Opinion category, Page 606
Letter to the editor: John Lewis raised others up
John Lewis has made his final trip across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the bridge where his skull was fractured by Alabama state troopers in 1965. He spent his lifetime earning the military and state trooper guard who honored him as his casket traveled that same bridge on July 26. Lewis’...
Martin Schram: This may be John Lewis’ greatest gift to us all
For two weeks, we have watched and listened to history’s recordings of the late John Lewis, speaking powerfully and movingly to us during his lifetime of courageously nonviolent combat in the name of our civil rights. But we really shouldn’t say our final goodbyes to the iconic man who is...
Lori Falce: Is it a conspiracy theory?
Is it cake? It’s a phenomenon taking over the internet. Look at this video showing a book or suitcase or can of baked beans. But wait, what’s happening? Someone produces a knife and cuts it in half. That simple household object turns out to be chocolate and buttercream and fondant....
Laurels & lances: Listening, hearing, living
Laurel: To doing the right thing. Westmoreland County Controller Jeffrey Balzer did just that when he put on a mask. Balzer was previously criticized by some — and supported by others — for not donning the protective gear required in the courthouse and by Gov. Tom Wolf’s edict. A three-term...
Janet Jai: The dangers of Pittsburgh’s new Bike(+) Plan, especially for children
Pittsburgh’s new Bike(+) Plan will be coming to all of Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods, maybe to your street. Be careful! This new bike plan may make Pittsburgh’s newly designated bike-path streets (and others around them) more dangerous — especially for children — and for drivers and pedestrians as well. Given the pandemic...
Letter to the editor: Sick of rioters
“Basta, ’nuff” is what my grandmother would yell at us when things got a little too much for her. So, to the rioters all over the country, I’m saying, “basta, ’nuff.” Listen, the entire country is sick of your crap. Sick of the lawlessness, sick of the riots, sick of...
Letter to the editor: ‘Defend our cops’ should be our new mantra
Did you read Lori Falce’s column “Good cops have power to demand change” (June 4, TribLIVE)? Please look it up. It needs to be reprinted for those who missed it. It has a powerful truth. The new statement, I believe, should be “Defend our cops.” Take it and run with...
Letter to the editor: Pa.’s school reopening guidelines too strict
It was amazing to read the front-page article “From masks to buses to recess, Pa. unveils guidance for schools finalizing reopening plans” (July 16, TribLIVE). It left me wondering where our state officials get the information to make their recommendations on schools reopening. I cannot imagine a child wearing a...
Letter to the editor: Defunding police in Pittsburgh
I was appalled after reading “Pittsburgh council set to enact police reforms before summer recess” (July 22, TribLIVE). Councilman Ricky Burgess states “we cannot defund the police” and then sets in action a “reform bill” that defunds the police budget by $250,000, which was set for a new recruit class...
Letter to the editor: Facts on Joe Biden’s platform
Instead of what I see as the constant biased CNN untruths and the conspiracy theories, let’s look at some facts. Joe Biden is promising (according to his website and the DNC platform) all of the following — none of which were done in the 40-plus years he has been in...
Timothy L. O’Brien: William Barr only claims to respect the rule of law
Attorney General William Barr is famously unflappable, the legal technician and savvy Washington insider unswayed by lesser minds or weaker wills. But on Tuesday, during a House Judiciary Committee hearing examining the past 19 months of his tenure, Barr’s legendary composure dissolved several times. His anger flared at moments when...
Carl P. Leubsdorf: With campaign lagging, Trump has a Pence dilemma
When President George H.W. Bush faced an uphill reelection fight in 1992, aides discussed ways to change the political calculus and give his candidacy a much-needed boost. Now, Donald Trump faces a comparable situation and a similar option. In the case of Bush, several top advisers, including the candidate’s future...
Editorial: Nursing homes need continued covid attention
Pennsylvania has 693 nursing homes. According to the state Department of Health, all of them have now had at least one round of covid-19 testing. Every resident, every staff member, have reportedly been tested for the disease that is at its most lethal among the aging population. Personal care and...
Ann Sanders and Theodoros Papazekos: Congress must boost SNAP benefits to address hunger crisis
The economic downturn accompanying the pandemic has cost millions their jobs, and millions more have faced reduced hours and wages. The problem is perhaps particularly acute in Pennsylvania. As of June, our state unemployment rate of 13% was the ninth worst in the country and far worse than its peak...
Letter to the editor: Masking the country’s bigger problems
I look at people’s eyes above the masks, filled with fear or numbness. What a fine excuse to take a step farther back from having to associate with their fellow human beings. In the digital world we no longer have to deal with social interaction, which can cause distress because...
Letter to the editor: Memories of Vietnam
Reading Howard Bronder’s letter “Fireworks remind vet of soldier friends in Vietnam” (July 7, TribLIVE) was very uplifting. In Vietnam, I was stationed way up north around Dong Ha, Quang Tri. I share your story very well. The movies “Platoon” and “First Blood” show how it really was. You mentioned...
Letter to the editor: We the people … surrender?
When “democratic socialism” comes, we’ll deserve forfeiting America’s signature quality. Not just liberty itself, but our understanding that effort, pride, motivation, failure and success are as essential to the joy of freedom as the outcome. With socialism, effort is secondary. Obscenely taxed workers fund communal support and $93 trillion Green...
Letter to the editor: Send message to officials via your tax payment
Sometimes it seems Pennsylvanians cannot win against Gov. Tom Wolf and Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto. They are simply too powerful. However, citizens can express their outrage in subtle ways. Wolf closed all public schools in March, citing public safety. Maybe they will reopen this fall. Many property owners are now...
Letter to the editor: Wolf’s decisions hurting Pa.
Once again, dictator Gov. Tom Wolf has made a decision that has negatively impacted the state’s economy. He painted that penalty over the entire state without regard to the counties that are faring well with the covid-19 numbers. He closed all bars and clubs that don’t serve food and placed...
Editorial: Child care helps babysit the economy
As the coronavirus pandemic continues, there is plenty of debate about opening schools and opening businesses and opening the economy. There are all these questions about getting the millions of people who have been laid off or furloughed back to collecting a paycheck instead of an unemployment check. There has...
Jay Ambrose: Nancy Pelosi is wrong on Trump
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has called the coronavirus “the Trump virus,” explaining that the president has caused deaths with his initial, ho-hum reaction to it. The verbal assault should be no surprise. After all, she said Republicans “were trying to get away with murder” on a police reform bill and...
Pat Buchanan: American ‘stormtroopers’ — a bright shining lie
With the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse under nightly siege from violent radicals, and Portland’s police hard-pressed to protect it, President Trump sent in federal agents to secure the building. The reaction from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi: “The use of stormtroopers under the guise of law and order...
Alana R. Sacriponte: ‘The 8-Second Exchange’ on the Pennsylvania Turnpike
As a graduate student looking for a summer job, my mom suggested I apply to the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I considered it odd at first. It was 2008 and cash had lost much of its prevalence already. Did people still carry coins? Didn’t everyone use EZPass? I took my mom’s suggestion,...
Wendell W. Young IV: Pa. families need Toomey to lead in covid-19 debate
As President Trump and some lawmakers, including Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, debate whether or not additional federal support is necessary to manage the impacts of the covid-19 pandemic, I encourage them to spend just one day with Pennsylvania workers and their families before they make up their mind. They...
Letter to the editor: Raising taxes during pandemic is wrong
We’ve been struggling through this pandemic for months. Now we have over 40 million people out of work, and some may not go back to work. People are having a hard time feeding their families and paying bills. And through these hard times, school boards are raising taxes. Maybe they...
