Opinion category, Page 653
Lori Falce: How do you say no to your mom?
My mother called me to ask if I had plans for the weekend. Being that it is a pandemic and there are no movies to attend or restaurants to patronize or museums to visit, no, I do not. “Great,” she said. “I can come see you.” It hurt to tell...
Paul Kengor: This isn’t the flu! On covid-19’s virulence & politics
Covid-19 is the real deal — a virulent killer. Unfortunately, that’s not the view of many of my conservative friends, including those protesting in Harrisburg and with megaphones on talk radio and Fox News. I’m not going to call them out by name. It’s not necessary. Everyone is hearing such...
Laurels & lances: Recover, release, rescue, return
Laurel: To getting better. Coronavirus is most dangerous to our older population. It’s most risky for those with other health problems, like cancer or diabetes. But that doesn’t mean it is a death sentence for them, even when they are seriously ill. James Toth, 89, and Yvonne Demagall, 92, are...
Jonah Goldberg: Quarantine protesters no heroes of civil disobedience
Our culture has a wonderful way of taking controversial or partisan figures and weaving them into the broader story of America. When Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, for example, his secretary of war, Edwin Stanton, purportedly said, “Now he belongs to the ages,” which was a way of saying that the...
Dan Heit: Funding must continue to ensure help for abused children
Dan Heit founded JusticeWorks YouthCare in 1999 and serves as its CEO. JusticeWorks YouthCare serves families within the child welfare system and youth on juvenile probation. We also operate alternative high schools for students with behavioral problems. Based in Pittsburgh, we work in 45 counties throughout Pennsylvania. Just as nurses,...
John Ash: Preparing for the worst
In the early 1900s, Spanish-American scholar, philosopher and humanist George Santayana wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” His five volumes of “The Life of Reason: Introduction and Reason in Common Sense” rank as one of the greatest works in modern philosophical history. That well-known...
Letter to the editor: When will risk be low enough?
A framework for reopening was offered by the federal government to the states based on a decreasing number of new coronavirus cases over a 14-day period. I haven’t seen a trigger number for this process to begin. There should be a certain number of cases that allow health officials to...
Letter to the editor: Coming together is the American way
Letter-writer Dave Majernik (“Hysteria shouldn’t kill our economy”) asked why we lock down for coronavirus when we don’t lock down for other fatal diseases. It’s not rocket science. Think contagion. If we all go back to work with some of us infected, 10,000 sick turn into 100,000 sick, and then...
Letter to the editor: If liquor stores can open, why not other Pa. businesses?
The decision to allow some Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores to reopen (“Pennsylvania to reopen some liquor stores for curbside sales”) is good news. Common sense is prevailing when it comes to this shutdown. Yes, many businesses can open with enhanced procedures in place. But after it sank in,...
Letter to the editor: Year-round resort would boost Ligonier Valley
Earlier this year, Ligonier Township manager and zoning administrator Terry Carcella said township officials are making plans for the Ligonier Beach property (“Ligonier Township committee to consider plan for reopening Ligonier Beach,” Jan. 7, TribLIVE). One possibility mentioned was a master comprehensive parks, recreational and open space plan that could...
Letter to the editor: Shutting down not way to deal with virus
Coronavirus has caused huge numbers of small businesses here in Pittsburgh to close. Inventories are spoiling, families are being torn apart and countless other disruptions have overwhelmed our society. We cannot shut down our country every time there is a virus outbreak. We have thousands of interlocking parts that must...
Editorial: Nursing home data key to covid-19 response
Testing and tracking. Those are the two things that will make it possible to get out of the black hole of coronavirus lockdowns. The state needs to know not just who is sick. It needs to know who is infected and not sick. That’s the testing part, and that is...
Harry Hochheiser: Earth Day in the time of coronavirus
This is not how anyone expected to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. With the world on a coronavirus lockdown, planned celebrations join events from all walks of life in the canceled column, with Earth Day, like everything else, going virtual. For those of us who are alarmed about...
Letter to the editor: Contempt for Trump irresponsible
I could only laugh at how some “environmental warriors” can’t let a good crisis go to waste, especially letter-writer Hana Koob (“We need candidates who respect science,” April 16, TribLIVE). Funny how some have to proclaim their view of science (without providing any firm basis or reference) is the only...
Letter to the editor: Celebrate Earth Day by reducing meat, dairy consumption
With the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, we are already reducing our carbon footprint during the pandemic by curtailing travel. But we can do so much more by cutting our consumption of animal meat and milk products. Yes, that. A recent article in the respected journal Nature...
Letter to the editor: Rep. Reschenthaler, why block WHO funding?
A message to Rep. Guy Reschenthaler: Your initiative to block funding to the World Health Organization via U.S. House Resolution 917 has alerted many of us in Westmoreland County. Last week, President Trump “officially” defunded the USA’s long-standing contribution to WHO, once its largest contributor. You’ve now actively participated in...
Letter to the editor: Incompetence meets a pandemic
Some countries are responding to covid-19 with competent leadership. Germany and New Zealand took action with early, aggressive testing and quarantining. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern communicate with consistency and honesty, explaining to the public the magnitude of the threat, and, like Winston Churchill...
Letter to the editor: Focus on humanity’s needs
I am weary of reading posts on social media about opening up businesses now because Pennsylvania is losing tax revenue and those who are unemployed due to the covid-19 virus are anxious to return to work. Also, stimulus checks are burning holes in many pockets. Hateful things are being said...
Rex Huppke: Protests against coronavirus stay-at-home orders put us all at risk, may delay America’s reopening
While they are few in number, those who’ve decided it’s their duty as Americans to protest coronavirus lockdowns are putting their self-interest over the health of others. Period. You can disagree with me and call me a liberal schmuck and stand by President Donald Trump and the protesters he’s egging...
Editorial: Falling oil price shows high Pennsylvania gas tax
Call it irony. Call it supply and demand. Whatever you call it, the result is the same. Gas is cheaper than it has been in years. Shop around in the Pittsburgh area, and you could find it as low as $1.59 a gallon. The average in Pennsylvania is just $2.17...
Pat Buchanan: What will be the new American cause?
After the Great Pandemic has passed and we emerge from Great Depression II, what will be America’s mission in the world? What will be America’s cause? We have been at such a turning point before. After World War II, Americans wanted to come home. But we put aside our nation-building...
John F. Rohe: Remembering the first Earth Day, 50 years ago
John F. Rohe is vice president of the Colcom Foundation. In 1970, the first Earth Day set a high bar for long-range plans. Its aspirations stretched well beyond the 50th anniversary that we observe on April 22. Now, perhaps more than ever, the original vision of Earth Day brings intergenerational...
Stacy Gallin: Learning from Holocaust in time of covid-19
As we commemorate Yom Hashoah — Holocaust Remembrance Day — this week, I keep thinking about the Hebrew phrase, L’dor V’dor. In English, this phrase means “from generation to generation.” It refers to the essential task in Judaism of passing down traditions and education from one generation to another. It...
Eric Rittmeyer: Push emotional intelligence instead of college
There isn’t a single parent who doesn’t want what’s best for his or her child. Watching them do well in school and getting that dream job is what parenting is all about. Or is it? As a society we’ve shifted our emphasis way too much onto academic success and way...
Letter to the editor: Thanks and suggestions for Comcast
It was very nice to see Comcast offer some free “extras” during this pandemic. Another suggestion would be to bump customers in the “smallest” package up to the next package at no cost. If that sounds like too much, how about offering them EWTN? It could be quite some time...
