Opinion category, Page 417
Letter to the editor: Democrats and simple math
With the recent addition of Ohio, 10 states require high school students to take a course in personal finance. Maybe Pennsylvania should do likewise. Many of our elected politicians are clearly defective in their understanding of basic finance. President Biden proudly cites his Scranton roots. Sen. Bob Casey and Rep....
Rep. Joanna McClinton: America deserves a high court that reflects the diversity of our people
America deserves a high court that reflects the diversity of our people. It took 148 years for the first African American woman to be elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, the esteemed Crystal Bird Fauset. Yet it has taken 232 years to even have a Black woman nominated to...
Rich Askey: Make education a priority in Pa. budget
I have a homework assignment for you. Put 100 people in a room and get 80 of them to agree on something. You’re shaking your head. You’re saying it can’t be done. Yet in a recent poll of public school parents from Hart Research and Lake Research Partners, a remarkable...
Letter to the editor: How about a Harris/Pelosi ticket for 2024?
2024: Kamala Harris, president. Nancy Pelosi, vice president. Francois Vukosic Bridgeville...
Letter to the editor: Smoke and mirrors
America, once again your president is trying to pull the wool over your eyes. He’s blaming high gas and fuel prices on Putin. Meanwhile, that has been happening almost since day one, when he canceled plans for the Keystone XL pipeline, halted exploration drilling and stopped selling leases. Yes, there...
Letter to the editor: Real reasons why covid is still here
Regarding the letter “Nice pandemic plan, Biden”: I can provide an answer as to why the pandemic is still in our lives. It’s because covid was denied, then politicized; anti-masking was the fight for the excuse “my body, my choice.” Then the vaccine was poison, it doesn’t work, I will...
Letter to the editor: Sheriff van tickets petty politics
That the City of Greensburg parking enforcement officers are ticketing the sheriff’s inmate transport vans for parking in metered spaces smacks of petty, partisan politics and that stinks (“Parking tickets pile up for Westmoreland Sheriff’s Department due to courthouse garage project,” March 15, TribLIVE; “Prison van prompts petty parking tickets,”...
Letter to the editor: Shoeboxes bring joy to children in need around world
Despite a global pandemic, Allegheny County residents shared the true meaning of Christmas with children in need last year. Generosity resulted in 13,834 gifts collected in Allegheny County at drop-off locations for the Samaritan’s Purse project Operation Christmas Child. Shoeboxes reached children in Ivory Coast, Honduras, Mali, Dominican Republic, Lesotho,...
Editorial: Redistricting process needs to be fixed sooner rather than later
With the newly drawn redistricting maps finally setting the lines that will define legislative districts, it is time for people to analyze what the definitions will mean. In Westmoreland County, for example, the people will go from having eight seats in the state House of Representatives to six. While all...
Letter to the editor: World Water Day
March 22 is World Water Day, a day set aside to increase awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to clean water. Here in Pennsylvania with our abundant rainfall and miles of rivers and streams, you might think that World Water Day is a cause we can ignore....
Tom Purcell: How commoners can cope with inflation
Finally, people have found something to agree about. Last week, economics professor Teresa Ghilarducci penned an op-ed for Bloomberg News in which she offers tips on how people who earn less than $289,000 a year can cope with inflation. Her piece got quite a negative Twitter reaction from people across...
Michael Brevda: Pandemic staffing issues cause distress for nursing home residents
When pandemic lockdowns began in March 2020, many nursing homes suffered because of poor staffing. Sadly, both residents and staff were falling sick, some even dying, due to covid-19. Families, previously a source of informal care for residents, could not visit due to in-person restrictions at care facilities. New job...
Letter to the editor: Why no coverage of national wrestling championship?
I was disappointed to see the six-page spread on the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments March 17. Why haven’t the NCAA Division 1 wrestling championships, which began March 17 in Detroit, garnered one sentence of coverage? Is anyone at the sports desk aware of the number of local men...
Letter to the editor: Government subsidies shouldn’t go to billionaires, corporations
Government subsidies can have a very positive effect. Think miracle drugs, the computer and internet. However, some could use scrutiny. Take Elon Musk, who has received $4.9 billion in subsidies, is worth $266 billion and some years paid little or no taxes. Or Jeff Bezos, who is worth $198 billion....
Editorial: Is probation enough for sheriff’s department guilty pleas?
The Westmoreland County Sheriff’s Department under former leadership had a problem. It was a legal problem — namely that a number of its employees were not merely serving documents or escorting prisoners. No, they were facing charges themselves. It started at the top, with then-Sheriff Jonathan Held, who was investigated...
Letter to the editor: Fundamentally changing America
Five days before his election (November 2008), Barack Obama declared, “we are five days away from fundamentally changing America.” Assuming one does not fundamentally change that which he loves, Democratic leadership must hate America. I believe they desire America to be a socialist nation, in a new one world order....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of March 21
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of March 21....
Editorial cartoons for the week of March 21
Editorial cartoons for the week of March 21....
Mona Charen: The Ukraine speech Biden should give now
President Biden should deliver an Oval Office address. Here is a suggestion: My fellow Americans, our country has been through several tough years. The pandemic was a severe blow. But even more serious than the disease was the fraying of our national spirit. We’ve been so polarized that we’ve forgotten...
Paul Petrick: The civil rights legacy of rock ‘n’ roll’s Alan Freed
Where were you in ’52? If among the 25,000 who attended the world’s first rock ‘n’ roll concert 70 years ago this month, you did not hear much music. Rock ‘n’ roll’s official coming-out party on March 21, 1952 at Cleveland Arena ended during the first set. The overflow crowd...
Letter to the editor: Biden destroying our independence
So, Joe, you would rather direct money to Saudi Arabia or, God forbid, Venezuela instead of allowing Americans to produce needed energy? I understand that you are pandering (Democrats need environmentalist votes) to the ill-informed who believe that if energy is not produced in the U.S. then “their Earth” is...
Letter to the editor: Why isn’t Casey standing up for us?
Sen. Bob Casey — just who do you work for? I thought it was for the citizens of this great state. I believe along with others that you go along to get along in the Senate. You seem to be a rubber stamp for President Biden’s “green deal” agenda. We...
Letter to the editor: Who will pay for destruction in Ukraine?
Sitting and reading about the war that is going on between Russia and Ukraine, and seeing all the destruction in the cities and countryside, has brought a question to my mind. When this ends, who is going to pay for the cleanup and rebuilding? My guess is the politicians here...
Letter to the editor: The border is not ‘open’
Two or three times a week we see letters here start with incorrect and hyperbolic claims about open borders and the millions pouring in from Mexico. The similarities in how these are written suggest a campaign or, dare I say, conspiracy. In truth, this administration has maintained the border policies...
Editorial: Rental assistance needs better messaging
There’s a problem with rental assistance in Pennsylvania. It doesn’t seem to be going where it’s needed. Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, evictions and rental issues have been a concern as people have worried about making sure they had a place to live while they were...
