Opinion category, Page 244
Maria Fotopoulos: Term limits needed now more than ever
San Francisco, one of America’s most iconic cities, is in decay. Smash-and-grab robberies and open shoplifting have forced businesses to close, law enforcement has tied hands, and urine, feces and the used syringes of zombie drug addicts litter the streets. Yet one of the leaders of the decline, former House...
Letter to the editor: Flag flies for U.S., not Biden
I want to truly thank the writer of the extremely humorous letter “Flags flying in support of Biden” (Sept. 24, TribLIVE). At first I thought it was great satire, but then realized that he believes that all who patriotically fly the flag of our great country do so as a...
Editorial: Government shutdown not avoided, just punted
Let’s not celebrate the last minute aversion of a government shutdown too quickly. After weeks of growing concern about the federal crisis, the U.S. House of Representatives was even more divided than usual by the time a successful vote was taken Saturday afternoon. Pennsylvania’s federal legislators came together when it...
Letter to the editor: Privatizing our public services
It feels like Big Money has targeted Pennsylvania to become a corporate friendly and working middle class unfriendly place. Look at what happened in New Stanton. Our local government gave subsidies to Amazon, which has spent millions trying to destroy unions and is known for its abuse of workers and...
Editorial cartoons for the week of Oct. 2
Editorial cartoons for the week of Oct. 2....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Oct. 2
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Oct. 2....
Letter to the editor: School buses should have seat belts
I strongly believe all school buses regardless of size or capacity should be required to have seat belts for all student. Last month, there was an accident in Dravosburg where some students were ejected from their school bus. Tragically, one young lady died. This never would have happened if the...
Letter to the editor: Shutdown, gasoline and gouging
I wonder if the Republicans who are trying to shut down the government would do so if they would not get their salary. The Biden administration is getting blamed for the high price of gasoline. The fact that Saudi Arabia has cut production by 1 million barrels per day since...
Letter to the editor: Problems with the Steelers
Dear Mr. Rooney, I am writing about the smell emitting from Acristench Stadium. The culprit is your team, those Rich Men north of North Side, aka the Steelers (apologies Oliver Anthony). I’ll help identify the problems so the air will clear before the EPA gets involved. In advance, you’re welcome....
Editorial: Gainey’s ‘Downtown is doing well’ assessment ignores realism of Pittsburgh’s bigger picture
Everything is just fine in Downtown Pittsburgh. That’s what Mayor Ed Gainey said Tuesday in a forum at Point Park University. “Our Downtown is doing well,” he said. It is the kind of stiff-upper-lip optimism that may give some confidence. When the Tribune-Review asked people, their opinions were mixed. “The...
Letter to the editor: Small businesses need credit card reform
Ballooning credit card “swipe fees” have been detrimental to small businesses across Pennsylvania. In 2022, swipe fees cost businesses almost $130 billion — 20% more than the year prior. And with Visa and Mastercard planning to increase fees by an additional $502 million this fall, it could be the final...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Biden takes stand for striking workers
I was in grade school when I walked my first United Auto Workers (UAW) picket line at the factory gate of the Fisher Body plant in West Mifflin. I can’t remember if it was a contract strike for better wages and benefits or a wildcat strike over a safety issue...
Counterpoint: The impeachment to end them all
Our nation faced only two presidential impeachments during its first 222 years. Suddenly, in 2021, President Donald Trump was impeached for the second time, and now we’re facing a third impeachment in four short years. This flurry of impeachment activity requires us to ask: Is President Joe Biden facing impeachment...
Point: Biden impeachment inquiry is a shameless attempt at political retribution
The impeachment inquiry House Republicans have launched against President Joe Biden is a transparent, shameless and embarrassingly weak attempt at political retribution. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has launched the probe not because it has merit but because the most extreme members of his party demanded it to damage Biden’s reelection...
Letter to the editor: Flag flies for vets, not Biden
Regarding the letter “Flags fly in support of Biden” (Sept. 24, TribLIVE): No, I do not fly the American flag to support Joe Biden. I fly it to support and remember all the people who fought and died to preserve the greatest country on the planet. I read the letter...
Sounding off: Flag, Fetterman, secondhand smoke among week’s topics
Flag flies for vets, not Biden Regarding the letter “Flags fly in support of Biden” (Sept. 24, TribLIVE): No, I do not fly the American flag to support Joe Biden. I fly it to support and remember all the people who fought and died to preserve the greatest country on...
Letter to the editor: Deer hunting in Pittsburgh
I hate to be a Gloomy Gus. It’s too easy to lay into all the horrible, depressing, negative things that are happening worldwide. Russia. Ukraine. Our uniquely American relationship with uniquely multifarious China. Fortunately, for most people, there isn’t enough information presented on the evening news to act upon. World...
Editorial: Is Westmoreland Co. DA’s fusion center right for law enforcement collaboration?
Collaboration is a great way to maximize public resources. It puts everyone together on the same footing. It shares information. It reduces workload. It prevents redundancy. On Thursday, Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli announced an effort to promote better collaboration between detectives from her office and state and federal...
Letter to the editor: Shapiro should restore funding to Real Alternatives
The move by Gov. Josh Shapiro to defund Real Alternatives and pregnancy centers will be to the detriment of the health and safety of women and unborn babies throughout Pennsylvania. Pregnancy centers offer non-judgmental support and direct women to resources for housing, addiction, health care, insurance and supplies. Clients are...
Jason Altmire: Manufacturers need pragmatism from EPA on upcoming air quality rule
When I was growing up in Western Pennsylvania in the 1970s and ’80s, the region’s rich industrial heritage was a point of local pride and known the world over. Many of the men and women working on the shop floors in and around Pittsburgh were your quintessential Nixon and Reagan...
Colin McNickle: Pa. taxpayers being railroaded again
A much-vaunted agreement to spend $200 million of public money to upgrade a Pennsylvania rail line — ostensibly to facilitate the expansion of Amtrak passenger rail service between Pittsburgh and New York City — sounds like a great deal. For the Norfolk Southern Railway, that is. But it’s a raw...
Christopher Baxter: Support of free and fearless journalism can help preserve our democracy
The challenges and threats facing our democracy can seem so enormous and systemic that you might think one person, one article or one vote couldn’t possibly make a difference. But the biggest threat of all is giving in and believing all is already lost. This month we celebrate Democracy Day...
Letter to the editor: Pa. should have 1 school district per county
The letter “Fixing the teacher shortage” (Sept. 22, TribLIVE) addressed the shortage of teachers in Pennsylvania. Many changes may be necessary to address such a complex problem. However, one may be to reduce the number of school districts. There are 67 counties in Pennsylvania, but there are 500 school districts!...
Letter to the editor: Does Biden know what striking auto workers build?
I saw on television that our President Biden went to Michigan to protest with the auto workers on strike. I was just wondering if he knew that they mainly build gas-powered vehicles. Lou Gregovits North Huntingdon...
Letter to the editor: Our flag doesn’t represent one man
The writer of the letter “Flags fly in support of Biden” (Sept. 24, TribLIVE) thanked people for flying the American flag. He regards this patriotic display as a show of support for President Joe Biden. Needless to say, I don’t fly my flag in support of Joe Biden. “Old Glory”...
