Opinion category, Page 247
Letter to the editor: 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 protective breed. I believe Commander was...
Letter to the editor: Fixing the teacher shortage
I have a few suggestions on how to fix the national teacher shortage, since the teachers union and the government won’t do it. Immediately raise the salaries of new teachers just out of college, $40,000 to $50,000 at least. I can hear the howls of school boards and taxpayers now....
William Enyart: Planned cut to VA funding for ambulances would harm our nation’s veterans
Unless stopped, the Department of Veterans Affairs is set to knock over a domino that might drastically harm veterans’ health care and then spread to the general community. In a cost-cutting measure on track to take effect early next year, the VA plans to sever a critical link between veterans...
Laurels & lances: Fires, speakers and votes
Laurel: To trying new things. Volunteer fire companies are having problems filling their ranks. They are addressing this with a combination of ideas. There are recruitment outreach programs and courting of teens who could grow in the departments. There are incentives for members, such as small stipends for taking calls...
Letter to the editor: We should support our public schools, unions and teachers
I had a hard time believing what I was reading in Nathan Benefield of the Commonwealth Foundation’s op-ed “Shapiro, lawmakers must choose — students or special interests?” (July 18, TribLIVE). The money that they accused the teachers unions of spending is chump change to the foundation and their ultra-wealthy contributors....
Rich Fitzgerald: Pa. leaders and presidential hopefuls should commit to aiding America’s caregivers
Pennsylvanians have a long tradition of taking care of our neighbors, all the way back to our founding. Today we continue that tradition, especially when it comes to caring for those who can’t take care of themselves. A little over a million Pennsylvanians act as caregivers for their friends and...
Cal Thomas: British to be forced to drive electric
LONDON — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has rejected appeals from the Conservative Party to extend the deadline for requiring all new car sales in the UK to be electric by 2030. The Tories say the goal is impossible to meet. Government ministers, who have embraced the “climate change” faith...
Elizabeth Kryder-Reid: The importance of shining a light on hidden toxic histories
Indianapolis proudly claims Elvis’ last concert, Robert Kennedy’s speech in response to Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, and the Indianapolis 500. There’s a 9/11 memorial, a Medal of Honor Memorial and a statue of former NFL quarterback Peyton Manning. What few locals know, let alone tourists, is that the city...
Letter to the editor: Trump will go after lifetime politicians
I believe the main reason both parties do not want President Trump elected is there are many lifetime pols as guilty as President Biden in selling out the country to get rich. They know Trump will go after them for the way he has been treated. Clem Zahrobsky Delmont...
Letter to the editor: Obama’s transformation
An opinion formed by research, facts, observation, logic and common sense: President Obama promised to “fundamentally transform” our country. We elected him anyway! So, gradually, MLK’s dream of a colorblind society was replaced with reignited racial tension. The IRS, DOJ and FBI began to be politicized and weaponized against the...
Editorial: 5 former Pa. governors agree on open primaries
On Monday, five former governors came together to espouse a common cause. Tom Ridge, Mark Schweiker, Ed Rendell, Tom Corbett and Tom Wolf represent an unbroken chain of the Keystone State’s top executives that extends back to 1995. Three are Republicans. Two are Democrats. Wolf and Corbett were even adversaries...
Letter to the editor: Shapiro taking action for women’s health
In response to the letter “Defund Planned Parenthood” (Sept. 14, TribLIVE), we have several corrections. 1. Half of Pennsylvania is not anti-abortion. The latest polling shows that as much as 89% of Pennsylvanians support access to abortion. 2. The governor did not veto funding for Real Alternatives. His administration terminated...
Jonah Goldberg: Why the Republicans’ impeachment of Biden may be stupid enough to work
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s decision to move ahead with impeachment proceedings — and the Democrats’ response — reminded me of something Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser reportedly once said: “The genius of you Americans is that you never make clear-cut stupid moves, only complicated stupid moves, which make us wonder...
Nathan Benefield: Pennsylvanians deserve truth on education spending
Pennsylvania’s Basic Education Funding Commission has begun holding hearings on how to remake the state’s public schools funding formula after a state court determined that the existing formula violates the state constitution. To make informed decisions, the commission, lawmakers, parents and voters need accurate information. Unfortunately, misinformation about public education...
Letter to the editor: Consequences of electing liberal judges
What a surprise! A defendant with seven prior arrests, two misdemeanor convictions and two pending cases in New York — one for grand larceny and one for sexual assault — didn’t show up for a court hearing after he was released on nonmonetary bond thanks to District Judge Xander Orenstein,...
Letter to the editor: Preparing for winter heating bills
As fall approaches, one of the best weather periods of the year begins. It’s also a reminder to begin preparing for winter heating bills. For families with limited incomes, Pennsylvania’s Responsible Utility Consumer Protection Act (also known as Chapter 14 of the Public Utility Code) can help. Enacted in 2004,...
Editorial: Is the Senate dress code that big a deal?
People in Pennsylvania knew who they were electing to the U.S. Senate in 2022. After a knock-down, drag-out statewide battle that included Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz talking about the price of crudité and then Lt. Gov. John Fetterman trolling him all over social media, Fetterman had a stroke days before...
Elwood Watson: The puppet of the House
Get your popcorn ready, because a gut-wrenching level of drama has gripped the House of Representatives! To quote Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, “The Republican Party is currently in a civil war.” Last week, Speaker Kevin McCarthy slid over to a lectern and called for an impeachment inquiry into President...
Cal Thomas: Sex and the city, political edition
The Republican Party, the party that for years has styled itself as the party of “family values” and “traditional marriage” has lost all credibility on these issues. Not only do polls show a huge majority of Republicans supporting the thrice-married, serial adulterer Donald Trump, but now three Republican women have...
Letter to the editor: Pittsburgh should be celebrating life
Oh, Pittsburgh City Council! The city authorities who allow our bridges to decay and fall down while protecting cats from declawing is at it again. First, you encourage the shedding of the blood of innocents in the womb, proclaiming Pittsburgh to be a sanctuary for abortion. Now, you welcome the...
Letter to the editor: Why we walk to ‘End Alzheimer’s’
The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Join us for the Pittsburgh Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Oct. 14 at Highmark Stadium as we come together as a community to fight the disease, honor...
Editorial: New Shuman Center plans don’t mean Allegheny County responsibility is over
In August 2021, the Shuman Juvenile Detention Center in Allegheny County closed its doors. It wasn’t just that the county decided to get out of the business of detaining young people who are accused or adjudicated of crimes. The closure was not the county’s idea. It came after the Pennsylvania...
Letter to the editor: Funding our public schools
There are three bills dealing with public school funding that the Pennsylvania Senate must address. Contact Sen. Kim Ward to let her know you support House Bill 1422, the cyber charter reform bill. In 2021-22, these schools pulled $1 billion away from our public school districts. Almost one-half of that...
Tom Purcell: Dressing up for Senate success
I suppose it was just a matter of time before casual dress hit the U.S. Senate. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has told the Senate’s sergeant-at-arms to no longer enforce the hallowed chamber’s informal dress code, which had required senators and their staffers to wear business attire. Schumer’s directive appears...
Commentary: How are Russians overall reacting to the war in Ukraine? With indifference.
“The special military operation in Ukraine unified Russian society. An absolute majority of Russians support the special military operation.” In September, this war propaganda trope will become a part of the official school curriculum in Russia. It will be among many other lies about the war in Ukraine that will...
