Opinion category, Page 405
Letter to the editor: Where’s proof of racial bias at Hutchinson Elementary?
Brandi Slider, an assistant college professor of elementary education, contends that Greensburg-Salem’s Hutchinson Elementary School’s record of 70% suspensions of nonwhites reveals racial bias because the school’s student population is only 24% nonwhite (“Group seeks racial equality at Greensburg Salem, decries school director’s Facebook post,” April 17, TribLIVE). Really? Anybody...
Letter to the editor: Housing authority committed to residents’ well-being
A thank you, letter-writer Eileen Krynock (“Residents not to blame for poor housing conditions”), goes to you and all the leaders and members of Voice of Westmoreland. Your compassion and care for those in need is unbelievable. I have attended Westmoreland County commissioners meetings and have listened to members of...
John Stossel: Wikipedia bias
I love Wikipedia. I donated thousands of dollars to the Wikimedia Foundation. Before Wikipedia, all we had were printed encyclopedias — out of date by the time we bought them. Then libertarian Jimmy Wales came up with a web-based, crowd-sourced encyclopedia. Crowd-sourced? A Britannica editor called Wikipedia “a public restroom.”...
Kyle Sammin: Pa. governor race GOP’s race to lose — but they can lose it
As Democrats raise money and work together to support prospective gubernatorial nominee Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the GOP remains at war with itself. Competition is the point of a primary: letting voters choose the best standard-bearer for November. This year, however, Republicans suffer from an excess of choice. Nine candidates...
Letter to the editor: Thankful for firefighters’ caring
I would like to thank Bradenville fire Chief Mark Piantine and all of the volunteer firefighters from Bradenville, Latrobe, Youngstown, Whitney, Lloydsville, Ligonier Hose Company 1, Pleasant Unity, Derry, Dry Ridge and Crabtree. You were so compassionate and caring to me and for my home during the fire at Spring...
Letter to the editor: CORES group should focus on real issues
The article about the Communities Organizing for Racial Equality in the Schools (CORES) caught my attention because of my recent interest in school board meetings in my home district (“Group seeks racial equality at Greensburg Salem, decries school director’s Facebook post,” April 16, TribLIVE). Although I am not a resident...
Editorial: Existing resources easily available for ballot drop-off
In 2020, dropping off a ballot for no-excuse absentee voting was pretty easy. In Allegheny County, there were drop boxes in satellite locations of the elections office weeks before the election date. You could fill out your ballot and hand it over Downtown at the elections office in the County...
Letter to the editor: Republican disinformation
“For Russian diplomats, disinformation is part of the job” was a front-page headline April 20. It explained how Russia uses propaganda to justify Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. I see a straight line between the Kremlin tactics and the GOP. As Leonard Pitts Jr. stated, “The Republican Party is a clear...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Democrats should challenge Republicans to climb
She was just trying to defend herself. It seems a Republican “colleague” had slimed Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow in one of those ad hominem, free-of-facts, detached-from-reality, what-the-heck-are-you-even-talking-about attacks that unfortunately have become a staple of that party. Specifically, Lana Theis, also a Michigan lawmaker, sent out a fundraising email...
David Hardy: Pa.’s students need a lifeline
The Pennsylvania House has been abuzz with anticipation of a vote on the Lifeline Scholarship Program, or House Bill 2169 (Reps. Clint Owlett and Martina White). Lifeline Scholarships would help children stuck in the lowest-performing schools in our commonwealth. HB 2169 empowers parents with restricted-use scholarship funding for a school...
Mario Oliverio: What are you running for?
My first thought just as the starter signal sounded last year for the Ohio River Trail Council 10K was not “I hope I set a personal record” or “I’m so glad to be raising money for a good cause” (sorry, ORTC), but rather — “Wait a second, am I really...
Tay Waltenbaugh: All of us must step up for the most vulnerable
Mental health challenges have always been with us, but the covid-19 pandemic has pushed Pennsylvanians, and our state’s mental health safety net, to the breaking point. Without meaningful and sustained support from our state lawmakers, many of our most vulnerable residents will confront unacceptable consequences. As the Tribune-Review’s reporting has...
