Opinion category, Page 655
Letter to the editor: During crisis, focus on solutions, positivity
Anger, fear, self-doubt — “fight, flight, freeze” — are normal human reactions to threat. But, when trauma is long-lasting, these instincts undermine and can harm us. In crisis, it is helping, being present and taking responsible action that will see us through. May we focus on the solutions to things...
Letter to the editor: Keep vigilant about threats to society
After Gov. Tom Wolf exercised emergency powers to effectively suspend the practice of law in Pennsylvania, the president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association issued an official statement. One might have expected a PBA declaration to reflect on how the rule of law can be preserved and the rights of citizens...
Letter to the editor: Support Alzheimer’s research
The Alzheimer’s Association just released 2020 figures. More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s. The disease is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. It kills more than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. Between 2000 and 2018, deaths from heart disease have decreased 7.8%, while...
Letter to the editor: Medical workers, not Trump, doing great job
Our doctors, nurses and hospital workers are doing an outstanding job with the covid-19 crisis. They are the best example of the good things Americans do in a crisis. I can’t say I’m proud of the job our president has done. Impulsive decisions are dangerous. Alternative facts and blaming others...
Letter to the editor: Thanks to postal workers
Donald Trump now has the U.S. Postal Service in his sights. The GOP has for years been out to privatize the Postal Service. The GOP Congress saddled the service with decades of debt when for some reason a decade or so ago they required the service to fund their pension...
Letter to the editor: Hydroxychloroquine & Trump
In segments on MSNBC and CNN, anchors stated that President Trump is not a doctor and so he shouldn’t be pushing hydroxychloroquine as a helpful pill in combating covid-19. They demonize him and say it’s outrageous for him to promote this pill. I wonder if these anchors happen to contract...
Letter to the editor: Pa. businesses should open without Wolf’s OK
Pennsylvania is drowning. Does Gov. Tom Wolf care? He shut our economy completely down in the blink of an eye. Now our businesses are going under, people are going without income and unemployment is a huge mess. The economy may open back up on May 1 but Wolf now wants...
Letter to the editor: China is our enemy
China is responsible for the coronavirus and its distribution. The epicenter of the viral outbreak that began in Wuhan was near one of China’s bioresearch labs. Chinese officials lied about this while the coronavirus spread all over the world. We should treat China as our enemy, not our friend, like...
Letter to the editor: List of ‘cannots’ can help us pick a president
We have two candidates running for leadership of our country. How do we decide which one will be the better leader, and which platform of promises to choose? The Rev. William J.H. Boetcker, a Presbyterian clergyman who lectured on industrial relations at the turn of the 20th century, came up...
Letter to the editor: Conservatives should return relief checks
I believe that all conservatives and Republicans in the United States should return their relief checks to the federal government so that they do not become “unproductive and shiftless welfare recipients” and “blood-suckers” who are accepting “government handouts” and “something for nothing,” “parasites” who are “overly dependent” on being “subsidized”...
Letter to the editor: Covid-19 is colorblind
The Associated Press “outcry” over coronavirus racial data was journalistic malpractice of the worst kind (“Outcry over racial data grows as coronavirus slams black Americans,” April 8, TribLIVE). While the entire world struggles to overcome endless challenges and devastating heartbreak, AP sowed racial division in a 1,200-word screed including charts...
Letter to the editor: Trump acts, Dems obstruct
Your Letters section carries a lot of pro/con claims regarding the Trump administration’s response to the covid-19 pandemic. Here is a summary of what I see as the differences between Trump’s and the Democrats’ actions. The first case of covid-19 was announced Dec. 31. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi toyed with...
Letter to the editor: Acts of kindness during coronavirus crisis
After reading Milyssa Ross Sassos’ letter “Witness to caring, generosity” (April 1, TribLIVE), I was prompted to write of my own experience. Early in the coronavirus panic buying, I was in Walmart looking for water, and I saw a young woman with a case. I asked her where she found...
Editorial: Timing the pandemic reopening
It is no surprise that people are ready for this to be over. For five weeks, Pennsylvania has been a tiger in a cage, prowling back and forth, frustrated by remembered freedom and eager to get out. We know that coronavirus put us here. We know all the simple reasons...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Playing politics won’t save Main Street
When the Lake Conemaugh dam broke in 1889 and sent 20 million tons of water rushing into the valley below, the town of Johnstown, Pa., and over 2,200 of its residents were washed away in minutes. The devastation was complete, leaving 25,000 homeless survivors not knowing where their next meal...
Sounding off: A covid-19 tax will be coming to Pennsylvania
Does anybody remember the Johnstown Flood of 1936? Yeah, me neither. But do you know that in 1936, Pennsylvania enacted a “temporary” liquor tax in order to help pay for the damages caused by that flood? At the time, it was 10%; today, it is 18%. Fast-forward to 2020 and...
State Rep. Bob Brooks: Getting Pa. to work while dealing with coronavirus
During the early stages of the highly contagious coronavirus, we had little statistical information, but there was much concern over hospital space for treatment and the loss of lives. Health officials here and abroad are continuing to work to track and contain the pandemic. Our government has tried to slow...
Letter to the editor: Safer ways to exercise religious freedom
I would like to thank those who choose to exercise their religious freedom by attending services at their church. Thank you for potentially exposing yourselves to covid-19 and possibly passing it on to family, friends, co-workers and others. Thank you for likely extending stay-at-home orders and increasing the number of...
Letter to the editor: Cyber charter schools help children thrive
If public charter school choice wasn’t an option, my son would have been left behind. Prior to his kindergarten year, we moved into a good school district excited about the opportunity to offer him the best. But instead, my son became a “number” and quickly began to dread going to...
Letter to the editor: WQED aids learning during covid-19 pandemic
WQED, known worldwide as “Mister Rogers’ station,” was the nation’s first community-supported education television station. Today WQED and Pennsylvania’s six other PBS stations are bringing instructional programming to 12.4 million people across the state during this pandemic. These emergency at-home learning services for students, families, teachers and school systems are...
Letter to the editor: Farmers will keep safe milk available
On behalf of the 10,000 dairy farm families that I have the privilege to represent, I want to acknowledge how difficult this time is for everyone. Our prayers are especially with those families whose health has been affected by the coronavirus. Our dairy farm families are committed to providing wholesome...
John Stossel: China’s tech totalitarianism
The media tell us China “beat coronavirus.” I don’t believe it. The Chinese government lies. AEI’s Derrek Scissors argues that they’ve underreported the number of covid-19 cases by millions. Still, it’s possible that China has the virus under control. But at what cost? Most of us in America now practice...
Walter Williams: Fixing college corruption
America’s colleges are rife with corruption. The financial squeeze resulting from covid-19 offers opportunities for a bit of remediation. Let’s first let’s examine what might be the root of academic corruption, suggested by the title of a 2018 study, “Academic Grievance Studies and the Corruption of Scholarship.” The study was...
Lou Weiss: In memory of ‘Freddie’ the garbage collector, the first city worker taken by covid-19
I lost my garbageman this past Wednesday. While his name hasn’t been officially released from the Pittsburgh Department of Environmental Services, word is that he was the first covid-19 related fatality of a public employee in the city. I’ll call him “Freddie” for now. Not knowing his last name, I...
Dr. Joseph Answine: Nurse anesthetists’ role
We can agree that all medical personnel should be utilized to fight the covid-19 pandemic. However, this is not the time for nurse anesthetists to push a long-fought personal agenda, which is independent practice separating the physician from the patient during the highly complicated and risky period while under anesthesia...
