Opinion category, Page 243
Letter to the editor: Wage disparity puts Westmoreland seniors in jeopardy
This year, the Tribune-Review has published several stories regarding the hundreds of open job positions within Westmoreland County public services. I have worked for the county’s most vulnerable citizens since 2010. I am an aging-care manager at the Area Agency on Aging and a member of our SEIU bargaining committee....
Lori Falce: Lessons from the first Speaker of the House
The first Speaker of the House of Representatives was the son of a German immigrant. Frederick Muhlenberg was born in what would later become Montgomery County. He was a theologian and statesman. He served as speaker of the Continental Congress in 1780. He signed the Bill of Rights. And in...
Neeli Bendapudi: Accountability from Penn State
In early July, a vote to fund the public missions of Penn State and our fellow state-related universities ended in a stalemate, falling six votes shy of the two-thirds majority needed to pass the Pennsylvania House. Nearly three months later, this funding for our Pennsylvania students remains unresolved, despite the...
Cal Thomas: Honest talk on immigration
The phrase “Climate change denier” has wormed its way into the modern lexicon to shame those who have a different view of the science supporting, or not, the idea that the world is in danger of burning up in weeks, months, or years (they can’t seem to decide on the...
Letter to the editor: Working to improve lives affected by Alzheimer’s
I am writing to express my sincere gratitude for Sen. Lindsey Williams’ unwavering support of Senate Bill 840, which seeks to establish a first-ever Alzheimer’s public health infrastructure in Pennsylvania. As a doctor of occupational therapist, I am deeply committed to improving the lives of individuals affected by Alzheimer’s; I...
Letter to the editor: What happened to respect for presidency?
Regarding the letter “Saddened by Trump, MAGA followers” (Aug. 25, TribLIVE): I couldn’t agree with you more, sir! My father, like you, was a veteran (Korean War) and fought the front lines for this country. If he were alive today, he too would be so very sad about what is...
Editorial: National Newspaper Week celebrates readers and trusted community journalism
The Friday night high school football game. Notice of a city council meeting where higher property taxes will be discussed. News of an impending county commissioner election and plans for a Veterans Day parade, the opening of a downtown cafe and the retirement of a beloved police officer. These are...
Letter to the editor: Homeless problem on Downtown bike trail
Regarding the article “‘Our Downtown is doing well,’ but there’s still work to do, Pittsburgh mayor tells forum” (Sept. 24, TribLIVE): Recently my wife and I biked on the Three Rivers Heritage Trail. While we have grown used to seeing homeless people along the trail, we encountered them in three...
Danielle Arigoni: We’re not ready for rising temperatures in a rapidly aging nation
We will remember the summer of 2023 as our hottest season on record — at least until next year. Communities in Texas and Florida endured weekslong stretches of record-setting high temperatures, and Phoenix beat its own previous record when it reached an average monthly temperature of 102.7 in July. For...
Greg Puschnigg: Benefits of Inflation Reduction Act
The Inflation Reduction Act signed into law a year ago is helping companies like ours invest in communities, while also protecting the environment and saving consumers money. The Inflation Reduction Act is helping bring back made-in-America manufacturing, with construction spending for manufacturing reaching its highest level in 60 years. Over...
Elwood Watson: Academic freedom is under assault in America
Those of us who work in academia understand that academic freedom represents the cornerstone of successful colleges and universities. It epitomizes the right of freedom to teach, discuss, engage in research and freely publish your findings. It also means the ability to dictate one’s own teaching and scholarship agenda, the...
Letter to the editor: Trump challengers have no shot
It took me a couple days, but I finally watched the Republican presidential debate. Seven people with zero chance of being elected president. It should have been advertised as auditioning to be President Trump’s next VP. Mike Pence and Ron DeSantis have no shot because very few Trump supporters want...
Letter to the editor: Don’t confuse flag flying as support for Biden
My thanks to the writer of the satirical letter “Flags fly in support of Biden” (Sept. 24, TribLIVE) equating flag- flying with support for President Biden. It started my Sunday off with a good chuckle. Biden’s own party seems to consider “Old Glory” a symbol of America’s racist past (and present,...
