Opinion category, Page 724
John Stossel: Why shouldn’t we be able to sell our organs?
Have you volunteered to be an organ donor? I did. I just clicked the box on the government form that asks if, once I die, I’m willing to donate my organs to someone who needs them. Why not? Lots of people need kidneys, livers, etc. When I’m dead, I sure...
Walter Williams: How important is today’s racial discrimination?
There is discrimination of all sorts, and that includes racial discrimination. Thus, it’s somewhat foolhardy to debate the existence of racial discrimination yesteryear or today. From a policy point of view, a far more useful question to ask is: How much of the plight of many blacks can be explained...
Editorial: Don’t lose your Pittsburghese
We aren’t one nation of people that look alike and think alike. So why should we all sound alike? A class at the Community College of Allegheny County offers yinzers the opportunity to “lose your Pittsburgh accent.” “Come to this class and learn how to subdue your Pittsburghese,” the course...
Letter to the editor: Mueller did not exonerate Trump
Regarding Rep. Guy Reschenthaler’s op-ed “Mueller show’s over; it’s time to move on”: Robert Mueller does not do “shows.” He investigates and makes recommendations to courts, Congress and the Department of Justice. Mueller did not exonerate Donald Trump of collusion. As a former JAG officer, you, Mr. Reschenthaler, certainly know...
Letter to the editor: Diocese should support schools
I’m still a practicing Catholic despite the findings of the grand jury. I’m working through it, but that’s a conversation for another time. My issue today is with the Catholic school system. The July 26 edition of the Pittsburgh Catholic newspaper had an article describing financial hardships in the Diocese...
Letter to the editor: Look in mirror to ‘do something’ about violence
If hate truly has no place in America, if we truly want to “do something” about violence in our society, we each need to look in the mirror. It is only through individual responsibility that we will begin to turn back the tide of violence. How are your relationships? How...
Donald Boudreaux: Do business people make better government officials?
Is it better for high-ranking government officials to have experience in the private sector as business owners or executives? Many people answer “yes!” But my answer is that of the economist: It depends. The characteristic that, above all, is best in a politician is humility. Unlike business executives who must...
Lori Falce: What about safety?
On Wednesday night, I sat in the auditorium with other parents whose kids were about to embark on the adventure that is middle school. We learned where the buses will pick the kids up and why our teachers won’t give us packets of schoolwork for sick days or vacations. We...
Laurels & lances: Cookie-eating, knife-wielding, fair-going
Laurel: To a whole lot of baking going on. Last week’s overwhelming response by cookie bakers during the Monongahela Area Historical Society’s 250th anniversary celebration brought the city a sweet honor when Guinness World Records adjudicator Christina Conlon announced that the number of cookies on display had established a new...
Letter to the editor: Excellent letter on Democrats & racism
For years I have enjoyed reading your letters to the editor, but Mary Beddingfield’s letter “Democrats’ racist rhetoric appalling” (July 30, TribLIVE) was among the best. This self-described black woman from Homewood did a masterful job of countering the tired old Democratic tactic of calling everyone who disagrees with the...
Letter to the editor: Trump will get my vote
Here are my opinions about some recent news items. Unlike many writers, I feel that President Trump is the best thing to hit Washington since President Reagan. He has done more good for our country in two years than most presidents have done in eight. Regardless who the socialist/Democrats choose,...
Letter to the editor: Why Dems call Trump racist
There is a very good reason why Democrats and the mainstream media keep calling President Trump a racist/bigot/whatever. If Trump gets 10% to 15% of the African-American vote in the 2020 election, the Democratic Party is toast, and Trump is re-elected. It’s that simple. Joseph F. Marmo Cheswick...
Letter to the editor: Don’t use balloons to honor the dead
I feel sad every time I see family and friends gathering after the loss of someone who died because of violence, drugs or medical problems. It’s nice to see them honoring the departed with special T-shirts and lit candles. What I don’t understand is why they think they are honoring...
Letter to the editor: Megan Rapinoe’s courage applauded
Regarding Jim Benford’s letter “Shame on Megan Rapinoe” (July 27, TribLIVE): I wasn’t aware that President Donald John Trump ever did officially invite the world champion U.S. women’s soccer team to the White House. Did he? Shame on who? Deriding anyone for having the courage of their convictions isn’t really...
Letter to the editor: Tunnel vision
Regarding Carl Mochak’s letter “Disagreeing with Trump supporters” (Aug. 1, TribLIVE): Mr. Mochak, if you just learned the meaning of the word “inept,” you must have slept in your English classes. You are probably like the cheering and chanting Democrats as well — liberals, socialists and abortion-loving . If you...
Jason Wilburn: USMCA is 21st-century enhancement America needs
Just like the unseen parts used to make automobiles and airplanes work, the contributions of the Keystone State are often experienced — even if not always seen — every day around the world. The products manufactured in Pennsylvania help make the world function, but all of that could slow down...
Editorial: Education needs a better charter
What is a charter? It’s the authorization by which something comes into being. William Penn was given a charter for the land that became Pennsylvania. It was the Charter of Liberties that he later granted the state’s first ruling body in 1701 that took Penn’s Woods from being his holding...
Letter to the editor: Pennsylvania’s gasoline tax
I applaud Robert Ober for his letter about the prices of gas going up at the whim of the oil companies (“Petroleum industry greed,” Aug. 2, TribLIVE). However, let’s not forget our Legislature and the tax on gas, the second highest in the nation. We poor souls in Pennsylvania are...
Pat Buchanan: China, not Russia, the greater threat
Ten weeks of protests, some huge, a few violent, culminated Monday with a shutdown of the Hong Kong airport. Ominously, Beijing described the violent weekend demonstrations as “deranged” acts that are “the first signs of terrorism,” and vowed a merciless crackdown on the perpetrators. China is being pushed toward a...
Sen. Wayne Fontana: Student loans are increasingly the only way forward for many students
Most college students look forward to summer break and a reprieve from the classroom, but few have the resources to take the “summer off” from one of their most difficult challenges: paying for their education. A postsecondary education can be expensive, but it is an investment worth making. Whether a...
Editorial: What happens now with church abuse
It’s been a year. One year since the scope of the Catholic church sex scandal was dragged into the light of day. One year since Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro released the grand jury report that detailed 70 years of children being abused — first when their bodies were touched...
Letter to the editor: Health care system in dire straits
I’ve seen firstand the condition of our country’s health-care system; it is so much worse than any can believe. Patient care is being inhibited by regulations and short staff from cost-cutting. I do believe that many don’t make it back home because of lack of resources. Floor staff do the...
Letter to the editor: Why can’t we work together on shootings?
Disbelief. Terror. Shame. These are some of the feelings which we as Americans are becoming used to. How often do we tune in to find out that there has been another mass shooting event? How many occurrences before we take action? When will we come to an agreement on taking...
Letter to the editor: Humans are on a fatal course
At 63 years old I’ve gained some wisdom and insight into the human condition. I see the standards of morality and competence that have held America together and made her great quickly unraveling, and a dearth of men of fortitude, integrity and strength able to pull us out of this...
Tom Purcell: ‘Social media’? more like ‘anti-social media’
“I can’t take it anymore! My social media friends are driving me batty!” “Ah, yes, you speak of a recent Pew Research Center survey that found ‘46% of adult social media users say they feel worn out by political posts and discussions they see on social media’ — a share...
