Opinion category, Page 566
Letter to the editor: Amazing health care in Western Pa.
I would like to express my profound thanks to the hospital workers of Western Pennsylvania. Early on the morning of Nov. 23, I was struck by an acute myocardial infarction, which has only a 12% survival rate if it takes place in a hospital. The emergency room staff at Indiana...
Letter to the editor: Congress must act now on aid for our schools
The article “A look inside schools’ reopening decisions” (Nov. 22, TribLIVE) provided valuable insight on the struggles our schools currently face to keep students and staff healthy while minimizing disruptions to the school year. One key component the article overlooked, however, was how an enormous school funding deficit because of...
Letter to the editor: Legalizing marijuana shouldn’t wait
Editors opine in favor of a “wait and see” approach when it comes to the issue of legalizing and regulating the adult use of marijuana in Pennsylvania (“Pa. should take it slow on legalizing marijuana,” Dec. 6, TribLIVE). The reality, however, is that nearly one in four Americans now reside...
Letter to the editor: Mitigate to end pandemic
As pediatricians throughout Western Pennsylvania, we care for our region’s youngest patients and witness firsthand the impact of this pandemic on our youth. We know pediatric patients are struggling with the challenges of virtual schooling, mental health, lack of physical activity and other health and wellness components. We all want...
Editorial: Bishop-elect Larry Kulick, a shepherd who knows his flock
Whenever someone comes into a new position, there is usually a learning curve. We don’t expect Monsignor Larry Kulick will have that with his new role. On Friday, Pope Francis named him the new bishop of the Greensburg Diocese. He already knows the mechanics of the office. He has been...
Sounding off: Pennsylvanians need covid relief
Regarding the article “A bleak outlook for millions facing cutoff of jobless aid”: Enough is enough — millions of families continue to struggle to put food on the table and pay their rent. With the covid-19 virus surging again, Sens. Pat Toomey and Bob Casey must pass a robust covid-19...
Letter to the editor: Where is the outrage over abortion?
There will be close to 1 million abortions performed in 2020 in the United States, thanks to Planned Parenthood and other abortion clinics’ classification as “life-sustaining” businesses. This silent slaughter has been attacking our unborn children for more than 47 years. While we are wringing our hands over the headlines...
Letter to the editor: Worst election ever
The recent election was the worst I have ever seen. We had one candidate who did not campaign much. I guess he felt that his almost 50 years in politics said all that needed to be said. The other candidate held rallies where thousands of his supporters attended. We had...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Follow the star — we need light now more than ever
It looks like the Star of Bethlehem may arrive just in time this year. The story of the three wise men following a mysterious star to the manger where Jesus had just been born is familiar to everyone. We cannot imagine that story without the light of that star. Some...
Editorial: North Huntingdon hurts its residents by defying state covid mandates
Pennsylvania municipalities have a lot of responsibility. They are where the rubber meets the governmental road. They plow the streets. They keep the buildings safe and the parks welcoming. They provide dozens of small services residents might never even realize exist and yet would be sorely missed if they disappeared....
Letter to the editor: Everyone should follow the rules
At our Delmont Borough council meeting Dec. 8 — I’ve been told — not one member, except the borough solicitor, wore a mask. I attended remotely for safety reasons in accordance with the Pennsylvania Department of Health guidelines regarding indoor meetings. In recent months, I have been in the minority...
John Stossel: Edward Snowden, hero or traitor?
President Trump should pardon Edward Snowden. Who? I know, it’s embarrassing — Assange, Manning, Snowden … . Who did what? I got them confused before I researched this topic. National security isn’t my beat. I finally educated myself this month because I got a chance, via Zoom, to interview Snowden,...
Mona Charen: William Barr’s tarnished legacy
Some heads snapped when Attorney General William Barr told the truth on Dec. 1. “To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.” This was not the Bill Barr we had come to expect. We were surprised again when...
Cole Schenley: Local government should decide minimum wage
Voting for President Trump while also supporting a law that raises the minimum wage? At first glance, you might think it impossible. Trump’s campaign platform made no mention of increasing the minimum wage. Though he often claims to be on the side of American workers, many of his trade and...
Nathan Lents and Dr. S. Joshua Swamidass: Science bridges divides for a better world
Fifteen years ago Sunday, U.S. District Court Judge John E. Jones delivered his landmark Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District ruling: Intelligent design is not scientific, is religious in nature and therefore should not be taught as a scientific alternative to evolutionary theory in public schools. This was a big...
Steven Chanenson and Jordan Hyatt: Vaccine decisions for the incarcerated
After a powerful fall resurgence, covid-19 has left no aspect of life untouched, including in Pennsylvania’s state prisons and county jails. Now that the first shots have been given, doctors, ethicists and politicians have begun to consider who should be vaccinated next and in what order this should happen. One...
Letter to the editor: Lectured on covid-19 vaccine
This virus has been hard on everybody. Since April, we’ve been told to wear a mask and social distance. We were locked down and then partially reopened. Everybody managed to have some semblance of summer. The cases started going up. Once again we’re locked down and told to avoid family...
Letter to the editor: America is lost
Who would vote for abortions, higher taxes, open borders, neverending wars, defunding police, possibly shutting our country down again, eliminating the Second Amendment, removing freedom of religion, etc.? Would you vote for this? This is what I see as the Democratic platform. Apparently, a President Obama clone has won the...
Lori Falce: Government by procrastination is no way to run a nation
Tick, tick, tick. The clock is counting down. Down to a line drawn in the sand — the minute that the federal legislators all pack up and leave Washington for their home states. Gotta love Christmas break, right? Except that the same thing happens every year. Something comes down to...
Laurels & lances: Shots, lockdown and cops
Laurel: To first steps. The fight against the coronavirus pandemic took a giant leap forward this week. UPMC began administering the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to health care workers. Five of the hospital system’s employees took the shot Monday in a livestreamed event, much like those held around the U.S. This isn’t...
Letter to the editor: Election was fair; Trump must go
I am 6-foot-4-inches tall, have wavy blond hair, and have a Ph.D. and a law degree. Oh, and I also won the presidential election. That’s all a lie. I’m 5-foot-8, bald as a cue ball, have no college degrees and didn’t even run for dog catcher, let alone president. It’s...
Colin McNickle: The daunting task of reshaping Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education
The enrollment and financial woes of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) are well known. And fixing the mess will be a monumental challenge, concludes an analysis by the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy. The 14-school system’s enrollment has plunged by 21% from its 2010 peak of 119,513...
Jonah Goldberg: Give globalism its due for speedy vaccine rollout
In normal times, most people don’t think of vaccines as a political issue at all. But a small minority — one that defies easy pigeonholing on the left or right — thinks vaccines are either unsafe or shouldn’t be mandatory or, presumably, both. (At this point I wouldn’t be shocked...
Robert Smith: The nature of environmental quality
We have all heard the ongoing allegations of toxic pollution spewing from big business destroying our environment and killing us, cancer rates and respiratory diseases on the increase because of big businesses polluting for profit. These are some of the many emotionally charged allegations leveled by environmental groups. These types...
Editorial: Highlands has no right to hide public info
Highlands School District doesn’t want to release information that should be made public. If this sounds familiar, it should. This is the kind of thing Highlands does regularly. Over the last two years, the Tribune-Review has filed multiple Right to Know Law requests, asking that Highlands do the bare minimum...
