Opinion category, Page 68
Letter to the editor: Oil prices vs. gas prices
Why aren’t gasoline prices following the downward trend in oil prices? West Texas crude oil lost $12 per barrel March 31 through April 8. Falling from $71 to $59. On April 9 it was trending lower. Gasoline prices locally have stayed mostly between $3.59 and $3.69 per gallon with some...
Lynn Schmidt: Missing Mike Pence
I miss Vice President Mike Pence, and you should too. That is, if you appreciate the second in command standing up for his oath to the Constitution instead of a man, and if you long for the days when America respected our European allies and was a proud member of...
Jason W. Park: American Dream or American Nightmare? Choose wisely!
For many people living and working in this country, the American Dream defines their aspirations. By hard work and meaningful sacrifices, Americans can reach their lifelong goals, whether a short-order cook or a NASA astronaut. The “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” that our Founding Fathers penned seems to...
Letter to the editor: How about some concessions in the Pirates lineup?
Did anyone see and listen to Bob Nutting’s pre-home opener interview with broadcaster Greg Brown? I sure hope Brown was wearing boots and carrying a shovel. I haven’t heard that many falsehoods and bull cookies since an Alejandro Mayorkas news conference. Let’s face it: The Pirates are never going anywhere...
Letter to the editor: Don’t cut services to veterans, America’s heroes
I have a message for the Trump/Musk administration: Hands off veterans’ benefits! DOGE is planning drastic cuts to the Veterans Affairs Department which include: • Narrowing the list of qualifying medical conditions. • Replacing VA hospitals/clinics with privatized outpatient centers. • Eliminating 80,000 positions at the VA. • Terminating telehealth...
Letter to the editor: Voice of America not best use of taxpayer money
Can you hear me now or is anyone really listening? The writer of the letter “We have silenced ourselves” (April 11, TribLive) grieves the purge of Voice of America from the U.S. taxpayers’ checkbook. I guess baseball, hot dogs with Coke and Chevrolets will make the huddled masses see the...
Editorial: University funding should be reformed, not reduced
Six months before World War II ended in Europe, President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote a letter to his top science adviser. Could the wealth of technical knowledge developed for combat, he asked, spur the peacetime economy and improve public health? The resulting treatise, presented to Congress in 1945, established the...
Letter to the editor: Mystery of Chinese companies
Did you know that tens of millions of Americans have been investing in Chinese companies involved in advanced military weapon production, surveillance technologies and egregious human rights abuses? Unwittingly, I’m sure. For the past 25 years, approximately 5,000 Chinese companies have entered the U.S. capital markets without being properly vetted....
Letter to the editor: Destroying Social Security
Initially, I was perplexed about why Elon Musk and President Trump seemed to be targeting Social Security before other entitlements. Typically, Republicans advocate for cutting spending to reduce taxes. However, Social Security pays for itself with FICA, and because there is a cap, at most, each billionaire pays a little...
Editorial cartoons for the week of April 14
Editorial cartoons for the week of April 14....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of April 14
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of April 14....
Letter to the editor: A closer look at Trump’s tariffs
I encourage everyone to look at President Trump’s tariff tax chart and compare his tariffs to the tariffs we are paying to other countries. Trump’s new rates are still a lot lower than the tariffs most countries are charging us. It’s about time somebody is looking out for the American...
Letter to the editor: Protecting everyone from measles
Thank you to Ian Karbal for shining a light on the concerning rise in measles cases in Pennsylvania (“Measles cases up in Pa. and some counties lag behind school vaccination targets,” April 7, TribLive). In this context, vulnerable populations include babies too young to be vaccinated, cancer patients in the...
Editorial: Term limits return power to people
American government is representative. We pull from our neighbors to find the people who should lead us. But we don’t put those people in place forever. Or at least, we don’t plan on it. Frequently, however, it seems to play out that way. U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is 91....
Letter to the editor: Rural Roads Safety Week
The Westmoreland County Farm Bureau is recognizing Rural Roads Safety Week April 13-19 by encouraging county motorists to travel safely on roadways this spring and throughout the year. As the new season gets underway, tractors, farm trucks, wagons and other large equipment are once again traveling on Pennsylvania roadways. To...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Pittsburgh mayor’s race is about change
The best part of American government and politics is that the people get a do-over every two to four years. The voters of Pittsburgh will have that chance in the upcoming election for mayor. Their rejection of Mayor Bill Peduto’s administration in 2021 was historic — the first ousting of...
Commentary: For conspiracy theorists, no defeat is final
The recent release of the last reported bunch of classified files about the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy yielded information on various mysterious CIA plans worldwide — but no agency involvement in Kennedy’s murder. There was never any actual contact between the CIA and the assassin, Lee Harvey...
Counterpoint: The rich need to pay more taxes
The share of before-tax income going to the richest 1% of taxpayers has more than doubled in the last half-century. This massive upward redistribution of income was primarily a result of the ability of the rich to structure the economy in ways that benefited them: trade agreements, longer and stronger...
Point: For the left, is there anything ‘taxing the rich’ can’t do?
Heading into Tax Day, if you listen to progressive policymakers for a few minutes, you’ll likely hear that few problems on Earth can’t be solved by “taxing the rich.” Want to nationalize health care? Tax the rich. Want to close the deficit? Tax the rich. Need a ball gown for...
Letter to the editor: Freeport’s ‘Les Miserables’ magnificent
Standing ovations! Thunderous applause! Sold-out performances! The audience moved to tears! All indications of a magnificent performance! Congratulations to the students, teachers and staff of Freeport Area High School on an extraordinary performance of “Les Misérables.” The vocals were clear, strong and compelling. Young people gave Broadway-worthy performances, bringing life...
Letter to the editor: Explaining insurance coverage for an ’emergency’
In the health insurance section of the Q&A advertisement on page A6 of the March 25 edition, there is a question about the definition of an emergency for HMO plan coverage for emergency room treatment. I don’t believe the answer provides a full explanation. I learned a more detailed explanation...
Editorial: What are your rights regarding your property?
According to Pennsylvania law, your land is not your possession and affords no expectation of privacy. That was the argument Deputy Attorney General Anthony Kovalchick made to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court this week. The case in question was an appeal of a case brought by two hunting clubs against the...
Letter to the editor: China, not Russia, our biggest threat
Sun Tzu, a Chinese military general and strategist, wrote the famous war strategy book “The Art of War.” This book is taught in U.S. military academies. Sun Tzu taught that “all war is based on deception and the supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” One...
Letter to the editor: Libraries vital to communities
The word library is a bit of a misnomer. It conjures visions of older women sitting behind desks, checking out books and stamping dates on cards. Libraries are actually vibrant places. In an average day as a volunteer at the Scottdale Public Library, I might encounter: • An older adult...
S.E. Cupp: Trillions of reasons why Trump caved on tariffs
Our long national nightmare is over. Or is it? After the longest week of economic uncertainty and peril Americans have endured in a long time, President Donald Trump finally caved and announced a 90-day pause on his ham-fisted, hairbrained, ill-advised and ill-conceived trade war with the world. The 10% baseline...
