Opinion category, Page 600
S.E. Cupp: The unbelievable, totally believable return of Bill O’Reilly
If we women weren’t already so jaded about the way powerful men are excused for their bad behavior, this might seem totally unbelievable. Bill O’Reilly, the former Fox News host who was accused by multiple women of sexual harassment and ultimately reached legal settlements with at least six worth a...
Bobby Ghosh: What Israel, UAE and the U.S. get from historic deal
The most important diplomatic breakthrough in the Middle East in a generation meant so little to the man who first announced it on Twitter that within an hour he had moved on to tweeting about football and predicting the collapse of the United States under Joe Biden. Donald Trump, in...
Letter to the editor: Fearing end of Social Security, Medicare
I’m on Social Security and Medicare. I was dismayed when President Trump signed executive orders on payroll tax suspensions. This effectively is the lifeline for both programs. He said if reelected he would make the cuts permanent. This is an attempt by Trump and the Republicans to gut both programs,...
Letter to the editor: Working from home works for companies, employees
The whole world trembled at the news of the coronavirus, which made its way into the United States in January and has since spread like wildfire, showing no signs of stopping. Countries have come together to discuss this pandemic and have learned from one another. Jobs have been a key...
Letter to the editor: Toomey’s covid-19 response puts Pa. first
Wendell Young’s attack on Sen. Pat Toomey (“Pa. families need Toomey to lead in covid-19 debate,” July 28, TribLIVE) is the latest in the union executive’s history of mistruths. If you read Young’s column, you might assume the federal government has provided no relief at all or that Gov. Tom...
Editorial: Public corruption is everywhere
Public corruption seems like the kind of thing that happens where public service is big business. People almost expect to see dirty politics in Washington — and let’s face it, there is a reason that “drain the swamp” was an easy refrain to encourage. The bigger the city, the less...
Letter to the editor: Wolf administration striking a balance
I was perplexed when I read the editorial “Wolf needs to stop playing chicken” (Aug. 8, TribLIVE) regarding the administration’s suggestion that Pennsylvania schools postpone interscholastic sports until January. As the editorial board admits, the governor is labeled an overreaching tyrant when he unilaterally closes restaurants or doesn’t allow a...
Letter to the editor: Do the patriotic thing to stop covid-19
I am saddened to hear Americans call covid-19 a hoax. I believe these are patriotic Americans. But what’s patriotic about dismissing covid-19, when it has killed more than twice as many Americans as died in the Vietnam War? What’s patriotic about not social distancing to limit its spread and allow...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Sticks and stones flung at Kamala Harris
When Joe Biden announced that Sen. Kamala Harris will be his vice presidential running mate, Donald Trump and his supporters responded with a barrage of frantic personal attacks. It was as though someone had dropped the flag and said, “Let the hysteria begin!” When you were a kid, you knew...
Dr. David Macpherson: Why you should get vaccinated for covid-19
It seems likely a vaccine will be developed and proven effective against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the next several months. After the vaccine is released, hundreds of millions of people will be vaccinated. In the U.S., in the following year, about 500 people will be diagnosed with anaplastic thyroid carcinoma,...
Christopher Baxter: With Spotlight PA, a team of investigative reporters hold the powerful to account in Harrisburg
There’s nothing short of a crisis in our state capital. Every year, more of Pennsylvania’s sprawling and costly bureaucracy operates without scrutiny from investigative reporters, the watchdogs tracking how our hard-earned tax dollars are spent, ensuring the vulnerable are protected, and demanding answers from lawmakers about waste, fraud and abuse....
Sounding off: Mask is a small price to pay to save lives
I immediately started wearing a mask when the virus hit Pennsylvania. Many times, I pulled it down and asked people what color my beard was. The answer would be gray, white or a blank look. My reply would be: “74 years of wisdom.” I would then share with them that...
