Opinion category, Page 382
Letter to the editor: Fully automatic weapons not legal
The letter “We need lifesaving gun laws” (June 28, TribLIVE) is full of untruths. It has been illegal since 1934 to own a fully automatic weapon unless you are either a licensed gun dealer or are issued a Special Tax Stamp, pay $200 per weapon and have an FBI background...
Editorial: The importance of calling for help — and listening
When it comes to an emergency, it might seem that the most important thing is speed or equipment or expertise. It isn’t. When there is danger or when there is risk of death, one thing is more important than anything else: communication. At the most basic, when you are hurt...
Letter to the editor: Legislation to keep girls in school vital for quality of life
The Keeping Girls in School Act is an incredibly vital piece of legislation co-sponsored by none of my representatives, Sens. Pat Toomey and Bob Casey and Rep. Guy Reschenthaler. According to The Borgen Project, “Globally, girls aged 10-19 are three times more likely than boys of the same age to...
Gary Franks: Biden needs a Republican Congress — it worked for Clinton
America, we are truly in uncharted waters. In a recent Monmouth poll, only 10% of Americans feel we are headed in the right direction. President Joe Biden’s approval numbers — which were already low — are continuing to decline, also in record numbers. The question is, how does Biden turn...
Bill Lueders: When transparency is treated with contempt
Most of the time, public officials in Wisconsin obey the state’s openness laws. Sometimes, they need a little prodding from the courts. But the recent conduct of Robin Vos and Michael Gableman is something altogether new, and deeply disturbing. Both Vos, the speaker of the state Assembly, and Gableman, whom...
William Haupt III: Auditing the Federal Reserve would keep them honest
“Real patriotism is a willingness to challenge the government when it is doing wrong.” — Ron Paul Many people have a delusion the Federal Reserve is a federal agency that controls our money. Yet the Federal Reserve is a private corporation run by bankers. And it operates in the best...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Just a different kind of rape
So what does all this tell us about justice? “All this” meaning the fact that Ghislaine Maxwell got 20 years June 28 and the next day, R. Kelly got 30. It was, make no mistake, an indisputably good thing to see those punishments handed down. And it’s hard to blame...
Letter to the editor: Do Giant Eagle, Dick’s think babies are worthless?
I find it appalling that Giant Eagle and Dick’s Sporting Goods are proud of the fact that they will pay transportation costs for a woman to go somewhere to kill her baby. It is beyond belief that these two corporations, among many others, seem to think babies are worthless. Larry...
Letter to the editor: We need a Marshall Plan for our planet
Since the 1970s, Big Oil has known of the dangers of burning fossil fuels. They, like the tobacco industry before them, lied to the American public. Oil companies, with the Cato Institute, the American Petroleum Institute and the Koch family, spent money and influence to convince Congress and the public...
Lori Falce: Rage is driving Americans crazy
When tragedies like the Highland Park parade shooting or the Uvalde school shooting or the Tree of Life synagogue shooting or (insert whichever shooting hit you hardest here) occur, there is always the division between people who want to do something about guns and people who say regulating guns won’t...
Letter to the editor: Vote Democrat if you value freedom
Calling all moderate Republican, libertarian and independent women: Vote Democrat this fall if you value your freedoms, if you value political moderation. Our only choice, even if you’ve always voted mainly Republican (like me for the last 35 years), to purge the party of candidates who are extremist, literally bordering...
Paul Kengor: Casey doesn’t support Casey
For a while now, I’ve been planning to write a column on whether Pennsylvania Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr. would support his father’s position in the 1992 landmark abortion case, Planned Parenthood v. Casey. That case enshrined Roe v. Wade. Of course, Pennsylvania Gov. Robert P. Casey Sr. was the...
Laurels & lances: Scholarships and monkeypox
Laurel: To a different kind of support. When a kid wants to go to college, financial aid is one of the first considerations. There are athletic scholarships for sports stars. There are academic scholarships for those who excel in the classroom. Even for those who want to go to postsecondary...
Sen. Ryan Aument: CNI tax reform will bring economic stability, mobility to Pa.
The American dream promises that hard work equals success and a more prosperous future. But with historic inflation rates, intrusive government regulation, high taxes, bureaucratic red tape and other government-inflicted barriers, the American dream feels increasingly out of reach for millions of people. That’s certainly the case in Pennsylvania, which...
Salewa Ogunmefun: New legislative maps offer 10 years of opportunities for Pa. BIPOC communities
Last year’s legislative reapportionment process resulted in maps, particularly in the state House, that will offer BIPOC communities across the commonwealth with an unprecedented opportunity to choose elected officials who will truly represent them and help build a brighter future for these communities who have been overlooked for far too...
Letter to the editor: A reactionary tale of 2 presidents
Former President Donald Trump may or may not have grabbed that steering wheel. We’ll never know for sure . It’s a certain bet, though, that when the Easter Bunny blocked President Joe Biden from the Easter egg hunt in April, the current president reacted like he was stopped by Rob...
Letter to the editor: No patriotism at Pirates game
I attended the July 3 Pirates game, and it was obvious to me that the owner of PNC Park and the Pirates care only about money. There was no red, white and blue displayed for our country’s birthday. I have heard that Bob Nutting is only concerned about making money,...
Editorial: Courthouse error will demand answers
We tend to think of accidents as a car crash or a fallen electrical pole — something with physical presence and possibly injury. But accidents happen everywhere, including government and bureaucracy. They might happen more there just because of the volume of people involved. Those can be the ones that...
Letter to the editor: Supreme Court is consistent
In the fourth paragraph of the editorial “Does the Supreme Court believe in states’ rights or not?,” you assert that “The rulings all but contradicted each other … .” In the next paragraph you go on to point out that “guns are specifically spelled out in the Bill of Rights.”...
Letter to the editor: Klein should stay as Harrison police chief
Regarding the article “Harrison pauses on plan for police chief to retire, be rehired” (June 28, TribLIVE): Harrison has had the finest in law enforcement for the past 38 years, 28 of them under Police Chief Michael Klein. Klein has held the position as chief with integrity, and, under his...
Jonah Goldberg: The huge political mistake the Jan. 6 committee could easily avoid
Will the Jan. 6 committee issue a “criminal referral” to the Justice Department for Donald Trump? Committee members can’t give an interview without being asked that question. Pundits can’t stop talking about it, and cable TV anchors can’t stop asking legal experts for their predictions. It’s nothing less than a...
Dana Siler: Climate legislation matters … now more than ever
The Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling in West Virginia v. EPA is a disappointment to those who want to see strong, quick climate action. Given the volatility of implementing greenhouse gas reductions via actions from the executive branch, the impetus is now on Congress to act on climate change. The court’s...
Peter Morici: Employers must embrace hybrid work to attract top talent
Employers that insist workers return to the desk five or even four days a week are facing tough resistance. When Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon ordered his bankers to their desks full time, just 505 of his base employees showed up. Subsequently, young bankers were threatening to quit and otherwise...
Bruce Castor: No pipelines means more coal, less safety
The Pittsburgh metro area has emerged as one of our nation’s leading energy hubs, though this status does not come without risks. Right before the busy Memorial Day weekend, a Norfolk Southern Train struck a vehicle, causing a significant train derailment that sent nine carriages into a tributary of the...
Dr. Andrew Smolar: Prevention, mental health and our current crises
I see that we have a collective blind spot. We don’t understand mental health. Our media talks and writes about elevated rates of anxiety during Covid, depression and substance abuse during mid-life, and suicidality among adolescents and veterans. Mental health professionals are rarely consulted. We have three current crises that...
