Opinion category, Page 481
Letter to the editor: Democrats working for rural Pa. residents
Poverty retreating; means to control covid; and infrastructure coming including connectivity, broadband and cell service (imagine, no more trips to McDonald’s or Walmart parking lots for internet); shots in the arm; cash in your pocket; and help for rural schools and hospitals. All through Democrats working for you, for all...
Laurels & lances: Fiscal wisdom, humane gestures and a mystery rhino
Laurel: To careful deliberation. When it comes to money, it seems like government seldom needs any encouragement to plunge forward, planning first and finding a way to underwrite a project later. That makes it refreshing to see Jeannette content to let a pot of funds sit until the right way...
Paul Kengor: Back to 9/11?
“I wouldn’t have withdrawn,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “I would have kept the counterterrorism forces on the ground … working with indigenous forces. That’s the best insurance policy against another 9/11.” Says Graham: “The chance of another 9/11 just went through the roof.” It has...
Treasurer Stacy Garrity and Sen. Lisa Baker: ABLE accounts give people with disabilities chance to save
People living with disabilities often face tremendous challenges. One is striking the right balance between paying for day-to-day needs and saving for larger expenses while not saving so much that they become ineligible for critical benefits. The federal Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014 and the Pennsylvania...
Emily Burke: The explosive growth of home schooling
Parents are taking their children’s education into their own hands in record numbers after a disastrously tumultuous school year. The U.S. Census Bureau’s experimental Household Pulse Survey, which is an online survey recording social and economic impacts of the covid-19 pandemic, demonstrates a dramatic shift towards home schooling within the...
Letter to the editor: Republicans continue to deny facts
The election of 2020 was secure and verified. Masks and vaccinations save lives. Manmade climate change has happened. These three things are facts. There are no alternative facts or different opinions. They are undeniable facts. It is puzzling that our Republican leaders continue to deny these three facts. We can...
Letter to the editor: More on NEA’s critical race theory position
I felt it was necessary to respond to Robert Supansic’s letter “Critical race theory misconception” (Aug. 8, TribLIVE) questioning the accuracy of my letter, “NEA’s critical race theory push” (July 30, tribLIVE). For starters, everything I wrote about centered around the National Education Association passing a resolution called New Business...
Letter to the editor: Fake news on polar bears
Speaking of an extended vacation from reality, I want to thank the author of the letter “Biden’s energy stance” (July 23, TribLIVE) for the reveal of where I can get “the real news.” Concerning his feigned umbrage at “Faux News” Tucker Carlson’s (silence?) on Alaska oil leases and the ConocoPhilips...
Letter to the editor: Who’s the partisan?
I read the hilarious and certainly socialist-biased letter by Frank Zalakar attacking my opinion on Jan. 6 and almost hurt myself because I was laughing so hard (“Partisan demands regarding Jan. 6,” July 31, TribLIVE). He questioned my motives and accused me of being partisan because I want to know...
Editorial: Beware the regular flu while the novel coronavirus still circulates
There is a lot that should have been learned from the pandemic. How science can advance when government is a partner instead of a gatekeeper. How important transparent communication and trustworthy data are to a message’s acceptance. How much we depend on our least-paid workforce to get through our lives....
Letter to the editor: Integrity of Republican Party
A group of violent insurrectionists storms the Capitol building, attempting to destroy our votes and kill our elected representatives, and Sen. Jake Corman, along with the rest of the GOP, rewards them with a sham audit of the 2020 election. Supporters of this bogus investigation say, “let’s have this audit...
Rep. Emily Kinkead and Molly Parzen: Federal support needed for infrastructure and stormwater improvements
Recently our area was inundated with flooding due to stormwater. This, of course, is nothing new to us. Route 51 often turns into a river, the section of the Parkway known as “the bathtub” gets shut down, Union Avenue in Ross Township in my district turns into an impassable lake...
Laura Charos: With college, is it where you go or what you do?
