Opinion category, Page 70
Cal Thomas: Injustice in Nashville
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. There is a man who has spent nearly 30 years on death row in a Nashville prison for murders that substantial evidence shows he did not commit. His name is Kevin Burns (KB, as he is...
F.D. Flam: We used to disagree. Now we don’t talk to each other.
Since the covid pandemic began five years ago, the U.S. has gone from being merely polarized to split into two separate and incompatible realities. Worse, according to a recently released survey, we lack a “common understanding of facts.” So much for the new normal. Your reality depends on whether you...
Letter to the editor: Reagan rolling over in his grave
Reagan is rolling over in his grave. So are Eisenhower, Ford, H.W. Bush and a half-dozen other presidents who have had to deal with the Russians. No previous president ever liked or trusted Ivan. Now we have a chief executive who is oddly fascinated with an ex-KGB, criminal dictator. Worse,...
Letter to the editor: Sign pollution
Stay in your own lane and the hell out of the “wrong ways.” This applies to many things in today’s life and for everyone’s life and death situations, literally, figuratively and exponentially. Yes, wrong-way traffic deaths are on the increase and wrong-way campaigns, elections and decisions are always too present....
Editorial: Republicans can have their tax cuts and benefits, too
Congressional Republicans face some tough math. They want to extend tax cuts, set to expire this year, that would add perhaps $4.5 trillion in new deficit spending. To offset such extravagance, they plan to come up with $2 trillion in spending cuts. Can it be done, as the White House...
Letter to the editor: Net metering key to future of solar
We want to thank Rep. Abigail Salisbury for voting “no” on the amendment to House Bill 362 that would have drastically weakened Pennsylvania’s net metering policy and back-tracked years of bipartisan efforts. Pennsylvania is 22nd in the country for solar, based on the Solar Energy Industries Association. Net metering is...
Editorial cartoons for the week of April 7
Editorial cartoons for the week of April 7....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of April 7
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of April 7....
Letter to the editor: Libraries are vital
The news regarding potential funding cuts to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) should concern every member of our community. Our local libraries and museums, supported in part by the IMLS, are hubs for learning, connection and cultural enrichment. These institutions offer a wealth of resources that strengthen...
Letter to the editor: We must do more to prevent gun suicide
Take a moment and think about if your life has been impacted by suicide. Now imagine there was a way to prevent that loved one from taking their life. There are measures to prevent firearm suicide in our country that are not being taken. Gun suicide is a massive public...
Editorial: Pittsburgh’s ‘New Ivies’ demonstrate educational importance
Some colleges are considered better than others. It might not be fair. It might not even be accurate. But perception can shape reality. For generations, the Ivy League has been seen as the gold standard of U.S. colleges and universities. The Ivy League is a group of eight northeastern schools...
Letter to the editor: Signs of Build Back Better
While out driving the other day enjoying all the benefits of Build Back Better, I couldn’t help but notice the wonderful quality of the asphalt patches and the miles of tar lines poured as far as the eye can see. It was some of the most amazing asphalt and tar...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Standing up for our system of justice
The voters of Wisconsin stood up last week and showed the Elon Musks and Donald Trumps of the world the judicial branch of government is not as easily conquered as the executive and legislative branches. In the high-stakes race for a seat on the Wisconsin state supreme court, the Musk-backed...
Sheldon H. Jacobson: How to win the lottery without buying a ticket
Lotteries have become ubiquitous, available in nearly every state. The most recognized national lotteries, Mega Millions and Powerball, have jackpots that reach $1 billion a few times every year. Of course, that payout is spread over 29 years, with the first year around $15 million and the final year around...
Counterpoint: Crackdown on international students is a self-inflicted wound?
Recent detentions and deportations of international students have sparked controversy, raising concerns about the long-term damage to the United States’ reputation as the global leader in higher education. Meanwhile, the increasing number of U.S. students studying abroad underscores the importance of international academic exchanges. Several high-profile cases have highlighted the...
Point: Deport immigrants who are advocating evil
In then-President Joe Biden’s words, Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, massacre of Israeli civilians was an act of “pure, unadulterated evil,” resulting in “the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust,” with “more than 1,000 civilians slaughtered,” “stomach-turning reports of … babies being killed.” Yet, over the last year and a...
Letter to the editor: We’re watching the destruction of our country
On one hand, we have witnessed the detainment of Mahmoud Khalil, a legal alien, for organizing and leading protests against the slaughter of thousands of Palestinians and the destruction of their homeland. On the other, 1,600 duly tried and convicted American citizens involved in the attempted overthrow of our government...
Sounding off: Libraries, Steelers, Idlewild purchase, DOGE cuts on readers’ minds
Our communities need libraries As a former public librarian and current school librarian, I am in a position to tell you about the impact libraries have on communities. At the Carnegie Library, the staff and I helped elders learn how to use computers for the first time, taught them how...
Letter to the editor: The real Pentagon waste not being addressed
The Pentagon is not able to pass an audit of its expenses. It cannot account for around one-half of its budgeted $850 billion. There is waste and abuse in failed weapons programs, unnecessary nuclear expansion and exorbitant prices for goods and services by defense contractors. The failure of DOGE to...
Editorial: Is this the Pirates’ year?
Baseball is a game of numbers. Sure, every sport can claim that to some extent. A scoreboard is all about the numbers, after all. A tie is never broken by an essay question. But baseball may be the peak intersection of jocks and accountants. Even before the book (and movie)...
Letter to the editor: Solving the senior care workforce crisis
Pennsylvania’s aging services providers, including nursing homes, senior living communities and home and community-based services, continue to sound the alarm about their ongoing workforce crisis. We don’t have enough qualified workers to care for Pennsylvania’s fast-growing older population, due to costly staffing agencies and limited government support. To help, LeadingAge...
S.E. Cupp: Happy Liberation Day? More like tariff doomsday.
Here’s a nice trick for the misanthropic: Mention “import substitution industrialization” at the next dinner party you attend, and watch eyes glaze over and bodies slowly depart your general area. Talking economic theory isn’t usually exciting. And talking trade theory, including the supporting theory for tariffs, even less so. But,...
Colin McNickle: PRT must help save itself
Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT), facing a $100 million budget deficit in fiscal 2025-26, is threatening massive service cuts. And it’s squarely blaming the commonwealth’s transit funding policies for its woes. State funding is “no longer able to meet the needs of Pennsylvania’s second-largest transit agency,” PRT complains. But researchers at...
Dr. Susan Kressly: The dangerous war on vaccines
Against the backdrop of a rapidly expanding measles outbreak, what we need right now is urgent assistance from the federal government to support immunization and strengthen vaccine delivery, not more challenges. Unfortunately, vaccine expertise is instead being sidelined while anti- vaccine perspectives are being elevated. Last Friday, Dr. Peter Marks, a...
Letter to the editor: Hoping for a return to tradition with new Idlewild owners
So glad to hear another company is taking over Idlewild & SoakZone, along with Kennywood and Sandcastle. Hopefully, the new owners will restore the beauty and traditions Idlewild once valued before it was sold to Palace Entertainment. Joanne Thornburg North Huntingdon...
