Opinion category, Page 81
Letter to the editor: Musk’s havoc
I’d like to add some additional data to the letter “Speak up to stop Musk’s coup” (Feb. 15, TribLive). Elon Musk is the wealthiest person in the world, worth $442 billion, yet in 2022 and 2024 Tesla paid $0 in federal tax. It’s obscene that any one man should have...
Letter to the editor: Oversight needed for federal firings
On Feb. 13, Trump administration officials fired more than 300 staffers at the National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees the country’s nuclear weapons stockpile. The administration is seeking to rehire these employees. The Department of Energy oversees U.S. national energy policy and energy production, research and development of nuclear power,...
Editorial cartoons for the week of March 3
Editorial cartoons for the week of March 3....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of March 3
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of March 3....
Letter to the editor: Congress must address high cost of prescription drugs
While Congress could tackle a plethora of issues as it begins its 119th session, it’s my hope that the Pennsylvania congressional delegation works to introduce reforms that address the rising cost of prescription drugs. According to a recent KFF poll, a third of Americans don’t take their medications as prescribed...
Letter to the editor: Lost, stolen gun reporting laws can prevent tragedy
Can you imagine if your car was stolen but you couldn’t report it? Now, imagine a stolen gun, one that could have been prevented from ever getting into the wrong hands. This isn’t a hypothetical scenario for me; it’s a tragic reality that has forever altered my life. My 16-year-old...
Editorial: Medicaid doesn’t just provide care to the poor
Making cuts to one program often has a fallout beyond the intended recipient. For example, whenever a proposal is made to cut all benefits that might go to someone testing positive for drugs, there are voices in favor. It is understandable that many people don’t want to give assistance to...
Letter to the editor: Chainsaw cuts to VA will hurt veterans
The DOGE effort to make the government more efficient is trimming muscle and bone from the Veterans Health Administration. More veterans are now using the VA, while at the same time, VA’s service is improving with higher satisfaction ratings, higher quality care and better outcomes than the private sector. Finally,...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: The power of faith, family and pierogi
Next week, as they have done nearly every week for decades, the women of St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in McKeesport will gather around long tables in the church basement to make pierogi. Their fingers will move quickly and precisely, shaping small balls of potato and cheese, a...
Peter Morici: Fixing America’s broken health care system
The assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson triggered a disturbing avalanche of sympathy for his accused killer, often laced with sarcasm about health insurance systems for prior review for many services and claims reimbursement. UHC is a large multistate insurer subject to scrutiny for its generally high denial rates. A...
Sheldon H. Jacobson: Our nation’s debt is far more than the national debt
The national debt has been making the news, placing much of the focus on federal debt. Yet to gain a full appreciation of the nation’s debt, one must step back and take a wider view of the situation. Take for example personal debt. Many are now addressing credit card bills...
Stephanie R. Toliver: No going backward — don’t take down the Department of Education
Growing up in New Castle, Pa., where every public school received extra federal support due to the city’s high poverty levels, I saw the importance of governmental assistance. New Castle Area School District, one of the poorest in Pennsylvania, relied on Title I to fund essential services like tutoring, after-school...
Letter to the editor: It’s about time government tightens its belt
Isn’t it crazy that people are so upset about federal employees losing their jobs because of downsizing? The government has needed to be downsized for quite some time, and we finally have a president exercising his powers to do just that. Every business at some time will go through an...
Sounding off: Government waste, Trump, gift ban, taxes among week’s topics
It’s about time government tightens its belt Isn’t it crazy that people are so upset about federal employees losing their jobs because of downsizing? The government has needed to be downsized for quite some time, and we finally have a president exercising his powers to do just that. Every business...
Letter to the editor: Per capita taxes no longer relevant
Has anyone taken the time to question the per capita (head) tax that we have to pay every year? Per capita is Latin meaning “for each head.” This tax’s initial purpose was on the heads of southern slaves. This tax is also a direct tax on adults 18 and older...
Editorial: Police silence about shootings speaks volumes
How long can police remain silent about a shooting? Quite a while, it seems. On Feb. 14, yellow crime scene tape went up around McKinley Avenue in East Vandergrift. It happened after a raid on an apartment above the post office. The U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force was leading the...
Letter to the editor: Trump not focusing on important issues
The price of eggs continues to rise and gas and grocery prices continue to be high, yet President Trump is not addressing these issues as he promised. Instead of focusing on lowering costs for health care and education and fixing our broken immigration policy, a member of the Republican- controlled Congress...
Ian Kelly: Has America first become America alone?
Article 5 of the NATO treaty is the bedrock of the alliance: It is the pledge that an attack on one is an attack on all. It created a single security space among the democratic nations in North America and Europe. The concept of a one-for-all, indivisible security across the...
S.E. Cupp: Welcome to the Musk era of unchecked conflicts
When the computers arrived at City Hall in January 2002, they were the talk of the town. Known as “The Bloomberg,” the system of flat-screen terminals used to crunch real-time market data made famous by their namesake mogul Mike Bloomberg, were sent to populate the new mayor of New York...
Marc A. Levin and Khalil Cumberbatch: Common ground in Pa. on criminal justice
Polarized politics have led many Pennsylvanians to dark places, but could a common vision of justice for all illuminate the path to unity? A beacon of hope is a new declaration of principles endorsed by many of the nation’s most respected conservative and liberal groups. It encapsulates our shared aspirations...
Letter to the editor: Older people want paper tax receipts
There you go again, government — you cut off the ability for us to get a paper receipt after we pay our house taxes. The elderly don’t have a way to print out a receipt, and many cannot use a computer. I need a receipt for my company’s accounting department....
Letter to the editor: Progressivism nothing new in Pittsburgh
I attended the District 5 community meeting for Greenfield hosted by Pittsburgh City Council Member Barbara Warwick. In his column “Progressivism killing the party, the city” (Feb. 22, TribLive), Joseph Sabino Mistick sets up two false dichotomies: incompetent progressives versus competent moderate traditionalists and “new” progressive residents versus deep-rooted residents...
Lori Falce: America was built with a dollar and a dream, not $5 million gold cards
My mother’s grandmother Karolina was born in Austria in 1899. She came to Philadelphia in 1906 with her mother, an unmarried woman who had a romantic story about Karolina’s unnamed father but who rewrote her life in America claiming to be a widow. Karolina was not wealthy. Neither was her...
Laurels & lances: Learning experiences
Laurel: To getting into education. A good book can put a reader into the story. Virtual reality video gaming can put a player in a new world. But how can that happen for a whole classroom? On Tuesday, East Allegheny School District became the first K-12 public school setting to...
Letter to the editor: Pa. legislators need to pass gift ban
As a union member in Pennsylvania, I understand if I failed to meet my employer’s expectations I would be fired. Our state legislators, however, face no such accountability when it comes to accepting gifts from lobbyists. Pennsylvania is one of only three states without a gift ban, allowing unlimited perks,...
