Opinion category, Page 396
Colin McNickle: Gaming is robust in Pa. — but issues lie in wait
Gaming in Pennsylvania continues to be strong. But there remain cautionary examples of how existing robust state income from gambling might not end up as the be-all and end-all that some portray it down the road, warns a new analysis by the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy. “(K)eep in mind...
Julie Brogan: Why can’t we limit money in politics like the French?
My family and I are nearing the end of a gap year in France. One highlight of this adventure was watching the French presidential election in April in which Emanual Macron beat Marine Le Pen by a 17-point margin. As an American, it was refreshing to see how a democracy...
Letter to the editor: Who are we to play God with new life?
Men of God: Once life is conceived, a heart is pulsed, there is life. There is no turning back. Who are any of you to play God? Dion Urban East Vandergrift...
Letter to the editor: Reopen pipelines to lower gas prices
Our great president is in Saudi Arabia to maybe talk to them about increasing their oil shipments to our country. Hey, Joe, I have a better idea: Why don’t you reopen the pipelines that you closed on your first day in office, and our gas prices might return to what...
Letter to the editor: Route 356 speeders a danger to residents
To residents of White Cloud Road, from a State Route 356 resident: Now you know what we go through on a daily basis. The speed limit on 356 is 45 mph, and I doubt any car goes the speed limit. Since construction started and parts of the road are finished,...
Letter to the editor: Republicans need to pull together and fight
I’ve noticed that a few “Republicans” are not supporting some of our candidates who won their primary races. Sounds a little arrogant and childish to me. Let’s get honest here: Never has our party elected a perfect candidate in a primary to run against a Democrat in the general. Perfect...
Lori Falce: Corporate sponsorship is more honest than politics
If you live in Pennsylvania or follow football or eat ketchup, you are no doubt aware the Pittsburgh Steelers venue went to bed Sunday as Heinz Field and woke up Monday as Acrisure Stadium. For many of the faithful, this has been a shock to the system. For the more...
Letter to the editor: Weak Republicans failed on Pa. budget
Our weak Pennsylvania Republicans were asked by President Trump and patriot groups not to pass the state budget until Act 77 was overturned. They passed it with a 10.7% spending increase from $40.8 billion to $45.2 billion. Apparently having the highest tolls and fuel tax is OK. They spin their...
Letter to the editor: Supreme Court creating a crisis
After this most recent term of the Supreme Court, civics textbooks all over this country will need editing. It seems the judicial branch is now in charge of legislation and amending the Constitution. The justices dismantled our separation of church and state. They ended reproductive freedom. They invalidated gun safety...
Laurels & lances: Learning, vetoes and curfews
Laurel: To a smart use of funding. Parents and educators alike can worry about learning loss — the information kids mentally misplace over the summer months between one grade and the next. But what about deficits suffered because of coronavirus responses? The pandemic was tough on schools, starting with the...
Letter to the editor: Jan. 6 committee, what a show
We have seen this show before. The Jan. 6 committee hearings remind me of the old TV series “Twin Peaks.” “Twin Peaks” was a show with a feckless investigation in search of a crime with no real beginning, ending or plot, and flashbacks, daydreams and dead ends. And just like...
Letter to the editor: Leaders should keep school safety in focus
Now is not the time for our school boards and state legislators to take time off from school safety. If you check your school board’s website, you will probably see that there are no meetings in July and probably no meetings until later in August. Also, if you check the...
Editorial: Why the cliffhanger American Rescue Plan announcement?
It’s about time. The Westmoreland County Commissioners have plans for the American Rescue Plan funds — finally. The American Rescue Plan was the $1.9 trillion federal legislation passed in March 2021 with multiple purposes: to fight covid pandemic spread, to financially help American households and to provide money for communities...
Letter to the editor: Support proposal to protect our parks
As an Allegheny County resident, past sustainability manager with the county, chairperson of LeboGreen and development associate with Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light (PA IPL), I am writing to encourage all county residents to urge your councilpersons to vote “yes” in support of Bill No. 12162-22, proposed to protect Allegheny...
Jonah Goldberg: Where did Biden go wrong?
President Biden is in deep trouble. A New York Times-Siena College poll released Monday is just the latest survey showing profound discontent with the president and the direction of the country. His job-approval rating is a mere 33%. More than 6 in 10 Democrats want someone else in their party...
Letter to the editor: We must get drunk drivers off our roads
The letter “Repeat DUI offenders should be in jail” (May 13, TribLIVE) prompted me to write. My son had a horrific accident that left him a paraplegic with a brain injury at 18. The DUI charges against the driver were slowly, conveniently dropped. The driver was not injured. My husband...
Letter to the editor: Kudos to Greensburg Police
At the amazing SummerSounds concert July 1 an intoxicated person disturbed some folks in the audience and they called the Greensburg police. I was incredibly happy with how our police handled the situation … with kindness and discretion. They gently removed the drunk man, found a couple of his friends...
Letter to the editor: Road salt destroying bridges, water, roads, cars
Regarding the article “PennDOT needs to find real alternative to tolling” (July 5, TribLIVE): I believe road salt took that bridge down near Pittsburgh. If PennDOT wants to save a billion dollars, they should quit spreading road salt. It’s destroying our freshwater ecosystem, our bridges, our cars and just about...
Letter to the editor: Unfair Christian nationalist label on Mastriano
I must submit a correction to Frances Weiss’ response (“Mastriano’s dangerous plans,” June 24, TribLIVE) to my letter (“Hit piece on Mastriano yellow journalism,” June 15, TribLIVE) on the Associated Press article “Christian nationalism on the rise in some GOP campaigns” (May 29, TribLIVE). She states that I said he’s...
Editorial: Police protection needs to be present and consistent
The relationship between a community and its police department is a balance. Sometimes it’s contentious. Sometimes it’s a relief. Sometimes it’s folksy and neighborly, like an old-school black-and-white television show. But it is a seesaw that tilts back and forth as needed. The police should provide order. They should provide...
Letter to the editor: Abortion, convenience and reality
The extraordinary fate of being able to bear children, to sustain the human race, falls to women. How significant is this? How significant is a human life, the human race? With this fate comes responsibility, a moral obligation unlike any other. As long as pregnancy imposes impediments to a woman’s...
Letter to the editor: Hearings show extent of Trump’s disgraceful actions
Testimony by Republicans at the Jan. 6 hearings clearly illustrates that President Donald Trump unilaterally orchestrated the “Big Lie” as follows: 1. He persisted even though Attorney General Bill Barr told the president claims of election fraud were “bull——.” 2. Barr resigned and Trump pressured acting Attorney General Geoffrey Rosen...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: What is wrong with American men?
He couldn’t get a date. Or he hated Black people. Or he was bullied in school. If any of that sounds familiar, it should. Every time there’s a mass shooting in this country — which, as a functional matter, pretty much means every day — those are the kinds of...
Albert Eisenberg: Keys to GOP’s Hispanic outreach in Pa. and nationwide
After this month’s historic special election win in South Texas, Republican strategists nationwide are asking themselves: how can we replicate now-Congresswoman Mayra Flores’ success in flipping an 84% Hispanic district to the GOP? Meantime, Democrats are burying their heads in the South Texas sand as Hispanic voters flee their party....
Mark W. Hendrickson: Washington’s corn-based ethanol mandates are poorly timed
Recently, President Joe Biden flew into Iowa — our country’s leading corn-producing state — to announce to appreciative farmers that the Environmental Protection Agency will require American motor-fuel refiners to increase the amount of corn-based ethanol (CBE) that must be blended into motor fuels this year. The new regulations include...
