Opinion category, Page 416
S.E. Cupp: Putin’s American pals
A man is known by the company he keeps. The origin of that well-worn line is a fable by Aesop called, fittingly, “The Ass and His Purchaser.” As it goes, a man brings a new donkey home, and when he sees that it chooses to sidle up next to “the...
John Eckenrode: Staffing at Pa. state prisons creating dangerous conditions
Everywhere you turn, workers are in great demand. From restaurants and retail stores to manufacturing plants and hospitals, employers need more staff to make sure their operations run safely and efficiently. Nowhere is the need for more staff more critical than in our state prisons. Our corrections officers stand between...
Colin McNickle: Kill the ‘presence’ tax and economize Pittsburgh’s finances
Everything old suddenly appeared to be new again recently with a Pittsburgh City Council proposal to tax consumers of higher education and medical services. But although that measure now appears to be moot, the situation represents a golden opportunity for state legislators to amend the law that allows for such...
Letter to the editor: Book ban hypocrisy
It is curious that those who are most vocal about “parents’ rights” and keeping government out of parental decisions are the ones who want to ban books. They are asking government to do their job, abdicating their own responsibilities. If they don’t want their children to read something, why do...
Letter to the editor: Let’s tell the truth about racism
In the article “Norwin director claims assignment on racism was critical race theory teaching,” Shawna Illagan accused a district teacher of “political indoctrination” because she questioned students about whether or not systemic racism exists in America. She claimed the teacher’s interpretation of critical race theory was “one sided.” Systemic racism...
Lori Falce: ‘Woman’ transcends a simple definition
“Can you provide a definition for the word ‘woman?’” Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., asked Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson this question Tuesday during the Senate judiciary committee confirmation hearings. There have been less obvious traps in Scooby Doo cartoons. Blackburn clearly wanted to coax Jackson to the edge...
Letter to the editor: Durham’s filings revealing
The current media drumbeat is that nothing new in the Russian collusion scandal can be learned from Special Counsel John Durham’s filings. That’s not true. In a recent filing, Durham says that a private contractor, Rodney Joffe of Neustar, collected internet data from surveillance of Trump Tower and the White...
Laurels & lances: Plays, rides and bugs
Laurel: To curtains going up. All over Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, things are a little dramatic right now. It is the height of spring musical season, and in middle schools and high schools across the region, kids are being nipped by the acting bug. This is the kind of contagion...
Gene Barr: Probation reform a solution to Pa.’s workforce crisis
For over a century the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry has advocated for policies that help make Pennsylvania a first-rate state, attract investment and strengthen our communities. Today, we are focused particularly on policies to address workforce shortages that are holding back our economy and preventing employers from recovering....
Peter Harris: Madeleine Albright saw US as an ‘indispensable nation’ and NATO expansion eastward as essential
Madeleine Albright may have not coined the phrase “indispensable nation,” but she will always be associated with the concept. By the time she became secretary of state in 1997, the United States had become a beached superpower. During the Cold War, its forces had been deployed across the world for...
Jennie Sweet-Cushman: Women are worthy of your votes
This week, America watched while Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson faced the Senate Judiciary Committee’s questioning in a confirmation hearing that could lead to her being named the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. Jackson brings with her a wealth of judicial experience, having...
Jonah Goldberg: In today’s media, attacks from the left benefit its right-wing targets — and vice versa
You know who benefits the most from liberal media bias? Conservatives. I spent much of the last 25 years writing about liberal media bias. Heck, I grew up on the stuff. My father, a longtime editor, used to joke that he “worked behind enemy lines.” He’d often tutor me about...
Letter to the editor: Biden’s integrity
Thank you, President Biden, for having the honor and integrity to nix making military aid to beleaguered Ukraine contingent on the heroic President Volodymyr Zelensky providing dirt on a political opponent. Oren Spiegler Peters...
Letter to the editor: Bradshaw the greatest quarterback?
The writer of the letter “Bradshaw, not Roethlisberger, the greatest quarterback” (Feb. 22, TribLIVE) said people forget that Terry Bradshaw won four Super Bowls. The writer needs to be informed that Bradshaw was only one of nine Hall of Fame players who played in their prime the same time the...
Letter to the editor: Banning books leads to burning books
On the recent St. Patrick’s Day, the sun warmed the winter ground as the brown grass started to turn green. It reminded me of the centuries-old love of literature and poetry and books. In Armagh, Ireland, above the door of the 1771 library, an inscription reads “The healing place of...
Editorial: GOP candidates should embrace better debates
The Republican gubernatorial candidates who are pushing away a real, moderated, journalistic debate are not only doing themselves a disservice but also are doing the same to their party and constituents. On Monday, four members of the jam-packed field of GOP candidates vying for the top spot in Pennsylvania politics...
Letter to the editor: Biden’s Ukraine irony
President Biden’s first State of the Union address was a meandering tale full of irony and misinformation complete with the typical theatrics common to all such addresses, and a few classy moments such as recognizing retiring Justice Stephen Breyer and the Ukrainian U.N. ambassador. The irony started when Biden boasted...
John Stossel: Renewable failure
The “Greens” promise renewables, solar and wind power, will replace fossil fuels. After all, the wind and sun are free, and they don’t pollute! Oops. Now countries that embraced renewables are so desperate for power that they eagerly import coal, the worst polluter of all! Do they apologize? No. Greens...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: A war against your lying eyes
When Russian bombs began to fall on Ukraine, Julia Tymoshenko called her aunt in Moscow. She told her about spending a night in the basement as explosions thundered overhead. Her aunt was unimpressed. “Well, you don’t know who did that,” she said. “We’re seeing one thing on the news, you’re...
Letter to the editor: Proud of roots, embarrassed by Biden
My husband and I are both of Eastern European heritage. My grandparents and great-grandparents emigrated from Poland. My husband’s grandparents emigrated from Poland and Slovakia. Regarding the war in Ukraine, never have we been more proud of our Polish and Slovak roots and embarrassed by the actions of our president...
Letter to the editor: Shrinkflation
I have been hearing about “shrinkflation” like it is news. Shrinkflation is nothing new to consumers who have been paying attention over the past three decades. Back in the day, fun-sized Snickers candy bars were sold in a 12-pack for 99 cents. Now at Walmart, a 6-pack of smaller-sized Snickers...
Letter to the editor: Norwin meeting report sensationalized
It’s a shame that reporter Joe Napsha decided to highlight a very brief display regarding critical race theory at the end of the March 14 Norwin School Board meeting (“Norwin debate continues in regards to systemic racism, critical race theory,” March 16, TribLIVE). Much more impactful were the presentations by...
Letter to the editor: Biden stoked fires of inflation, war
In order to appease the Squad and the rest of the Democratic Party and counteract President Trump’s policies, President Biden’s first actions were to cancel plans for the Keystone XL gas pipeline to cross into the United States and stop our drilling on government lands. He also waived sanctions on...
Editorial: Eagle chicks bring welcome respite worldwide
The popularity of animals on the internet is nothing new. From cats popping out of boxes to miniature goats frolicking in pajamas, the viral videos tend to spread faster than the flu. Make them about baby animals, and the speed increases with the cuteness factor. Everyone loves a puppy, a...
Letter to the editor: Hateful divisiveness must stop
Seeing an autocracy in real time, I wonder if insurrectionist supporters have given pause to their goals. Democracy nearly died, and America was headed toward an autocracy. How fortunate we are to live in a democracy. In Ukraine, we see Putin showing no compassion for life. Americans cry and are...
