
Letter to the editor: Dr. Levine is strangling Pa. business community
A letter to Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine: Call me whatever you desire, but I care not one bit what type of sexuality that you embrace (“Dr. Rachel Levine responds to transphobic comments: ‘I do not have time for intolerance’” ). My concern is that you are ruining...
Letter to the editor: Veterans serve during war and peace
Letter-writer Robert Ebitz’s definition of a veteran is that “there are veterans and there are others who are not really veterans” (“Veterans should always count,” July 20, TribLIVE). A veteran is a person who has served in the U.S. armed forces in times of war and peace. There should not...
John Stossel: The world needs more juice
Was the power on in your house this morning? If so, thank fossil fuels! A few parts of America do get energy from other sources. Washington state has fast-flowing rivers that allow Washingtonians to get most of their electricity from hydroelectric power. Iowa now gets about 40% of its electricity...
Editorial: Sit-down could serve Wolf solutions for restaurants
Gov. Tom Wolf needs to make a reservation for dinner. He needs to sit down at a nice big table and have a conversation with the people who own and run and work in Pennsylvania restaurants. Earlier in the week, members of the newly created Southwestern Pennsylvania Restaurant and Tavern...
Jamie Wiggan: Could we unarm our police?
Video of a Minnesota police officer casually squeezing the life out of a compliant Black suspect jolted the world into renewed appreciation of systemic racism’s wicked clutches. For me — white, male, born in Britain — it prompted the memory of my first police encounter. I’d been driving in America...
S.E. Cupp: My vote for Biden hinges on his veep pick
The job of the vice president hasn’t gotten much respect over the years. Benjamin Franklin is rumored to have suggested that the title be renamed “His Superfluous Excellency.” Vice President John Nance Garner — aka, “who?” — said the role “is not worth a bucket of warm spit!” Even “Hamilton,”...
Steve Westly: Will Trump still have to reveal his taxes?
Every American president since Jimmy Carter has revealed their tax records. In fact, President Trump personally promised to make his taxes public, tweeting in May 2016: “I told AP that my taxes are under routine audit, and I would release my tax returns when the audit is complete, not after...
Letter to the editor: Parents should give up rights if they won’t take responsibility
Regarding the article “Details from Oakmont girl’s death resemble physical, psychological torture” (June 25, TribLIVE): Children are not asked to be born into this world, and if you are a parent, be the right kind of parent or give up your rights if you don’t want to take the responsibility....
Letter to the editor: Trump’s attacks on voting rights
This week marked the 55th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, landmark legislation that helped to expand civil rights and combat systemic racism at the ballot box. As President Lyndon B. Johnson and activists affirmed, voting access is a central pillar of our democracy. Unfortunately, the VRA was needed because...
Hussein Ibish: Hezbollah will not escape blame for Beirut
As if the Lebanese haven’t suffered enough. For months, they have been caught between an economic meltdown, crumbling public services and a surging pandemic. Now they must count the dead and survey the extensive damage to their capital after two giant explosions on Tuesday. The blasts, especially the second, were...
Paul Kengor: Cancel the cancel-culture bullies
“What cancel culture is about is not criticism,” former New York Times columnist Bari Weiss told HBO’s Bill Maher. “It is about making a person radioactive. It is about taking away their job.” Quoting The Atlantic’s Jonathan Rauch, Weiss called it “social murder.” If you haven’t heard of “cancel culture,”...
Lori Falce: The math of school safety and coronavirus
A year ago, I was writing a column about school safety. I had just attended orientation for my son, learning the ropes and checking out the rooms at the middle school he was excited to start. The safety issues were guns and active shooter situations, with a side note of...
