Opinion category, Page 530
Steve Samara: Investing in rural broadband
Legislation that will help bridge the digital divide, which in the last legislative session gained strong bipartisan support in Harrisburg, has been reintroduced this session by one of the state’s leading rural broadband advocates, Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill, R-York. Senate Bill 341 would modernize regulations adopted decades ago for rural phone...
James Reston Jr.: A Jan. 6 commission can answer our questions
The Jan. 6 attack on Congress takes its place next to the other terrible national traumas of the past 60 years — the JFK assassination, the race riots of 1967-68, the Challenger space shuttle crash and 9/11. Like those other shocks to our national consciousness, Jan. 6 demands a seminal,...
Richard Chin: Which superhero should we call if the Suez Canal gets plugged again?
They finally got that giant cargo ship unstuck from the Suez Canal after nearly of week of trying and a fleet of tugboats. But the next time the Suez gets jammed by a beached supership, why not do the global economy a favor and call a superhero to get the...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: A model of policing we too seldom get to see
We need to talk about what happened last month when police confronted a mentally disturbed man at a convenience store near Washington, D.C. They helped him. Yes, that was a bait-and-switch. But it wouldn’t have worked if you weren’t primed to expect something worse. Certainly, you’d be justified, given some...
Letter to the editor: Giannulli, Loughlin should help others
Mossimo Giannulli, convicted with wife, Lori Loughlin, in the college admissions scandal, has a lot of nerve to ask to leave prison early. His term is short, and he was protected from covid for a short time in a solitary atmosphere for his own good. I have an idea for...
Letter to the editor: Monitor reps’ votes before casting yours
Please pay attention to the votes for and against legislation by our Pennsylvania representatives before you vote in 2022. For instance, the same eight GOP representatives — John Joyce, Mike Kelly, Dan Meuser, Lloyd Schmucker, Scott Perry, Guy Reschenthaler and Glenn Thompson — voted “no” on the Violence Against Women...
Letter to the editor: Making voting easier the right thing to do
State Rep. Michael J. Puskaric, R-Washington/Allegheny, has introduced House Bill 25, “Abolishing the No Excuse Mail in Vote former HB 2971.” This appears to be the same modus operandi used by the Republican party — create confusion regarding no-excuse absentee ballots, followed by legislation to repeal no-excuse absentee ballots as...
Editorial: Sensible infrastructure investment can bring the nation together
Infrastructure is a crutch. A crutch can be something helpful — the sturdy tool you lean on to steady yourself when you need help getting to your feet. A crutch can also be a detriment — the tether that keeps you from standing on your own. Politically, there may be...
Letter to the editor: Pa. needs a change in government
There were two items in the March 13 Trib that caught my attention. First was the front-page story about our illustrious governor saying that he wants to further increase our taxes (”Gov. Wolf seeks to phase out Pennsylvania’s gas tax,” March 12, TribLIVE). No news here, folks — that is...
Letter to the editor: Un-American covid rules must end
Regarding the editorial “A smart, phased-in return to more restaurant and bar service” (March 17, TribLIVE): Cautious optimism? Enough mumbo jumbo! It’s been over a year. We’ve got covid protocols, testing, vaccines, quarantine and Dr. Fauci rules … and so many hard-working, law- abiding small business owner remain financially wounded or...
Dahleen Glanton: Testimony ensures Floyd’s death was not in vain
Many of us did not want to watch George Floyd suffer. Not again. In nearly a year since Floyd’s death, those who mourn for him have tried to move on. Some have marched, protested and held vigils in his memory. We have spoken out as loud as we could. We...
Jonah Goldberg: Bipartisanship can be a lethal weapon against political foes
American politics is caught in a perverse paradox. The bases of both parties would like nothing more than to destroy the other party. But it is precisely this animus that prevents them from accomplishing their goal. That’s because the best strategy for partisans to wreak havoc in the other party...
