Opinion category, Page 455
David Greineder: Increased taxes harm workers and hinder American competitiveness
In Pennsylvania, our recovery from the pandemic depends upon a pro-business environment both enacted and maintained statewide. Our workers and businesses have been hit hard by the economic fallout of the pandemic — we cannot increase taxes, regulations and other financial burdens from the government at a time when so...
Letter to the editor: Ziccarelli is a GOP token
The article “DA-elect Nicole Ziccarelli burst onto scene, but her rise should not come as a surprise” was appalling. Ziccarelli is nothing more than a token of the Republican Party. When she ran against state Sen. Jim Brewster in 2020, too much of the district was in Allegheny County, and...
Letter to the editor: UPMC workers need better wages, better treatment
I’m a housekeeper at UPMC Presbyterian. It’s a backbreaking job. I’m in my 60s and spend my days lifting bags full of wet garbage and linens. I’ve been here 10 years, and I’m only paid $16.16 an hour. Meanwhile, the staffing crisis means UPMC expects us to do three times...
Editorial: Franklin Regional’s vaccine clinic ban seems disingenuous
If kids need to get covid-19 vaccines, they will not be getting them at Franklin Regional locations. The school board Monday voted to prohibit the use of the district’s property for vaccine clinics. “We’re not a medical facility,” board member Deb Wohlin said. “Why would we want to take this...
Letter to the editor: Brooks provides quick aid for veteran
On Nov. 11, we celebrated veterans for serving to protect our freedoms and rights guaranteed by the Constitution. One veteran I know served in the Army during the war in Afghanistan. Fortunately, he survived his tour of duty, however, not without scars. He suffers from PTSD, hearing loss, anxiety, depression...
Pat Buchanan: Playing with fire on Russia’s borders
Belarusian autocrat Alexander Lukashenko has cleared out the encampment at his border crossing into Poland, where thousands of Middle Eastern migrants had been living in squalor. Last week, that border crossing was the site of clashes between asylum-seekers trying to push through the razor wire and Polish troops resisting with...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Are we not entertained?
It’s like something out of middle school. Rep. Paul Gosar posts video of an asinine anime that depicts him violently murdering Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Facing censure in the House, he is defended by Rep. Lauren Boebert, who in the process slags Rep. Ilhan Omar as a member of something she...
Ron Perkins: College degree should not be lifetime barricade to a good-paying job
Over the last decades, the education to workforce ecosystem has myopically evolved into a standardized pipeline, where graduates are not necessarily set up to succeed. The standard high school diploma now offers 50% fewer opportunities for family-sustaining careers versus 30 years ago, and 40% of recent college graduates are underemployed...
Cal Thomas: The Rittenhouse verdict
Before the right to keep and bear arms is stated in the Second Amendment, the Founders wrote why they believed it necessary for people to arm themselves as part of a “militia.” They said it is a “necessity to the security of a free state.” The Founders knew that liberty...
Letter to the editor: Please remember the victim
I am writing about the brutal beating and stabbing death of Joseph Williams (“Police charge suspect with killing 70-year-old found on train tracks in Scott,” Nov. 12, TribLIVE). A 70-year-old man, quietly living his life. The suspect in this crime, Vendell Nasir III, was literally found with blood on his...
Letter to the editor: Levin should keep industry in industrial setting
The recent front-page article about Robert Levin using solar power at the distribution center in Smithton makes him sound like a great environmentalist (“Levin installs 1-megawatt solar array atop Smithton distribution facility,” Nov. 10, TribLIVE). But let’s look at what it really is: The Smithton complex was built on flat...
Editorial: Why redact the forensic audit contract?
An out-of-state consulting firm will be receiving $270,000 over the next six months as part of a review of the 2020 election. Envoy Sage of Dubuque, Iowa, is a crisis and risk management company that has been in business since August 2020. It will be working with Pennsylvania Senate Republicans...
Letter to the editor: Where’s compensation for abortion, military?
Which version can you believe? When asked by a reporter about his intention to pay $450,000 lawsuit settlements to those illegal immigrants who were perhaps separated from their children, President Biden suggested the story was “garbage,” and then said that dollar amount was too high. A day later he seemed...
Tom Purcell: A tradition to be thankful for
I love pumpkin pie — but not just any pumpkin pie. It has to be my mother’s pumpkin pie, made with her unique thick and dry crust, and it has to be enjoyed only on Thanksgiving Day. It’s a Purcell family tradition, after all, and tradition is the reason Thanksgiving...
Rep. Joanna McClinton: Federal bill invests in Pa.; state legislative leaders need to do the same
After four years of false starts and one year of hard work and compromise, there’s finally a federal bill that mirrors what we’ve been fighting for here in Pennsylvania. A bill that brings real money to our communities and creates jobs that cannot be outsourced. It includes investments to connect...
Letter to the editor: Biden’s blunders
Dear Mr. President, I’d like to address a couple of blunders you made recently. First, the news about the U.S. and China working together to combat climate change. I seriously hope you don’t trust China to hold up its end of the bargain. If you do, I have a bridge...
Letter to the editor: Thanks to Doyle for supporting infrastructure bill
I want to thank U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Forest Hills, for his vote in support of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and support of President Biden’s economic recovery plans. As our community emerges stronger on the other side of the covid-19 pandemic, Southwestern Pennsylvania needs and deserves an...
Editorial: Westmoreland County needs to rein in spending
The Westmoreland County commissioners have a preliminary budget on the table. The proposed $365.5 million spending plan for 2022 does not raise property taxes above the 21.49 mills where they stand now. That can be a good thing. What isn’t? A disturbing trend of spending money the county isn’t making....
Letter to the editor: Fire department woes
In response to the unprincipled and disrespectful statements made by Hempfield supervisors and the Hempfield Fire Department chief in the article ”Hempfield officials working to improve response of West Point’s volunteer firefighters” (Nov. 4, TribLIVE): Nice attempt by them to look good in the community. We volunteers are told to...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Nov. 22
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Nov. 22....
Editorial cartoons for the week of Nov. 22
Editorial cartoons for the week of Nov. 22....
Mona Charen: Democrats, you have one job
Barring some act of God, the Democratic Party is going to get crushed in the midterms. The president’s party usually loses House seats in off-year elections. Since 1946, the average loss has been 25 seats — which is scary enough for a Democratic Party that currently holds a 221-213 seat...
Colin McNickle: Allegheny County demolition fee observations
Word that 100 blighted structures in Allegheny County will be demolished certainly is good news for the jurisdictions in which those properties are. But it also raises a critical question, concludes an analysis by the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy. “Once the structures are demolished, what happens?” asks Eric Montarti,...
Letter to the editor: A year ago, everyone wanted vaccine; why is it so contentious now?
Thank you for the quote in the article “Big Bird backlash: Vax lands even Muppet in political flap” (Nov. 11, TribLIVE) that reminded me that one year ago, we were all hoping for a vaccine to stem the hospitalizations and deaths from covid. Now that it is available, how did...
Letter to the editor: Rep. Bob Brooks’ generosity
In response to David Camblin’s letter “Why didn’t Bob Brooks pay for parade permit?” (Nov. 16, TribLIVE): State Rep. Bob Brooks donates his entire House salary to charity in the 54th District and local area! Recipients of his donations include: • Firefighters ($16,000-plus per year) • Multiple Rotary events •...
