Opinion category, Page 213
Mark Weisbrot: The GOP wouldn’t be fit to govern, even if Trump were to leave
What is the Republican Party today? Any answer has to start with Donald Trump. He has a grip on the party that is perhaps unprecedented in the modern era, leading some analysts to see it as a cult of personality. Many Republican leaders and elected officials who do not like...
Would Reagan recognize today’s Republican Party? Absolutely.
President Ronald Reagan is remembered as one of America’s greatest presidents as he oversaw the end of the Cold War, creating an exceptional period of peace and an unparalleled economic boom. Simply put, his policies made America safer and Americans more prosperous. Today, he has an almost mythical place in...
Letter to the editor: Greensburg’s money problems
The covid relief money Westmoreland County received was to be used to help those who need it most. How does using $7 million for a parking garage at the courthouse qualify for that money? And now that the Monopoly money is gone, we get a big tax increase. How much...
Sounding off: Embryo and ballot rulings, pharmacy closures among week’s topics
Dangers of theocratic government The recent ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court that frozen embryos are children (“Bible-quoting Alabama chief justice sparks church-state debate in embryo ruling,” Feb. 23, TribLive) points out the dangers of a theocratic government that the Founding Fathers feared. The statement of the chief justice, an...
Letter to the editor: Two sides to pharmacy story
The writer of the letter “Pharmacy closures a disgrace” (Feb. 20, TribLive) regarding the closure of pharmacies in Leechburg and Lower Burrell neglects to mention the other side of this story. Currently, independent pharmacies lose money every day in order to continue to provide necessary services to their customers amidst...
Editorial: Another chance to say Marc Fogel’s name missed
After the State of the Union address, much about the annual speech is dissected. What were the highs? What were the lows? What were the priorities set or the challenges made? What gets less attention is what wasn’t said. On Thursday, President Joe Biden hit a lot of the expected...
Letter to the editor: America must come first
I found the letter “Minority rules in U.S.” (Feb. 29, TribLive) misleading in its claims that a handful of MAGA Republicans are obstructing funding of Ukrainian aid in Congress, when just the opposite is true. You can always tell what Democrats are up to by what they accuse Republicans of...
Gary Franks: America can’t afford the $6.20 morning coffee
Oh America, when you go to buy that $6.20 morning coffee, you will need to “borrow” $1.75 to pay for it. Thank God you have an unlimited credit card. But your credit card balance is now an eye-popping $34 trillion, the U.S. national debt. America, this is troubling. To borrow...
S.E. Cupp: Nikki Haley tried to save the Republican Party
Nearly 10 years ago, Donald Trump rode down a gaudy, golden escalator from his high perch atop Trump Tower down to the masses to announce his run for president. That moment would dramatically change the trajectory of the Republican Party in America — for the worse, and maybe irreparably. That...
Vicki Crawford: The women who stood with Martin Luther King Jr. and sustained a movement for social change
Coretta Scott King is often remembered as a devoted wife and mother, yet she was also a committed activist in her own right. She was deeply involved with social justice causes before she met and married Martin Luther King Jr., and long after his death. Scott King served with civil...
Tricia Wachtendorf and James Kendra: 2.5 million displaced by disasters in 2023 tell story of recovery in America and who is vulnerable
People often think of disasters as great equalizers. After all, a hurricane, tornado or wildfire doesn’t discriminate against those in its path. But the consequences for those impacted are not “one-size-fits-all.” That’s evident in the U.S. Census Bureau’s newly released results from its national household surveys showing who was displaced...
Letter to the editor: Q&A for liberals
This month’s lib Q&A: 1) Which U.S. presidential candidate does Putin support? Answer: Biden. 2) Which U.S. presidential candidate does President Xi of Communist China support? Answer: Biden. 3) Which U.S. presidential candidate do the citizens inflicted with Trump Derangement syndrome (TDS) support? Answer: Biden. 4) Since when did “make...
