Opinion category, Page 246
Letter to the editor: Fetterman shows disrespect for our institutions
So now newly elected Sen. John Fetterman is turning the Senate chamber into a gym class, I guess because he thinks he’s too good to dress like a professional. He shows no respect for our institutions, parading around the halls of Congress like he just got off the basketball court,...
Editorial: Put brake on revolving Capitol door
Even when legislators lose an election or decide not to seek reelection, or an administration changes because of term limits or a lost election, the Capitol remains full of the same familiar faces. Lawmakers and high-ranking administration officials often don’t leave — they just change sides. While in office, those...
Letter to the editor: Parents must step up to save students
We often hear it said that today’s political environment is controlled by the extremes. Many people believe that we need to look for ways we can come together somewhere in the middle and find common ground. In some areas, that is certainly possible. In others, not so much. Our costly,...
Editorial cartoons for the week of Sept. 25
Editorial cartoons for the week of Sept. 25....
Mallard Fillmore for the week of Sept. 25
Mallard Fillmore for the week of Sept. 25....
Letter to the editor: Residents should be Latrobe’s priority
Regarding the letter “Tax hike and new schools in Latrobe” (Sept. 17, TribLIVE): Yes, stop the building and revitalization in the Latrobe area for a while. Things actually look pretty good. Lengthening the stop time at red lights helps us reflect on how prematurely it’s been authorized. The recent rampant...
Joe Guzzardi: Republicans have rare opportunity to secure U.S. border
Congress is back from its August recess, the weeks-long period away from its always contentious, mostly unproductive business. The House and the Senate have less than a week until the Sept. 30 deadline to pass a federal budget. On Oct. 1, a new fiscal year begins. If lawmakers cannot push...
Michael Reagan: GOP can’t survive the Only Trumpers
Too bad Donald Trump won’t attend the second Republican presidential primary debate Wednesday at the Ronald Reagan Library. His friends and enemies in the media will miss him and the high ratings he automatically generates, but he’s leading by a huge margin in the polls and he doesn’t need the...
Letter to the editor: DC dress code distraction
Gun violence plagues our young people. White nationalists terrorize our neighbors. Discriminatory legislation belittles our LGBTQ citizens. Affordable access to housing, health care and education evades more and more families. Unfettered climate change menaces our very existence. But have no fear! Our noble, elected officials have been hard at work,...
Letter to the editor: Flags fly in support of Biden
My thanks to all of my fellow citizens of Western Pennsylvania who proudly display “Old Glory,” our American flag, the Stars and Stripes. All the people I know regard this patriotic display as a show of support for our great President Joe Biden. They realize that he is the greatest...
Editorial: Easier voter registration is better for everyone
The more people vote, the more votes count. It shouldn’t matter what party someone joins. It shouldn’t matter whether someone picks no party at all. Ideally, everyone would cast a ballot. Everyone would have their say. That should be a point on which everyone agrees. But there are no points...
Letter to the editor: Smoking, vaping in public spaces must end
In 2008, Pennsylvania passed its first statewide smoke-free air law restricting smoking in most public places. The law is outdated and doesn’t include e-cigarette devices that are being used in public spaces. Furthermore, 1,300-plus venues across the commonwealth still allow smoking indoors. This means thousands of workers are exposed to...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Fetterman, incivility and broken windows
When Sen. John Fetterman was given permission by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to wear his signature baggy shorts and hoodie on the floor of the Senate, some Republicans were predictably outraged by the break with tradition. Maybe that was the whole point. Fetterman responded to their indignation with a...
Shauna Shames: Moms for Liberty could have serious impact on presidential race
Motherhood language and symbolism have been part of every U.S. social movement, from the American Revolution to Prohibition and the fight against drunken drivers. Half of Americans are women, most become mothers, and many are conservative. The U.S. is also a nation of organizing, so conservative moms — like all...
Matthew Valasik and Shannon Reid: How local police could help prevent another Jan. 6-style insurrection
Some of the most prominent members of the Proud Boys, a far-right militant group that functions more like a street gang than a militia, have been sentenced to long terms in federal prison for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Experts...
Klaus W. Larres: Ransom or realism? A closer look at Biden’s prisoner swap deal with Iran.
Five American detainees have been released from imprisonment in Iran as the terms of the swap that set them free is drawing criticism. The Biden administration’s agreement with Iran for the swap could be seen as a simple business transaction to free five Iranians from imprisonment in the U.S. and...
Letter to the editor: Shut the lights out on America
Front page: Hunter Biden’s “legal team” steps into fray: Hunter lies to get a gun (felony), attorney (attorneys, plural), challenge Second Amendment to Supreme Court. Page B8, sports section: Felon homeless man in Springdale in jail (lack of $20,000 cash bond) for possessing firearm while walking down a railroad track...
Sounding off: Biden’s dog, teacher shortage, politics among week’s topics
Biden’s dog looking out for him Recent news reports of President Biden’s German shepherd Commander biting Secret Service agents at least 10 times in the past year are troubling but not surprising. I have owned German shepherds for over 35 years and know them as a highly intelligent, loyal and...
Letter to the editor: 9/11 not a day for political fundraising
Last week, Republican Pennsylvania state representative and congressional hopeful Rob Mercuri sent out an exploitative fundraising email using the anniversary of 9/11 to ask for donations. He invoked the nearly 3,000 American victims and the later sacrifices of American service members in a pathetic attempt to fundraise off their deaths....
Letter to the editor: Karaica qualified as district judge
During the primary election, Mitchell Karaica’s opposition stated he was the “only” constitutionally eligible and qualified candidate for magisterial district judge in District 05-3-03. While that may have held some weight then, that is no longer the case. Karaica spent June in Harrisburg, where he completed the intensive certifying course...
Editorial: Pittsburgh Promise is one worth keeping, and worth mourning when money runs out
In 2008, a bargain was struck with students at Pittsburgh Public Schools. Stay in school. Get at least a 2.5 GPA. Graduate. And in return, get a scholarship toward education in a Pennsylvania post-secondary institution. The Pittsburgh Promise nonprofit made this pledge, using donated money including a $100 million commitment...
Gary Franks: Will ‘border crisis’ destroy America?
“Let me tell you something New Yorkers, never in my life have I had a problem that I did not see an ending to — I don’t see an ending to this. This issue ( the influx of migrants crossing the Mexican border into the U.S.) will destroy New York...
S.E. Cupp: Romney is a good man who was always a good man
The heartfelt eulogies poured in from both sides of the aisle after Utah Sen. Mitt Romney announced he would not seek reelection in 2024. Democrats and Republicans alike agreed that the Senate, the Republican Party and indeed the country are losing a good man, a decent man, one of the...
Russell Zerbo: EPA/DOE money should be wisely spent on plugging wells
Pennsylvania has an opportunity to receive $33,695,097 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) to plug small, conventionally drilled oil and gas wells with known owners. This federal funding could significantly reduce climate-changing methane pollution as well as smog-causing volatile organic compounds (VOC) and...
Jason Killmeyer and Erin Koper: Which way, Western Pa.?
Walking through downtown Pittsburgh, the words “Reduced Rates” above so many “For Lease” signs catch our attention. Our downtown feels worse, and it is worse. Shootings, public drug use and vagrancy have surged. But so do other parts of the city and county: West End. Banksville. Duquesne. McKeesport. We’re not...