Editorial: Shapiro missed chance to meet higher standard on sexual harassment
Gov. Josh Shapiro scored a lot of his political clout in one arena — the idea that sexual abuse allegations need to be taken seriously. As Pennsylvania’s attorney general, Shapiro stood with adult victims of child sex abuse as he unveiled a statewide grand jury’s report. He detailed decades of...
Letter to the editor: AG Henry puts Pennsylvanians first
There are numerous issues to consider as we parents help our children navigate the world. When we have proactive leaders in our state who focus on serving the people versus elevating their individual agendas, that also helps. This is why I’m glad Michelle Henry is our state’s attorney general. Henry...
Patrick Dowd: Allegheny County’s progress on air quality
The op-ed “Environmental priorities for Allegheny County executive’s first 100 days” (Sept. 25, TribLIVE) by environmental activist Ashleigh Deemer, deputy director of PennEnvironment, contained a great deal of misinformation and bias. The Allegheny Health Department (AHCD) has made tremendous strides in air quality during the last decade. The next county...
Jeff Pedowitz: OpenAI lawsuit a watershed moment for AI ethics and intellectual property
The recent class-action lawsuit against OpenAI, led by the Authors Guild and a group of authors, is a watershed moment for the AI industry. It raises critical questions about ethics, intellectual property and the future of machine learning technologies like Chat GPT. As someone who has spent years in the...
Letter to the editor: Parents ruin sports excitement for kids
I recently attended a midget football game. All seemed fine — fall-like weather, great games going on. Then some foolish parents started to fight in the stands, not once but twice. The game was called for the safety of the players and cheerleaders. Some so-called “parents” don’t apparently realize the...
Letter to the editor: Flag flies for country, not Biden
In response to the letter “Flags fly in support of Biden” (Sept. 24, TribLIVE): Sorry to burst your illusion, but not all flags flying are in support of President Biden. The flag flying in front of my house is in support of our country, not Biden, and the hope that...
Letter to the editor: Faygo-nomics
As to what they now call Bidenomics, I refer to as Faygo-nomics. At least until Jan. 20, 2025, I am relegated to drinking Faygo, RC Cola and whatever lesser brand carbonated swill that they concoct. Yep, never to pass my lips are the likes of Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper …...
Editorial: It’s beyond time to crack down on passengers bringing guns to airport checkpoints
Cause and effect follow each other naturally. Touch a hot stove and get a burn. Skip homework and get detention. Drive too fast and get a ticket. It isn’t hard to understand. It’s how we raise children and train pets. When it becomes a problem is when the cause has...
Letter to the editor: Stand in solidarity with striking auto workers
Whether it’s workplace safety, living wages or even the weekend, labor unions have delivered for all Americans. The fight continues: We’re in the middle of an electric vehicle (EV) revolution, and the only thing left to decide isn’t whether it’s going to happen, it’s whether we’ll build them here in...
Tom Purcell: The president’s dogs that bite people
President Biden is being dogged by a unique White House problem. About a week ago, Biden’s German shepherd, Commander, bit a Secret Service officer — Commander’s 11th Secret-Service-officer biting since he moved to the White House in December 2021. Commander must have been following the paw prints of Major, Biden’s...
Letter to the editor: Orenstein’s priorities
I recently had the unpleasant experience of appearing as a landlord before District Justice Xander Orenstein. I’ve been a practicing attorney for over 30 years and have appeared in Magistrate Court hundreds of times. Orenstein touts themself as a progressive, non- binary, tenant advocate, no cash bail, social justice warrior. As...
J. Christian Adams: Automatic voter registration will lead to foreign nationals getting on voter rolls
With great fanfare, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced that the commonwealth will begin implementing automatic voter registration. Automatic voter registration means that when Pennsylvanians get driver’s licenses or state-issued government IDs they will automatically be registered to vote unless they opt out. Currently, people opt in to register to vote....
