Opinion category, Page 519
Editorial: The ever-confusing state covid guidelines for schools
It has to be difficult to be a school in the pandemic. Sure, there are lots of other institutions working hard to figure out what’s happening and what to do about it. Hospitals, nursing homes, churches. Even grocery stores and baseball teams have been in turmoil because of covid-19. But...
Letter to the editor: Background checks keep guns out of the wrong hands
Andrew Ridilla’s letter (“What gun control is really about”) causes me to picture him barricaded in his basement with an arsenal of weapons, ready to defend against an invasion by the U.S. government. In reality, he is, and we are, more in danger going to the supermarket or movie theater,...
Mona Charen: Biden could do more to unify country
Among right-wingers, there has been some delight about polls showing that Joe Biden’s popularity at the 100-day mark is the lowest of any president since World War II. Oh, if you exclude Donald Trump. Undaunted by this detail, they note with satisfaction that Biden’s approval rating, according to multiple polls,...
Rep. Ryan Warner: Answering the call for first responders
A few weeks ago, wildfires took out hundreds of acres of land in two areas of Ohiopyle State Park. For approximately 12 hours and initially facing dry and windy conditions, 74 crews from departments in Westmoreland and Fayette counties fought and ultimately extinguished the fires. No lives were lost, and...
John Sparks: Why the Supreme Court should not be changed
Six months ago, the idea of expanding the size of the U.S. Supreme Court was side-stepped by presidential candidate Joe Biden, and the issue seemed to wane. But now, “court packing” has surfaced once again — and in two forms. The first is an executive order from President Biden creating...
Letter to the editor: Loughner for clerk of courts
Voters have an easy choice this election for clerk of courts with Megan Loughner on the ballot. As the former clerk of courts, I know what it takes to be the administrator of this important office. As an administrator, you must hire the most qualified person for the job, and...
Letter to the editor: Thoughts on Charen, Biden, race relations, military
I think columnist Mona Charen is a poor replacement for Walter Williams. Where are the conservative writers? How long before Pat Buchanan and libertarian John Stossel are history? Fact-checking is great if applied equally without bias, but as we all know, it’s easy to give special treatment to facts with...
John Stossel: Liberty winning?
Do I live in an alternate universe? The media tell me my side is winning . Salon claims, “We all live in Kochland, the Koch brothers’ libertarian utopia.” Tucker Carlson says, “Our leadership class remains resolutely libertarian.” What? Who? Not President Biden. Biden already spent $1.9 trillion on covid-19 “recovery”...
Lori Falce: Pittsburgh is not a political punchline
Political speeches are becoming a lot like a slow night at a comedy club. That’s not just because of the awkward pauses when a joke doesn’t land right or the forced laughs when a canned joke is trotted out for the millionth time. Nope, it’s because of the name dropping....
Letter to the editor: Showing solidarity with Sikhs
I weep and wail over the shootings after shootings happening in the U.S. in the past two months, specifically for the Sikh community. You can learn about the Sikh faith at sikhnet.com (go to “Who Are the Sikhs?” at top of home page). You can read the stories online of...
Laurels & lances: Clean, delay, warn
Laurel: To two birds with one stone. It is great when people are able to lend a hand for a good cause. When you can do two at the same time, it’s even better. Plum Borough observed Earth Day on April 24 with a Cleanup Day event as the culmination...
Paul Kengor: Boycotting baseball
“I couldn’t agree more. At least there’s golf and the NHL has mostly been neutral.” So said Bill, a Trib reader reacting to my previous column on Major League Baseball yanking the All-Star Game out of Atlanta for political reasons — effectively a partisan-ideological decision by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred....
S.E. Cupp: Tucker Carlson’s disgusting new low
I can say this because I know: There’s some seriously dangerous, high-level trolling going on in right-wing media. Having come from this space — I used to be a Fox News regular, a guest on outlets like Newsmax, an employee at The Blaze, and a columnist at The Daily Caller,...
Colin McNickle: Pratfalls and pitfalls for Pa. jobs recovery
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to loosen its grip on Pennsylvania, the state’s economy appears to be strengthening. But an analysis by scholars at the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy shows the rebound has been lackluster, and prospective government policies could retard it further. “Indeed, the latest statewide employment report...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Leave these children alone
Look, I get it, OK? A lot of this, you plain do not understand. Much of it leaves you confused. Well, me too. I have no idea what it must be like to grow up feeling as if you were assigned the wrong body, a girl with boy genitalia or...
Letter to the editor: Vaccine card can protect from mask police
I keep my covid-19 vaccination card in my wallet in case I have to show it so I don’t end up in a Biden jail if I don’t have my mask on. Clem Zahrobsky Delmont...
Letter to the editor: In guns we trust
In light of the recent surge of gun violence and “legalized murder” of Black youth in our beloved country, I submit that a more honest national motto would be “In Guns We Trust.” I also propose a new national anthem: My country ’tis of thee, Grim land of anarchy, For...
Letter to the editor: Making Arnold park a reality
On April 13, I attended the Arnold Council meeting and reminded council members a plan for a proposed Constitution Boulevard Park that was prepared in 1994 by Michael Cabot Associates Inc. Mayor William DeMao and Arnold Council presented the plan after I asked them to consider the construction of a...
Letter to the editor: ‘Defunding the police’ a stupid idea
Regarding the article “Some members of Pa. delegation say Capitol security must increase after attack” (April 5, TribLIVE): Thanks to the civil unrest from last year’s riots (courtesy of Black Lives Matter and its Democratic supporters), police have been demonized. This is being experienced by citizens in uncivilized (third-world) countries...
Editorial: ‘Move Over’ law is just common sense
You are driving down the road. A flash of red and blue light catches your eye up ahead. A police car is stopped behind another vehicle. What do you do? For most people, it’s going to be obvious. Get into the left lane, if it’s available. If it’s not, pass...
Letter to the editor: Democrats’ lies
I believe Democrats and the left are lying to everyone every day. I don’t believe there is systemic racism in this country. If there is, how did President Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris get elected? I think it’s all lies and a part of their agenda to divide us...
Letter to the editor: What’s wrong with our country
Some of our politicians are so stupid. It seems they would do anything to get voted in or stay in office. They mirror what the people’s value systems are. They have to get things done on their agendas, to get funds for their jurisdictions and the people who voted them...
Pat Buchanan: The DC statehood power grab
“How many legs does a dog have if you call his tail a leg?” asked President Abraham Lincoln, who answered his own question: “Four. Saying that a tail is a leg doesn’t make it a leg.” And Congress saying D.C. is a state would equally contradict truth and reality, as...
Dr. Denise Johnson: Say ‘Yes!’ to organ and tissue donation
We have all learned a lot since the start of the pandemic. One of the lessons that has resonated with me the most is the importance of community — of our relationships and responsibility to one another. It’s easy especially during a global pandemic to think that as individuals, we...
Tonie Willis and Rep. Tina Davis: To cut down on crime, give newborns a fair shot
How does shackling expecting mothers protect public safety in Pennsylvania? The answer is clear: It doesn’t, not by a mile. More than 130,000 babies will be born in Pennsylvania this year, but not every newborn will be born with a fair shot. In state and county prisons across the commonwealth,...