Jonah Goldberg: The right-wing mob gets its pound of Mouse flesh from Disney — or does it?
“Freedom is awaking from its coma today because of a huge, huge, huge Supreme Court decision — huge,” Rush Limbaugh declared in 2010. “I cannot tell you how big this is.” What, pray tell, had roused freedom from its slumber? The Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision,...
Letter to the editor: How can anyone still support Biden?
I find it hard to believe how anyone can still support our so-called president after his many serious mistakes and blunders. His sloppy pullout of Afghanistan and the southern border are just two of the many blunders we have witnessed. It seems he is leading us down the wrong road....
Letter to the editor: Simple fix could repair Hempfield road damage
This year and last year, some utility company made a full road cut across Donohue Road at Roseytown Road near 84 Lumber. Both of these road cuts were about 2 feet wide and the asphalt settled down, leaving a very significant bump and sharp road edge, which caused cars to...
Letter to the editor: Send perpetrators of violence to Ukraine
It seems like every day, every day, the news has a story of a shooting, a murder or some kind of violence. This is what I think should be done. The perpetrator in every case, whether Black or white, young or old, male or female, should not be sent to...
Editorial: Nursing, teaching, trucking — a trifecta of burnout
For the past two years, America has dealt with a weird paradox. While many people were out of work, many businesses were suffering from an inability to find workers. While some of the most obvious examples were the front-facing service industry, it wasn’t just a problem for fast-food joints and...
Letter to the editor: Barnette best for Pa. Senate
Chameleons change the color of their skin to suit their surroundings. It’s no surprise Pennsylvania Republicans scratched their heads when Donald Trump endorsed Dr. Mehmet Oz for Senate. The collective gasp heard was “Dr/Who?” David McCormick in similar fashion attempts to “spice up” his street cred by covering himself with...
Letter to the editor: Action needed to keep kids fed
Without swift action from Congress, children in Pennsylvania are at risk of losing access to meals this summer and many more next school year. That’s because critical child nutrition waivers will expire soon and, so far, Congress has failed to authorize the USDA to extend them. These waivers are an...
Tom Purcell: More focused than ever at 60
“Inside every old person is a young person wondering what happened.” Those are the clever words of British humorist Terry Pratchett, who couldn’t have explained the aging process more succinctly. I know his words are true because I am turning 60 today. It’s a heck of a thing to have...
Letter to the editor: QB advice for Steelers
The Steelers are obsessing over the QB position. The QBs in this draft are not franchise quarterbacks. Kevin Colbert should trade down in this draft and stockpile choices for next season when the QB crop will be at a higher level. Concentrate on the OL to make Najee Harris a...
Peter Morici: Let states decide whether to adopt daylight saving time
Americans are tired of losing sleep. On the second Sunday in March, Americans push their clocks forward, and the disruption to sleep patterns creates fatigue and a lot of irritable personalities. Church attendance is unusually sparse. Some folks miss the exercise altogether or show up late, just in time for...
LZ Granderson: Big Pharma won’t be happy about marijuana cutting into its profits
Before I start talking about pot and why the federal prohibition should end, here are some numbers for you to consider. Seventy-two U.S. senators accepted donations from the pharmaceutical industry ahead of the 2020 election. That number was 302 for the House. Combined, that’s more than two-thirds of Congress. If...
Letter to the editor: Putin taking advantage of our weak leadership
Joe Biden and his administration knew last fall that Putin was going to invade Ukraine. What did they do to prevent this catastrophe? Nothing! Did Biden, who I find incoherent , and Kamala Harris, who does not seem to have the faintest idea what her role is, just laugh it...
Letter to the editor: Why no outrage over Kavanaugh questioning?
So the Democrat from Swissvale, Summer Lee, is upset over how the Republicans treated judge Ketanji Brown Jackson during the confirmation hearings (”Pittsburgh Black leaders celebrate Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation,” April 7, TribLIVE). Was she this outraged over how Justice Brett Kavanaugh was treated? How about how Judge Amy Coney...