Letter to the editor: What would the flowers do?
They are up in my yard, and I hope the crocuses and daffodils are up in yours, too. Unfortunately, I’ve seen a few “Peduto for Mayor” signs. Imagine if flowers had a school board and union. Would they lock down kids and parents or open the schools? Heck, even the...
Letter to the editor: VA Pittsburgh proud to serve veterans
I am proud to report VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System is the provider of choice for more than 63,000 veterans in our region. Our providers and staff work hard to maintain veterans’ trust, using advanced technology to deliver the best care, often with shorter wait times than veterans see in the...
Editorial: Public school pension headaches on horizon?
If you get — or will get — a pension, it is something to count on. It trades today’s loyalty for tomorrow’s stability in retirement. If you don’t get a pension — and that’s most of us, in the era of the 401(k) — your association with them might only...
Letter to the editor: Voting for Biden was critical mistake
I would like to start off by saying thank you to the people who voted for Joe Biden. Smart move. In the first few months he’s been in office, he’s managed to lose thousands of jobs by canceling the Keystone XL pipeline. I guess you were too busy worrying about...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Victims of this war don’t get a wall
“This is a violent civilization — if civilization’s where I am.” — Gil Scott-Heron, “Gun” • • • Alexis Knutson doesn’t want to see her friend reduced. That friend, she told The New York Times, “had the biggest, brightest smile. She always just had these dimples that, especially when she...
Pat Buchanan: Autocracy vs. democracy or China vs. America?
“I’ve known Xi Jinping for a long time. … He doesn’t have a democratic — with a small ‘d’ — bone in his body,” said Joe Biden in his first press conference as president. “He’s one of the guys, like (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, who thinks that autocracy is the...
Terri Friedline and Ameya Pawar: Another New Deal key for Biden’s vision
To carry out his $3 trillion infrastructure plan and ensure its success, President Joe Biden needs to embrace his inner Franklin D. Roosevelt and forge a 21st-century New Deal. Biden’s desire to establish a consequential legacy is setting the stage for federal investments in public infrastructure that have not been...
Joseph Otis Minott: Biden must prioritize health of Pa. citizens
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is on pace to propose new standards for methane and other volatile organic compound (VOC) pollution from oil and gas facilities by September 2021. Next month, Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., will attempt to use the 1996 Congressional Review Act to undo the Trump administration’s...
Letter to the editor: Did you give your Trump stimulus check back?
Question for letter-writer Cheryl Rossetti (“Disagree with election results? Return stimulus checks,” March 24, TribLIVE): We the disgruntled deplorables want to know, did you keep the $600 check President Trump approved? Being a morally superior Democrat, you gave it back right? If you didn’t, step away from your pedestal please....
Letter to the editor: Thankful for compassionate leaders
The American people always have looked to their presidents to offer comfort and solace when the nation has suffered a grievous loss. We saw it in President Reagan in the aftermath of the Challenger disaster; we saw it in President Obama after churchgoers were slaughtered by a white supremacist in...
Editorial: Covid testing in jail is better late than never
Allegheny County Jail is making a smart move. Starting April 12, any newly incarcerated individuals will be tested for covid-19. A negative test will be required before being placed in general population. Refusing a test will mean quarantine. It’s a move that seems obvious. People have been tested before they...
Letter to the editor: Where is the covid finish line?
What are the metrics indicating a safe end to the covid-19 guidelines? Deaths, hospitalizations and case numbers are down. Natural immunity and immunizations are up. When is it safe to stop wearing masks, social distancing, limiting health care facility visits, etc.? The public health experts have been and are in...
Tom Purcell: In DC, politics springs eternal
Springtime has arrived in Washington, D.C. The National Cherry Blossom festival is underway. Some 3,700 cherry trees, given to America by the Japanese in 1912, soon will be in full bloom. I lived in the D.C. area for nearly eight years and always looked forward to this time of year....