Where you go to college seems to be the hype of today, with pressure placed on students to get into high-tier schools. Prestige is more important than ever to students and their parents, since many seem to believe it is the name of the school that will steer you toward...
Pete Saunders : The ‘best places to live’ may not be the best places to live
Newly released 2020 Census data give us a better sense of where Americans think the best places to live are. Cities such as Phoenix, Dallas, Houston and Las Vegas continue to be popular, maintaining the strong population growth that’s defined them for the last half-century. Others, such as Buffalo and...
Letter to the editor: MacArthur was right
“I am concerned for the security of our great Nation; not so much because of any threat without, but because of the insidious forces working from within.” — Gen. Douglas MacArthur Do you see how right he was yet ? Dave Cassidy Penn Township, Westmoreland County...
Gov. Brian Kemp: ARC helps Georgia residents thrive
This commentary is part of a series from governors of the 13 states in the Appalachian Regional Commission. ARC is an economic development agency of the federal government and state governments focusing on 420 counties across the Appalachian Region. As a member state of the Appalachian Regional Commission , Georgia...
Letter to the editor: CRT is nothing new; teachers’ pensions must continue to be funded
In responding to Kenneth Bach’s letter “Teachers’ politics have no place in schools” (Aug. 12, TribLIVE), I address two items. First, Bach references letter-writer Shaun Rinier’s assertion that the teaching of critical race theory is the result of political discussions within teachers unions (“Teaching critical race theory an issue for...
Editorial: PNC Bank shows how market forces drive minimum-wage growth
The changing wages of bottom-of-the-ladder jobs have been a talking point for months. From fast-food restaurants and gas stations to grocery stores and amusement parks, the way front-line and entry-level jobs are compensated has been a big part of response to the changing needs of the economy since the beginning...
Letter to the editor: Contributions of the wealthy
Sandy Kremer’s letter “Corporations, wealthy should pay fair share” (Aug. 14, TribLIVE) indicated that she believes wealthy individuals and large corporations do not pay their “fair share” of federal income tax. The June 13 Associated Press article, “The Tax Man Cometh,” which she cites, reports that “people earning between $2...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: The wisdom of experience is a priceless gift … that many spurn
Many years ago, one of my sons came to me, excited about a promotional offer from some bank. I no longer remember the offer or the bank, but I do remember telling him not to fall for it; I had accepted a similar offer years before, and it cost me...
Pat Buchanan: Bad moon rising for Biden — and us
“April is the cruelest month,” wrote T.S. Eliot in the opening line of what is regarded as his greatest poem, “The Waste Land.” For President Biden, the cruelest month is surely August of 2021., which is now mercifully ending When has a president had a worse month? On the last...
Jonah Goldberg: Blame Congress, not Supreme Court, for eviction ruling
In a major victory for constitutional norms, the Supreme Court overturned a lawless and essentially authoritarian policy of the Trump administration, and progressives are furious. You read that right. Let’s catch up. On March 27, 2020, Congress passed the CARES Act, and Donald Trump signed it into law. One provision...
In honor of Fred Rogers, make kindness a habit this month with #BeKind21
Gregg Behr and Ryan Rydzewski are the authors of “When You Wonder, You’re Learning: Mister Rogers’ Enduring Lessons for Raising Creative, Curious, Caring Kids.” Dana Winters is executive director of the Fred Rogers Center. Maureen Frew is a teacher in the Avonworth School District and co-founder of JAMbethekindkid Inc. In...
Letter to the editor: Minds can change on covid vaccine
My daughter has been a nurse for about 20 years, and she and I have had discussions pro and con pertaining to vaccines for covid. I was pro, she was con. On Aug. 6, her ex-husband died from complications from covid. She and my grandson received their shots the next...
Letter to the editor: Requiring vaccine is unconstitutional
In response to the article “Nursing shortage spawns hefty sign-on bonuses in Western Pa.”: Do you think just maybe employers should stop requiring the jab as a requirement for employment? These nurses worked through the height of this pandemic and were hailed as heroes. Now their personal freedoms and choices...