Letter to the editor: Don’t open doors to tyranny with your vote
Millions of people all over the world wish for what we already have. Some would die for it. Our freedoms must never be taken for granted. There are elements to our complicated system of government that define the United States as a free country. The Constitution, the Rule of Law...
Lori Falce: Put students behind the wheel of democracy with civics
There’s a lot of debate about what kids should learn in school. What needs to be prioritized? Should reading, writing and math still be the tent poles, or is science and technology where the focus should be? Do we need the arts? What about life skills like balancing a checkbook...
Laurels & lances: Letters and bills
Laurel: To an elegant return. Some schools are making sure that in a world of texting, the time-honored skill of handwriting doesn’t get lost. State Rep. Joe Adams, R-Wayne/Pike, has introduced a bill that would require public schools to teach cursive. While some schools — like Mary Queen of Apostles...
Letter to the editor: US must commit to a healthy world
For millions of children, immunizations can make the difference between a life of poverty and one of possibility. When kids are protected from infectious diseases, they can go to school, their parents can go to work and their communities can thrive. Over the past two decades, the world has made...
Robert A. Strong: Supreme Court rules it’s unconstitutional for state governments to decide on Trump’s qualifications
When the Supreme Court ruled on March 4 that former President Donald Trump could appear on state presidential ballots for the 2024 election, it did not address an idea that seemed simple and compelling when Justice Brett Kavanaugh raised it during the Feb. 8 oral arguments in the case: “What...
John M. Hammond: Reining in pharmacy benefit managers
Julia Maruca’s reporting of issues facing pharmacies should help bring more attention to the subject of prescription benefit managers’ (PBMs) inordinate influence in the pharmaceutical marketplace. I believe there should be more investigation into the vertical integration of PBMs, health care insurance companies, pharmacies and specialty pharmacies, and I submit...
Letter to the editor: Be patient with AI
AI is a tool. Almost any tool can be used for nefarious purposes. A hammer can drive a nail or bash in a head. It is wrong to blame the tool. AI still is in the relatively early stages of development, and there are problems that need to be sorted...
Letter to the editor: Justice system failing us
After reading the article “Family objects to plea deal for uncle’s role in overdose death” (Feb. 27, TribLive), I have come to the conclusion the justice system is failing us. As a former employee of that system, I must point out it is a pendulous system that sways back and...
Editorial: Does the presidential primary matter in Pennsylvania?
The Super Tuesday dust still is settling. On one day, 16 states and one territory had a caucus or primary — in Utah, both were held. People decided which candidates would receive the Democratic or Republican delegates toward the nomination of a presidential candidate. There had been similar contests in...
Letter to the editor: Constitution deemed expendable
The U.S. Supreme Court has decreed the Constitution does not mean what it says. The clause of the 14th Amendment which precludes insurrectionists and those who have given aid and comfort to insurrectionists from running for public office has been defanged. In my opinion, Donald Trump instigated the vicious mob...
Jonah Goldberg: This is what’s wrong with the rush to accuse Israel of committing genocide in Gaza
If I were a Palestinian struggling amid the rubble in Gaza, I would probably think Israel is committing genocide. If I were a German hiding in Dresden or a Japanese civilian outside Hiroshima in 1945, I’d probably feel the same way about the United States. But none of these amount...
Salewa Ogunmefun: It’s time to make it easier to vote in the birthplace of democracy
Presidential primary election years are unique because they offer the opportunity to get a state-by-state look at the different ways elections are run across the country. In real time we can compare how various election policies make it easier or more difficult for eligible voters to cast their ballot. A...
Matt Smith, Darrin Kelly and Greg Bernarding: Seizing Western Pa.’s unique hydrogen opportunity
While proudly recognizing its industrial past — which helped to build our region and the modern world — Pittsburgh has emerged as a beacon of transformation primed to redefine America’s cleaner energy future. Think about it: President Biden’s plan to tackle climate change demands swift economy-wide decarbonization, creating and preserving...
