Opinion category, Page 670
Letter to the editor: Homeowners tired of being fleeced by taxes
Letter-writer Dwayne Buffer (“Officials keep sticking it to electorate,” Feb. 19, TribLIVE) was right on. School boards and elected officials across the state fail to balance their budgets and overspend, and just raise our taxes with a stroke of a pen. Not long ago before we had gambling in Pennsylvania,...
Letter to the editor: China & our health care
Experts say China could shut down the American health care system in several months because of our dependence on Chinese production of pharmaceutical and medical supplies. It is estimated that 97% of all antibiotics and 80% of the active pharmaceutical ingredients needed for domestic production come from China. Generic drug...
Donald Boudreaux: The most important two-letter word in the English language
A civilizing feature of any society is the right to say “no.” Indeed, societies can be usefully ranked from good to bad according to the respect that they accord to individuals’ right to say “no” to those who would take their property. The importance of being able to say “no”...
Lori Falce: Voting for a woman president
I once stood on a mountain of shale at a strip-mine site the day before Thanksgiving with several local politicians and one female state official. As the guys took their time, yukking it up with all the time in the world, she stood further back with me, impatiently glancing at...
Laurels & lances: Statue, saved and Sunshine.
Laurel: To representing the ladies. Nellie Bly was always breaking barriers. When few women were working outside the home, the Armstrong County native was an investigative reporter. Before women could vote, she was forcing the world to take notice of her with record-shattering world travel and undercover tales of insane...
Letter to the editor: Living in Pa. is taxing
I agree with letter-writer Dwayne Buffer (“Officials keep sticking it to electorate.”) Gov. Tom Wolf hasn’t seen a tax he didn’t like. He seems to spend all his waking hours coming up with new ways to soak the common citizen. Pennsylvania has one of the highest gas taxes in the...
Letter to the editor: Political recycling program
I would like to promote a new recycling program. Each time we go to vote for any politician, we should look at their time in service. If they have been in office more then two terms, there is a very, very good chance that they are corrupt. We must change...
Letter to the editor: Voting is peaceful way to revolt
For a while now, I’ve been thinking. Politicians who have been elected to the position of the people’s representative and monitor of the republic have changed their station to a position of authority, and answer to no one. The electors are now responsible to answer to politicians. Simply put, the...
Letter to the editor: Sinkholes & other hazards
I ride bicycles around town, like I’m supposed to, and it’s been great for the abs. But with all the sinkholes cracking open like eggs, I’ve decided to go with a pogo stick. That way, when the sidewalk or street breaks under me, I’m safe. I got a shock-absorbing device,...
Letter to the editor: Game commission needs to attract young hunters
Regarding the article “Game Commission member, sportsmen rep clash over Saturday start to deer season”: I am against changing the first day of antlered deer season from Monday to Saturday. Many other licensed hunters are, too. Our reasons include the disruption of the Thanksgiving holiday, Black Friday family shopping and...
Editorial: Will primary matter in Pennsylvania?
The presidential primary is always an interesting exercise in Pennsylvania. An exercise in futility, that is. For a year, the state has watched the Democratic hopefuls strut onto the stage and have their say. A few acknowledged the general electoral importance of Pennsylvania with announcements and appearances. Homegrown former congressman...
Timothy Lydon: Amazon & the weakening of community
The most salient and lasting reason to not support Amazon is that it weakens your community. The virtue of commerce is that it brings you in contact with your fellow citizens. The rewarding nature of these exchanges cannot be felt by proxy. On the day Bari Weiss’ book “How to...
Editorial: Answer distress call for EMTs
If you need help, you call 911. They send a firetruck if something is on fire, or a police car if a crime is occurring. If someone is sick or hurt, they send an ambulance. The emergency medical technicians that staff an ambulance are critical links in the health care...
Letter to the editor: God won’t change his word
Regarding the letter “What God would say about Trump, Dems” (Feb. 15, TribLIVE): I couldn’t believe what I read. God will not change his word for anyone, including Donald Trump. There are so many Scriptures that describe people like Trump, and none of it was good. The way I see...
Letter to the editor: Pat Toomey is unfit for office
Sen. Pat Toomey has voted to approve seven judges deemed “unqualified” by the American Bar Association, including Sarah Pitlyk, who was appointed in December 2019. Pitlyk has never tried a case, civil or criminal, as lead or co-counsel, and never examined a witness in court, according to the ABA. She...
Pat Buchanan: Establishment’s ultimatum — scuttle Bernie
After Joe Biden’s blowout victory in South Carolina Saturday and the swift withdrawal of Tom Steyer, “Mayor Pete” Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Super Tuesday is the decisive day of the race for the Democratic nomination. Fourteen states — including California and Texas and delegate-rich Colorado, North Carolina and Virginia...
Letter to the editor: Alice in Wonderland defense
Here’s a case study for budding defense lawyers in any law school. It’s called the “Alice in Wonderland” defense: Defense: My client didn’t do it. Prosecution: But he admitted that he did. Defense: Well, OK he did it, but … there was no quid pro quo. Prosecution: Actually, there was...
Editorial: Strip District defined by history
Pittsburgh is not a city that objects to a little industrialism. In fact, there may be no city built on industrialism quite the way Pittsburgh was. It wasn’t just a city where things were made. It was a city that made it possible for things to be made in other...
Letter to the editor: Giant Eagle’s double-coupon decision
It has finally happened. Giant Eagle stores are no longer doubling manufacturers’ coupons, citing “industry trends towards eCoupons and digital offers.” In other words, Giant Eagle is discriminating against anyone who doesn’t have a computer and anyone who doesn’t have the ability to print coupons from the internet. Those of...
Letter to the editor: Allegheny County Health Department must ensure clean air
Now that the details related to the settlement agreement between U.S. Steel and the Allegheny County Health Department are final, it’s time for ACHD to fulfill two promises: Updating coke oven regulations and devising a plan to combat weather-exacerbated air pollution events. It’s no secret Allegheny County has an air...
Dr. Carol J. Fox: How to prevent the spread and protect our community against coronavirus
Coronavirus — specifically the strain that causes covid-19 — has dominated our news cycles in recent days. We learn daily of increasing numbers of individuals who have been infected. At this writing, there are only two presumed positive cases in Pennsylvania, but we do need to be prepared for the...
Editorial: The people have a right to know
Elected officials are still employees. A mayor may not be answerable to a council member. The governor might not have to get the attorney general to approve his vacation. The president doesn’t have to get Congress to approve a sick day. But all of them were elected to do a...
Tom Purcell: No laughing matter
At least Michael Bloomberg gave it a try. Having done poorly in his first Democratic presidential candidate debate, he joked during the Feb. 25 debate in South Carolina that he was surprised the other candidates showed up — because he “did such a good job beating them last week.” His...
Jonah Goldberg: Bernie gives too much credit to authoritarianism
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination for president, is praised by his admirers for being consistent. He’s been saying the same things for 40 years, they explain — as if this is an obvious compliment. I think that’s kind of weird. But I also like it...
Samir Lakhani: The simple power of soap
Sometimes the simplest acts make the biggest impact. Take handwashing with soap. It’s proven by researchers to reduce the presence of harmful bacteria by 92%, according to researchers at the National Institute of Health. I run a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit charity called Eco-Soap Bank — and our sole mission is to...
