Opinion category, Page 753
Letter to the editor: The real climate change in America
I cannot agree more with letter-writer Dana Siler (“Support bold climate action,” April 18, TribLIVE) that there is a big change in climate in America and all over the world. The change hasn’t a thing to do with the weather, but because of it, maybe God is calling to all...
Letter to the editor: Pittsburgh’s homeless should come first
To all the homeless people in and around the city of Pittsburgh: It seems your mayor has free rooms to house hundreds, if not thousands, of illegal immigrants while you live under a bridge in a cardboard box (“Sending immigrant detainees to Pittsburgh not a punishment”). You should band together...
Letter to the editor: Muslim call for prayer, patience
This Muslim-American says shame on the Easter Day Sri Lankan suicide bombers and all who target places of worship. Contrary to the bombers’ twisted ideology of destroying churches, the true Islam instructs Muslims to in fact defend all places of worship. It appears that the bombers were influenced by ISIS...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Trump’s low bar a gift to other politicians
“There are no second acts in American lives,” according to F. Scott Fitzgerald. And that has always seemed especially true in the lives of American politicians, who were easily knocked off the stage by the slightest misstep. For too long, America placed its leaders on unrealistically and undeservedly high pedestals,...
G. Terry Madonna & Michael Young: Biden brings liabilities, strengths
Joe Biden’s recent presidential announcement surprised few, but it will surprise more than a few if Biden actually wins the Democratic presidential nomination. At age 76 today, he would be the oldest president ever inaugurated by more than seven years. He also brings several other liabilities not shared with other...
Mitchel Nickols: Schools, workplaces must deal with bullies
As accepting as some people may be today, and childhood activities being just a part of growing up, it’s hard to explain how a fifth-grader goes to school and two days later dies from being beaten by a classmate. That’s what happened in March to South Carolina 10-year-old Raniya Wright,...
John Sparks: Founders’ wisdom on Senate still works today
Periodically, those who do not think the U.S. Constitution is “democratic” enough set out to repudiate that document’s genius. The Electoral College is often the recipient of such attacks. The most recent constitutional provision to be called into question is Article I, section 3: “the Senate of the United State...
Editorial: School choice should be discussed, not automatic
Picking a school for your child can be a very personal decision. You weigh the pros and cons. You might look at test scores. You might look at graduation rates. You might be looking for just the right fit for your religious beliefs. Maybe you want a private institution that...
Letter to the editor: Politicians should be working, not campaigning
While the president and myriads of elected representatives are busy priming and prepping and appearing at yet another campaign rally or on yet another town hall prime-time special, who’s actually addressing health care, infrastructure, immigration, hunger, homelessness, veterans, racial injustice, environmental issues, opioids or any one of a hundred other...
Letter to the editor: Consequences of deer season change
The Pennsylvania Game Commission has decided to review its decision to start deer season the Saturday after Thanksgiving rather than the following Monday (“Saturday start to 2019 deer hunting season might not be permanent”). However, they’re going to go ahead and try it out this year anyhow. The original decision...
Letter to the editor: Pittsburgh Marathon’s inclusion illusion
The Pittsburgh Marathon brings great energy to the city, a feeling that everyone there — runner and spectator alike — is united in the common purpose of supporting each other through a difficult endeavor. This purpose transcends race, ethnicity, religion, gender, economics, and politics: Anyone who can run or who...
John Stossel: Bernie Sanders wrong about the poor
Socialists like Bernie Sanders tell us that “the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer.” That’s a lie. Yes, rich people got absurdly rich. Last year, says Oxfam, “the wealth of the world’s billionaires increased (by) $2.5 billion a day.” I say, so what? The poor did not get...
Walter Williams: Discrimination & disparities
My longtime friend and colleague Dr. Thomas Sowell has just published a revised and enlarged edition of “Discrimination and Disparities.” It lays waste to myth after myth about the causes of human differences not only in the United States but around the globe. Throughout the book, Sowell shows that socioeconomic...
Editorial: Is U.S. Steel’s $1 billion upgrade good for all?
It’s an old, rickety teeter-totter of an idea. You have to choose between supporting the economy and the environment. It’s a lie. As voters, as workers, as government and corporations, we can’t fall for it. And we have to encourage and celebrate attempts to do both. U.S. Steel’s $1 billion...
Letter to the editor: Robert Mueller gives lawyers a bad name
The last line of the Mueller report is: “while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.” A first-year law student would be tossed from school if he or she placed that sentence at the end of a paper. Robert Mueller...
Letter to the editor: Green New Deal is ill-advised
Although some experts contend “global warming and cooling” are cyclical over long periods of time, most scientists indicate that global warming is a real and critical issue that needs addressed now. Accordingly, the Green New Deal was recently unveiled and advocates elimination of (or at least 50% reductions in) sources...
Letter to the editor: Trump polluting the swamp
I read with great amusement Rudolph R. Puchan’s letter “Drain the swamp” (April 3, TribLIVE). President Trump is lucky to have supporters who blindly believe him even if what he says is contradictory to the facts. Puchan’s letter states that Trump’s presidency is rooted in his love of country, God...
Donald Boudreaux: The power of economics
Economics grabbed me from the moment I first encountered it as a freshman at Nicholls State University. I remain in awe of economics’ power to explain features of reality that are otherwise inexplicable. Why, for example, did we Americans in the 1970s waste so many hours waiting in long lines...
Laurels & lances: Cows, comments, alcohol and ashes
Laurel: To those on the hunt for crafty cows. The Westmoreland County Animal Response Team has the unenviable task of trying to track down a small herd of cattle that have been roaming southern Murrysville since at least April 26, when a Murrysville resident snapped a photo as he followed...
Lori Falce: Dr. Phil’s Slippery Rock mistake is about labels
How important is the school name on your diploma? For some, it might be worth a lot more than the paper it’s printed on. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the graduates picking up diplomas this weekend started their freshman years paying about $17,000 for a year at...
Letter to the editor: Fairness in taxation
The top 1% of taxpayers account for more income taxes paid then the bottom 90%. What is the fairest way to collect taxes? From a Marxist perspective, the fair way to collect taxes would be to force those with the most wealth to pay the most, while those with the...
Letter to the editor: Neager needed on Hempfield school board
As a mother of two in the Hempfield Area School District, a taxpayer and someone who’s spent her career in health care, I think candidate Debbie Zuzik Neager’s perspective is much needed on the Hempfield Area School Board. The board, which has had a Democratic majority for as long as...
Letter to the editor: More care should be taken with delinquent tax lists
Delinquent tax lists Imagine our surprise when we looked at the Highlands School District delinquent tax list and found our names on it. We paid our taxes and even got the discount. In January, we got a delinquent tax notice. After sending canceled checks, bank statements and receipts to the...
Buzz Aldrin: It’s time to focus on the great migration of humankind to Mars
Last month, Vice President Mike Pence announced that we are headed back to the moon. I am with him, in spirit and aspiration. Having been there, I can say it is high time we returned. When Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and I went to the moon 50 years ago this...
George Will: Buckley urges Congress to stay out of state affairs
WASHINGTON At 96, James Buckley still is, like good cheddar, sharp and savory. Buckley, whose life has been no less accomplished than his brother Bill’s, recently said at a National Review gathering that his speech there would be his last public appearance. Let us hope not. He adorned all the...
