Opinion category, Page 497
Letter to the editor: Simple ways to fix Pa.’s election system
So now the big argument is election reform. Is it possible both sides are right and now would be a perfect time to fix the system? Pennsylvania has permitted the two major parties to lock out third-party and independent voters in primaries for far too long. It is time to...
Editorial: State prison system takes necessary step with dementia unit
Pennsylvania has a prison problem, and it’s not the one most people think. Yes, like most states and like the federal government, the Keystone State has a lot of people behind bars. The most recent population report for the Department of Corrections has just under 40,000 people in the state’s...
Letter to the editor: Rock ’em Sock ’em politics
If we equated today’s American political landscape to a child’s game, it would have to be Rock ’em Sock ’em Robots. The red (Republican) robot bashing the head of the blue (Democratic) robot and vice versa. Nonstop combat, taking turns “popping” the other side. The result: STALEMATE. Blind loyalty is...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: J.D. Vance’s political elegy
We are all guilty of a little hypocrisy from time to time, usually when we contradict ourselves or when we are caught saying one thing and doing another. But every now and then someone commits grand hypocrisy, so complete and abrupt that it’s breathtaking. And J.D. Vance, the best-selling author...
Danielle Reiff: We can still prevent political violence in America
I predicted the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol. In the preceding weeks, as my Trump-loving, gun-toting cousin Chad was getting hundreds of likes on social media for threatening to hang liberal politicians, I realized the extent of popular support for political violence. Having supported democracy and conflict mitigation...
Sounding off: Voter ID ensures election integrity
A bill requiring voter ID recently passed in the Pennsylvania Senate, and Gov. Tom Wolf’s office has already stated he would veto the bill. Wolf and his party claim that requiring voter ID somehow violates individual rights, that it is racist. The term racist is thrown out there so frequently...
Andrew Handley: Conservatives care about the earth
Pennsylvanians know that our environment and economy can prosper together, rather than be at odds. By joining the newly formed Conservative Climate Caucus, my congressman, Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Ebensburg, has exemplified this ideal. The Conservative Climate Caucus, led by Utah Congressman John Curtis, is another step toward meaningful Republican action...
Letter to the editor: Criminalization of our words
We live in time in which speech is being criminalized. How do you get the best of ourselves without a prolific use of free speech? Being told what to think by virtue of what words we use and in contradiction to objective truth should shake you to your core. Articulating...
Editorial: Adding insult to unemployment fraud injury
Pennsylvania’s unemployment compensation program has been a problem for years. While some states have struggled under the burden of a massive increase in claims during the coronavirus pandemic, in Pennsylvania, that was only half the story. The system itself has been a problematic labyrinth. It was hard to apply. It...
Letter to the editor: Climate action needed now
On June 10, I, along with hundreds of fellow Pennsylvanians, participated in PennEnvironment’s virtual Climate Action Lobby Day. It was amazing to witness how many Pennslyvanians care so much about minimizing the disastrous effects of climate change. My fellow constituents and I had many concerns about our health and the...
Letter to the editor: Progress on Turtle Creek
The article “Murrysville library program will focus on Turtle Creek’s history, recovery” (June 25, TribLIVE) stated that in the early 1970s, members of the Turtle Creek Watershed Association began working with the University of Pittsburgh and the state to make the stream more hospitable for aquatic life. An earlier Trib...
S.E. Cupp: You might be a racist if…
Nearly 30 years ago, comedian Jeff Foxworthy released his hit comedy album, “You Might Be a Redneck If … .” It was a massive success, certified triple platinum. It spawned books, a calendar, a board game and all kinds of merchandise that made Foxworthy a millionaire many times over. Its...
John Stossel: Big business loves big government
Politicians say they pass laws to “protect Americans from big business.” People like hearing that. Many don’t like big business. Unfortunately, most people don’t realize that those laws often help big business while hurting consumers. “Big business and big government are not enemies like a lot of people think they...
Jonah Goldberg: Defenders, opponents of critical race theory prone to exaggeration
Put aside what you may have heard — pro or con — about terms such as systemic racism or critical race theory (CRT) for a moment. There’s a lot of exaggeration out there among both defenders and critics. Instead, let me tell you a story. After the civil rights movement...
Letter to the editor: Keeping nurses at Westmoreland Manor
While reading the article “Nurse shortage is crippling hospitals, centers that provide care in Western Pa.” (July 4, TribLIVE), I began to wonder what our county commissioners are doing to keep our present nursing staff at Westmoreland Manor. We have been losing staff (RNs, LPNs and CNAs) to retirement and...
Lori Falce: The sportsmanship of the Olympics
I have always loved the Olympics. Even if I disagree with the International Olympic Committee on whether any particular event is a sport or not, I gladly bow to the greater pageantry of the entire production. Maybe I don’t think tug-of-war — yeah, it was an Olympic event until 1920...
Letter to the editor: Treat workers better, bring back blue laws
What are businesses going to do when college students leave in September? Families used the stimulus money to pay off bills and realized that with the cost of child care, clothing, travel and lunches, it simply costs more than it is worth working so one spouse can stay home. Now...
Letter to the editor: Investigation needed into county pension fund
I find Westmoreland County’s plan to borrow $140 million for the county pension fund irritating and unprofessional (“Westmoreland will borrow $140 million to keep pension fund solvent.”) This plan must be canceled and a detailed audit of the fund conducted. Having to borrow $140 million on a fund valued at...
Laurels & lances: Hot tickets, hot topic, hot dog
Laurel: To a rash of good luck. Everyone who buys a lottery ticket has that moment of hope and imagination, dreaming of walking away with the big prize. Lately, though, it seems like a lot of those big prizes are popping up in Southwestern Pennsylvania. It started in May. The...
Mark Hendrickson: Biden economic team predicts long-term slow growth
What is noteworthy about the depressing title to this article is its source. In a case of uncommon candor, President Biden’s economic team announced that once the artificially high stimulus-juiced measurements of GDP of the next two years subside, the United States will experience sub-2% growth for the rest of...
Rep. Joanna McClinton: Pa. businesses deserve help as much as New Jersey’s, Ohio’s
Last week, the state of New Jersey invested $235 million in American Rescue Plan funds to help small community businesses like bars and restaurants and startups bounce back from covid-19 and keep their doors open. Just this week, the Garden State added $100 million to help create and expand child...
Letter to the editor: Bipartisan climate effort encouraging
With a 92-8 vote, the U.S. Senate on June 25 passed the Growing Climate Solutions Act (GCSA) and sent the bill to the House, where there are 18 Democrats and 14 Republicans already co-sponsoring the legislation. The executive director of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Mark Reynolds, has said, “In times like...
Editorial: Celebrate local libraries as they emerge, and value their role
Libraries frequently are underappreciated services. They shouldn’t be. The coronavirus pandemic was not the first time that public or community libraries have seen their doors close in the face of a crisis. It probably will not be the last — although you would think that, at some point, the powers...
Letter to the editor: Biden’s spending and taxation
President Biden’s $6 trillion budget would be the highest planned spending, as a percent of the economy, since World War II, and the deficits would run above $1.3 trillion for the next 10 years. That spending would exceed $45,000 per household and push the national debt to exceed $44 trillion...
Martin W.G. King: Voting rights hard sell for Biden
President Biden is celebrating a potential deal on his infrastructure bill. Unfortunately, Republican lawmakers on the bipartisan committee that came up with the compromise draft insisted on trashing the social measures needed by families and some essential environmental components. Nonetheless, Biden’s all-consuming work on the issue has produced a victory...
