Opinion category, Page 452
Nicholas Goldberg: Are the school districts that ‘defunded the police’ already regretting it?
The idea of “abolishing” or “defunding” the police has always struck me as risky, to say the least, and not very well thought through. It has the potential to cause at least as many problems as it solves. So when some school districts actually decided give it a try, I...
Galit Atlas: 1 in 4 adults are estranged from family and paying a psychological price
Search “toxic parents” on Instagram, and you’ll find more than 38,000 posts, largely urging young adults to cut ties with their families. The idea is to protect one’s mental health from abusive parents. However, as a psychoanalyst, I’ve seen that trend in recent years become a way to manage conflicts...
Letter to the editor: Crime making East Carson Street unsafe
I used to have a good time on East Carson Street a few years ago, but lately the crime has been ridiculous. After reading the article “Man in critical condition following double shooting on Pittsburgh’s South Side” (Nov. 26, TribLIVE), I fear for the safety of those who just want...
Letter to the editor: Pittsburgh airport should be lean and mean
Since that “can of worms” called the Pittsburgh International Airport has been opened, let’s continue with a little reason. First, get rid of the name Pittsburgh International and just call it the Pittsburgh Airport. Flights to Toronto hardly qualify it to have the name. The Pirates have accepted our status...
Editorial: Violent school threats spread like epidemic
Threats can be easily dismissed. A threat, after all, is not the same thing as the act itself. Being threatened with a lawsuit is not the same as being sued. Threatening to call the police is not the same as picking up the phone. A threat’s meaning has been diluted...
Letter to the editor: Predictions have consequences
Hawk Newsome, co-founder of Black Lives Matter, has “predicted” that if NYC Mayor-elect Eric Adams brings back the city’s plainclothes anti-crime unit there will be “riots” and “bloodshed.” How can BLM or antifa or anyone get away with these threats? Because it’s allowed by the socialists in the media, blue...
S.E. Cupp: The right’s Fauci Derangement Syndrome
Soulless. Morally bankrupt. Insane? It’s hard to find the right word to describe the latest lows to which right-wing personalities and elected officials are stooping to smear and attack Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and former Trump adviser. Imagine, if you dare,...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Flash-mob robberies? In today’s America, why not?
Why would they do this? That question rises inevitably from a new wave of so-called flash-mob robberies, thieves by the dozens invading retail stores to simply take what they want. It’s happened in California, Illinois, Minnesota and Maryland. Retailers ranging from Nordstrom to 7-Eleven have been hit. For some, the...
Letter to the editor: Pittsburgh ‘Stumbles’
Hey fellow Yinzers, For years, we laughed at the Cincinnati Bengals and called them the “Bungles.” Well, after Sunday’s pitiful meltdown, we deserve being called the Pittsburgh Stumbles! Gary Owcar Saxonburg...
Letter to the editor: Standing by Biden is a bad choice
In his letter “Another Trump presidency not the answer” (Nov. 18, TribLIVE), Ed Svitek does have a point. Donald Trump’s presidency at the time was needed, but the rhetoric has lost its luster. Meanwhile, his policies still have a lot of merit. We can kick the can forever about a rigged...
Lori Falce: Who gets to run for Senate? Almost anyone
It seems like anyone who has ever thought of running for office in Pennsylvania will be running in 2022. Want to be governor? This is your shot. Lieutenant governor? Give it a whirl. Sure, all of the U.S. House seats will be on the table with their spanking new districts...
Letter to the editor: Clarifying dossier issue
The article “Analyst who aided Trump-Russia dossier charged with lying” (Nov. 4, TribLIVE) needs clarification. Let’s start at the beginning. The amount of communication between President Trump’s campaign and Russia set off red flags inside the FBI. In May 2016, Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos told the Australian commissioner to...
Laurels & lances: Holly days, kittens and festive rides
Laurel: To holiday time again. After all of the festivities that have been canceled or gone remote in the last two years, it is with childlike delight that people can see old favorite events returning to their communities. “We’re happy to have things back in person,” said Emily Pasqualino, committee...
