Opinion category, Page 561
Letter to the editor: Biden in; time for Trump to be out
The Electoral College has spoken: Joe Biden was confirmed to be the winner of the 2020 presidential election. It’s time for his followers to rip down the Trump banners and signs and accept the Democratic process of a presidential election, just as when President Trump won in 2016. Trump promised...
Editorial: Another Harrisburg mudfest that didn’t have to happen
What happened in Harrisburg on Tuesday didn’t have to happen. The question of who exactly won the 45th District seat in the Pennsylvania Senate is not a question that just came up. It was not a surprise. It has been an ongoing issue since the Nov. 3 election, when incumbent...
Letter to the editor: We should each act according to tolerance of unknown
Various governors, officials and network anchors pontificated that we should not have met for the holidays in family groups larger than 10 or two family units, and that we certainly should have avoided eating with strangers. Let’s examine the logic behind these pronouncements. Say you have N family members living...
Pat Buchanan: Family brawl in the house of Trump
A week from today, Joe Biden will still be on his inexorable course to become the 46th president of the United States. Why, then, the hysteria that has suddenly gripped this city? The triggering event was the announcement by GOP Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri. Despite a plea by Senate...
Letter to the editor: McConnell should be investigated
So they are investigating Hunter Biden. The one they should be investigating is Sen. Mitch McConnell. When he took office in 1985, he was worth $3 million. Last year, he was worth over $34 million, not a bad return on a salary of $193,000. He is married to Secretary of...
Letter to the editor: Export festival a success despite pandemic
The Tribune-Review’s “Best of the Best” awards listed Fort Ligonier Days as Westmoreland County’s best “Festival/Fair” category winner, followed by the Delmont Apple ’n Arts Festival and the Westmoreland Arts & Heritage Festival as finalists. None of these events, however, took place in 2020. The Export Ethnic Food & Music...
Letter to the editor: GOP’s desperate actions
From the time of the Three-fifths Compromise in 1787 to determine federal representation, we have been a nation that increased the political power of a white minority while devaluing the power of minorities of color. The current Republican leadership is now doubling down on their intent to achieve minority rule...
Editorial: Mourning the loss of Rep. Mike Reese, a dedicated public servant
If you drive around Westmoreland County, you might think that Mike Reese was running for the state House of Representatives again. The green-and-white signs promoting support for him have popped up again like mushrooms. This time they aren’t about swaying a vote in the November election, which he won for...
Jonah Goldberg: Veep gambit puts some GOP legislators on stupid side of history
A lot of stupid things are said about history. For example, there is no “right side” of history, if by that you mean events are destined to play out in some sort of preordained way. But there is such a thing as being on the stupid side of history —...
Tom Purcell: Companion animals bringing more joy than ever
My new puppy entered the world on Christmas, and he’s already bringing incredible joy into my family — just as many dogs, cats and other bundles of joy are doing for millions during these unusual times. I drove to Punxsutawney over the weekend to choose a Labrador puppy. Sunny, the...
Letter to the editor: Google lawsuit could hurt small businesses
The article “38 states, including Pennsylvania, file anti-trust lawsuit against Google” (Dec. 17, TribLIVE) outlines how elected officials are filing another antitrust lawsuit against Google. It is the job of the government to promote a competitive marketplace, but this lawsuit could have unintended consequences for small businesses. One of the...
Letter to the editor: Mail-in ballot problems
Thank you, Ken Mowl, for your letter regarding the Westmoreland County Election Bureau (“Provisional vote not counted,” Dec. 21, TribLIVE). I and two of my neighbors requested mail-in ballots, and none of us ever received them, though the Election Bureau did find time to enter our requests in its computer...
Editorial: Is turnpike toll increase gap unfair?
January is here. It’s time for that special ritual of the new year. Not the swearing in of new elected officials. Not signing up for a gym or diet plan to pursue a resolution that could wither by February. No, in the Keystone State, there is something that happens every...
Letter to the editor: Masks and ‘good citizens’
Delmont Council Vice President Bill Marx’s feigned outrage is pure political grandstanding (“Everyone should follow the rules”). Elected officials define a “good citizen” as someone wearing a mask and a “dangerous citizen” as someone not wearing a mask. Marx’s obtuse argument endangers the health and welfare of himself and the...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Jan. 4
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Jan. 4....
Editorial cartoons for the week of Jan. 4
Editorial cartoons for the week of Jan. 4....
S.E. Cupp: New Year’s resolutions from Josh Gad, Andrew Yang and others
What a year. Thankfully one of the weirdest and wildest in modern history is drawing to a close, bringing a new sense of optimism about the coming year. Or so I thought. Every year, I solicit New Year’s resolutions from friends, colleagues and newsmakers. This year, I expected big things:...
Teresa Miller: Thanks to the DHS heroes on the front lines
If I could speak with the version of myself who existed exactly one year ago today, I’d tell her a few things. First, buy extra rolls of toilet paper before March. While you’re at it, suggest to your mom she look up “face masks” online and start sewing them for...
Douglas Motter: Pa.’s nursing home residents must get vaccines first
When is Pennsylvania going to complete vaccinating its most vulnerable citizens — nursing home residents? The better question might be: When will many of our nursing homes even receive a date for vaccinations to begin? While some have begun vaccinating residents, others are hearing it might not be until late...
Letter to the editor: We don’t have freedom to harm others
I weep with all the health care workers, families and caregivers who, on top of dealing with covid-19, must listen to the hate spewed forth in the name of “personal freedoms.” Yes, it is hate. It is total disregard for the lives of others. It is like you are driving...
Letter to the editor: No law on wearing masks
Regarding Bill Marx’s letter “Everyone should follow the rules” (Dec. 19, TribLIVE): The wearing of masks is not a law. Gov. Tom Wolf and his health secretary cannot make laws. State legislators make the laws. Wearing a mask is up to the individual. If it was a “lawful order” as...
Letter to the editor: Term limits would fix broken system
Here we go again. Our dysfunctional Congress agreed on a covid relief bill for the millions of folks impacted by the pandemic. Both Democrats and Republicans loaded the omnibus spending bill with pork projects, including foreign aid, and then blame each other for wasteful spending. Meanwhile, we the people are...
Letter to the editor: On virus, denying, defying will be catastrophic
Regarding the article “Westmoreland County Sheriff won’t enforce Gov. Wolf’s new covid-19 orders” (Dec. 19, TribLIVE): Throughout this pandemic I have seen so many foolish people deny, defy and ignore the catastrophic end game that this horrible virus has brought not just to our population, but to our economy. They...
Letter to the editor: Skepticism is healthy when it comes to politicians
Joseph Sabino Mistick’s column “Public ‘referees’ there to protect us” characterizing the recent pronouncements of political leaders on the covid-19 crisis or 2020 election results as statements of “moral conscience,” made in the spirit of referees officiating a boxing match, requires a true leap of faith. While acknowledging in passing...
Editorial: Why is vaccine distribution slowed?
The federal government planned for 20 million coronavirus vaccinations by the end of 2020. That has proved to be a bit of an overestimation. The actual totals of about 3 million “certainly are not at the numbers we wanted to be at the end of December,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said...
