Opinion category, Page 487
Editorial: Census numbers chance for fair redistricting
The 2020 U.S. Census results are out, and Pennsylvania did what was expected. The population nudged up a bit, about 2.4%, but not enough to balance larger growth in other states such as Florida, Arizona and Colorado. That shift in where people are choosing to live will mean Pennsylvania, ever...
Letter to the editor: Vaccine ignorance can’t stall our recovery
We daily hear the call for Americans to get vaccinated. Yet, amazingly, after a year of over 600,000 American dead, far too many refuse to get the vaccine that can save not only their lives, but the lives of their loved ones. We live in a nation where misinformation and...
Letter to the editor: Biden not building back better
We are six months into Joe Biden’s first term, and he has already written the foreign policy for Russia, China and Iran. They didn’t have to lift a finger. Biden did it for them. At the same time he has wrecked domestic policy with more to come. Instead of building...
Letter to the editor: Ignorance, apathy threaten democracy
A university professor told his class that the greatest threats to democracy were ignorance and apathy. When he asked his students to explain the difference, one responded, not knowing it was the correct answer, “I don’t know and I don’t care.” In the 2020 presidential election, voters took a step...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Celebrating our differences
“Ferragosto” is traditionally celebrated in Italy on Aug. 15, and our own Pittsburgh version of the Italian holiday will be celebrated this weekend in the Strip District. As with many customs that we have taken from the old country, we have made it our own, and how we do it...
Editorial: What to learn from fining students for skipping vaccine?
West Virginia was the last state where covid-19 reared its head. While Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland and more had patients test positive for the disease earlier in March 2020, it wasn’t until March 17 that the Mountaineer State had a confirmed case. More than a year later, its numbers remain low,...
Will Bardenwerper: Maybe Steelers can unite us
A few weeks ago, my wife, 4-year-old son and I joined my cousin’s family for Steelers Fest at Heinz Field. It was the kind of warm and sunny day that one dreams about during the frigid gray Pittsburgh winter. My son proudly wore a superhero cape over his Steelers jersey,...
Letter to the editor: Let’s talk about the good works police do
Regarding the article “Database of police misconduct launches in Pennsylvania” (July 14, TribLIVE): This is baloney. It is a waste of tax dollars. We ought to talk instead about all the good deeds done by police on a daily basis. For example, one late night in February, two inebriated men...
Letter to the editor: Fascism belongs on left
I am grateful again to have an opportunity to dispute another leftist writer who objects to my assertion that fascism is a left-wing ideology (“No debate — fascism spawned by the right,” July 30, TribLIVE). As usual the leftist knee-jerk reaction resorts to name calling while ignoring historical facts. The...
Letter to the editor: Corporations, wealthy should pay fair share
The Associated Press article “The Tax Man Cometh” (June 13) highlights our growing income inequality. The fact that the richest 25 people in the U.S. have paid very little income tax illustrates our failed tax system. ProPublica also mentioned the fact that 55 of the largest corporations in the U.S....
Laurels & lances: Emergencies and environment
Laurel: To a life-saving gift. For many emergency medical service operations, staying ahead of expenses and up-to-date on equipment can be a tricky balance. A gift from the AHN Forbes Hospital Foundation has helped make that a little easier. Seven ambulance services in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties have received a...
Letter to the editor: Allegheny County’s flawed reassessment system
If you’ve ever purchased a home in Allegheny County, you may have been reassessed on appeal. Why? You may have committed the crime of buying a home with a bad assessment certified by the county. This process isn’t fair but is legal. Allegheny County is being sued for alleged manipulation...
Lori Falce: Italians deserve better than Cuomo’s excuses
There are things I knew I had to accept when I married into an Italian famiglia. I had to understand that, despite the fact most people think I am a pretty good cook, my husband would never let me make sauce. Also, that I couldn’t send him to the grocery...
Letter to the editor: Time for a new Declaration
Our Declaration of Independence states “it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish (government), and to institute new Government” whenever it becomes destructive of their life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. How many conservatives believe our government supports our ideas of life, liberty and happiness? A...
Colin McNickle: A dichotomous jobs recovery
States with Right-to-Work laws continue to fare much better in their job recovery statistics following covid-19 lockdowns than states without such laws, concludes an analysis by the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy. But the now-prevalent Delta variant could produce new challenges to that recovery, cautions Jake Haulk, president-emeritus of and...
Letter to the editor: Worried for future of Dormont Pool
In the article “ ‘Dormont called’: Pittsburgh residents may be able to use Dormont’s pool soon” (July 27, TribLIVE), Dormont manager Ben Estell states, “We’re extremely flexible. We’re trying to help out the city.” He goes on to say, “We certainly welcome the opportunity to help our neighbors.” If that...
Editorial: Harrisburg can easily clean up murky expenses
Be the change you want to see. It’s good advice — even if it is frequently misattributed to Mahatma Gandhi. The idea is that if something is worth changing, don’t wait for someone else to lead the charge. Pick up the cause and start changing it yourself. It might be...
Letter to the editor: Teachers’ politics have no place in schools
What’s funny to me about Penn-Trafford Education Association president Shaun Rinier’s letter “Teaching critical race theory an issue for local districts, not NEA” (July 19, TribLIVE) was his concern about the National Education Association supporting CRT and that they were not concerned with their conservative members’ position. My question to...
Letter to the editor: Democrats are not ‘socialists’
Today’s “conservative Republicans” have done a masterful job of brainwashing and hoodwinking many Americans into believing that the national Democrats are now some kind of “socialists.” We now have a No. 1 bestseller on the nonfiction list titled “American Marxism” (written by Mark Levin) with a picture of a hammer...
Letter to the editor: Mitigating methane
Over a 20-year period, the greenhouse gas methane will rise in potency 87 times as compared with carbon dioxide. Both the state and federal governments are considering methane leakage pollution standards that could reduce potential methane pollution 65% by 2025. For this to become effective, both D.C. and Harrisburg governments...
Editorial: The scourge of fake covid vaccine cards
A new crop of businesses has been born out of the coronavirus pandemic. That’s not a surprise. We have already seen industrious entrepreneurs take up the challenge with mask-making, cleaning services, delivery driving and creating festive yard displays to take the place of birthday parties and other celebrations that weren’t...
Letter to the editor: Don’t blame media for world views
Regarding Michael Bitterice’s letter “Media not fair and objective” (July 26, TribLIVE):I despise mainstream media. I prefer to gather my news from various sources, and even that can be a stretch. But at the end of the day, it’s up to you. It’s what dwells in your heart that shapes...
Pat Buchanan: Is America becoming a failed state?
Suddenly, Sunday, a riveting report came over cable news: The U.S. embassy was urging all Americans to “leave Afghanistan as soon as possible.” Message: Get out while you can. Adding urgency was news that three northern provincial capitals, including Kunduz city, had fallen to the Taliban, making it five provincial...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Let’s talk about the things they will not learn
Let’s talk about the things they will not learn. “They” meaning K-12 students in Tennessee. Not that the Volunteer State is alone in passing laws and standards to restrict the teaching of African American history. To the contrary, a number of states — Oklahoma, Texas, Florida and more — have...
Letter to the editor: Are vaccines useless?
For months, the Biden administration and the CDC have been urging and pushing everyone to receive a vaccine to protect against what I call “China plague.” About two months ago, the CDC director said vaccinated people can remove the mask. You are protected. Now the director has performed a 180,...
