Opinion category, Page 95
Colin McNickle: How to pare Allegheny County’s next budget
Allegheny County’s bitter budget battle ended not only with a compromise property tax hike by the Democrat chief executive and majority-Democrat council — a 36% hike instead of a 46.5% increase — but also “a commitment from both the Administration and Council to work together through 2025 to continue to...
Point: National security concerns outweigh free speech
President-elect Donald Trump is correct in wanting to stall the decision to ban TikTok from appearing before the Supreme Court. Such a delay reinforces the position of diplomacy or peace through strategy. The American public can perceive this as a strategic maneuver — not a change of position on the...
Counterpoint: Defending TikTok defends the First Amendment
President-elect Donald Trump is no stranger to making bold statements. Many see his asking the Supreme Court to pause the looming TikTok ban to allow his administration to pursue a political resolution as another example of his fearlessness. As someone who has long championed free speech and individual liberties, I...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s threats chilling
“Panama Canal, Greenland in Trump’s sight” was the chilling headline on your Jan. 8 front page (“Trump won’t rule out use of military force to take control of Greenland and the Panama Canal,” Jan. 7, TribLive). Adolf Hitler’s similar ambition for territorial expansion in pursuit of “living space” commenced with...
Sounding off: Football, politics, abortion among week’s topics
Grateful for the Steelers A multitude of insults have been thrown at Mike Tomlin disagreeing with his tactics while coaching the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s a good thing Tomlin seems to be thick-skinned and can blow all the criticisms off. I’m not a Pennsylvanian, although I live here due to circumstances...
Letter to the editor: Good reasons for increased gun ownership
It is unfortunate that the writer of the letter “Sheriff’s divisive letter tarnishes office” (Dec. 20, TribLive) felt that my letter “Keeping Westmoreland County safe” (Dec. 10, TribLive) was divisive. It was based on facts. A Gallup poll released Dec. 8, based on a six-year study, indicated the following: •...
Editorial: Social media helps to identify the pitfalls of Pittsburgh Mills potholes
Social media has proven itself to be a way to rally people to a cause. It was part of uprisings in the Middle East. It has been instrumental in civil rights protests. It helps raise money for people in the wake of tragedies as big as weather disasters and as...
Letter to the editor: Sen. Fetterman, will you lead?
A message to John Fetterman: Donald Trump, a convicted felon and adjudicated rapist, is poised to lead the nation, but you and the Democratic leadership have failed to speak out as a unified opposition. Your silence allows Trump to control the narrative, presenting himself as having a mandate — something...
Gary Franks: This is not your ‘Leave it to Beaver’ America
The billionaire advisers to President-elect Donald Trump may feel that cutting the spending of the federal government would solve America’s fiscal problem. Godspeed. However, America’s true cancer is the low workforce participation rate. We may claim unemployment is around 4%, but in reality 38% of Americans are not factored into...
S.E. Cupp: Trump’s obsession with changing maps is old hat
“He wants to be a builder like the hero of Ayn Rand’s novel, so large that the skyline is his profile.” That was a New York Times editorial from 1985. Then, President-elect Donald Trump was merely a real estate developer, looking to make his mark on a city that was...
Mary Ziegler: What antiabortion activists want next
The state of Texas filed a major lawsuit Dec. 12 against a New York doctor who mailed abortion pills to a Collin County, Texas , woman, arguing the doctor was practicing medicine without a Texas license and violating the state’s abortion ban. The suit raises messy legal questions about whether...
Letter to the editor: Why can candidates take a break from their ‘jobs’?
During a national election, it always strikes me how different the political world is from the business world. For example, in the most recent election we had candidates who were a sitting vice president and a governor. Both kept their positions, receiving normal pay, while they campaigned for several months....
Letter to the editor: Stand up and speak out
Written by a German pastor, Martin Niemoller, in the mid-1900s, the poem below cautions us that through silence, indifference and inaction we are complicit in our government’s actions. In these coming years, let’s not make the same mistakes. Let’s stand up for our neighbors, community members, colleagues and co-workers, regardless...
Lori Falce: Meta is wrong about abandoning fact-checking
What is the value in checking a fact? According to Meta, there isn’t one. The parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads announced Tuesday the company will discontinue its third-party fact-checking program and replace it with “community notes.” ”We’ve seen this approach work on X — where they empower...
Laurels & lances: Bikes & buttons
Laurel: To a set of wheels. A bike is important transportation for many people — especially high school students. But for Elijah Mendez, 17, transportation is more than just getting around town for fun or errands. It’s about service. The Plum High School senior is a Renton Volunteer Fire Department...
Letter to the editor: Will abortion horror ever end?
At the end of each year, my Catholic church designates a daily Mass to commemorate the “Holy Innocents,” the infants slaughtered by King Herod in his effort to kill the baby Jesus. It occurs to me that the grisly slaughter of the “holy innocents” is also occurring in huge and...
Rachel Marsden: Why does Musk get lambasted while Soros gets decorated?
One minute, he’s telling “subtard” online critics of his policy ideas to go “(expletive) yourself in the face.” The next, he’s fanboying for populist leaders at home and abroad. So what’s the problem with Elon Musk? Aside from his politics, that is. If Musk, the richest man in the world,...
Letter to the editor: Opposing news, opposing views
It’s puzzling how some letter-writers call Republican President Donald Trump a fascist, Hitler, a Nazi, a rapist and garbage, while an equal number believe his reelection will save our country, drain the Washington swamp and reverse the economic, moral, educational, border, fiscal and cultural deterioration that occurred under the four...
Editorial: The surprising grace of a politically divided state House of Representatives
Something remarkable happened Tuesday in Harrisburg. Lawmakers exercised both judgment and grace. It’s shocking. Even more surprising, the world didn’t end because there was no obvious partisan victory. Yes, state Rep. Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, will continue to lead the House of Representatives as speaker for another term. But how that...
Letter to the editor: National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day
Since the first police department was formed in 1845, thousands of men and women have taken the oath to protect and serve. Every day, these brave individuals put on their uniforms and say goodbye to their loved ones without the certainty that they’ll return. No matter the circumstance, police officers...
Cal Thomas: Prison reform can save money
President-elect Trump and nominees for his upcoming administration often speak about cutting spending in order to reduce the debt. Some of the targets are familiar, but one that is never mentioned is the amount of money that could be saved by releasing, or not incarcerating in the first place, nonviolent...
Heather Lauer: ‘Dark money’ is not the boogeyman it’s made out to be
Among the big losers of the 2024 election were politicians and activist groups who claim so-called “dark money” is the secret force driving American politics. Groups that do not disclose their donors once again made up a small share of overall campaign spending and notched few notable victories. The results...
Letter to the editor: Grateful for the Steelers
A multitude of insults have been thrown at Mike Tomlin disagreeing with his tactics while coaching the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s a good thing Tomlin seems to be thick-skinned and can blow all the criticisms off. I’m not a Pennsylvanian, although I live here due to circumstances beyond my control. To...
Letter to the editor: Trump, Musk don’t need politics for money
The writer of the letter “System is rigged for Trump and Musk” (Dec. 31, TribLive) seems to have a problem with wealthy people. I don’t. Many wealthy people make things possible in the lives of everyday people that would not be possible otherwise. Sure, they make a lot of money,...
Editorial: Homicide numbers show progress but room for improvement
It is important to acknowledge progress when it occurs. Just because it isn’t the Tour de France doesn’t mean you don’t give a kid a high five for staying on his bike all the way down the block without training wheels. Passing a test isn’t getting into Harvard, but it’s...
