Opinion category, Page 527
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Chauvin trial cannot vindicate America
America is on trial. Or at least, that is the conviction of many observers as Derek Chauvin, a white former Minneapolis police officer, faces judge and jury in the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man. America on trial: it’s a headline in Time, the Toronto Star and Agence...
Letter to the editor: Citizens, not ‘anybody,’ have right to vote
In his column “Republicans consider ballots more dangerous than bullets,” when he states that “in America, you see, everybody should have the right to vote, period,” Leonard Pitts Jr. misses one very important item: Our Constitution states that “citizens of the United States” have the right to vote, not anybody...
Editorial: Keeping a community intact when ‘gentrification’ beckons
Pennsylvania is a state that struggles with blight. From city neighborhoods to small towns, the falling population and the changing manufacturing landscape have created communities where closed businesses and smaller tax bases have started a downward spiral in areas that are sometimes euphemistically called “once proud.” That’s a term that...
Letter to the editor: Our rights are for everyone
I’d like to address two “opinions” that were so “eloquently ” stated in these pages. Here’s my question to the writer of the letter “End of the virus or end of Trump letters?” (March 28, TribLIVE): People on your side of the aisle spent four years pouting and doing anything...
Letter to the editor: Any satisfaction with presidential election?
I have chosen to not divulge an opinion regarding the unfolding of current events. With the hostility on exhibit in the divided world of today, it doesn’t seem to be worth the exposure. Recently, I read Carol Carion’s letter “Voting for Biden was critical mistake”). It was succinct, elucidating and,...
John Stossel: Biden’s California dream
I was surprised to read (in The Los Angeles Times) that the Biden administration’s “role model for America” is … California! He wants to “Make America California.” That’s is a terrible idea. Californians now rush to move out of California. Some hopeful folks still move there, but so many more...
Mona Charen: Are we doing our best for trans kids?
Seventeen legislatures are considering laws that would dictate how medical personnel can treat transgender youth — the latest flash point in the culture war. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson surprised observers this week when he vetoed one of those bills. It would have outlawed puberty blockers, cross-sex hormone treatment and “gender...
Jonah Goldberg: ‘Jim Crow’ criticism of Georgia voting law doesn’t fit
The debate over Georgia’s new voting law has been deeply depressing to watch for a number of reasons. The first is that it hasn’t really been a debate so much as a lot of performative shouting from all directions. The second is that many of the law’s harshest critics don’t...
Dr. Gillian Beauchamp and Jessica Hessler: Syringe programs can save lives
Rosa had been diagnosed with endocarditis, a heart valve infection, and had undergone valve replacement surgery to repair the valve that now threatened her life. When released from the hospital, she lacked adequate housing, food and support to cope with the trauma of childhood abuse. She returned to injecting fentanyl....
Letter to the editor: We should be protecting our police
As far as I’m concerned, this state seems to be going to hell in a handbasket. Regarding the article “A bill that criminalizes spitting on Pa. police includes extra penalties for people who are sick” (March 28, TribLIVE): The bill is punishing people for being sick when they spit on...
Lori Falce: When an opinion isn’t worth spoiling with facts
There isn’t much that can make someone bristle like fact-checking. As it’s part of my 9-to-5 job, it’s not something I like to do in my free time. Still, sometimes it needs to be done. If my mother was about to make a cake with a cup of salt instead...
Laurels & lances: Art, justice and Peyton Manning
Laurel: To artistic expression. Public displays of creativity are nothing new. They were statues in ancient Greece and frescoes on the walls of medieval Europe. But art that doesn’t just decorate the community but represents it might be even more valuable. On Sunday, a new mural will be dedicated in...
Letter to the editor: No excuse for littering from vehicles
It’s a sad and disgusting state we live in when vehicle drivers and passengers have absolutely no respect for others’ property, winding down their windows and tossing out trash. The food wrappers, cans, bottles and plastics that litter our roadways show what our culture has become. There is no excuse...
Letter to the editor: Idiotic covid reasoning
This whole covid thing has put the idiots in charge. I had to submit a release-of-records form to my doctor. I offered to hand-deliver it to the office. I was told that was unacceptable, and they would not accept it. I would have to mail or fax it (email not...
Letter to the editor: Why we need to join RGGI
Fires, floods, once-in-a-century storms coming every few months — for those not in denial, the climate crisis is already upon us, demanding action now. The Biden administration has plans to cut greenhouse gas pollution quickly, and here in Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf also is taking important steps, such as having...
Letter to the editor: Not much compassion in Biden administration, either
After reading Oren Spiegler’s letter “Thankful for compassionate leaders” (March 30, TribLIVE), I was forced to reply. While I agree with Spiegler on some points regarding past presidents showing compassion, I am shocked by the current administration’s moves. Like a schoolyard get-even situation, President Biden couldn’t wait to cancel some...
Josh McNeil: The American Jobs Plan will build a better future for us all
We are at a critical moment in our nation’s future. In Pittsburgh last week, President Biden laid out a plan to meet the scale of the twin climate change and jobs crises with his American Jobs Plan. We need to get people back to work and build back our economy...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: ‘A change gon’ come’ — GOP policies won’t break us
Dear Republicans: Let’s just say this plainly. You are a people lacking integrity and honor. And you have not a thimbleful of respect for one of this nation’s most sacred principles: Meaning equality under the law. One person, one vote. That harsh appraisal is necessitated by your response to losing...
Letter to the editor: We must reclaim our America
President Biden vowed to eliminate President Trump’s “America First” policies as soon as he took office. In the first month of Biden’s administration, he did just that. Some Democrats vowed to fundamentally “change America” as we know it. So far, they are doing a mighty fine job of that. So...
Letter to the editor: Lying ‘devil’s advocates’ out to destroy country
I am an independent. Not just an independent voter, but an independent in everything I say, think and do. I neither approve, nor do I disapprove, of people throwing rotten tomatoes at each other — that’s their business. Besides being an independent, I am a 100% disabled Purple Heart Vietnam...
Editorial: The ever-present duty to remember the Holocaust
The word holocaust has been part of our language for centuries. It is a great sacrifice, a massive destruction — especially that which has been completely consumed by fire. That made it the perfect word to explain the immense loss that the Jewish people experienced between 1941 and 1945. Under...
Letter to the editor: Air pollution problem in Murrysville
I’m concerned about air quality issues around the Franklin Regional school complex in Murrysville, located just steps from my home. The complex’s proximity to so much air pollution from the vehicles on adjacent roads and nearby Route 22 could profoundly harm children at the school. According to scientists at Stanford...
Letter to the editor: Loyalty to Trump has gotten Allegheny Valley nowhere
Traveling from Maine recently to visit family in the Allegheny Valley, I had the misfortune of driving Route 28 from Brookville to Freeport, a sad corridor of poverty and decay. And nothing signifies the degree of that economic and intellectual deterioration more than the ridiculous Trump signs and flags that...
Greg Dudkin: We can save customers millions by providing protections they deserve
Here in Pennsylvania you can shop for your electricity supply. Just like you would shop for a car, you compare different offers and choose what is right for you at the lowest cost. Because utility companiesare delivering the electricity, we have no vested interest in which supplier you choose. But...
Reps. Austin Davis, Nick Pisciottano, Brandon Markosek and Summer Lee: Transforming the Mon Valley
Within the next two months, we will hit a milestone that one year ago sounded impossible — a covid-19 vaccine widely available to whomever wants or needs it. This will mark a turning point in our long struggle against this virus. In our region and in Washington, D.C., discussions have...
