Opinion category, Page 781
Walter Williams: Who benefits from democratic control?
In 1976, Gerald Ford won 15 percent of the black vote. That’s the most of any recent Republican presidential candidate. In most elections, blacks give Democrats over 90 percent of their votes. It’s not unreasonable to ask what have blacks gained from such unquestioning loyalty to the Democratic Party. After...
John Stossel: School choice includes ideas, too
Today concludes School Choice Week. School choice is a noble cause. In much of America, parents have little or no control over where their kids attend school. Local governments assign schools by ZIP code. Having choice is better. Whether it’s vouchers, scholarships, charters, private schools or just having options among...
Letter to the editor: Anti-wall means anti-Trump
This tweeter not to be trumped is tweetered expressly for my conservative compatriots and for obstinate liberals conceivably capable of still being able to see the woods for the trees. You non-conservative Democrat politicians don’t give a rat’s fanny how many immigrants cross the border, how many terrorists, how many...
Editorial: Government is open. For now.
It took 35 days. It took more than a month to get the federal government open for business after President Trump pulled back on his previous support for a bipartisan spending plan that would have funded operations into February. It went through two pay cycles for 800,000 government employees and...
Editorial: Voices heard at gun control hearing?
It was a hearing. Not a listening. On Thursday night, 101 people stepped up to the microphone in front of Pittsburgh City Council and Mayor Bill Peduto. They wanted to have their say. They each were allotted three minutes to tell their story or plead their case. They spoke on...
Paul Kengor: Join the Twitter mob!
“You’ve got to get on Twitter!” a former student told me recently. “It’s where everything is happening.” Well, I’m not on Twitter. I do, however, have a Twitter account. I don’t know what it is, where it is or how to access it. I want nothing to do with it....
Letter to the editor: ‘Wall’ issue is a ‘will’ issue
The Bible is clear on how to handle immigrants. Exodus 22:21 says, “You shall neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him.” This is repeated in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Exodus 12:49 says, “One law shall be to him that is home-born, and unto the foreigner who sojourns among you,” repeated in...
Letter to the editor: Democrats ridiculous
Regarding the letter “Trump bully & liar” (Jan. 14, TribLIVE): America is waking up to the ridiculous stance of the Democratic Party. All it would take to open the government is for the Democrats to approve the wall that they were all in favor of during previous administrations. Chuck Schumer...
Lori Falce: Social media has no indoor voice
We all have that person who doesn’t really get technology. Maybe it’s the TV remote that’s outside their scope. Maybe it’s the smartphone he never really wanted. For many, though, this is most publicly seen with social media. For me, it is generally with family. Names and relationships have been...
Laurels & lances: Art and history and crimes and punishment
Laurel: To “Hamilton” for prioritizing education. The hottest ticket in town is a free ticket for 2,700 Pennsylvania students who scored a shot at seeing the Tony Award-winning megahit at the Benedum Center on Friday as part of the Hamilton Education Project. It brings kids from low-income districts to the...
Letter to the editor: Quit politicizing wall
I find it disturbing that the crisis of the wall (barrier?) has been politicized to this point. What I would like to see is Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer and the rest of those who say there is no crisis bused to the border, where they can actually see what’s...
Letter to the editor: Romney has no courage
Oren Spiegler’s letter ”Romney’s courage” (Jan. 8, TribLIVE) praising Mitt Romney for standing up to President Trump demands a strong rebuttal. Spiegler states that Romney supports many of Trump’s policies, then lauds him for denouncing Trump for his personal and destructive behavior that is supposedly dividing America. Trump has been...
Letter to the editor: What if it were your kids?
I 100 percent agree with letter-writer Amy Kriss (“Catholic Church is not above the law,” Jan. 2, TribLIVE). I would like to ask the Rev. John Sweeney’s attorney, face to face, if Sweeney did this to his children, what would his response be? If he did this to my kids,...
George Will: Why do people like Lindsey Graham come to Congress?
WASHINGTON Back in the day, small rural airports had textile windsocks, simple and empty things that indicated which way the wind was blowing. The ubiquitous Sen. Lindsey Graham has become a political windsock, and as such he — more than the sturdy, substantial elephant — is emblematic of his party...
Jessica Poole: Patients need to ask questions
America’s health care delivery system is undergoing a dramatic shift. More and more patients are choosing office settings and ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) over hospital-based outpatient units for same-day surgical procedures for everything from total joint replacements to cataract surgery. This shift is attributed to advancements in surgical techniques, pain...
Editorial: Gigs are up with Walmart announcement
The news of Walmart grocery delivery in the Pittsburgh area was met with interest. A way to go to Walmart without actually going to Walmart? A chance to casually select ice cream, laundry detergent, half a pound of chipped ham, six frozen pizzas and a dozen bagels from a phone...
Letter to the editor: 2 cheers for Gov. Tom Wolf
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI, www.rggi.org) was established several years ago by Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont “to support the development and implementation of each RGGI State’s CO2 Budget Trading Program” using a cap-and-trade mechanism to lower greenhouse gas emissions. In...
Letter to the editor: Border crisis manufactured by past administrations
Yes, border security is a manufactured crisis. It was manufactured by past administrations and supported by President Obama and his administration’s policies. June Morrison Zelienople...
Letter to the editor: Noncitizens & taxes
Regarding the editorial “Everyone counts in census” (Jan. 15, TribLIVE): How many of these noncitizens have real Social Security number to pay income taxes? Why should they have any say on how it is spent through the extra politicians their numbers would allow to be elected? Clem Zahrobsky Delmont...
Letter to the editor: Let’s move forward on methane
The commitment by Peoples Gas on Jan. 8 to cut 50 percent of its methane emissions in the city of Pittsburgh is welcome news in the fight against climate change (“Peoples pledges to plug leaking methane from Pittsburgh gas lines,” Jan. 9, TribLIVE). Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, far...
Erica Smith: Good-character requirements violate rights
Rejected for lacking “good- moral character.” That was what the letter said from the Pennsylvania Board of Cosmetology to Courtney Haveman. Haveman had just spent thousands of dollars on beauty school learning to become an esthetician. She had enjoyed learning how to do facials, waxing, tweezing and more. She was ready...
Joe Cicio: DNA of retailing has been compromised
If you think brick-and-mortar stores are in turmoil because of the internet, you would be wrong. Thanks to 40-plus years in retailing, I’ve been fortunate to have worked alongside — and even study — some of the most amazing merchants and retailers who have built the industry’s impressive reputation. I...
Pat Buchanan: At age 70, time to rethink NATO
“Treaties are like roses and young girls. They last while they last.” So said President Charles de Gaulle, who in 1966 ordered NATO to vacate its Paris headquarters and get out of France. NATO this year celebrates a major birthday. The young girl of 1966 is no longer young. The...
Editorial: A beautiful day…to be snubbed?
While some read the lists of Academy Award nominees with questions about how Bradley Cooper and Emily Blunt could be snubbed and why were no women nominated in the director category, in our little corner, the question is more about documentaries than blockbusters. What about Mr. Rogers? “Won’t You Be...
Letter to the editor: Why build the wall?
Some of those who don’t want to build a wall say it’s too expensive. Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi and others on the left say we could use drones and electronic devices to do the same thing cheaper. Their thinking is shortsighted. If illegal aliens are detected crossing the border, they...
