Opinion category, Page 568
Letter to the editor: Trump’s post-office options
Nobody is above the law, not even former presidents. We will have a peaceful transition of power, and President-elect Joe Biden is going to be sworn in on Jan. 20. I believe President Trump has several choices to make prior to Jan. 20 to avoid prosecution (money laundering, bank and...
Editorial: Don’t let the Brewster-Ziccarelli voting mess happen again
The people of Pennsylvania’s 45th district are supposed to determine who their state senator is. Ideally, they would consider the issues, look at the candidates, review their ballot and make a decision. The people who win in the primary would move forward to the general election, and the one with...
Letter to the editor: What we’ll get with four years of Biden
I am saddened by the death of professor Walter Williams. He was the best columnist to ever write in the Tribune-Review and Valley News Dispatch. If Williams was our first Black president instead of Barack Obama, I think we would have a much better country today. I believe that the...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Dec. 14
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Dec. 14....
Editorial cartoons for the week of Dec. 14
Editorial cartoons for the week of Dec. 14....
Rep. Austin Davis: Congress must act fast on CARES Act, new plan for Pa. residents
In March, we had to ask the most of our residents: We asked them to stay home. We asked them to forego their financial security, close businesses and have faith in the government to do the right thing. “We’ve got your backs,” we said. “Programs will be available to you...
S.E. Cupp: Jim Banks’ mask outrage is outrageous
As famous a phrase as it is, it’s unlikely that some fastidious but oblivious boatswain actually spent any time rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic as it was sinking to a watery grave in 1912. But the idea has come to illustrate an utterly pointless, wasteful and insignificant endeavor...
Letter to the editor: Electric car owners’ fair share
Letter-writer Joe Kujawski (“Electric car fees? Fair is fair,” Dec. 4, TribLIVE) presented his case for electric and hybrid car owners paying their fair share of road use taxes. I have no problem whatsoever paying my “fair” share, but I want it to be a “fair” share. I have owned...
Letter to the editor: 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: America’s greatness lies in expertise, truth
In his column “The fight for free speech” (Oct. 9, TribLIVE), Walter Williams suggests that America is great because of “Western values.” I disagree. America is great because of our dedication to experts and the truth. We have succeeded where other democracies have spiraled down into fascism because our politicians...
Letter to the editor: Air regulations can’t be abandoned
In his op-ed “We’ve got enough environmental regulations” (Nov. 28, TribLIVE), Robert Smith states, “The environment has never been cleaner in my lifetime than now.” He compares environmental regulations to scraping the bowl for that last bite of chip dip, stating, “We continue to expend ever more effect to pick...
Letter to the editor: Vaccine questions must be answered
As the time approaches for us to get our covid-19 immunization shots, there are reasonable questions the medical and political community need to prepare for. Given the novelty of this particular pandemic, it is understandable that not every question is simple and easy, or even possible to answer in advance....
Editorial: Transit workers are front-line soldiers in covid war
Much of the language surrounding the coronavirus pandemic is comparable to that of warfare. We talk about fighting the disease. Having a battle plan. Deploying assets. And more than anything, we talk about the front lines. As in any war, that is where things get real. With covid-19, the front...
Eugene Robinson: Trump, GOP causing crisis of faith in our democracy
WASHINGTON Democracy requires faith. President Trump and his unscrupulous enablers — including most Republican elected officials — are cynically destroying that faith for millions of Americans, and I fear the nation will pay a terrible price. I’m talking to you, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and most of your...
Sheldon Jacobson: Effective treatments, not vaccines, are light at end of covid-19 tunnel
We are nine months into the covid-19 pandemic, with many succumbing to face covering and physical distancing fatigue, and pockets of pervasive skepticism about the virus threat and its risk. No one is happy, and everyone has someone to blame for their anger, grief and malcontent. The question people are...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Public ‘referees’ there to protect us
In Joyce Carol Oates’ 1985 New York Times essay “On Boxing,” she described the role of the referee as “our intermediary in the fight … our moral conscience.” The referee is there to make the tough calls, often stopping a fight before someone gets maimed or worse, all while the...
David Dausey: Keep holiday festivities smaller to prevent covid-19 from getting bigger
Americans need to change their behaviors in advance of the holidays unless they want a very grim start to the new year. If we don’t, cases of covid-19 could overwhelm the health care systems in many regions in the country and deaths will continue to escalate. Without significant changes to...
Ron Klink: When addressing drug prices, there’s a right way and a wrong way
In what may have been the last significant action of his presidency, President Trump recently issued two executive orders designed to lower prescription drug spending in Medicare. The first order would eliminate the current system of “rebates” for prescription drugs covered by Medicare Part D. The second order, dubbed the...
Letter to the editor: Electric cars should have meters
I agree that Volkswagens shouldn’t pay an additional road tax — as long as they aren’t used on public roads. Not necessarily a flat fee; I think they should have a separate electric meter, just as internal combustion cars pay for roads by the taxes on fuel usage. And electricity...
Letter to the editor: We need representatives who’ll look out for our interests
I read in disbelief the article “Western Pa. congressmen join rebuke of U.S. Attorney General William Barr” (Dec. 3, TribLIVE). Five Pennsylvania Republicans, including John Joyce and Guy Reschenthaler, expressed dismay because Barr is not supporting President Trump’s election fraud conspiracy. Certainly these Republicans know it has been reported that...
Editorial: Food banks filling holiday need
Certain reminders come to us every holiday season. Red kettles and ringing bells at shopping center doors urge us to drop in a few coins to help those in need. A box waits to collect toys for kids who won’t get any otherwise. And perhaps most ubiquitous is the food...
Letter to the editor: Trump lost because of Trump
Well, the Trump supporters brought out the crying towels! I have no doubt these were not used because of children taken from their parents at our southern border; nor were they used because of the nearly 300,000 American deaths from covid-19. They were used because of Trump’s loss to Joe...
John Stossel: Investment con
Want to make money and help the world, too? Wall Street says you can! If you invest in “socially responsible” funds, say big investment funds like BlackRock, Parnassus, TIAA-CREF, etc., then they’ll do good things for the world, and your retirement funds will grow. These funds obsess about what they...
Walter Williams: Costs must be weighed against benefits
Editor’s note: Walter Williams passed away Dec. 2. This is his final column. One of the first lessons in an economics class is every action has a cost. That is in stark contrast to lessons in the political arena, where politicians virtually ignore cost and talk about benefits and free...
Jonah Goldberg: Texas AG’s lawsuit is a shameful display of hypocrisy
I’m angry. I have been defending the Electoral College and the larger Madisonian vision behind it — often called “federalism” — for decades. As a pointed critic of the president, this put me in the awkward position of defending the legitimacy of his presidency — Donald Trump lost the popular...
