Opinion category, Page 457
Rep. Mike Kelly: Parents deserve — and have earned — a greater voice in children’s education
Since Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin’s decisive win in Virginia, education has been deemed the top issue that propelled him to victory. Specifically, the infiltration of critical race theory (CRT) into some classrooms nationwide. Parents in Virginia revolted and ultimately awarded Youngkin the governorship, and he became the first Republican to win...
Cathy Bordner: 3 projects hamper Pittsburgh’s climate progress
Recently there has been a lot of news coverage about awards being won by the city of Pittsburgh for progress against climate change. These are certainly major accomplishments, but if you look closer at Southwestern Pennsylvania, you’ll recognize the irony of these awards. The Nov. 10 Public News Service article,...
Letter to the editor: ‘My body, my choice’ double standard
Hey, although I didn’t really want to, I decided to get my vaccines. But I have a question: If the national standard is “my body, my choice” for abortions, why doesn’t it apply to vaccines? Thomas Comini Sewickley Township...
Letter to the editor: Ask leaders to read entire Build Back Better bill
I have been examining the content of the social infrastructure (President Biden’s Build Back Better) bill that Congress is writing, now 2,500 pages. There are many free gifts, snooping options (financial privacy?) on your banking by 87,000 new IRS agents, free child care, clean energy give-aways to affluent groups vested...
Letter to the editor: Parklet sale one step in Greensburg renaissance
Is it a coincidence that all three letter-writers critical of the sale of the parklet on South Pennsylvania Avenue in Greensburg are all registered Democrats (“Questions about Greensburg parklet sale,” Oct. 12, TribLIVE; “Parklet sale slap in face to those who worked to create it,” Oct. 20, TribLIVE; “Transparency lacking...
Letter to the editor: Another Trump presidency not the answer
In his letter “Has Pelosi read Constitution?” (Oct. 27, TribLIVE), David A. Scandrol criticizes House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for the Jan. 6 commission’s investigation of the Capitol riot. “Who shows up for a coup d’état but fails to bring weapons?” he asks. I’d like to know what Scandrol was actually...
Editorial: Is Penguins sale good or bad for Pittsburgh?
Buying a sports franchise can be a little like flipping a house. Someone comes in with enough cash to do things that maybe haven’t been done in a while. Upgrade this. Rehab that. See if you can turn a profit. The difference is no one really sees a multimillion dollar...
Letter to the editor: Seditious actions by Biden administration
Twenty years ago, on 9/11, a small group of Muslim zealots attacked our country. This was enacted with a modicum of funds but maximum amount of cunning and zealotry. It was abetted by a maximum degree of U.S. naivete and incompetency. Today, the cunning and zealotry have been enhanced by...
Jonah Goldberg: Inflation and CRT have something in common
How is inflation like critical race theory? A lot of voters have a hard time explaining how either works, but they know they don’t like it when they see it. Obviously, it’s a silly comparison on the merits. For starters, some voters actually like critical race theory while nobody likes...
Letter to the editor: Lack of urgency for change in Jeannette
In response to the article “Westmoreland commissioners told to ‘do the right thing’ with covid relief money” (Oct. 28, TribLIVE): On Oct. 28, I attended as Westmoreland County Community College was host to county commissioners for suggestions on how communities could use part of the $105 million in federal covid...
Letter to the editor: Perplexing questions
To poet laureate David Ninehouser (“Trump’s not afraid,” Oct. 29, TribLIVE) and Joe D’Astolfo, Biden pugilist-in-the-making, for “knocking some sense” into President Trump (”Enough with Trump’s ‘big lie,’ ” Oct. 8, TribLIVE), my questions: If a president’s son has sex with a Russian prostitute while high on crack and records it,...
Editorial: Invasive species are environmental threat everyone can fight
Pennsylvania is a state often associated with industry. Steel and glass. Coal and gas. But the Keystone State is just as famous for its nature. The U.S. Forest Service confirms that it has more areas wooded than not, with 16.8 million acres or 58% of the state. There are more...
