Sheldon H. Jacobson: Crunching the numbers on the affordability crisis
The word that seems to concern many people today is “affordability.” Whether one is purchasing a home, buying food or paying doctors’ bills, everything seems more expensive. And the fact is, everything is more expensive. The consumer price index in December 2021 stood at 278. By December 2025, it had...
Cal Thomas: Trump fulfills his promise
If you wanted to look at it this way, President Trump is keeping his promise to end wars by taking out an Iranian regime that has made war on us and underwritten terrorism throughout the Middle East and the world since its 1979 revolution. In killing Iran’s top leadership, including...
Letter to the editor: Things are good, thanks to Trump
No, this is not a movie, it’s real life. This is dedicated to all of you who hate the president and are constantly bad-mouthing the country and don’t realize how good you have it thanks to Donald Trump. I’ll bet everything I own that every one of you will take...
Letter to the editor: Good will prevail over evil
The 26th Winter Olympics concluded with an outstanding ceremony in the coliseum of Verona, older than the coliseum in Rome. It was very uplifting to see the rainbow mosaic of humanity together in joy. Everyone is special, and as George Fox of the Quakers said, there is the divine light...
Editorial: The boundary around medical privacy
On Monday, Chief U.S. District Judge Cathy Bissoon denied a Department of Justice request to force UPMC to turn over records for minor patients who received gender-affirming care. In doing so, she did not mince words about the federal government’s approach. “Left to its devices, the DOJ would trample states’...
Letter to the editor: Detention of children as a revenue stream
Westmoreland County is expanding its juvenile detention center after a $1 million security upgrade, doubling capacity at a time when juvenile crime and detention rates are historically low (“Westmoreland juvenile center to double capacity as
$1M security project wraps,” Feb. 24, TribLive). Built in 1979, the facility once held 24...
Alfonso Serrano and Donald Heflin: Despite massive U.S. attack and death of ayatollah, regime change in Iran is unlikely
After the largest buildup of U.S. warships and aircraft in the Middle East in decades, American and Israeli military forces launched a massive assault on Iran on Feb. 28 . President Donald Trump has called the attacks “major combat operations” and has urged regime change in Tehran. Iranian media reported...
Sarah Schiffling: Strait of Hormuz — if Iran conflict shuts world’s most important oil chokepoint, global economic chaos could follow
The reported sinking of several Iranian warships by U.S. missiles in the Gulf of Oman serves as a reminder of the maritime aspect of the conflict which began Saturday with a barrage of Israeli and American missiles targeting Iran. Two other vessels, believed to be tankers, have also been reported...
Letter to the editor: Which toxic gases are harming us?
In the letter “Trump, Zeldin should try breathing exhaust fumes” (Feb. 26, Triblive) the writer states toxic gases are being emitted from cars. He is absolutely correct. However, the emitted gas is CO, not CO2. We human beings emit CO2. According to his reasoning, we human beings are emitting toxic...
Letter to the editor: Kudos to Clarks and reviewer
Just wanted to comment on the review of the Clarks show at the Oaks Theater in Oakmont (“The Clarks are still rocking the stage after 4 decades,” Feb. 28, TribLive). Wonderful story and superb writing. We saw them a week before in Irwin at the Lamp Theater, and the show...
Letter to the editor: Double down on Homeland Security
After witnessing the recent riots in Minneapolis, it has become clear to me our federal law enforcement officers are operating at a huge disadvantage. There are only approximately 50,000 ICE, CBP and HSI agents in total working to protect us from this foreign invasion. In comparison, some estimates indicate there...
Editorial: Safety tools need safety rules
In the event of an emergency, it is important to have the best information possible. You can hear that in the recordings of 911 calls when dispatchers calmly try to get the whos and whats and hows from people dealing with medical events, accidents or crimes. It still leaves holes...
Letter to the editor: Trans people have always existed
As a trans woman, as Trans Day of Visibility approaches (March 31), I feel compelled to address the letter “Transgender law doesn’t supersede natural law” (Jan. 24, TribLive). Being transgender is not classified as a mental illness by major medical and psychological associations. Nor does being transgender “defy nature.” Medical...
Nina Srinivasan Rathbun: Failure of U.S.‑Iran talks was all too predictable — but turning to military strikes creates dangerous unknowns
Three rounds of nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran failed to persuade President Donald Trump that a solution to the two countries’ nuclear impasse lay in diplomacy, rather than military action. A perceived lack of progress in the last of those indirect negotiations on Feb. 26 was enough to...
Adam L. Buckalew: Corporate hospital monopolies driving Pa.’s health care crisis
Health care affordability has become an increasingly tough burden for Pennsylvania families. Behind this crisis lies a clear culprit: corporate hospital systems that maximize profits and leave patients footing the bill. These hospital systems have cornered the market, tripled their prices, and buried patients under confusing bills – all while...
Jessica E. Martínez: Worker insecurity raises safety threats
Across the country, people are skipping meals and falling behind on housing payments while layoffs, automation and diminishing labor protections deepen insecurity. The message many workers hear is simple: You are replaceable. In that climate, people take dangerous jobs and stay silent about hazards. They skip water breaks in extreme...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s old sins cast long shadows
The Cuban Coast Guard’s shooting of a Florida registered speedboat raises the question of whether U.S. unprovoked murders of mariners in international waters have put a target on Americans. This country elected a president who provoked an insurrection in 2020 in order to cling to power. This president’s association with...
Editorial: Spirit Airlines may recover. Will local airports?
Spirit Airlines has been experiencing turbulence. In November 2024, the budget carrier filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Ten months later, the company filed again. This week, Spirit’s parent company — Spirit Aviation Holdings — announced it expects to exit bankruptcy within months, having come to a preliminary agreement with lenders...
Letter to the editor: McCormick’s hypocrisy
It’s not Sen. Dave McCormick’s complete and utter support of President Trump that annoys me. That’s to be expected of today’s loyalist Republicans. No, what really gets to me is his hypocrisy. A case in point is his auto-response to an email I sent him about the murder of Alex...
Editorial cartoons for the week of March 2
Editorial cartoons for the week of March 2....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of March 2
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of March 2....
Llewellyn King: The danger of being inured to the status quo
We have all had the experience of staying a few days in a hotel — say on holiday — which becomes home. Quickly, it becomes familiar. Individuals adjust to change. People who come into money get used to being well-off, and people who lose everything get used to that. So,...
Trish Reilly: Why are Pennsylvanians paying higher electric bills?
A new report found that over the last five years, Pennsylvania has been ahead of the national average in electricity rate increases. But honestly, everyone paying an electric bill in the commonwealth is probably already aware of this. For those who like to look on the bright side, among states...
Letter to the editor: DeLuzio vs. Vance?
Watching Pittsburgh-area Congressman Chris DeLuzio on cable TV news programs, two thoughts came to mind: First, if the award-winning TV show “The Pitt” needs an actor to play Dr. Robinavitch’s (Noah Wyle) younger brother, DeLuzio definitely looks the part. And he could probably pull off a Pittsburgh accent without the...
Letter to the editor: Folding politics in half
I’ve been called worse things than “a bifurcating imbecile.” But sometimes it’s best to fold conflict down the middle, and label two columns. The left column, in this case, is headed “social economics.” Free market economics on the right. Over the left column there’s a pic of Karl Marx, communist,...
