Opinion category, Page 686
S.E. Cupp: Anger is eating at Americans from the inside
In the days between Christmas and New Year’s, our country suffered a double tragedy: a shooting at a Texas church and, on the seventh night of Hanukkah, a stabbing at a rabbi’s house. Whether fueled by mental illness, irrational anger, pure unadulterated hate or a combination of those things, these...
Peter Morici: Don’t miss out on another banner year for stocks
The U.S. equities are wrapping up a banner year. The S&P 500 index is up well more than 25% but sadly many small investors bailed out too early. In 2019, the financial press was full of warnings about Trump’s tariffs, estimates of job losses instigated by Chinese retaliation, and criticism...
Letter to the editor: Nancy Pelosi’s clever nonaction
I believe Nancy Pelosi has no intentions of sending the House’s Articles of Impeachment to the Senate for trial. Not now that it’s 2020, or ever, for that matter. She has never had any such intentions. She explains that she is “convinced” Trump will not get a “fair” trial but...
Letter to the editor: Impressed by visit to Mister Rogers’ hometown
Several years ago, I set out westward primarily for a short vacation. I thought Pittsburgh would’ve been my one and only stop. I called the studio where Fred Rogers recorded his broadcasts for many years, and a staff person insisted I should visit Latrobe, his birthplace, too. I immediately boarded...
Letter to the editor: ‘Dark Waters’ perpetuates falsehoods
Regarding the Associated Press review “Ominous ‘Dark Waters’ is like ‘Chernobyl’ for America” (Nov. 27, TribLIVE): The movie “Dark Waters” perpetuates falsehoods about science to sell movie tickets. As one of the six scientists who co- authored the 1999 cattle health report featured in the movie, I feel ethically bound to...
Nancy Patton Mills: Trump’s broken tax promises
In the crisp October of 2016, presidential candidate Donald J. Trump gave a speech at the Eisenhower Complex in Gettysburg. He fired up the crowd with promises to remember the “forgotten man and woman” of our country, to bring jobs to struggling communities and deliver a tax plan where “the...
Andy Carter: Pa.’s hospitals are fighting for nurses’ safety
There are some stories that haunt you for a long time. I’ll never forget one from Laura, a registered nurse, who shared about a time one of her patients strangled her. Or, one from Elizabeth, also a registered nurse, who recalled times when she was hit, had objects thrown at...
Mark Hendrickson: What’s wrong with a tax on billionaires?
Among the many radical economic plans offered by various Democratic presidential candidates, Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have proposed an annual wealth tax on billionaires (and other “ultra-rich” Americans). Sanders has bluntly stated, “There should be no billionaires.” These proposals are hugely problematical. They probably are unconstitutional and certainly...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Supreme Court justices follow law, not politics
When Christianity Today recently published an editorial calling for the removal of Donald Trump from office either “by the Senate or by popular vote next election,” it showed a first public crack in Trump’s evangelical Christian support. Trump’s detractors have always been astonished that evangelical Christians have embraced and defended...
Editorial: Mental health is important
“Your mental health matters, and it’s OK to reach out for help.” That simple message needs to be repeated until it is accepted as a truth — basic and incontrovertible as the alphabet and gravity. Gov. Tom Wolf said it Thursday when announcing a public outreach campaign and efforts to...
Sounding off: Indifference may end our republic
The end of an empire slowly creeps in unawares. It’s like a chronic case of indigestion repeatedly ignored until it’s diagnosed as stage 4 stomach cancer. And the prognosis for America the Beautiful could be terminal. Generations indoctrinated by a lifetime of the blue glow of television have been rendered...
Letter to the editor: National debt under Trump, Obama
We are constantly hearing about the soaring national debt under Donald Trump. One of my statistics textbooks in college was titled “How to Lie with Statistics,” which seems to be the norm today. Since Trump became president, the average compounded rate of increase of the national debt has been 5.09%....
