Opinion category, Page 337
Letter to the editor: Why no pickleball at Pitt?
Regarding the article “Pitt unveils plans for $240M athletic center in Oakland,” Nov. 10, TribLIVE): A 3,000-seat arena is being provided for volleyball (Pitt ranked No. 7 nationally) and wrestling (ranked No. 18 nationally). It will not include pickleball, ranked No. 1 nationally as the fastest-growing sport. My guess is...
Letter to the editor: We all lost in this election
Now that Election Day/Month has come and gone (or has it?), permit this lifelong independent (I’m 63) to share some thoughts on the election and the political parties. First and foremost, Gen Zers need to educate themselves before they support the unlawful school loan bailout. Since you always have your...
Lori Falce: This holiday season, let us all be heroes against hate
This column runs on Fridays, which means that on the day after Thanksgiving, it generally runs toward traditions and holidays. I have used it to talk about Black Friday shopping with my husband, my love of turning leftovers into soup and the Christmas cards I want to mail but never...
Letter to the editor: GOP circus needs a new elephant
Since the 2020 election, there has been a bull elephant pooping far and wide on the floor of the big tent known as the Republican Party. Despite all the bellowing and hold-your-nose odor, much of the audience still comes to the circus just to see the elephant. But after the...
Cal Thomas: Thanksgiving to whom?
Merriam-Webster has announced it is adding about 500 new words to its seventh edition of the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary. I doubt most people will ever use them in conversation or in writing, but they will be beneficial when playing the board game. Meanwhile, the corruption of the English language...
Andrew Chew: Outdated property tax assessments result in unfair tax burdens
One of the most significant sources of revenue for public schools and local governments in Pennsylvania is property taxes. As homeowners across the commonwealth know, property tax bills greatly affect the budgets of many households, from middle-class families to single parents to older adults on fixed incomes. Despite the huge...
Greg Fulton: Count your blessings and pray for Ukraine this Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a time for us to be thankful for the gifts bestowed upon us. We may be worried about making it to Grandma’s house on time for Thanksgiving dinner or ensuring that the turkey is cooked perfectly, but these concerns are trivial compared to those faced by others in...
Laurels & lances: Tuition, decisions and rewards
Laurel: To a real deal. While the White House and the courts work out the feasibility of student loan forgiveness, the cost of a college education isn’t getting any smaller. At least, it’s not at most institutions. At Washington & Jefferson College, that’s not the case. The Washington County school...
Jonah Goldberg: Republicans want to win — and Trump’s now a loser
A lot has changed since the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago, the country club resort and unofficial classified document storage facility where Donald Trump resides. Back in August, the search was denounced by many on the right as an unprecedented outrage befitting a banana republic that challenged the very legitimacy of the...
Kyle Sammin: One cheer for Josh Shapiro
If you believe President Joe Biden, democracy itself was at stake in the midterm elections earlier this month. This theme was more than just a new variation on the “most important election of our lifetimes” line that politicians trot out every two years. It was a cynical attempt to distract...
Dr. Andrew Smolar: Teaching kids to cope in social media world
I was a student for 32 years. That time was spent in classrooms, labs, hospitals and quiet offices. Countless hours spent learning the language of medicine and the mysteries of the mind. Such was the pathway for a psychiatrist who became a psychoanalyst. But I wasn’t introduced to psychology until...
Letter to the editor: Why is nothing done about the $155 million in unpaid turnpike tolls?
I remember lots of promises over the past few years to reduce the outstanding unpaid Pennsylvania Turnpike tolls. Now they are up to $155 million. It surely seems like a failed effort, and no one is being held accountable. What does is take? Sen. Kim Ward should know. Dave Bonazelli...
Letter to the editor: Republican hypocrisies
Voters showed up for the midterms and turned the projected “red wave” into a pink puddle. Could it be a few ironies and hypocrisies finally got the attention of voters? Politicians, who would make abortion illegal, even in cases of rape and incest, would end the “free stuff” many families...
Editorial: Thanksgiving, a celebration of enough
Thanksgiving is often symbolized by an overflowing cornucopia, the horn of plenty spilling out bounty too great to be contained. Giving thanks for that kind of splendor is simple. There is little effort in saying grace at a table that groans under the weight of an impossible feast. It is...
Letter to the editor: Democrats’ blind loyalty
The article “12th Congressional race between Mike Doyle, Summer Lee remains under the radar” (Oct. 31, TribLIVE), questioning Democratic Party loyalty, got me thinking how you could possibly remain loyal, after the nightmare of these past 22 months. You’d have to ignore or accept: unsecured borders, resulting in hundreds of...
Paul Kengor: A Non-American’s take on Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is quintessentially American, as is the Black Friday that follows. The former is about the virtue of giving thanks, whereas the latter is about, well, something else entirely. Let’s ponder the first, with some insights from our presidents and a non-American. In 1789, George Washington proclaimed a “day of...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Here comes Trump again
“Here you come again, just when I’ve begun to get myself together …” — Dolly Parton He’s back. Granted, he never really left. Unlike other former presidents, Donald Trump didn’t disappear from the daily news cycle once he departed the White House. Thanks to his legal troubles, the hearings into...
Aaron Chapin: PSERS has delivered for school retirees — and Pa.’s economy
In a job interview, a good human resources manager will ask about your professional experience — all of it, not just the past six months to a year. When considering contractors to fix your roof, you’re going to look at how well customers rate them — not just now but...
Elizabeth Stelle: Remove barriers to increase health care access in Western Pa.
Nearly three years after the onset of the covid-19 pandemic, hospitals still struggle with significant labor shortages. Health care workers are facing long hours and massive burnout. Earlier this year, as many as 93% of surveyed Pittsburgh hospital workers were considering leaving the profession. Pennsylvania’s aging population has upped the...
Letter to the editor: We need animal-based foods in our diets
I’m compelled to respond to the letter “We owe it to our planet to change our diets” (Nov. 15, TribLIVE), from an organization with a mission to end the use of animals as a food source disguised as an environmental advocate. As a registered dietitian nutritionist, I have a broader,...
Letter to the editor: Which side to believe?
In today’s politically polarized world, which side should we believe, the Democrats, CNN, MSNBC and The New York Times, or the Republicans, Fox News, NewsMax, conservative radio and The Wall Street Journal? One side says “the southern border is closed”; the other says “drug and human smuggling are out of...
Editorial: Is lieutenant governor question too important to be bundled?
When it comes to the U.S. government, no one is drafted to be vice president. It’s an honored invitation. Presidential candidates search for someone who is a complement, providing strengths where there are weaknesses while still having a similar overall direction. Sometimes that’s a real partnership. Other times, it’s a...
Letter to the editor: Finding good in the power of love
As the song goes, “you don’t need money, you don’t need fame, don’t need no credit card to ride this train … but it just might save your life, it’s the power of love.” Love is a gift from God, our creator, and God is a source of power and...
Tom Purcell: Digging the return to vinyl
Vinyl records are making a comeback, and it’s not just nostalgic old fogies who are driving the trend. According to Readers Digest UK, millennial and Gen Z consumers are digging the distinct sound of vinyl — and especially digging its imperfections and limitations. The scratch and crackle of a needle...
Ayalla A. Ruvio and Forrest Morgeson: Retailers may see more red after Black Friday as consumers act as if US already in recession
Retailers are gearing up for another blockbuster holiday shopping season, but consumers burned by the highest inflation in a generation may have other ideas. Industry groups are predicting another record year of retail sales, with the National Retail Federation forecasting a jump of 6% to 8% over the $890 billion...
