Opinion category, Page 408
Editorial: Westmoreland ARP funds need tentative plans
In 2021, Westmoreland County received half of a $105.3 million coronavirus relief fund allocation under the American Rescue Plan. It’s a significant amount of money. The county’s entire budget for 2022 is $367.6 million, so being given nearly a third of that as a windfall with comparatively few strings opens...
Greg Fulton: Anthony Bourdain, another casualty of depression
With CNN airing its new “Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain” this month, the public’s fascination with the late chef, writer and travel storyteller, who died in 2018, continues. Part of the interest may be due to Bourdain committing suicide and the difficulty for many to understand why someone at...
Students: Mayor Gainey, please focus on environmental justice
Dear Mayor Gainey: We are high school students concerned about climate change and the environment. Through our firsthand experiences and the stories that we have heard, we believe that it is essential to share our voice for the future of Pittsburgh and the world. We urge you to fulfill and...
Letter to the editor: Reflect on consumption during Alcohol Responsibility Month
April marks Alcohol Responsibility Month, a time for adults to reflect on their alcohol consumption. According to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, adults who drink alcohol should limit intake to two drinks or less a day for men and one drink or less a day for women. Knowing what counts as...
Letter to the editor: Commissioners must address subsidized housing conditions
Subsidized housing conditions in Westmoreland County are deplorable. Deficiencies include problems with water and mold, bug and rodent infestations, worn-out appliances, inefficient heating and cooling, and waste removal . This housing is disproportionately used by working families, veterans and seniors on limited incomes. Even though these vulnerable populations have been...
Editorial: What do we do about gun violence?
“It was a war scene.” This is a short statement, but it is vividly, viscerally descriptive of the violence that erupted on Pittsburgh’s North Side in the early-morning hours of Easter Sunday. Almost 100 gunshots — half fired inside a home by the corner of Madison Avenue and Suismon Street,...
Letter to the editor: Who benefits from critical race theory?
I believe critical race theory utilizes “stories” and “counter stories” to propagate “systemic racism,” replacing factual right and wrong with perceived wrongs. In my opinion, CRT holds victimhood in high regard, removes individuals’ rights and promotes “special” rights for “special” groups, “normalizes” intolerance, bullies and objects to free speech. So...
Letter to the editor: Time to downsize Pa. General Assembly
Since the 2020 election, there has been crying and whining by members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. There are too many political wannabes in this state. If you can’t find a regular job, become a Pennsylvania legislator. Because their “main man” lost, they want results overturned. These are the same...
Tom Purcell: Taxes always on my mind
“In this world, nothing can be said to be certain but death and taxes.” That quote is often attributed to Ben Franklin or Mark Twain, but whoever said it, no truer words have ever been spoken. I filed my annual income tax extension April 18, the last day of this...
Andrew Shubin: Statute of limitations reform will enable justice to be served
Thank you, Gov. Tom Wolf, for pressing the Pennsylvania Legislature to immediately enact civil child sexual abuse statute of limitations reform so that thousands of middle-aged and older survivors can bring predators and their institutional enablers to justice. For far too long, perpetrators and the religious institutions, schools, summer camps,...
Letter to the editor: Denying the horror show
What has been exposed over the past few years through corruption and crimes beyond the pale, all verifiable and undeniable, has shown that our nation has almost reached its moral and ethical nadir. And the fact that hardly anyone has been held accountable for anything shows that we may be...
Letter to the editor: More mental health facilities needed in Westmoreland
Westmoreland County needs additional mental health resources, especially for those in immediate crises. Pathways, a former Excela program, helped people with mental issues avoid hospitalization. Reinstituting this program would deliver services directly to people in need and avoid costly hospitalizations. A return to Pathways would give people appropriate levels of...
Editorial: Common problems, common sense solution
Hear that kids are being locked out of the school bathrooms, and it can bring up questions. It’s an issue that is happening at Kiski Area High School. Is this allowed? The number of bathrooms in a building are not just randomly assigned. They are prescribed by building codes and...
Letter to the editor: Democrats and racism
Critical race theory in our public schools has raised a lot of controversy. I Googled some interesting facts of U.S. history that relate to theories of racism in the U.S. but are probably overlooked by the Democratic teachers union. 1. President Abraham Lincoln formulated the Republican Party to end slavery....
Letter to the editor: The good ol’ days of January 2021
Ah, the good ol’ days. January 2021: Gasoline averaged $2.67 a gallon in the East and $3.70 a gallon in the West. Household electricity was 13.09 cents per kilowatt hour. Eggs cost $1.67 a dozen. Yep, January 2021. Think everything costs more? Guess what? Even President Biden’s U.S. Bureau of...
Editorial cartoons for the week of April 18
Editorial cartoons for the week of April 18....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of April 18
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of April 18....
Mona Charen: How to disarm the crazies
There is probably no easy cure for the Marjorie Taylor Greene phenomenon. She’s a repellent clown whose presence on the national stage has yielded nothing but degradation — except for the guffaw she afforded us when denouncing Nancy Pelosi’s “Gazpacho police.” And she has lots of company. Her colleagues in...
Letter to the editor: Argument against democracy
I’m not certain whether Winston Churchill actually said the below quote, but after reading the following gibberish written to this newspaper: “Biden worst president ever” (April 8, TribLIVE), “A plan to track immigrants, politicians” (April 8, TribLIVE), “Let Ukraine, Russia duke it out” (April 7, TribLIVE), “Biden a better car...
Letter to the editor: Our children should learn about the world
Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel “Persepolis” shows her life as a young girl in 1970s Iran in a clear light that should show life far outside our comfortable American cocoon. Why is anybody afraid for our children to learn about the world? Bad things happen, and courageous young people like Marjane...
Letter to the editor: On racism, we’ve come a long way
The author of the letter “Let’s tell the truth about racism” states that systemic racism “has and continues to be prevalent in all facets of our society.” From my perspective, our country has arguably been more successful at eradicating all forms of racism than perhaps any other. Just look at...
Letter to the editor: Love and kindness will save us
We find ourselves in quite a mess right now. We could not even come together during a pandemic. We used to be able to get behind our leaders and look out for each other. Our country is hyper-political, divisive and distrustful. Many seem only able to say what they are...
Letter to the editor: In the Twilight Zone
Reading some of the political opinion letters in this paper and others, as well as online, is like venturing into the “Twilight Zone.” The back and forth arguing where my guy is good, your guy is bad, my news sources are true, yours are false, proves how controlled and mindless...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Kindness at times of war
Edin Mesic is a Pittsburgher now. But he will never forget the Austrian grandmother who shared a train compartment with him and his brother, Mick, on the night train from Vienna to Munich three decades ago. The brothers were running for their lives from genocide in Bosnia and the “liquidation”...
Sounding off: America is on the right track
It is encouraging to see so many articles in the Trib pointing to our country moving in the right direction. Work is beginning on repairing bridges and roads which provide good paying jobs. Several presidents tried to develop an infrastructure plan but failed. President Biden got it done. Unemployment is...