Letter to the editor: ‘Socialist’ labels on Democrats a dishonest strategy
It’s a good time for the Democrats to expose what Paul Krugman, winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize in economics, refers to as the “dishonest political strategy” used by conservative Republicans: calling most (if not all) congressional Democrats names like “socialists,” “Marxists,” “communists,” “far leftists” and “radical leftists.” I do...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: How young is too young to teach white kids about race?
Isabella Tichenor killed herself a few days ago. She was 10 years old. Her mother, Brittany Tichenor-Cox, said last week that her daughter — she called her “Izzy” — had been the target of ongoing racist abuse from classmates at her school in North Salt Lake, Utah. Izzy, who was...
Pat Buchanan: Are Democrats looking to the lifeboats?
Not so long ago, President Joe Biden was being talked of as a transformative president, a second Franklin D. Roosevelt in terms of the domestic agenda he would enact. And there was substance to the claim. Early in his presidency, Biden had passed a $1.9 trillion stimulus package. While his...
Mark Kempic: Help is available for those struggling to stay warm
Autumn’s chill air means that winter is quickly approaching, and with it, colder temperatures increase our reliance on natural gas to stay safe and warm in our homes. Each year though, many Pennsylvanians struggle financially with heating bills during the winter months, and utility providers like Columbia Gas work to...
Letter to the editor: Capitalism or socialism
A quote from Winston Churchill: “The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings. The inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.” When and where has socialism ever been successful? The dependency of U.S. citizens on their government is not what we want or need....
Letter to the editor: Why didn’t Gov. Wolf drop off his own ballot?
Why did Gov. Tom Wolf have his wife mail in his ballot (“Gov. Wolf describes having wife drop off ballot as honest mistake,” Nov. 5, TribLIVE)? I think it was to show us how easy it is to have other people vote for other people and get away with it....
Letter to the editor: Why didn’t Bob Brooks pay for parade permit?
Regarding the article ”PennDOT policy change adds cost to Lower Burrell VFW’s Veterans Day parade” (Oct. 26, TribLIVE), about PennDOT charging to close a street for the annual parade: What disgusts me is the fact that Rep. Bob Brooks is listed as a parade participant. I asked myself, why doesn’t...
Editorial: Police position vacancies more than a Freeport problem
The people of Freeport are supposed to have police protection. The borough has a police department, and council has approved funding of positions to operate it. It had people in those jobs for years, patrolling the streets and answering calls in the community of 1,813 people in Armstrong County along...
Letter to the editor: Social media users, not owners, hold responsibility
A chat with Lori Falce: Wow! That piece you wrote attacking Mark Zuckerberg was pathetic (“A very meta chat with Mark Zuckerberg,” Oct. 28, TribLIVE). That copy space could have been utilized so much better. I’d rather read a year’s worth of Joseph Sabino Mistick (not) than an editor’s high-horse,...
Letter to the editor: Party overcomes message in election
In the recent Gateway School Board election, I received more votes in person then all other candidates but could not overcome the mail-in ballots (behind by almost 1,100 votes before the in-person votes were counted) and lost by 47 votes. Only 32% of registered individuals voted. To overcome mail-in ballots,...
Letter to the editor: Traffic signal upgrades in Greensburg make no sense
PennDOT’s new $3 million signaling upgrades through downtown Greensburg are quite frankly unacceptable. How can traffic engineers overlook turning signals at Westmoreland, Highland and Urania avenues? These busy intersections have had established turning lanes for decades without proper signaling. PennDOT finally has the funding to correct this issue and they...
Tom Purcell: Give thanks for our blessings, big and small
Because life is mostly made up of little experiences, occasionally interrupted by big events, it’s easy to take the little things for granted. But Shutterfly, the photography and image-sharing company, offers a list of 100 things, large and small, that we ought to single out for our gratitude this Thanksgiving....
Turahn Jenkins and Robert Perkins: Addressing racism in Allegheny County courts
According to a recent TV news story, a meeting of Allegheny County judges this month “erupted in protest” over the draft of a new court mission statement proposed by President Judge Kim Berkeley Clark. The disputed portion of the statement proclaims that “We are committed to being fair and consistent,...
