Opinion category, Page 454
Sounding off: Stop arguing and educate our kids
It seems as if we have forgotten the most important aspect of attending school. We have become so concerned with school mask mandates that we have overlooked the quality of education our children are receiving. Somehow many parents have equated education with mask-wearing in schools. Our kids have fallen behind...
Janet Swim and Nathaniel Geiger: Americans support climate change policies, especially those that give them incentives, clean up energy supply
As the Biden administration tries to build support for new climate and energy policies, a set of studies offers some insights that could help them appeal to the widest audience. We are social scientists who examine how people think about climate change solutions. In the studies, we explored how the...
Greg Fulton: In honor of James Harrison, the ultimate grinder
If there were a Grinder Hall of Fame, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison would be in it. In fact, his statue might be in front of it. Grinder is a term in sports that refers to a player who may not have been born with great natural skills or physical...
Letter to the editor: ‘Democrat’ label is toxic for candidates
The Democrats are prepared to commit mass political suicide to pass the Biden/Pelosi “Build Back Better” socialist scam. This bill will add to the deficit and accelerate already out-of-control inflation while further addicting some Americans to government handouts. The results of the elections earlier this month in Virginia and New...
Letter to the editor: Brooks is no ‘self-serving fat cat’
Regarding David K. Camblin’s letter “Why didn’t Bob Brooks pay for parade permit?”: You don’t know what you don’t know, Mr. Camblin. I will assume ignorance rather than rudeness in your letter slamming the most generous man I know and have the honor to work for. Brooks did consider paying...
Editorial: Public money, trust demand answers from Freeport
The proper response to a request for information about public money is not “It’s taken care of. Trust us.” That should go without saying. The purpose of laws regarding open records is to make sure what public officials say can be proven or disproven because, sadly, sometimes people aren’t entirely...
Letter to the editor: After Arbery verdict, grateful for justice
It is a special season of Thanksgiving not only for the loving family of Ahmaud Arbery, but for all who believe in equality and justice under the law. The guilty verdicts against the killers were initially improbable. The case did not come to light until months after the murder. The...
S.E. Cupp: How today’s Republican Party reminds me of Minute Maid concentrate
If you’re over the age of 30, you probably recognize the iconic black and orange can that sat in so many of our freezers and supermarkets growing up: the Minute Maid concentrated orange juice can. Developed in the 1940s to safely ship Vitamin C to our troops in World War...
John Stossel: Thank private property
Beware the “tragedy of the commons.” It almost killed off the Pilgrims. Now, via Washington, D.C., it’s probably coming for us. Tragedy of the commons is a concept from an essay by ecologist Garrett Hardin. He wrote how cattle ranchers sharing a common parcel of land soon destroy that land....
Leonard Pitts Jr.: ‘True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar’
Abraham could have asked for anything. The Make-A-Wish folks stood ready to make a dream come true for the 13-year-old boy, who has aplastic anemia, a life-threatening blood disorder. But Adeola “Abraham” Olagbegi didn’t ask for a PS5 or a day with LeBron James. No, he just wanted to feed...
Gene Barr: ‘Shop small’ takes on new meaning this year
Small businesses — the backbone of the American economy and the heart of many Main Street communities in Pennsylvania — have experienced unprecedented setbacks due to the covid-19 pandemic. Those challenges, combined with workforce shortages, labor market issues and supply-chain disruptions, have left small businesses struggling to survive. In fact,...
Letter to the editor: Renewable jet fuel credit will cost Pa. families
Pennsylvania families can expect higher emissions and higher costs if Congress continues to support a tax credit for renewable jet fuel. That’s because the special tax credit for jet fuel would effectively eliminate the tax benefits for other clean fuels such as biodiesel and renewable diesel. Since here in Pennsylvania,...
Lori Falce: All I want for Christmas
There are six simple words that can leave me speechless. “What do you want for Christmas?” I am honestly baffled, floundering like Ralphie in “A Christmas Story” when he sits on Santa’s lap and blanks on his beloved Red Ryder BB gun. A football? OK, a football, sure. My friends...
Letter to the editor: Where the ‘fascism’ label belongs
In the simple arrangement of socioeconomic political systems, all systems that use government as a means of production are accurately placed on the left, and all systems that use for-profit corporations to do so are on the right. You cannot place fascism on the left simply because in the German-to-English...
Jonah Goldberg: Tucker Carlson’s ‘Patriot Purge’ was final straw
I quit Fox News after more than a decade as a contributor. So did my business partner and friend Steve Hayes. We explained our reasons on the Dispatch, a media company we founded. The decision was a long time in coming. Like Ernest Hemingway’s description of bankruptcy, it came gradually...
Laurels & lances: Brain drain, Black Friday, bald eagles
Laurel: To looking for answers. For years, Pennsylvania communities have suffered from a problem called “brain drain.” It’s the unfortunate tendency of state students to graduate from high school and go to Pitt or Penn State or another local college and learn valuable skills only to move away and take...
Cal Thomas: Thanks for giving
For some, this Thanksgiving — like last year — is a more difficult occasion than previous ones. Perhaps a loved one has died from covid-19, or you feel isolated from relatives and friends due to lockdowns, quarantines, travel restrictions, vaccinations (or not), masks and “distancing” and might think you have...
Letter to the editor: More volunteering, less letter writing
In response to recent letters to the editor reflecting opinions on a tangle of political differences, I’d like to suggest more time be spent volunteering within communities and less time be spent writing letters to the editor. This way, their letters will stop clogging my Google news feed. Shawn Roberts...
Mona Charen: Family, Pfizer, Zoom and other things I’m grateful for
Each year at Thanksgiving, before tucking into the feast, we go around the table and express gratitude for something. My husband often advises that mentioning family is off limits — he thinks it goes without saying that we are most grateful for our families — but this rule is flouted...
Letter to the editor: Bob Brooks’ generosity far-reaching
Letter-writer David K. Camblin (“Why didn’t Bob Brooks pay for parade permit?,” Nov. 16, TribLIVE) should have done his homework before embarrassing himself. Rep. Bob Brooks donates his salary to various charities throughout the areas he serves, and the list is long. Here are some of the organizations and programs...
Editorial: And for this, we give thanks
Despite what the Norman Rockwell images have taught us, the fourth Thursday in November is not about perfectly roasted turkeys and gathering around a perfectly set table laid out with white linens and pristine porcelain. It is not about football. Not about Christmas music. Not about dog shows or parades...
Letter to the editor: Medicare Advantage critical for seniors
When I retired, I was worried that I would no longer be able to access quality health care, as I had to transition away from the coverage provided by my employer. Thanks to the recommendation of a friend, I looked into the coverage options through Medicare Advantage. For seniors on...
Letter to the editor: Thanks to health care heroes
As we get closer to two years of fighting this pandemic, I would like to extend my thanks to all the doctors, nurses and EMTs who have fought so hard to save so many lives throughout Western Pennsylvania. You will always be heroes to me and my family for putting...
Paul Kengor: Raising turkeys
“Oh my gosh, Daddy, they’re killing each other!” So said my son John in a plea of desperation. He was referring not to his siblings, mercifully, but to our turkeys. I was at the office when John telephoned. His voice was so loud that the student in my office could...
Jim Gluch: Scrutinizing Pa.’s stake in infrastructure deal
The local politics of the bipartisan infrastructure bill is worthy of scrutiny as we contend with our 21st-century issues and endeavor to make that future happen. The breakdown of Pennsylvania’s stake in the so-called BID (Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal) was made after its passage in the Senate this summer. It bears...