Linda Fowler and Chris Fowler: How to make voting districts fair to voters, not parties
Should fairness to political parties be the standard for evaluating legislative redistricting? Across the nation, state lawmakers are jockeying to advantage their party — be it Republican or Democratic — while drawing boundaries for legislative and congressional districts. If the Freedom to Vote Act currently before Congress passes, many state...
David Thornburgh: Redistricting maps must be released now
Pennsylvania needs to have new congressional redistricting maps in place by Jan. 24. To make the deadline, legislative leaders need to release preliminary maps now. It is the only way to meet the deadline and give the public an opportunity to provide input on the maps. We’re running out of...
Letter to the editor: Don’t worry about the unvaxxed
Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald was on TV one night thanking businesses that mandated the vaccine and said that “… we know how safe they are. We know how effective they are.” He asked, “Who wants to work in an office among people who are unvaccinated, spreading this deadly disease?”...
Letter to the editor: Let’s build up Jeannette, not tear it down
I was appalled by the letter from Robert A. McLaughlin (“Lack of urgency for change in Jeannette,” Nov. 17, TribLIVE) criticizing our current Jeannette council. He has never attended a council meeting in the four years I have been mayor, that I am aware of. We have been working tirelessly...
Editorial: Freeze out energy costs by controlling your heating bills
Have you turned on that furnace? Cranked up the electric baseboard heaters? Touched the thermostat? Coming off a Thanksgiving weekend during which temperatures dipped into the 30s or below, you probably at least thought about it. But maybe you were among those who are acutely aware of the cost of...
Letter to the editor: Westmoreland County taking care of lead problems
In response to the article “Legislation would focus on lead paint in Pittsburgh homes” (Nov. 23, TribLIVE): Westmoreland County is ahead of neighboring counties in finding and mitigating lead contamination in homes. Our Community Planning and Development Department took steps in 2020 to secure grant funding for certified risk assessors to...
John Crisp: Breaking even against American vigilantism
The subtext of two prominent trials in recent weeks is vigilantism, the questionable notion that the institutions that we depend on — the police, especially — have declined into such impotence that ordinary citizens are called upon to maintain peace and order on their own. In both trials, justice prevailed,...
Jonah Goldberg: The tax-cut hypocrisy of Democrats’ ‘Build Back Better’ bill
For the first five years, the single most expensive item in the House version of the Democrats’ “Build Back Better,” or “human” infrastructure, bill is a gigantic tax cut for millionaires and billionaires. This provision would lift the cap from $10,000 to $80,000 on income tax deductions for state and...
Peter Morici: Republicans should force Biden to spend less in coming debt-ceiling showdown
As Congress returns from Thanksgiving fresh from carving turkeys, eating pumpkin pie and serving up polemics about the manifest blessings of America, it will be wrangling about raising the federal debt ceiling — again. The federal government collects too little in taxes to pay its bills, and most months it...
Letter to the editor: Trump to blame for Biden? What a joke.
Edward Svitek, I’m sure, doesn’t realize he’s a comedian. His letter “Another Trump presidency not the answer” (Nov. 18, TribLIVE) had me laughing for 10 minutes. He blames President Trump for Joe Biden winning the election. What? How about the state of the Democratic Party is so low that Biden...
Letter to the editor: RGGI vital to fighting climate crisis
Recently, state Sen. Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, voted against a harmful attempt to keep Pennsylvania from joining one of the most successful climate programs in the country, and for this, I am proud to call myself one of his constituents. The effects of the climate crisis are becoming more obvious...
Editorial: Lemieux’s place in new Penguins leadership shows value of continuity
OK, now it’s official. Fenway Sports Group is buying the Pittsburgh Penguins, with a price tag some are putting at around $900 million. The Boston-based company announced Monday that, yes, the rumors are true and the Penguins will be added to its stable of teams that spans sports such as...
