Letters to the Editor category, Page 17

Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert is correct that society is becoming more dangerous (“Keeping Westmoreland County safe,” Dec. 10, TribLive). Millions of people coming across our southern border illegally is an invasion. No other country on earth would allow this. President Biden’s handlers made it worse by flying them to...

When Barack Obama was president he signed a few executive orders. Conservatives went ape, accusing him of being a dictator, carrying protest signs showing a Hitler mustache on Obama’s face, and demanding his removal from office for over-using executive orders. Now look what we have with Trump. In a few...

In the article “Westmoreland commissioners approve $1.7M tourism plan” (Jan. 17, TribLive) was this little nugget: “… nearly $94,000 was earmarked for the county air show at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport.” The article then said that the air show was expected to be scaled down, a one-day event … with...

A few recent items in this newspaper gave me some hope that political events would be covered more fairly in the coming year. The letter “Fact-checking censorship” (Jan. 15, TribLive) was an excellent rebuttal to Lori Falce’s column “Meta is wrong about abandoning fact-checking”, (Jan. 10, TribLive) which stated that...

First off, I have no problem deporting illegal immigrants who have been convicted of crimes. As for the remainder: Immigration is using C17s to fly illegals out of the country. The passenger capacity of a C17 is 130 passengers. And it costs approximately $30,000 per hour to operate one. Assume...

If Donald Trump sends forces to seize Greenland, Denmark is politically and morally justified in stopping them. If American troops threaten Danish forces, the Danes should defend themselves. If Americans fire at them, the Danes should shoot back — however many young American soldiers, sailors and pilots might die or...

It seems to me that an unyielding virus of fiscal ineptness has developed in the Great Land of Westmoreland (GLOW). It started when two of the three county commissioners — the regular one and the bald one — went scorched earth on taxpayers a year or so ago after they...

As a Jewish resident of Pittsburgh, I support the Not on Our Dime campaign to demand accountability in city policies and ensure our public resources reflect our shared values. Not on Our Dime is gathering signatures for a referendum to align Pittsburgh finances with residents’ moral standards by divesting from...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

To the three Pennsylvania congressional Democrats having the distinction of casting “nay” votes for the Laken Riley Act, but most importantly to Summer Lee and Christopher Deluzio (the former previously was my representative in District 14, the latter my current representative due to realignment). Having been born and raised in...

Colin McNickle wrote an excellent column on the shocking, to some, absenteeism in Pittsburgh Public Schools (“PPS’ continuing chronic absenteeism crisis,” Jan. 18, TribLive). I’m not shocked as much, perhaps as a retired teacher and brother of a retired PPS administrator, who saw the absenteeism firsthand. But this should shock...

The Republican Party has long branded itself the party of law and order. As I drove around local neighborhoods this fall, I saw scores of “Back the Blue” lawn signs at the same homes sporting “Trump 2025” signs. I wonder how many of those homeowners support Trump’s pardon of all...

Now that the new president has been sworn in and the Cabinet picks are advancing through the confirmation process, I feel a palpable sense of optimism in the nation, and in fact around the world. We are coming out of four years of national malaise, with record high inflation, high...