Opinion category, Page 628
Letter to the editor: Supporting Dickinson for Congress
I have always bled black and gold, but does our representative? Since joining Team Jerry, I have seen a lack of representation and care in our communities. I support Jerry Dickinson and his campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives because of what I have seen. Living in New Kensington,...
Letter to the editor: Vote for the best, not straight ticket
Don’t vote straight ticket. Vote for whoever you feel really will be the right ones in office. The last 12 years have been terrible, so let’s make it great again (although it always has been) by electing the right people. It’s up to us to decide. Remember, “by the people,...
Letter to the editor: We need both faith, masks
In response to letter-writer Cindy Wallace (“We need faith, not masks”): There is an old Irish saying, “God is good, but never dance in a small boat,” meaning God takes care of us when we do our part to take care of ourselves. Jesus’ message is to love our neighbor...
Letter to the editor: Trump and responsibility of presidency
“I don’t take responsibility at all.” President Trump, March 13, 2020 These words will go down in history alongside “we have nothing to fear but fear itself,” “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” and “with malice towards none and...
Letter to the editor: Squandering military sacrifices to covid-19
I was standing at the Memorial Day observance in Vandergrift, having taken advantage of the long weekend to spend time with my elderly parents. As the ceremony was winding down, Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA” was played. I can’t shake the irony of listening to the chorus of that...
Editorial: The virus doesn’t recognize political parties
The most important thing people can have from their leaders in a time of crisis is the truth. They need to know that if they are told, “This building is on fire,” it is actually on fire. Conversely, they need to know that if they are told, “This water is...
John Stossel: Jo Jorgensen, a different presidential candidate
We have a choice! Next presidential election, we don’t have to decide between two big-spending candidates, neither of whom has expressed much interest in limited government. Now, we have a third serious choice. This week, Jo Jorgensen, a psychology lecturer at Clemson University, won the Libertarian Party’s presidential nomination. OK,...
Walter Williams: A roundup of insane news tidbits
Is it important to have racial or sexual diversity in our fight against the covid-19 pandemic? Heather Mac Donald suggests that some think it might be in her City Journal article “Should Identity Politics Dictate Vaccine Research?” The funding priorities of the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for...
Kristen O’Toole: Masks mean life or death
Wearing a mask is not a political statement for me. It is life or death. I have multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disease that is different in everyone. My body attacks its own central nervous system. The disease-modifying therapy I get every 28 days at the hospital intravenously suppresses my...
Jonah Goldberg: Biden faces marketing decision on his running mate
The first thing to remember about vice presidential picks is that they are marketing decisions. That is, once a candidate has been deemed qualified to be president, the only thing that matters is what the choice says about the person at the top of the ticket. It wasn’t always this...
Letter to the editor: America threatened by Democratic insanity
I hold out hope that our nation will somehow right itself — but I am beginning to lose all hope, because the ongoing hierarchy of Democratic buffoonery and insanity is limitless and, in concert with old-world Republican stupidity, will ultimately cause the destruction of our democratic system. “Anarchy” already is...
Letter to the editor: Bud Cook making difference in Mon Valley
Many Mon Valley residents have perceived for years that Pennsylvania government has neglected the needs of its citizens, directing its efforts instead to Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. One lifelong Mon Valley resident decided four years ago to try to change the status quo. He successfully ran for office to put himself...
Letter to the editor: Thankful for support of small business
Covid-19 hit my small business very hard, as well as so many others. I am fortunate that I was able to open for Mother’s Day with online and phone orders, curbside pickup and no-contact deliveries. Our wholesalers and the flower farms they purchase from had all been shut down for...
Laurels & lances: Franks, Zoom and food
Laurel: To good news on a bun. Who wasn’t crestfallen at the news that the Original Hot Dog Shop in Oakland had closed down? The Oakland eatery was a landmark with must-eat wieners and yes-please fries. So hearing that it was shutting down in April was a crushing blow to...
Paul Kengor: The year they didn’t celebrate Memorial Day
I never miss the annual Memorial Day parade in Mercer. How could I? It’s old school, pure Americana: high-school bands, snow-cone stands, church groups, VFW, rotary club and flags, flags, flags. This year, however, the streets were eerily empty. They were lined with flags, but no people. No one marched....
Lori Falce: Seven breathless minutes
I frequently tell my son that more can happen in a short period of time than he thinks. This usually happens as I am pushing him to clean his room or bring down the laundry or take out the trash or empty the dishwasher. Seriously, the boy has very few...
Bea Spolidoro: Aging in (a safe) place
Aging-in-place has become the preferred option for many when planning for their future. Independence is precious. This said, entering a dedicated facility is an extreme step that for many families, unfortunately, often becomes the only feasible and safe option. Yet around the world, the covid-19 crisis has claimed many lives...
Arthur Allen: While the U.S. rushes to develop a covid-19 vaccine, here’s what science tells us
If there is a silver lining to the flawed U.S. response to the coronavirus pandemic, it is this: The relatively high number of new cases being diagnosed daily — upward of 20,000 — will make it easier to test new vaccines. To determine whether a vaccine prevents disease, the study’s...
Letter to the editor: Sports can be played, watched safely
Sports for kids are being canceled this summer even when we go green. It seems that under green the number of fans will still be restricted. Please let me do the math. A typical playing area for baseball, soccer and various other sports is 3 acres. An acre is approximately...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s dangerous mask belittling
We never had a president who weighed in on culture wars. They were usually too busy running the country to spend almost a day a week on Twitter. Really scary, though, to see President Trump jump right in and turn the wearing of a mask during a pandemic into a...
Letter to the editor: Pittman supporting Pa. during crisis
In his first year as state senator for the 41st District, after winning the special election in May 2019, Joe Pittman was appointed chairman of the Urban Affairs and Housing Committee and vice chairman of the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee. Pittman is also an active member of the Senate...
Letter to the editor: Conklin for auditor general
Pennsylvania residents continue to be devastated by coronavirus cases and deaths throughout the state. We need honest, hardworking leaders willing to make tough ethical decisions to save people’s lives and shore up our society and economy. Democratic auditor general candidate Scott Conklin of Centre County is the leader we need...
Letter to the editor: Joe Biden has big problems
In her letter “Joe Biden knows how to be president” , Renalda Arndt states that facts will be important to Biden and he will never put his own interests ahead of Americans’. Biden has some big problems, including accusations of corruption and inappropriate contact, and he shows signs of confusion....
Editorial: Pennsylvania budget not done
OK, we know the drill. It’s May. Almost June. That’s the time of year that Pennsylvania’s lawmakers and the governor get serious about their annual battle of wills over the budget. They posture. They bluster. They make pronouncements about the value of their own spending plans and disparage the proposals...
Joe Nocera: Lockdowns haven’t proved they’re worth the havoc
My junior and senior years in high school were 1968 and 1969; five decades later, I can still remember some of the main events of that era: the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy, the bombing of Cambodia, the Apollo 8 spaceflight that orbited the moon, and...
