Opinion category, Page 71
Letter to the editor: Trump’s golf costing taxpayers millions
President Donald Trump and Elon Musk in February said they had already saved taxpayers $55.6 billion. According to NPR, the amount was closer to $6.5 billion. “Taxpayers” paid more than $26 million for Trump’s golf outings this year; he has traveled to his own golf resorts, Trump International Golf Club...
Lori Falce: President Trump doesn’t understand groceries
Groceries are not old-fashioned. For some reason, President Donald Trump appears fascinated with the word. It started back in August on the campaign trail, when he was working on his economic record and the high prices Americans were seeing on food. He stood at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster...
Laurels & lances: Town halls & ballot rules
Laurel: To being canceled. The idea of cancel culture gets a lot of criticism, as it should. There should be less shutting down of ideas and more frank discussion of problems and solutions. But when events get canceled, that’s a little different. Last week, an event featuring both U.S. Sens....
Letter to the editor: 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 to sign up for...
Christine Flowers: That prison video in El Salvador was a bit much
This might appear to be a frivolous observation, given other issues that have hit the headlines over the past few days, but I have a big problem with the secretary of Homeland Security’s wardrobe. Normally, I don’t pay all that much attention to the sartorial style of women in the...
Meghan Amayo: Multilingual learners deserve a place in schools within their communities
I met Miguel* one summer when his mom, who was enrolled in an English as a second language (ESL) class with my sister-in-law, attended our family’s Memorial Day picnic. He easily blended in with the rest of the preteens kicking around a soccer ball and talking about all things pop...
Orli Trumbull: The Pittsburgh Promise is ending. What’s next?
In ninth grade, I started high school at the Pittsburgh Barack Obama Academy of International Studies. I wanted to experience the diverse community that the Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) magnet program offers. At Obama, I have been exposed to new experiences: participating in sports with limited funding, opportunities to lead...
Letter to the editor: Respect history and don’t use Nazi symbol
I have seen protests saying President Trump and Elon Musk are Nazis. The swastika, the symbol of the Nazis, is on the signs they hold and place in their front yards. This is emotional for me because I don’t think they have any idea of history. My father-in-law endured 18...
Letter to the editor: In praise of ICU nurses
Have no doubt, kindness is alive and well in our world. In addition to suffering from ALS, I recently spent over five weeks in the intensive care unit at UPMC Presbyterian hospital, where I was treated for pneumonia and respiratory failure. The doctors, technicians and other staff were fantastic and...
Editorial: Hearings on bus route cuts should be where routes will be cut
When you have someplace to go and you own a car, your schedule can be in your own hands. You have an appointment at 2 p.m. It’s 2 miles away. Depending on where you are and what traffic is like, you could be sitting on the couch watching TV until...
Letter to the editor: We’re witnessing a constitutional coup
I believe the U.S. is in the throes of a constitutional coup, the seizure of power through exploitation of loopholes in the Constitution. Using the Project 2025 blueprint, democracy is being dismantled and replaced by an oligarchy composed of billionaires. First, we get the chaos created by a flurry of...
Jonah Goldberg: What will Trump’s tariffs ‘liberate’ us from?
I am writing this from the last days of our captivity. Indeed, by the time some of you read this, we will be free. If all goes according to the White House’s plan, April 2 will go down in history as America’s “Liberation Day.” Steve Bannon, a prominent unofficial Trump...
Cal Thomas: Let us prey — a heretic in the White House
For the evangelical Christians who have given — and still give — overwhelming support to President Trump while refusing to criticize him for language and behavior they would presumably denounce in a fellow church member, here’s an easy one for you. There’s a heretic inside the White House. For those...
David L. Nevins: Luke Combs, Taylor Swift and all American artists — where are you?
On March 12, French artists, DJs and musicians united to fight the threat of the far-right government in France that they felt was a threat to democracy in their country. More than 1,200 artists, DJs and promoters from the French music industry came together to galvanize “the world of the...
Letter to the editor: Why doesn’t government fund Mount Vernon?
I have a gripe with the government, too, but it’s not about politics. I’ve been donating to George Washington’s Mount Vernon home for the past year, and every time I do, I am informed by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association that they are the only ones that support and seek...
Editorial: Why won’t the dated-envelope lawsuits die?
Please just stop. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter ruled Pennsylvania’s election boards cannot invalidate mail-in ballots because they don’t have dates on their outer envelopes. Baxter is not the first judge to weigh in on this issue. She’s not the second or third or fourth. She is...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s greatest accomplishments
After seeing the continued support from the die-hard MAGA base of all things President Trump and co-President Musk do, I had a realization of what Trump’s greatest accomplishment has been so far. In my opinion, they have been able to convince hard-working Americans to accept higher prices and slashed government...
Letter to the editor: Steelers need an overhaul
I get tired of reading and hearing in the national media about how much players around the league love Mike Tomlin. The Steelers consistently miss signing priority free agents and only retain their own priority players when they give “highest paid at the position” contracts. The Rooneys need to conduct...
Bruce Yandle: Trump’s first months: More poetry than prose
While seeking another stay in the White House, Donald J. Trump did what most politicians do: promised the moon to those who might help him get elected. Trump also assured us that promises made would be promises kept. But as former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo is famously quoted: “You...
Patricia Lopez: This billionaire Democrat is ready to brawl
President Donald Trump has not yet completed 100 days in office, but for Democratic governors, the shadow primary for 2028 is underway as they test messages and search for ways to flip the script from the defeatism of their party in Congress. Into this fray has stepped Illinois Gov. JB...
Letter to the editor: Cuts to research not good for region
As someone who was born and raised in Pittsburgh but a product of European immigration, I’d like to move on. I’m a commercial union carpenter. I typically build local hospitals and research facilities for a living. A career anyone should be proud to have. Lately though, things aren’t looking so...
Letter to the editor: Like Lennon, looking for the truth
The great John Lennon was a target of FBI surveillance by the alleged cross-dressing tyrant J. Edgar Hoover, primarily for exposing the truth. More than 50 years later, Lennon’s lyrics ring truer than ever: “I’ve had enough of reading things by neurotic, psychotic, pig-headed politicians. All I want is the...
Editorial: Local cops use radar in Pa.! April Fool’s!
April Fool’s Day is rife with old jokes. It’s a date brimming with fake pregnancy announcements, weird product ad campaigns and classics like switching sugar for salt. Do the tricks catch people? Sometimes. For those that see them coming, however, April Fool’s pranks tend to prompt rolled eyes and heavy...
Letter to the editor: Why no punishment for attack plan leak?
An operational war plan got loose. So what? In January 1940, a German plane crashed in Belgium carrying Hitler’s war plan to invade France. The French were thrilled, smugly sure they were ready for the Germans. Realizing that, the Germans completely changed their plan. The French went to war against...
Dwight Boddorf: Regional authority would solve EMS crisis
Across Pennsylvania, emergency medical services are in crisis. It is not just a rural issue. It is not just about volunteers. It is a systemic failure; unless we act now, lives will be lost waiting for help that never comes. In recent years, local EMS agencies have struggled to maintain...
