Opinion category, Page 615
David Zurawik: Cable news is the medium now setting national agenda
Once upon a time in a far more stable America, our national agenda was largely shaped by network news, The New York Times, weekly news magazines such as Time and The Associated Press. Media productions like the “CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite” not only determined what we would talk...
Tom Purcell: America means freedom to them
A friend of mine can’t for the life of him understand why some Americans are clamoring to replace capitalism with socialism. Born in Vietnam, he was a young boy when he and his family barely escaped that communist nation amid gunfire. America welcomed his family among thousands of Vietnamese refugees....
Editorial: The New Ken-Arnold school board should have seen the severance agreement
The people have a right to know what the government is doing in their name. And how much it’s going to cost them. Last week, the New Kensington-Arnold school board accepted the resignation of superintendent John Pallone. That was followed by a 7-0 vote to accept a severance agreement with...
Editorial: Freedom of press and coronavirus
A pandemic can affect a lot of things. It can change how we work, how kids go to school and how we shop. It can screw up baseball and bingo. It can complicate weddings and funerals. But it doesn’t change the Constitution. It hasn’t changed the freedom of speech of...
Zach Shamberg: State data on covid-19 in nursing homes is too confusing
At this point in the pandemic, we know that accurately compiling and reporting data is a critical tool for tracking and slowing the spread of covid-19. When the Pennsylvania Department of Health announced back in May that it would begin publicly reporting cases in long-term care facilities, I celebrated the...
Letter to the editor: Babies’ lives matter, too
I keep hearing “lives matter,” and “we need to protect lives,” which are completely true sentiments. No matter how you talk about this issue, someone will absolutely be upset, but here’s the thing: Daily during the virus, babies’ lives didn’t seem to matter. The governor of Pennsylvania did not shut...
Letter to the editor: Climate action in Pa.
Buffeted by a global pandemic, political partisanship and dismay with government gridlock, what can a grandmother do to address the ticking time bomb of climate change? Harkening back to the article “Western Pa. lawmakers fight Gov. Wolf on Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative” (Nov. 19, TribLIVE), I reviewed supportive information from...
Letter to the editor: Numbers guys making the decisions
I pride myself for “rolling with the punches. Over the course of 70-plus years, it’s been a challenge. Yet another one looms. In the 1970s, a new breed of owners and managers deemed that rather than people who know their product (or service) inside and out, mathematicians were better suited...
Letter to the editor: Protesters do not speak for all of us
Of course, absolutely Black lives matter, but Black lives and all lives need to learn how to comply with police orders. I’d like to ask people what they would do in the following situations: • What would you do if a police officer signaled you to pull over? Would you...
Letter to the editor: Wrong to give tax credits to frackers
As the government continues to defund education and environmental programs, I am losing hope for the future of my generation. Our air and water are polluted by fracking, placing communities across Western Pennsylvania at higher risk for cancer, yet our government plans to give money to the companies who may...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Aug. 3
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Aug. 3....
Editorial cartoons for the week of Aug. 3
Editorial cartoons for the week of Aug. 3....
Noah Smith: Focusing on Facebook and Google’s monopoly misses the point
The heads of four of the U.S.’s biggest technology companies — Alphabet Inc., Apple Inc., Facebook Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. — appeared before Congress last week to respond to criticism that they have too much market power. The hearing showed that lawmakers are beginning to understand what is and isn’t...
S.E. Cupp: Will ‘healthy’ schools be traumatic?
August is usually when we try to get one final vacation in, find fun ways to beat the heat and take our last licks of summer. But this year, August is different. For those of us who have school-age children, the potential return to class hangs over us; we count...
Letter to the editor: Decreasing taxes to 25% a great idea
Just read Greg Massung’s letter “25% capacity should mean 75% decrease in rent, plus property tax relief” (July 26, TribLIVE). Although the amount of tax is already reduced by the reduced income of those businesses, his idea of reducing that amount to 25% is a stroke of genius. Let the...
Letter to the editor: Veterans need help during pandemic
During these troubling times, we all want to reach out to help others. Food drives, monetary donations and volunteer work are ways people help others. Our veterans groups also need everyone’s help. This pandemic has put a strain on all veterans groups nationwide. With no bingo, no hall rentals and...
Letter to the editor: Biden’s climate plan wasteful spending
It shocks me that some people cannot see the absurdity of the Democratic Party and how far left it has gone. I think the Democrats’ plans and policies are completely illogical and nonfunctional. Recently, Joe Biden said he plans to convert 500,000 school buses to zero emission and upgrade government...
Letter to the editor: Waiting for Trump’s ‘powerful strategy’
On July 21, President Trump led, without any other members of the coronavirus task force present, what was billed as a coronavirus task force press briefing. This was his first attended coronavirus task force press briefing since April 23, when he stated, “And then I see the disinfectant, where it...
Letter to the editor: Can’t vote Democrat due to abortion
Many of us have heard about the danger of voting based on one issue. However, when that issue is a matter of life and death, especially for the most innocent and vulnerable, then this “one issue” assumes overwhelming importance. I am speaking about abortion on demand as permitted by the...
Letter to the editor: Facts becoming irrelevant as we tear down history
In his column “Tear all the statues down?” (July 9, TribLIVE), Paul Kengor laments the removal of statues such as that of Stephen Foster, due to the perceptions some have of its meaning. Well, no surprise there. How can you expect people that don’t care to learn history to know,...
Kimmi Baston: Mentoring doesn’t stop even though we’re apart
Each year, during the last week of September, more than 700 elementary girls in Pittsburgh wait excitedly after school to meet the college women they’ll spend the school year with, having fun and building skills in a supportive group setting. For six months, the girls and their college mentors play...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Pass the Voting Rights Act bill for John Lewis
To many of those watching the horse-drawn hearse take the body of U.S. Rep. John Lewis across the Edmund Pettus Bridge one final time last week, the most remarkable moment came when Alabama state troopers snapped to salute as his casket passed. What a contrast to 55 years ago. Lewis...
Tim Haggerty: Prudence, not optimism, should rule back-to-school decisions
One of the advantages of being a historian is that you are never at a loss for a half-baked analogy, particularly after a couple of gin and tonics in isolation. The historical circumstance that keeps popping into my mind these days is the beginning of World War I in June...
Editorial: PIAA and WPIAL set good examples for playing by coronavirus rules
Are you ready for some football? Well, you have to wait. Thanks, covid-19. And even when it starts, you probably won’t get to see it in person. At least not for high school games. The same goes for other fall sports like soccer and cross country. This week, the Pennsylvania...
Letter to the editor: We all wear masks
We all wear masks. The mask worn for covid-19 is just the visible one. John Greco West Deer...
