Opinion category, Page 532
Letter to the editor: Westmoreland needs a health department
I ask myself, “Why are the residents of Westmoreland County less worthy than the residents of Allegheny, Erie, Bucks, Chester, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties?” Why do Westmoreland County residents not have the benefit of a critically needed public health department? Allegheny County and Erie County both have had health departments...
Letter to the editor: There are good and bad people in journalism, politics
To John Newhouse, who wrote the letter “Politicians, media teaching how to hate” (March 17, TribLIVE): I honestly sympathize with your fate. I’m an 80-year-old mother and grandmother, and have been in your predicament at times myself. The only way, and the best way, to get out of your dilemma...
John Stossel: Union activists’ trespassing
Before dawn, dozens of union activists invaded a strawberry farm, shouting through bullhorns. This frightened workers and infuriated the farm’s owner, Mike Fahner, who thought that in America, owning property means you have a right to control access to that property — your home is your castle, and all that....
Mona Charen: Sidney Powell admits to her lies
The Big Lie is starting to unravel. One of Donald Trump’s disinformation stars, Sidney Powell, is backing down. But while we’re considering the matter of truth and lies, let’s recall when conservatives cared about truth (or seemed to). In the 1990s, Guatemalan activist Rigoberta Menchu was a phenomenon. Of Mayan...
Jonah Goldberg: For Democrats, filibuster is only malevolent when Republicans wield it
I get the idea of curses or bad karma. The house where a triple murder took place is going to sell for less than the one next door no matter how much you scrub the stains. I wouldn’t want to use Hannibal Lecter’s dishware no matter how much you cleaned...
Gisele Fetterman: It’s time for the Dreamers to be safe at home for good
We are at an important crossroads in this nation. We have faced immense, unprecedented challenges in this unimaginably difficult past year, but with a new administration in place and the end of covid-19 in sight, we also find ourselves with a tremendous opportunity to lay the foundation for a brighter...
Colin McNickle: Tolling some Pa. interstate bridges — a non-dire impact
Those in some quarters are predicting dire business, consumer and commuter behavior consequences should PennDOT toll nine interstate bridges across the state to pay for much-need repairs and maintenance. But an analysis by the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy suggests the effects will be relatively minimal and likely the best...
David Sanko: Pa. needs another ‘shot in the arm’ with broadband access expansion
Pennsylvania, like many other states, has a digital divide that separates the haves from the have-nots. And at no other time has this divide seemed wider than in the last year when the covid-19 pandemic brought the demand for internet service into sharp focus. From students trying to do their...
Letter to the editor: Second doses for seniors should come first
Teachers should not be vaccinated until all of the elderly are. The virus can be fatal to the elderly. Most teachers are young. Although they are exposed more than most people, since they are younger they are most likely to survive. The elderly are most likely to die. Donald G....
Letter to the editor: Wolf, Cuomo and nursing home deaths
Looks like Gov. Tom Wolf may be in the same trouble as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo with the covid deaths in old folks’ homes. More than 50% of the covid deaths in Pennsylvania were in those homes, with Pennsylvania among the states with the highest percentage of deaths in...
Letter to the editor: Did Biden’s parents raise a fool?
My parents didn’t raise a total fool, but it looks as if President Biden’s parents may have created one. I was taught that when I had a job and wanted to better myself, I didn’t quit the job I was working before getting a better job. Biden promises better jobs,...
Letter to the editor: Good men must come to aid of our country
Fellow Americans: While this corrupt and tyrannical government is being protected by razor-wire fences, concrete barriers and the National Guard, the Congress, Senate and White House administration are passing unconstitutional and tyrannical laws and using our tax dollars to do it. We are paying for our own demise and descent...
Lori Falce: Is the filibuster really the problem?
Filibuster is a ridiculous word. It means “freebooter” or pirate in Dutch. While piracy might not seem like a word that has much to do with lawmaking, filibuster says otherwise. In English, it refers to a special kind of stand taken by one senator in the face of overwhelming opposition....
Letter to the editor: Vote for candidate who will better our community
With a special election in House District 59 approaching, voters should examine the purpose of politics when making their choice this spring (”Trump House creator Leslie Baum Rossi wins Republican nod as party’s candidate for open state House seat,” Feb. 20, TribLIVE). Politics should not be a game where fans...
Letter to the editor: Immigration reform will rebuild our economy
Immigrants are substantial contributors to Southwestern Pennsylvania’s success and are crucial to our ability to respond and rebuild from the pandemic. Today, over 70,000 undocumented immigrants, including 1,700 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, work in essential roles across the state. Even as undocumented immigrants contribute heavily to our...
Letter to the editor: Media’s treatment of Biden vs. Trump
In a press conference Jan. 25, “reporter Jeff from NBC” asked Joe Biden a “question.” Biden answered, “… And I know you ask a lot of these questions, you know the answers, but you have to help educate the public as well. I’m not suggesting you don’t know what I’m...
Laurels & lances: Landing, leaving, learning
Laurel: To the final frontier. When NASA goes back to the moon, Southwestern Pennsylvania might have a “one giant step” moment. Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic has shipped a prototype of its Griffin Mission One landing craft to Johnson Space Center in Houston to test before a planned 2023 lunar expedition. “It’s super...
Jonah Goldberg: America’s patriotism deficit
Well, that didn’t go well. Last week, China and the United States met in Anchorage for the first high-level talks between the two governments since Joe Biden was elected president. It was supposed to begin with a photo op and brief opening statements from each side. Instead, we got a...
Letter to the editor: How does BLM spend its millions?
It was reported in the news that the Black Lives Matter foundation took in $90 million last year. I haven’t read about how the money is being spent. I would like to suggest college tuition, training programs for blue-collar positions, affordable housing, small businesses, etc. I think BLM should be...
Editorial: Are the swimming holes drying up?
It seems like forever that kids have equated the freedom and fun of summer with cannonballing off the side of a cement wall into the clear blue depths of chlorinated water. Pennsylvania was one of the first states with municipal swimming pools. There were nine in Philadelphia alone more than...
Letter to the editor: Charen needs to use plain English
When I saw, on the Trib’s Opinion page, that someone named Mona Charen had written a piece apparently damning “cancel culture” (“Both sides need to cancel cancel culture,” Feb. 26, TribLIVE), I started to read it, hoping to find out just what cancel culture was. After completing my read of...
Letter to the editor: Base gun decisions on facts, not emotions
During covid we have been told to follow the science, data and facts for making decisions. I guess such thoughts have been tossed when looking at recent proposed gun control leglislation from Congress. Universal background checks, magazine capacity limits, “assault weapons” bans have all been done before. The past data...
Letter to the editor: Converting to natural gas could help pay for roads
Gov. Tom Wolf’s idea to form a commission to solve the problem of paying for our roads could be a workable solution (”Gov. Wolf seeks to phase out Pennsylvania’s gas tax,” March 12, TribLIVE). Here’s an idea for the commission: Instead of proposing a new tax, Wolf’s favorite idea, how...
Editorial: On ballot questions, clear language should be the only option
When you cast a vote, it’s important to know exactly what’s going on. You need to know what the race is. You also need to know exactly who the people are. No one needs a situation like the confusing butterfly ballots in Florida in 2000 that some say had third-party...
Letter to the editor: Disagree with election results? Return stimulus checks.
Here’s a novel idea for everyone who thinks Joe Biden’s election to the presidency was fraudulent, and especially for those who continue to display Trump signs and flags to disagree with the election results: When your stimulus checks arrive, don’t accept them. Return them to the U.S. Treasury Department, since...