Letter to the editor: Capitalism is a sin
Regarding Dr. Joel Last’s letter “Socialism & religious values” (Nov. 9, TribLIVE): You associate capitalism with God, but I believe that capitalism can truly be evil. Yes, there are laws involving capitalism that prevent committing the sins and crimes listed in the Ten Commandments, but capitalism in itself is a...
Letter to the editor: Managing the plastic bottle crisis
Regarding Toni Crisci’s op-ed “Every Bottle Back aims to keep empties out of waterways” (Dec. 7, TribLIVE): The Every Bottle Back initiative may be critical for keeping our environment clean and safe for people as well as protecting wildlife habitats. The Pennsylvania Beverage Association is to be commended for promoting...
John Stossel: Popcorn, iPhones & butter all better in 2020
I learned three new things this year that made my life better! I share them with you here, hoping they make your 2020 easier. My “life hacks” are about popcorn, iPhones and butter. Weird? Maybe. Now I report on how politicians wreck just about everything, but at ABC’s show “20/20,”...
Walter Williams: Colleges dupe parents & taxpayers with ‘diversity’
Colleges and college students have also been around for centuries. Yet, college administrators assume that today’s students have needs that were unknown to their predecessors. Those needs include diversity and equity personnel, with massive budgets to accommodate. According to Minding the Campus, Penn State’s Office of Vice Provost for Educational...
Editorial: Opioid companies profit from cure
According to statistics from Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, the number of fatalities resulting from drug overdoses is expected to have fallen for the second year in a row. That is undeniably good news. It means fewer people are grieving the loss of loved ones. What it does not mean is...
Letter to the editor: Irwin residents getting gouged on gas
This is intended for people who live near the Irwin Pennsylvania Turnpike entrance. Have you wondered why we keep getting ripped off on gasoline? If you go a few miles in any direction, you will find gas up to 30 cents a gallon cheaper. It is apparent to me that...
Letter to the editor: Ridiculous pay increases in North Huntingdon
So now we have North Huntingdon Township “officials” granting “department heads” a pay increase for 2020. Only one councilman voted no, Brian Blasko, the voice of reason. By my acute math skills (as I am not a product of the public screwel system, another black hole for spending abuse), a...
Letter to the editor: Illegal school-bus passing
Regarding the article “Traffic citations in school zones surge in Allegheny County” (Dec. 23, TribLIVE): Many school zones are not properly signed and lack flashing lights. You cannot read the signs unless you stop, and the flashing lights go off at all hours, when there is no school. Act 159...
Donald Boudreaux: Some hopes for 2020 & beyond
A traditional New Year’s practice is to express hope for the coming year. As 2020 dawns, I here convey some of my hopes not only for the coming year, but for the coming decade and beyond. I hope, first of all, for an end to this past decade’s infatuation with...
Lori Falce: Real resolutions for 2020
It’s January 2020. Resolution time. Are you too fat? There are dozens, if not hundreds, of apps, books, programs, subscription-based meal delivery services and trendy diets out there waiting to tell you what you’ve done wrong, what you should look like and how to change — for a price. Not...
Laurels & lances: Sports, spats, skates and scams
Laurel: To little bits of sports history. Close to 300 people gathered on New Year’s Day in a North Huntingdon auto dealership to get a glimpse of some of the pieces of the past that made up Bill Mazeroski’s 17-year Hall-of-Fame career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. More than 120 participated...
Letter to the editor: Impeachment should stop dictatorship
I’ve watched the impeachment debate. The impending vote should stop the dictatorship of the U.S. I as well would love to hear from witnesses. I do believe First Lady Melania Trump is the whistleblower. What do you think? Deb Gorlewski Harrison...
Letter to the editor: Conor Lamb in line with Nancy Pelosi
When Conor Lamb ran for Congress, he emphasized that he would not be a Nancy Pelosi hack. It didn’t take long for him to renege on his promise and fall into line with Pelosi. It seems like it doesn’t take long for an amateur politician to learn how to lie...
