Opinion category, Page 517
Letter to the editor: Not much compassion in Biden administration, either
After reading Oren Spiegler’s letter “Thankful for compassionate leaders” (March 30, TribLIVE), I was forced to reply. While I agree with Spiegler on some points regarding past presidents showing compassion, I am shocked by the current administration’s moves. Like a schoolyard get-even situation, President Biden couldn’t wait to cancel some...
Josh McNeil: The American Jobs Plan will build a better future for us all
We are at a critical moment in our nation’s future. In Pittsburgh last week, President Biden laid out a plan to meet the scale of the twin climate change and jobs crises with his American Jobs Plan. We need to get people back to work and build back our economy...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: ‘A change gon’ come’ — GOP policies won’t break us
Dear Republicans: Let’s just say this plainly. You are a people lacking integrity and honor. And you have not a thimbleful of respect for one of this nation’s most sacred principles: Meaning equality under the law. One person, one vote. That harsh appraisal is necessitated by your response to losing...
Letter to the editor: We must reclaim our America
President Biden vowed to eliminate President Trump’s “America First” policies as soon as he took office. In the first month of Biden’s administration, he did just that. Some Democrats vowed to fundamentally “change America” as we know it. So far, they are doing a mighty fine job of that. So...
Letter to the editor: Lying ‘devil’s advocates’ out to destroy country
I am an independent. Not just an independent voter, but an independent in everything I say, think and do. I neither approve, nor do I disapprove, of people throwing rotten tomatoes at each other — that’s their business. Besides being an independent, I am a 100% disabled Purple Heart Vietnam...
Editorial: The ever-present duty to remember the Holocaust
The word holocaust has been part of our language for centuries. It is a great sacrifice, a massive destruction — especially that which has been completely consumed by fire. That made it the perfect word to explain the immense loss that the Jewish people experienced between 1941 and 1945. Under...
Letter to the editor: Air pollution problem in Murrysville
I’m concerned about air quality issues around the Franklin Regional school complex in Murrysville, located just steps from my home. The complex’s proximity to so much air pollution from the vehicles on adjacent roads and nearby Route 22 could profoundly harm children at the school. According to scientists at Stanford...
Letter to the editor: Loyalty to Trump has gotten Allegheny Valley nowhere
Traveling from Maine recently to visit family in the Allegheny Valley, I had the misfortune of driving Route 28 from Brookville to Freeport, a sad corridor of poverty and decay. And nothing signifies the degree of that economic and intellectual deterioration more than the ridiculous Trump signs and flags that...
Greg Dudkin: We can save customers millions by providing protections they deserve
Here in Pennsylvania you can shop for your electricity supply. Just like you would shop for a car, you compare different offers and choose what is right for you at the lowest cost. Because utility companiesare delivering the electricity, we have no vested interest in which supplier you choose. But...
Reps. Austin Davis, Nick Pisciottano, Brandon Markosek and Summer Lee: Transforming the Mon Valley
Within the next two months, we will hit a milestone that one year ago sounded impossible — a covid-19 vaccine widely available to whomever wants or needs it. This will mark a turning point in our long struggle against this virus. In our region and in Washington, D.C., discussions have...
Letter to the editor: Where are parents of children crossing border?
Letter-writer Robert Supansic “Republican Party unrecognizable,” March 18, TribLIVE) wrote that “the party of ‘family values’ (Republicans) looks away when children are torn from their parents, sometimes with no hope of reunion.” I would like to ask him if he watches the news that shows children coming across the border...
Letter to the editor: Identity theft, scams cause grief
It’s a shame that we have to live in a world where identity theft and daily scams are common. Recently, I received a 1099-G from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania indicating that I was responsible for paying taxes on $10,600 of unemployment benefits that I supposedly applied for and received. I...
Editorial: A mental health clinic has to go somewhere
In a perfect world, our homes would have picket fences and pristine lawns. They would be in safe residential neighborhoods but just a short sidewalked stroll from a grocery store, a library and a good school. A garbage dump wouldn’t be anywhere near, nor would train tracks or the airport....
Letter to the editor: Muslims condemn violence
Eight people were shot to death at three massage parlors in the Atlanta area last month, raising fears that the crimes may have targeted people of Asian descent. Such an attack, race or gender based, serves no purpose other than to destroy the peace of a society and to bring...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Small wonder the church is shrinking
So, it seems the church is shrinking. The mosque and synagogue, too, for that matter. Not that this is breaking news. It has long been known that the numbers of Americans who belong to religious organizations are dwindling. But last week, that decline hit a milestone. For the first time...
Pat Buchanan: Joe Biden’s bid to remake America
If Joe Biden’s American Jobs Program, outlined in Pittsburgh, is enacted, then the federal government will take a great leap forward toward irreversible control of the destiny of the Republic. To finance this leap, to subsidize this giant stride toward socialism, U.S. corporations are to be forced to turn over...
Jonah Goldberg: Georgia election flap underscores our collective action problem
The Georgia debacle is a perfect example of the rolling collective action problem of our democracy. A collective action problem, simply put, is when there is a goal that would benefit everyone — in this case, confidence in our machinery of democracy — but the incentive structure for the individual...
Letter to the editor: Many voters want, need mail-in voting
I don’t know where Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew gets his idea that voters do not want mail-in voting (“Westmoreland commissioner says county voters want end to no-excuse mail-in ballots; another disputes that” ). There are many of us who are old, ill, frail or physically handicapped, or lack transportation,...
Letter to the editor: Little common sense in today’s politics
While growing up as a kid, my parents, teachers and most other adults preached and used the term ” common sense” as a means of explaining right from wrong. It was and still is a simple theory in itself. It forced you to put yourself in the position of the...
Letter to the editor: Steps we can take to stop gun violence
Sadly, as our country slowly returns to normalcy, it seems mass murders by white domestic terrorists have returned also. Lax gun purchase laws in Georgia allowed the shooter there to go out and purchase a gun as easily as buying a soda in a convenience store. Had there been a...
Editorial: Support your local restaurant — by following the rules
Eating in a restaurant can be a celebration. It can be a relief for an exhausted mom who has just done too much to think about cooking or washing dishes. It can just be a way to share a moment of friendship and relaxation while you share a pizza and...
Letter to the editor: Government price controls cause more harm than good
During this pandemic, many have complained about price gouging, where retailers raised prices on needed items in short supply. This often triggered government-mandated price controls. But when prices are held constant by government decree, needed items quickly vanish from shelves, causing shortages. Thus, most people don’t benefit from lower prices...
Letter to the editor: Republican disregard for constituents
Our Westmoreland County commissioners let us down when covid-19 hit. Instead of helping to deal with the virus, they followed the Republican Party lead and politicized a public health issue, not encouraging us to wear masks even though doing so saves lives. It has been reported that had we had...
Tom Purcell: Baseball strikes out on politics
You can’t escape politics anywhere now — not even in America’s once great pastime, baseball. A “pastime,” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “something that amuses and serves to make time pass agreeably.” Boy, did the Pittsburgh Pirates accomplish that for me most of my early life. Pirates radio broadcasts...
Editorial: A narrow law against spitting is not the remedy
You don’t need to spell everything out. Just because a law doesn’t specifically mention a given act doesn’t mean there is a loophole that makes it legal. Coerce someone into giving you their Bitcoin and you will face charges of theft or fraud. The fact Pennsylvania criminal statutes predate cryptocurrency...
