Opinion category, Page 325
Colin McNickle: A missed opportunity to right-size Pittsburgh Regional Transit
What can the public reasonably conclude when one of the very remedies required to help right-size the badly bloated, too-expensive and ridership-bereft Pittsburgh Regional Transit system yet again is contractually excluded from a new and too-lengthy labor agreement? That major policy changes are necessary to rein in the mass-transit agency...
Letter to the editor: Tarentum Bridge potholes need attention
Being that the New Kensington Bridge will be closed to traffic for a considerable amount of time in the near future, the Tarentum Bridge will be experiencing more traffic than usual. The potholes on the New Kensington and Tarentum sides of the bridge are in dire need of being repaired...
Letter to the editor: Jail Oversight Board must do its job on jail deaths
In the event of a death at a county jail, the National Commission on Correctional Health Care requires the following to be done by the jail administration: an administrative review, a clinical mortality review and a psychological autopsy for a death by suicide. The purposes of the reviews are to...
Lori Falce: Whataboutism and the pain competition
Whataboutism got a lot of attention during the past few elections. It’s the tendency for someone to deflect the question about one thing with a counter about something else. Ask a politician about a sex scandal, get a return query about why his opponent did another shady thing — whether...
Laurels & lances: New job, big loss
Lance: To a terrible grief. The line-of-duty shooting of Brackenridge police Chief Justin McIntire is something that should never have happened. It’s more than the family should have to bear, and it’s a sorrow that spreads to a community not only robbed of an important leader but also of a...
Letter to the editor: The USA belongs to all of us
In the letter “Republicans, it’s time to pull together” (Dec. 29, TribLIVE), the writer interweaves the theme of bringing back “our country.” It begs the question, whose country? The writer, in her narrow worldview, appears to want to “bring back” her version of the USA. In the process, she spouts...
Paul Kengor: A new year and one pope, indisputably
For the world’s largest group of Christians, Roman Catholics, 2023 brings a big change. For the first time since the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in February 2013 and the subsequent election of Pope Francis, there will be, at last, and indisputably, one pope. The key word is “indisputably.” Unfortunately,...
Cal Thomas: Where have all the intellectuals gone?
The new slim Republican majority in the House of Representatives lacks something besides its slim majority and the battle over leadership positions. It lacks intellectual depth. The Reagan administration may have been the last one to challenge Americans to think for themselves and for that matter, just to think. Perhaps...
Rev. Erik Hoeke: What we mean when we pray for Damar Hamlin
It seems the whole country is praying for a football player this week. In the midst of Damar Hamlin’s terrifying medical emergency Monday night in Cincinnati, players and coaches gathered to pray on the field. By the time he was taken off the field by ambulance, prayers for Damar were...
Letter to the editor: Spotlight the integrity of our elections
With the article “Vote totals from recounted precincts certified in Westmoreland County” (Dec. 16, TribLIVE), which appeared on page 3 in the print edition, the Trib missed a prime opportunity to emphasize to voters the validity of the integrity of our election process. Considering the number of voters spreading rumors...
Letter to the editor: Still tampering with democracy
From the results of the November election, one can conclude that a stable democracy is important to the people of Pennsylvania. We do not want our Legislature to be able to nullify our votes, or Republican lawmakers claiming the 2020 election was stolen, or representatives going to court to oppose...
Editorial: The surprising resolution of Pennsylvania’s House leadership vote
The Pennsylvania Legislature is as polarized as a car battery. Almost nothing can happen in the hallowed halls of Harrisburg without boiling down to positive and negative, pro and con and, above all, Democrat and Republican. Until Tuesday. On the same day the U.S. House of Representatives was paralyzed with...
Letter to the editor: Legislators must address elevator concerns
Many older residents are able to stay in their homes even when they develop mobility challenges. For those of us who can no longer do that, retirement communities are available. In places like Florida, these tend to be low-rise buildings or single-story apartment homes. In older cities like Pittsburgh, many...
Peter Morici: The darkness before America’s bright new economy
Holiday parties were tough for economists. People asked: Is a recession coming? How bad will it be? The impolite reminded us of what we got wrong last year. The soothsayers at the Federal Reserve may be getting smarter. Having been burned by terrible forecasts when inflation was too low during...
Jonah Goldberg: So Congress is a mess. It’s supposed to be messy.
It’s not exactly a blistering insight into how Washington works, but nothing will get you more praise and respect than being powerful and wielding that power effectively. So, it should be no surprise that Nancy Pelosi finished her tenure as speaker of the House to lavish applause. Many dubbed her...
Athan Koutsiouroumbas: How Kim Ward helped Pa. GOP hold Senate
This past midterm, Pennsylvania state Senate Republicans managed to meet electoral expectations while the remainder of the commonwealth’s GOP suffered stunning losses — many of them unanticipated. Why? The story begins 99 weeks before Election Day, when state Senate Republicans elected Kim Ward as the legislative chamber’s majority leader. Much...
Letter to the editor: Thanks for the right votes, Pa.
Thank you Pennsylvania. This past November you went to the polls and voted for democracy, for the rule of law, for action on the climate crisis, for bodily autonomy, for good-paying union jobs, for the right to have clean air and water, for affordable health care, for quality public education,...
Letter to the editor: The whole of our society is less than the sum of its parts
Whenever I interact with individuals, I find that they are for the most part decent, caring, kind and generous. And yet, I find that our culture as a whole has become more and more mean-spirited, violent and vile. Why is this so? Why is it that our society is so...
Editorial: Shared grief and the tragedies of McIntire shooting, Hamlin injury
There is a difference between sorrow and grief. Sorrow is the emotional state we feel when confronted by great loss or devastating disappointment. It isn’t depression, but it might lead there. Grief is different. It is a process that one goes through while experiencing the crushing blows of a trauma....
Letter to the editor: Protecting our people, planet
This past election, voters turned out in extraordinary numbers to protect our families and our planet. The Shapiro administration begins at a time of opportunity to help Pennsylvanians take full advantage of federal resources that could help cut energy costs and keep our families healthy. But we know the old...
Mathew Schmalz: Pope Benedict XVI leaves legacy of intellectual brilliance, controversy
Benedict XVI leaves behind a complex legacy as a pope and theologian. To many observers, Benedict, who died Dec. 31 at 95, was known for criticizing what he saw as the modern world’s rejection of God and Christianity’s timeless truths. But as a scholar of the diversity of global Catholicism,...
Elwood Watson: Can the Miss America pageant survive in today’s culture?
Earlier this month, Grace Stanke, a 23-year-old nuclear engineering student from Wausau, Wis., was crowned Miss America 2023. Stanke is a beautiful, blond-haired woman who is obviously gifted in math and science. She was crowned by her predecessor, Emma Broyles, Miss Alaska, who became the first woman from her state...
Letter to the editor: We’re being gaslighted on Biden’s ‘success’
The false narrative that the Biden presidency has been a great success for Americans and America is possibly the biggest lie ever invented by a political party in U.S. history. From the contracting economy, rampant inflation, poor job and wage growth, foreign policy debacles, massive numbers of illegals, soaring crime...
Letter to the editor: Homeowner’s obscenity contrasts with neighbor’s generosity
I visited a super light display on Bernice Drive in North Huntingdon. Kudos to the folks who spend the time and effort to present this display each year and provide an opportunity to raise funds for a great cause. While enjoying the light show, my curiosity drew my eyes to...
Editorial: The bubble of higher education costs
Education is not just a building block of society. It is more than a public good and a public right. It is also a commodity. Like a new car or a house or a dozen eggs, a quality education above and beyond high school graduation is something many people pay...
