Opinion category, Page 446
Letter to the editor: Look for Christ in everyone
As we reflect upon the child in the manger this season, let us remember that the miracle of Christmas is God choosing to become human, to become one of us. God is no longer “out there” but rather “here,” among us. Indeed, the incarnate God is called Emmanuel, a name...
Chad Duppstadt: U.S. on verge of major EV moment
As a U.S. Army veteran, I’m not someone that most would expect to speak up about electric cars and transportation. I am no far-left environmentalist. However, I believe we should all be good stewards of our earth, and that EVs are a clear path toward a cleaner planet while advancing...
Letter to the editor: Dedicated senior center workers should be paid more
I am in total agreement with Barb Harrold’s letter “Senior center workers deserve a raise” (Dec. 11, TribLIVE). The same should be said for the senior center managers in Armstrong County. These folks are there every day making sure seniors have a hot meal and activities. It’s a shame that...
‘A Visit from St. Nicholas’
As we do every year on Christmas Eve, we offer you this gift to share with the ones you love: Clement C. Moore’s classic poem about Santa. ’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung...
Letter to the editor: Pa.’s job creation efforts need an update
Sen. Kim Ward’s recent e-newsletter contains material on “Measures to Increase Jobs.” I sent the below in response. The state has been doing these job creation things for years. It’s not working — well, maybe it helps some, but in competition with states leading in job creation, Pennsylvania is losing....
Letter to the editor: We need a real Pennsylvanian in Toomey’s seat
While we Pennsylvanians are seeing a number of people vying for Pat Toomey’s U.S. Senate seat, we should be wary of those candidates who claim to live in our state. Sure, they may be wealthy enough to have residences in several states, including ours, but that doesn’t entitle them to...
Letter to the editor: Who’s helping middle America?
President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, infrastructure bill and Build Back Better bill are all designed to help Main Street, to finally help middle America. Of course, journalists such as Pat Buchanan and George Will are bemoaning the cost. However, when Presidents Bush and Trump gave trillions of dollars in tax...
Paul Kengor: Fear not! Christmas is just beginning
Post-Christmas depression is a real thing. For many, it hits on Dec. 26. In fact, sadly, for much of our culture, Christmas is over on that day. The ending can feel painfully abrupt. After weeks and months of buildup, starting around Thanksgiving, or even right after Halloween in our stores,...
Salewa Ogunmefun: 30 years of racial inequity vs. Pa.s only growing populations
Throughout the legislative reapportionment process, we at Pennsylvania Voice, along with our statewide partner organizations, have consistently advocated that the new state legislative maps that will determine who has political power in Pennsylvania for the next 10 years be drawn with racial equity as a core consideration. In fact, our...
John Stossel: Questioning the science
When people criticize Dr. Anthony Fauci, he says: “They’re really criticizing science. Because I represent science.” Pretty arrogant. I assume Fauci is a top-notch scientist. My brother worked with him at the National Institutes of Health and respected him. But power tends to corrupt, and Fauci has been given a...
Sheldon Jacobson: NHL, other professional leagues imploding with covid-19
Dozens of NHL players are under covid-19 protocols, resulting in teams playing shorthanded, and in some cases, temporarily shutting down. There have been several postponed games over the past two weeks, including cross border games, with teams that were still in action playing to empty arena. The NHL has now...
Jonah Goldberg: Defeat for the Build Back Better plan might not be total disaster for Biden
You know that old tale about the guy stranded on a rooftop during a flood who beseeches God to rescue him? A neighbor in a rowboat comes and offers to rescue him. “No, I’ve asked God to save me,” the man says. Then a police boat makes the same offer,...
Letter to the editor: A Christian advocating for violence?
In response to the Rev. Tony Joseph’s letter “Is anyone listening to God?”: Aside from being factually inaccurate — viruses are in fact not living things, for example, despite his assertation to the contrary — it espouses bombast and great anger as he writes, “we must become Christian soldiers and...
Letter to the editor: Norwin swamp
Norwin has a political swamp, too. This letter is serving as my public apology to the Norwin community for endorsing Raymond Kocak for school director. I financially supported Kocak in his bid. I openly advised the public and worked the polls to get him elected. He was part of the...
Editorial: Churchill’s future is in Amazon’s hands
It has taken about a year for Churchill council to make a decision about the future of the former George Westinghouse Research Park. It also took a public hearing that stretched to 14 days and a total of 55 hours of testimony, as passionate locals raised their voices about the...
Letter to the editor: Conflicting interests and the Marcellus circus
Reading about the latest trials and tribulations in Upper Burrell (“Former supervisors ask Upper Burrell to add 2 more seats; ties to Marcellus shale raised,” Dec. 5, TribLIVE), one thing is obvious: The circus with Marcellus gas drilling continues. Supervisor Ross Walker’s appearance at a West Deer meeting extolling the...
David Ayers: Why is America so sad? And where do we find joy?
A study by the Harvard Graduate School of Education — based on an October 2020 poll released in February 2021 — deserved widespread media coverage. It got almost none. Given what was going on this past February, that is not surprising. But it is regrettable nonetheless. The study found that...
Daniel Reeping: The empty manger, a true story
The year, 1944. The date, Dec. 24, Christmas Eve. The time, midnight. And for this day, we hoped the sounds of World War II would be drowned out by the hymns of Christmas sung by millions of Christians in tens of thousands of churches celebrating the birth of a small...
Cal Thomas: Testing, testing
President Biden has attempted to tamp down the frustration many feel over his inability to crush the pandemic, as he promised he would do when campaigning for the office he now holds. In a Tuesday afternoon address from the White House, the president promised to ramp up testing sites and...
Letter to the editor: Government control
Apparently my Webster’s dictionary has become obsolete. According to it, a vaccine is a substance to induce immunity to a disease, and a mandate is an authoritative command — not a law. The government is trying to force all American citizens to get the covid-19 shots; workers could be fired...
Letter to the editor: The supply crisis is real
Until very recently I was on the fence regarding this “supply chain” crisis. My friends on the political left told me there wasn’t one, that this is all part of the Christmas gift-buying season. They hedged by saying if there was one, it is the fault of Donald Trump. On...
Editorial: Settling on opioid suit is right thing for Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County is seeing a minor business boom from gambling. That’s great for Live! Casino at the Westmoreland Mall. It’s not what you want to see at the courthouse. That makes the decision Monday to join the settlement with major pharmaceutical companies a good bet. The county is one of...
Letter to the editor: Rep. Leslie Rossi is not demonstrating leadership
Rep. Leslie Rossi, please demonstrate some leadership (“Westmoreland Co. lawmaker offers to help with vaccine exemptions as covid-19 infections surge.” Covid-19 cases and deaths are rising. Consider these headlines: • “Excela reopens Unity testing center in response to rising covid-19 numbers.” The article reports that on Dec. 10, a record...
Ramesh Ponnaru: Democrats should blame themselves, not Joe Manchin
The Democrats should have listened to Joe Manchin. As their “Build Back Better” agenda assumed legislative shape, the Democratic senator from West Virginia kept telling them what he didn’t like about it. On Nov. 1, he decried the bill’s “shell games” and “budget gimmicks” and called it “a recipe for...
Teresa Ghilarducci: The perfect Christmas gift? Cash.
If you still haven’t gotten a holiday gift for someone — or anyone over the age of 12, for that matter — you’ve come to the right place. As an economist, I can assure you that not only have you done the responsible, even thoughtful, thing. It may also not...
