Opinion category, Page 517
Letter to the editor: Gainey for Pittsburgh mayor
The first time I met state Rep. Ed Gainey was in 2019 at a community event in the Hill District. He came up to my table, and we talked about chess, my run for school board, and my studies at Pitt. He said if I ever needed anything, I should...
Letter to the editor: Honoring public servants
This week marks Public Service Recognition Week. Here in the Pittsburgh area and across the state and country, this week is an opportunity to acknowledge and thank the people who serve our government in various ways: our tireless public servants. While Public Service Recognition Week occurs annually during the first...
Laurels & lances: Building, billing, volunteering
Laurel: To a fitting choice. The Tree of Life - Or L’Simcha board of trustees announced Tuesday that an architect had been chosen to rebuild the Squirrel Hill synagogue that was the scene of the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history. Daniel Libeskind has been entrusted with the project. His...
Jonah Goldberg: Is ‘banned on Facebook’ the new ‘banned in Boston’?
“Banned in Boston” is a phrase that probably doesn’t resonate with many people today. But there was a time when “Footloose” might as well have been set in Beantown. Founded by Puritans in the 1630s, Boston held onto its Puritan zeal — if not necessarily the Puritan faith — for...
Colin McNickle: Most Aquion money still unrecovered
Four years after Pennsylvania said it would try to recover millions of dollars in public subsidies made to bankrupt Westmoreland County saltwater battery maker Aquion, it has little to show for its efforts, concludes an analysis by the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy. “Rather than trying to pick winners and...
Letter to the editor: Highlands High School’s stellar production
Accolades to the fabulous Highlands High School’s “Mamma Mia!” cast, crew, pit orchestra, set designers/builders and the many others who created this Broadway-quality production. The joy and enthusiasm were felt throughout this exquisite event. Under normal circumstances, it would have been an outstanding accomplishment. Accomplishing it within the covid restrictions...
Letter to the editor: Why would we want Trump back?
I can’t imagine any American in their right mind wanting Donald Trump back in office after seeing how the virus took over when he denied the problem early last year and how his Cabinet members left one by one as he chose some buddies and some not well-qualified for their...
Letter to the editor: Salandro for magisterial district judge
The May 18 primary election is quickly approaching, and there is one clear choice for magisterial district judge, Rebecca Salandro. Salandro has years of experience working in the community as a behavioral health case manager and more than 10 years working throughout the court system as a criminal justice liaison....
Letter to the editor: Thank a nurse during National Nurses Week
With the global covid-19 pandemic, we have all seen — some of us up close and personal — just how vital nurses are on the front lines of the nation’s health care system. During National Nurses Week, May 6-12, I want to recognize and thank the more than 500 nurses...
Editorial: Taking the steps to post-pandemic life
For more than a year, the promise has been there. Pull together. Keep your distance. Wear a mask. Follow the rules. Do all of this, and the coronavirus pandemic can be handled. Do this, and, eventually, we will be able to stop doing this. Admittedly, every day the finish line...
Letter to the editor: Biden must stop drugs coming over border
In the April 23 edition, there was a brief article that stated Pennsylvania drug seizures are up this year and that Pennsylvania State Police seized nearly $5.6 million worth of cocaine during the first three months of 2021. That’s 253 pounds. Almost as much as all of 2020. Also, state...
Letter to the editor: Democrats true to their word
When Democrats say it is their intention to do something, they do it, from trying to defund police, raising your taxes, stopping President Trump’s wall and Keystone XL pipeline construction, expanding abortion funding, destroying our energy independence, attacking the Constitution, stoking the fires of racism, ad infinitum. When Republicans say...
Jonah Goldberg: Biden’s spending spree isn’t a new New Deal
We don’t know what the Biden years will ultimately look like, but one thing is pretty obvious, at least to me: It won’t be a new New Deal, nor will this be the beginning of a new Progressive Era. First, a bit of history. The New Deal, particularly in the...
Scott Hudson: State must update Pa.’s electric choice program
Pennsylvania consumers have had the option of choosing their electric service provider for last 25 years, since enactment of the Electricity Generation Customer Choice and Competition Act of 1996. And by every measure, the state’s electric choice program has been a success, driving down prices and giving consumers more convenience...
Letter to the editor: Where’s outcry over the rest of the killings?
A recent headline in the Trib: “Police: Man dies after being shot outside bar in Hill District” (April 24, TribLIVE): Where, oh where, is the outcry about these killings? When will it end? Barrie Matovcik Derry Township...
Letter to the editor: Don’t follow Republican advice on these ballot questions
Many conservatives feel betrayed by their Republican state representatives for actively championing Act 77 in 2019, prior to covid-19, for legalized no-excuse mail-in ballots, which I believe is a Democratic initiative similar to defunding the police. Our May 18 primary will have four ballot questions. Again, our Republican Legislature wants...
Editorial: Nurses provide the healing touch, hand to hand
The medical profession has been built by hardship. People go in for all kinds of mundane things now. Refill this prescription for headaches. Get a few stitches on a cut from a fall. A referral for physical therapy or a pregnancy test. But what built the legion of medical professionals...
Letter to the editor: Vote ‘no’ on Pa. amendments
In the movie “Horse Feathers,” Groucho Marx sings, “I don’t know what they have to say / It makes no difference anyway / Whatever it is, I’m against it / No matter what it is or who commenced it / I’m against it.” The GOP’s proposed amendments to the Pennsylvania...
Pat Buchanan: Biden vs. Biden on ‘Is America a racist country?’
“Hear me clearly: America is not a racist country.” So declared Sen. Tim Scott, a Black Republican, in his televised rebuttal to President Biden’s address to Congress. Asked the next day what he thought of Scott’s statement, Biden said he agrees. “No, I don’t think the American people are racist.”...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Missing the days of thoughtful debate
Thirty years ago, when I was still a music critic, I received a letter from a lady who informed me in no uncertain terms that I didn’t know what I was talking about. This was after I’d written about the origins of gospel music, a subject on which I considered...
Linda Kerns: Judges should be faithful to Constitution
Pennsylvanians elect judges in odd years. More accurately, a small percentage of Pennsylvanians participate in these “off year” elections so that even though we have over 8 million registered voters, only about a million voters (12% ) weigh in on who should take the bench. That should worry those who...
Letter to the editor: Kings another lockdown casualty
Congratulations, Gov. Wolf — another casualty of your onerous lockdowns. The Kings Family Restaurant in Salem was unable to pull itself out of the death spiral that you forced upon it (“Kings restaurant on Route 66 in Salem closes after more than 3 decades,” April 27, TribLIVE). The “Closed” sign...
Letter to the editor: Ramey the leader Franklin Regional needs
Traci Eshelman Ramey would be an excellent school board member for the Franklin Regional School District. She is a self-starter and problem-solver committed to education. Ramey started a local company that taught foreign language skills to children because she understands the value of bilingualism in children at an early age....
Letter to the editor: Pittsburgh’s carbon neutrality vow
It’s great to see Pittsburgh and U.S. Steel committing to carbon neutrality by 2050 (“Pittsburgh, U.S. Steel commit to become carbon neutral by 2050,” April 23, TribLIVE). Bold actions on the part of our local governments and businesses can be a strong tool in fighting climate change, inspiring others to...
Editorial: A positive incentive to become a vaccinated Pens fan
Consumers are accustomed to choices: First class or coach? Table or booth? Balcony or orchestra? And now maybe vaccinated or unvaccinated? The Pittsburgh Penguins have proposed the idea of a vaccinated section of PPG Paints Arena as a way to increase capacity at the venue while still maintaining adequate and...