Letter to the editor: Mixed GOP messages on mail-in voting
If President Trump insists the mail-in ballot is a bad thing, then why did I receive a flyer from the Republican National Committee urging me to request my general election mail-in ballot? The irony is obvious. Seems the GOP is in a state of confusion, an indication of the leadership...
Letter to the editor: How can New Ken-Arnold afford Pallone as consultant?
I understand that the New Kensington-Arnold School District has the highest poverty rate in all of Westmoreland County. If that is so, how can it afford to keep John Pallone on as a high-priced consultant (“Former New Ken-Arnold superintendent kept on as ‘consultant,’ gets a year’s pay in severance agreement,”...
Letter to the editor: Be a ‘honey’ to the bees
Aug. 15 is National Honey Bee Day. In honor of these fascinating animals, each of us can be a “honey” to bees by leaving honey off of our shopping lists. In her new book “Animalkind,” People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals President Ingrid Newkirk recounts how bees meander up...
Letter to the editor: Coronavirus not under control
On Aug. 5, the president said that if he had not acted as fast as he did against the virus, we could have had 1 million deaths. How can he make this statement? He waited almost one month to take action, saying it would go away when it warms up...
Letter to the editor: Are Democrats hidin’ Biden?
President Trump should change his nickname for Joe Biden from “Sleepy Joe” to “Hidin’ Biden.” When he does show himself, he often cannot complete an intelligible sentence or he makes an incredible gaffe. He seems to be showing signs of early Alzheimer’s disease. His failure to complete sentences, his clinginess...
Editorial: Wolf has more than one guy’s opinion
No, Tom Wolf. You are not just one man. On Thursday, the governor danced away from questions about the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association asking him to reconsider his statements from last week on delaying fall sports until January because of the coronavirus pandemic. “I’m not sure what they could say...
John Stossel: Anti-racist racists
Black Lives Matter protests led many people to want to do something useful to reduce racial injustice. Racial justice groups are being flooded with money. Big companies made multimillion-dollar donations. “Bad idea,” says Black radio host Larry Elder. “It is condescending … and not helpful. I urge white people to...
Walter Williams: Are today’s leftists truly Marxists?
Most people who call themselves Marxists know very little of Karl Marx’s life and have never read his three-volume “Das Kapital.” Volume I was published in 1867, the only volume published before Marx’s death in 1883. Volumes II and III were later edited and published in his name by his...
Letter to the editor: Political correctness has become embarrassing
SQUAW(king) about the changing of the name of Squaw Valley Park (“O’Hara Council: Squaw Valley Park is now O’Hara Township Community Park”)! Does the council understand how many times the term “squaw” appears in famous historical novels, films, etc.? Not to mention ski resorts? Should all these now be changed...
Letter to the editor: Anyone who served is a veteran
Regarding Robert Ebitz’s letter “Veterans should always count” (July 20, TribLIVE): I agree all veterans should count. What I do take exception with is his definition of veteran. The official definition is from Title 38 of the United States Code:“a person who served in active military, naval, or air service...
Letter to the editor: What I’ve learned about Trump
Recently our president went to Oklahoma, where his campaign visit fizzled. With close physical contact, he could have infected many people with coronavirus. Then he visited Walter Reed Hospital in Washington after being embarrassed into wearing a mask. I believe he is irresponsible. Then there’s our vice president, President Trump’s...
Letter to the editor: Are Biden and Trump the best we’ve got?
This nation is desperate for decent leadership, unless of course you think Donnie, Mitch, Nancy and The Chuckster are doing a helluva job. So first, Biden makes still another utterly racist, dim-bulb comment, which he repeats again the very next day (!), fumbles his speeches in his basement and his...
Letter to the editor: Dissecting the covid-19 numbers
According to the official Westmoreland County website, as of Aug. 13, there are 1,573 cases of covid-19 in the county. In reality, 1,573 is an accumulated number of reported cases since the first two cases March 19. 1,573 is not the number of active covid-19 cases in Westmoreland County. The...
