Opinion category, Page 305
Editorial: Let the sunshine in
To remind us all of the importance of open records, Right to Know Law and government conducting business in the bright light of day, a classic Trib editorial: Sunshine Week is an annual March observation that celebrates the importance of shedding light in the darkness. It might seem like a...
Letter to the editor: Marijuana and the Oxycontin lesson
The medical community at large is at risk of forgetting a painful lesson. In 1996, Purdue Pharma brought Oxycontin to the marketplace. Sales were bolstered by misleading claims of safety and lack of addiction potential. Those claims were facilitated by U.S. congressmen whose inability to protect the American people led...
Letter to the editor: Norfolk Southern will do right thing
I realize the people of East Palestine, Ohio, and Beaver County are upset with Norfolk Southern at this time, but there are several things you have to keep in mind in evaluating the recent train accident. Railroads are 16 times safer than trucks in hauling hazardous materials, and accidents of...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Gainey still has time to make Pittsburgh safer
Just as Pittsburgh weather comes from the west and often through Chicago, local political watchers are wondering what the defeat of first-term Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot could mean for Pittsburgh and the reelection of Mayor Ed Gainey in 2025. Lightfoot, the first incumbent Chicago mayor in 40 years not to...
Sheldon H. Jacobson: America’s rite of spring — why we need March Madness
March Madness comes at just the right time for the nation’s sports and social psyche. After the long, dark winter, the college basketball tourney has become a rite of spring. The Super Bowl is history, with the NBA and NHL both tracking toward their respective playoffs set to begin in...
COUNTERPOINT: Advantages abound with changing clocks twice a year
Today’s daylight saving time (DST) system — spring-to-fall DST followed by winter standard time — is an excellent compromise, providing DST’s many advantages the majority of the year and yet avoiding winter standard time’s difficulties during the dark, cold months. One proposed alternative is year-round standard time. This would cut...
POINT: Make standard time permanent
Almost everyone hates springing forward and falling back every year. Moving clocks ahead one hour in March only to return them to their previous settings in November wastes time — literally. No adjustments to clocks change the length of the day, which is determined by latitude (distance from the equator)...
Letter to the editor: Biden to blame for complacency of former workers
Regarding the letter “How is Biden responsible for people who don’t want to work?” (Feb. 27, TribLIVE): It wasn’t all that long ago, back in 2019, that unemployment was low, jobs were plentiful and people were working, and gas prices were somewhat reasonable. Then covid hit, and the country went...
Sounding off: Ukraine, Social Security, teacher shortage, UPMC topics of interest
We must continue to support Ukraine It’s been a year since Russia unleashed its horrific violence against Ukraine. Yet it has not succeeded in subduing that nation due to American military aid and the fighting resolve of Ukraine’s people. Although the war is financially costly for America, Putin’s unprovoked attack...
Letter to the editor: Hempfield should build new high school, condense other schools
I have lived in the Hempfield Area School District for 35 years and have been reading with great interest the newspaper articles pertaining to plans for the upcoming high school renovation project. A prior article had an estimate of $97 to $110 million; the latest article (“Hempfield high school renovation...
Editorial: Vandergrift missed learning opportunity with playgrounds
There is no greater lesson we can teach our kids than the importance of being involved in their communities. It’s important because we need children to step up to the plate. They need to be prepared for the day when they will be the voters and taxpayers. One day, they...
Letter to the editor: Vote for candidates who stand for something
If you open a Bible and read Proverbs 25:4-5, you will see that it is very pertinent to not all but many of today’s elected officials in Washington and local governments. It pertains to “removing the dross from silver” and “removing the wicked from the king’s presence.” In our democracy...
Gary Franks: New England Republicans missing in the House of Representatives
Once upon a time, there were Republicans in New England serving in the U.S. House of Representatives. I know this because in 1996 — the year I lost my attempt for a fourth term in office — the rug was pulled out from GOP members of that institution. We had...
S.E. Cupp: Fox’s Carlson keeps the cult doped up on lies
“A lie.” “Bull(expletive).” “Dangerous.” “Disgusting.” Those are just some ways that Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s sanitized re-framing of Jan. 6 is being described — by other Republicans. In case you missed it, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy gave Carlson — a host even Fox News lawyers admit cannot be trusted...
Stacy Garrity: Rage is not part of life in rural Pa.
My roots are planted firmly in rural Pennsylvania. It’s where I grew up, went to school, got married, worked and served in the U.S. Army Reserves. I’m proud to say that I still call Bradford County home, and it is 100% rural Pennsylvania. Recently, some in the media elite have...
Guy Ciarrocchi: Pa. GOP must adapt to state’s changing political map
For Pennsylvania Republicans, the last decade has been the best of times and the worst of times — mostly the latter. For nearly a decade, the GOP has nodded approvingly as Western Pennsylvania’s unionized steamfitters have trended Republican and increasingly joined the Republican Party. Their jobs and personal values draw...
Letter to the editor: Sometimes free speech has consequences
The letter “You still have the right to say what you want” (Feb. 18, TribLIVE) doesn’t say a word about consequences. For example, everyone knows you can’t shout “Fire!” in a crowded theater. You can’t threaten to harm or kill anyone, either. Gadflies like Rudy Giuliani and Sydney Powell have...
Letter to the editor: Sen. Kim Ward’s battle for Bushy Run
Sen. Kim Ward proved bureaucrats aren’t in charge of our government as long as public officials remain engaged (“ ‘We’re back’: Bushy Run’s 2023 battle reenactment will be held,” March 1, TribLIVE). Bureaucrats in Harrisburg were set on shutting down the Bushy Run reenactments for mostly political reasons. These are the...
Letter to the editor: Stop the spending on Ukraine
Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine … that’s what I hear about on the radio, see on the TV and read about in the newspaper. What about problems in the USA, like the total devastation of areas in Florida, massive border problems and the hundreds of thousands of homeless throughout our country ?...
Lori Falce: The problem with the word woke
I hate the word woke. Let’s be clear. This is not a conservative hatred of an agenda. It is not a liberal hatred of the right’s reaction to that perceived agenda. It is, however, a loathing that exists on a number of levels. Allow me to explain. First — and...
Letter to the editor: Welcome to Biden’s world
Well, isn’t President Biden just the cozy one. He lets his friends in China fly a surveillance balloon over the U.S. for a week before acting, all the while saying it’s no big deal. Now Ford Motor Co. is making a deal with China to make EV batteries in Michigan....
Laurels & lances: Fitness, finances, found
Laurel: To the gift of fitness. Firefighters need to stay in shape. They have to be physically able to haul hoses, climb ladders, carry incapacitated people, swing axes and do it all wearing almost 50 pounds of gear. You can’t do that without making exercise a priority. And so a...
Letter to the editor: We must continue to support Ukraine
It’s been a year since Russia unleashed its horrific violence against Ukraine. Yet it has not succeeded in subduing that nation due to American military aid and the fighting resolve of Ukraine’s people. Although the war is financially costly for America, Putin’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine, like Japan’s attack on...
Letter to the editor: Schools should focus on job skills
Kudos to the Highlands School District for the change in curriculum by adding the Career and Workforce Readiness Program (“Highlands administrators say focus on Workforce Readiness sets up all students for success,” March 2, TribLIVE). It’s about time that our educational system focuses on the development of job skills that...
Letter to the editor: We’ve got bigger problems than an awards show dance routine
Look out everyone, the sky is falling! Or so the writer of the letter “Our country is crumbling from within” (March 2, TribLIVE) would have us believe. It seems that a dance routine at the recent Grammy Awards has him all in a tiff, and he needs to warn us...
