Opinion category, Page 425
Letter to the editor: ‘Believers’ should be our real concern
I was just thinkin’ … Do Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un and Xi Jinping want to die? Hell no! They are nonbelievers in an afterlife. They love exquisite food, top-shelf booze, fun times and, no doubt, women. Americans’ real concern should be very old men who are “believers” and can’t...
Letter to the editor: Ashamed of those who won’t face race reality
All my life I have seen, personally and by reading responsibly, how wrongly people of color are treated in this country, in spite of laws to the contrary. I am white, 89 years of age, but I can see, hear, and judge the hateful speech and actions of misguided white...
Letter to the editor: Brackenridge hero banners heartwarming
In August 2021, as we drove through the old stomping grounds of Brackenridge on our way to visit friends, we noticed the nice “Hometown Heroes” banners affixed to many telephone poles. This was very heartwarming, something our local military men and women deserve. Great job, Brackenridge! This made us explore...
Letter to the editor: Canceling Christ
Rather than blaming the amorphous “cancel culture” for undermining the message and mission of Christ, perhaps we Christians should do a little self-reflection on how we, ourselves, cancel Christ on a regular basis. We cancel Christ when we demonize immigrants and refugees seeking safe asylum. We cancel Christ when we...
Editorial: 95% vaccinated number seems absurdly high
It is hard to get 95% of Pennsylvanians to walk in step for anything. Pennsylvania is a perennial swing state because it is a state divided on almost everything. Steelers versus Eagles. Pitt versus Penn State. Sheetz versus Wawa. And there is no deeper divide than the political. It isn’t...
Letter to the editor: Bright headlights create hazards for other drivers
Driving at night is becoming so much more difficult because of vehicles being manufactured with LED headlights. When these lights are coming toward you, or if you are sitting at a stoplight with them facing you or behind you in your rearview mirror, you are blinded. Whoever came up with...
Letter to the editor: Supreme Court needs diversity
Negative tropes being used to critique President Biden’s decision to nominate Ketanji Brown Jackson, a Black woman, to the Supreme Court may be missing the point (“Biden demonstrating his racism again,” Feb. 19, TribLIVE). In these bitterly divisive times, when our self-serving legislative and executive branches are increasingly irrelevant, the...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: The path ahead for Mayor Gainey
Like most newly elected chief executives, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey is entitled to a bit of a political honeymoon. But soon after his swearing-in, it became clear that there is no time for a grace period, because Gainey’s first two months have been full of surprises — none of them...
Sounding off: Founding Fathers may have anticipated turmoil of political parties
There must be a reason the Founding Fathers did not place any mention of political parties in the Constitution. Perhaps it was just something that never came up in their discussions. Perhaps in their wisdom, they anticipated that something like a political party might grow too powerful and become a...
Letter to the editor: Democrats, the party of lies
Letter-writer Oren Spiegler’s comments indicate to me that his brain is wired backwards (“Republicans, the party of lies,” Feb. 12, TribLIVE). The Party of Lies is the Democratic Party. The investigation of the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol is a farce. The Republicans chose Reps. Jim Jordon and Jim...
Editorial: Redistricting map wasn’t court’s job, but someone had to do it
Politics once was like two people negotiating a real estate deal. The seller would present the house in its best light — baking cookies so it smelled homey, sprucing up the front porch and hiding the water damage from that leaky roof — all while asking for the highest price...
Letter to the editor: Virtual connections are vital for small businesses
Small businesses are the backbone of our economy. We realize that many small businesses have experienced challenges over the past two years. However, working with small business owners every day, I see that they are quick to recover, too, when they utilize the right tools. The U.S. Small Business Administration’s...
Letter to the editor: Underground power lines can eliminate power outages
I worked as a planner in Florida for many years, where hurricanes caused major power outages. Although moving power lines underground couldn’t work everywhere (parts of Florida have very high groundwater areas that present challenges), even the small town of Winter Park (where Fred Rogers attended Rollins College) decided to...
S.E. Cupp: Conservatism is over. ‘Conservatives’ admit it.
The Conservative Political Action Conference, better known as CPAC, falls every year around my birthday. In fact, I turned many of my 20s and 30s while nerding out at the Omni Shoreham hotel in Washington at panels with people like Fred Barnes, Bill Kristol and Jonah Goldberg. I went because...
Gary Franks: With Russia, prevention beats sanctions
The best way to stop a war is to prevent it from starting. We are failing here. Prevention beats punishment anytime with the former saving lives and the latter doing the opposite. Terms of engagement in conflicts with nations that are formidable does not usually include punishment or sending a...
Gene Barr: It’s time U.S. energy policy stops empowering Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin has plunged Europe into crisis with his invasion of Ukraine. His stated goals are to destabilize the country to bring the nation back under Russia’s control. In response, it’s time we hit Putin where he knows it will hurt — through the energy sector. Unfortunately, there’s...
Letter to the editor: Students being denied a full education
Regarding the article “Norwin board pulls plug on CNN 10” (Feb. 14, TribLIVE): I am a 1969 graduate of Norwin High School. My parents taught there, and my dad was assistant superintendent. I thought the idea of public education was to obtain a well-rounded education. You are exposed to things...
Letter to the editor: Medical aid in dying law needed in Pa.
Thanks for printing George Will’s column “Medical aid in dying should be our right” (Jan. 20), as well as the article “Easing pain at the end” in November 2016. I have spent many moments of my life speaking on my husband’s dead voice to have Pennsylvania pass such a law,...
Letter to the editor: Opposition to Mon Oakland Connector
Regarding your article “Focus of Pittsburgh’s proposed Mon-Oakland Connector project changes” (Feb. 11, TribLIVE): Although it is true that the project has “generated strong opposition” from transit advocacy groups “and from some Greenfield residents,” naming only these groups implies that only a handful of residents oppose the MOC roadway. Since...
Lori Falce: The family drama of international politics
Sisters have a special kind of relationship. They share a bond that is hard to compare to anything else. They share more than just DNA and a bathroom and Grandma’s eyes. They are the only ones who will understand the highs and lows, the good and bad, the in-jokes and...
Letter to the editor: Socialism distinctions
To letter-writer Richard London (“We all benefit from ‘socialism,’ ” Feb. 13 TribLIVE): The following are corrections to some of the things I believe you’ve got wrong. The definition of socialism does not change relative to its practitioners. It still means government control over business and industry no matter who’s doing...
Letter to the editor: Bridge collapse is a wake-up call to government
The recent collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh’s Frick Park is a wake-up call to correct misguided government spending priorities. Pennsylvania’s 2021-22 budget is $39.8 billion. Allegheny County approved an operating budget of $942.5 million and $182.5 million in a capital improvement budget. The City of Pittsburgh is...
Laurels & lances: Theater, politics and resurgence
Laurel: To an encore performance. “Hamilton” has been undeniably the biggest thing to hit musical theater in years. It wasn’t just a smash on Broadway. The traveling company has been just as in demand when it visits, as it did in Pittsburgh in 2019, and again now as live theater...
Colin McNickle: Drastic changes key to better Pittsburgh job growth
The evidence is clear that right-to-work metropolitan areas out-performed non-right-to-work areas for private-sector jobs as they began to recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic in 2021, concludes an analysis by the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy. And Greater Pittsburgh remains a poster child for the malaise that results...
Rep. Dan Frankel: Bridge collapse symbol of toxic politics, but doesn’t have to be
As political backdrops go, you can’t beat the collapsed Fern Hollow Bridge. Visits from politicians may gloss over the terror and bodily injury endured by people driving and riding over the bridge and the fears of the entire neighborhood as the smell of gas filled the air. They may overlook...
