Opinion category, Page 89
Letter to the editor: Pa. gas improves air quality
Using the devastating California wildfires in an attempt to score political points about Pennsylvania’s natural gas industry is a new low — even for Alison Steele and the Environmental Health Project (“Linking Pa.’s shale gas industry to Calif. wildfires,” Jan. 20, Triblive), a group that has received nearly $2 million...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Feb. 3
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Feb. 3....
Claire Kovach and Yomarilis Gueits Rodriguez: Groundhog Day and minimum wage deja vu
As Pennsylvanians observe our dapper rodent weather prognosticator’s forecast, workers across the commonwealth will continue to wake up each day faced with the same reality we’ve known for 16 years now — we still have a $7.25 per hour minimum wage. As legislative efforts to raise it stall year after...
Letter to the editor: Is American exceptionalism gone?
The sound you hear is the illusion of American exceptionalism going pop. Turns out, we are as easily seduced by the allure of strongman populism as countless countries before us. It feels fresh but this is an old tired recipe. The promise of protection against the “other.” A self-righteous but...
Letter to the editor: Recent pardons signal trouble ahead
On Jan. 20, two presidents set a troubling precedent by each issuing broad pardons in the span of a few hours. President Biden preemptively pardoned family members and government officials to prevent hypothetical future prosecution. In a much more troubling move, President Trump pardoned over 1,500 Jan. 6 rioters, including...
Letter to the editor: Secure your guns to save lives
In a Jan. 23 shooting in Hempfield, three innocent lives were ended far too soon, resulting in part from easy access to a gun (“4 found dead in suspected Hempfield murder-suicide; victims include children ages 1, 5,” Jan. 24, TribLive). Karen Swarner and her two beautiful children, Evelyn and Connor,...
Editorial: Register of wills nomination plays politics when it didn’t have to
Gov. Josh Shapiro has made nominations for two positions in the Westmoreland County Courthouse. Both are because of vacancies, as elected officials stepped away from their positions. In 2023, Common Pleas Judge Rita Hathaway retired. More than a year later, Hempfield lawyer Matt Schimizzi, 41, has been tapped by the...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Gainey’s inclusionary zoning plan may hinder development
When Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey spoke at a planning commission hearing last week, he emphasized his “get tough on developers” version of an inclusionary zoning ordinance to develop affordable housing. Gainey wants to shift the responsibility for providing affordable housing away from his government — where it belongs — and...
Wolf Gruner: Newly discovered photos of Nazi deportations show Jewish victims as they were last seen alive
The Holocaust was the first mass atrocity to be heavily photographed. The mass production and distribution of cameras in the 1930s and 1940s enabled Nazi officials and ordinary people to widely document Germany’s persecution of Jews and other religious and ethnic minorities. I co-direct an international research project to collect...
Sounding off: Politics, Steelers among week’s letter topics
Our leaders used to deserve respect There was once a time when public officials earned and deserved respect. A time when those with policy differences were political opponents, not enemies. A time when public service was honored. Divorce was once considered to be a negative for candidates seeking the presidency....
Letter to the editor: Lamenting the loss of our champion teams
The letter “City of Champions no more” (Jan. 26, TribLive) hits the nail on the head in every aspect of our professional Pittsburgh teams, especially the Pirates and Steelers. Kudos to the writer. Ray Martin Penn Hills...
Letter to the editor: GOP’s greed
In my opinion, greed overcame the Republican Party; they only care what’s in their pockets, and when in office they have done nothing for the working class. Now a convicted felon is in office with unqualified billionaires running our country, reaping more wealth in their pockets. Donna Keefe Greensburg...
Editorial: Railway safety is worth congressional action
As national eyes focus on the midair collision of a commercial plane with a military helicopter over the Potomac River, concerns remain about how to prevent a different kind of disaster. U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Aspinwall, introduced a package of rail safety bills in March 2023, about a month after...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s to-do list moving at warp speed
President Donald Trump brought civics lessons back into style. Only it’s not book-learnin’, but doing the actual experiments. Isn’t (political) science wonderful? Fourteenth Amendment and birthright-citizens resurrected from the 1860s. Greenland — is that even in the northern hemisphere? After just a few days of him being president, I haven’t...
Letter to the editor: Shapiro needs to ban fracking
Regarding the article “Rundown of President Trump’s executive orders on Day 1 — from pardons to TikTok” (Jan. 21, TribLive): In his inaugural address, Donald Trump made his foolish anti-environment and anti-health priorities clear. It is more critical than ever that Gov. Josh Shapiro stand up to Trump’s reckless “Drill...
Jason W. Park: Hey Hegseth — for Pete’s sake, get a Eureka! moment
Pete Hegseth’s appointment to lead the Department of Defense involved the slimmest of margins and required the tie-breaking vote of Vice President JD Vance, 51-50. However, this was not before allegations of public drunkenness on one hand and sexual assault and spousal abuse on the other surfaced. Of course, even...
S.E. Cupp: Autism families — keep RFK Jr. away from our kids
“(H)ead-banging, football helmet on, non-toilet trained, nonverbal.” This is how President Trump’s pick to head the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has described the millions of Americans who are on the autism spectrum. He was talking to fellow conspiracy trafficker and mega-podcaster Joe Rogan in...
Letter to the editor: A return to common sense with Trump
A president who wants to bring common sense to government. I wish he would bring common sense to the Trump haters of this opinion page. Hitler, threat to democracy, oligarchy, dictator, etc., etc. What do you think you just had? I don’t even know who was giving the orders for...
Letter to the editor: McCormick’s Hegseth vote is telling
One of the first tests of new Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick was how he would vote on the flawed nomination of the unqualified, immoral Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. McCormick failed his constituents, providing the deciding vote to install Hegseth. Throughout his campaign, McCormick cited his military experience and...
Lori Falce: When is it too soon for criticism?
On Wednesday night, a tragedy happened. In the skies over Washington, D.C., an American Airlines commercial plane out of Kansas was approaching Reagan Washington National Airport. A Black Hawk military helicopter was on a training exercise. The two aircraft collided and crashed into the Potomac River. Rescue efforts quickly turned...
Laurels & lances: Juveniles & education
Laurel: To making improvements. Westmoreland County commissioners say they want to see more oversight at the secure juvenile detention center. Good. The facility was closed for about eight months between 2023 and 2024. It reopened in March 2024 with half the licensed 16-person capacity. That will require more staffing. Part...
Letter to the editor: Our leaders used to deserve respect
There was once a time when public officials earned and deserved respect. A time when those with policy differences were political opponents, not enemies. A time when public service was honored. Divorce was once considered to be a negative for candidates seeking the presidency. Today’s White House occupant is a...
Paul Kengor: A new Donald Trump?
Last week I received a fascinating email from a longtime reader. Her assessment at first might sound like a salvo at Donald Trump and his family, but it was meant as a compliment to egg them on. She has been a strong Trump supporter since 2016. Her assessment related to...
Destenie Nock: Help is out there for those struggling with heating costs
The sound of a pipe bursting somewhere inside my wall, followed by a torrent of water gushing from my kitchen cabinet, interrupted one of my work calls a week ago. The culprit: freezing temperatures in Pittsburgh. The estimated cost of repairs: $950 and counting. I had taken all the recommended...
Letter to the editor: Oligarchy? It’s not a new development.
The writer of the letter “We now have an oligarchy” (Jan. 24, TribLive) states “political advisers, allies and billionaire oligarchs have suddenly gained influence within the U.S. government.” Suddenly? The left has been controlled by George Soros, John Morgan, Reed Hoffman, etc. for years. Rick Rohac Greensburg...
