Opinion category, Page 633
Letter to the editor: We must obey our governor
We must obey our governor or he will punish us. It would be for our own good. For our own safety. It matters not that the governor ordered thousands of businesses to close and forced over a million healthy workers out of jobs. It was for our own safety, and...
Letter to the editor: Pandemic shows socialism’s ills
I believe there is a silver lining that resulted from the virus pandemic. Us soft, pampered Americans have had the benefit of actually living with some of the ills associated with socialism. • Politicians asking fellow citizens to snitch on each other for not complying with unconstitutional rules. • Long...
Letter to the editor: Let’s keep our parks safe
Spending time outdoors and walking in Dormont Park is a crucial part of the day to my household during this very difficult time. It’s important that we all have space to reset. We head outside to refresh, de-stress, and go for a run or a walk after being stuck in...
Letter to the editor: We all must vote in person
If you live long enough, just about every incredibly stupid idea will come across the airwaves, newspapers and opinion shows. The stupid idea picture will be painted with a compassionate brush that makes you think it will be such an improvement over the status quo. As Elizabeth Barrett Browning said,...
Letter to the editor: Trump, protesters threaten democracy
I angrily watched the armed thugs protesting in Michigan on April 30, demanding the opening of businesses even before the CDC guidelines had been met. There they were in their paramilitary garb brandishing their semi-automatic weapons, some carrying Confederate flags, most wearing no facial masks, and others shouting into the...
Letter to the editor: Blame for coronavirus in nursing homes
How ridulous for state Sen. Doug Mastriano to blame the secretary of health for outbreaks in nursing homes (“Pennsylvania state senator calls for resignation of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine,” May 11, TribLIVE). Where did he want these people to go? If they were so beloved, why weren’t they home...
Letter to the editor: Sports without fans would be fine
In his column “Sports without fans will be dreadful, and we all know it” (May 10, TribLIVE), John Steigerwald states that if fans can’t attend games, the NFL, NBA and NHL seasons should be canceled. I love sports but have many other interests, so I am not going through withdrawal...
Letter to the editor: Schools need librarians
Pennsylvania’s system to fund public education is inherently flawed, perpetuating disparities among communities and their constituents, most negatively impacting the youngest. Because property taxes factor so heavily into school budgets, it pushes the weight of responsibility onto the shoulders of those who have children attending school, but also those who...
Letter to the editor: PPE provided to abortion clinics?
“If you’re doing elective procedures, we’re not giving you any more PPE,” Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said on May 4. “If you have enough PPE to do important but not emergency procedures, then we’re not going to be pushing out PPE to that hospital.” I think a...
Letter to the editor: Why didn’t U.S. lock down during 2017-18 flu season?
A question every American should be asking is why the United States wasn’t locked down during the flu season of 2017-18. According to the CDC, the U.S. had 48.8 million cases, 959,000 hospitalizations and 79,400 flu-related deaths. James Beyerl Shaler...
Letter to the editor: We need to keep feeding children
The coronavirus has caused both a catastrophic health crisis and an economic one, pushing thousands of families into poverty and hunger here in Pennsylvania. Even in this crisis, we’ve been able to make sure children are still fed. Nationwide child nutrition waivers issued by the USDA gave school districts and...
Antony Davies and James Harrigan: Lessons from skateboarders’ civil disobedience
Pittsburgh Public Works Director Mike Gable made quite a splash recently when he ordered that the West Penn Skate Park in Polish Hill be filled with sand. He did this in reaction to people’s desire to use the skate park for its actual purpose: skateboarding. Speaking of the young people...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Paupers and kings and coronavirus
The danse macabre was a theme in medieval art that provided some comfort to regular folks during wars and plagues by portraying people from all walks of life dancing together towards their final resting place. It was clear then that death did not discriminate during a catastrophe. Aristocrats and paupers...
Editorial: Accounting for the way Wolf’s waivers went
More of Pennsylvania is getting back to business as Gov. Tom Wolf slowly turns the dial from red to yellow on counties locked down amid the coronavirus pandemic. But not every business was stopped from working in the past weeks. Some were deemed life-sustaining and were allowed to keep the...
Sounding off: Regulations not infringing on religion
Regarding the Rev. Tony Joseph’s letter "Government shouldn’t keep us from church": These are extraordinary times. For those of you who compare this virus with the flu, there is no comparison. This virus is new and more contagious than any other virus. It has killed more people in two months...
Letter to the editor: Thanks to volunteers feeding hungry in Freeport
When businesses and schools started shutting down with the covid-19 pandemic, Jackie Gaughan, Heidi Powell and 14 other volunteers stepped up to the plate, serving warm lunches weekdays at Nexthome Dynamic’s drive-thru window for people living in the Freeport area. This is not Jackie’s first rodeo. Over the past few...
Letter to the editor: Legacy of Trump the ‘wartime president’
Up to now, it has all been fun and games, voicing my opinion on President Trump and making friends, but enough is enough. People are dying. We all know you can’t trust China, but we should be able to trust the president of the United States. Trump made sure that...
Letter to the editor: Let your dog stop and smell the roses
People who yank their dogs along on walks instead of letting them stop and smell the roses (or anything else) are more than just a pain in the neck — they’re causing serious harm. According to a study recently published in Veterinary Record, the force from a light tug on...
Letter to the editor: Coronavirus & control
When I listen to the mainstream media, I notice that when they report deaths with respect to this pandemic, they carefully choose their words. They often say the death toll is (pick a number) with the covid-19 virus. They do not always say from the covid-19 virus. Are they crafting...
Letter to the editor: Safety more important than open churches
Well said, Edna Martorell (“Regulations not infringing on religion,” May 10, TribLIVE). I am stunned by the words of the Rev. Tony Joseph (“Government shouldn’t keep us from church,” May 4, TribLIVE). Despite over 1.3 million cases of coronavirus in our country, and an abundance of medical data on the...
Editorial: Penguins miss shot with arena development project in Lower Hill District
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. It’s an idea the Pittsburgh Penguins should find familiar. It speaks of big games and clutch performance, reaching for the stars and following through. Champions do the hard thing even though it’s hard, and the Pittsburgh Penguins have the Stanley Cup...
John Stossel: Too much help from government
Mother’s Day made me think how my mom warned me, as a young teen: “Work hard! Or you’ll freeze in the dark!” Sometimes, the warning ended, “Or you’ll starve in the cold.” She grew up during the Depression. She and her peers were sensibly worried about freezing in the dark....
Walter Williams: Let’s not waste a crisis
Former Barack Obama adviser Rahm Emanuel, during a recent interview, reminded us of his 2008 financial crisis quotation, “Never allow a crisis to go to waste.” The covid-19 pandemic has presented a wonderful opportunity for those of us who want greater control over our lives. Sadly, too many Americans have...
Jonah Goldberg: History not always written by winners
Attorney General William Barr ignited yet another firestorm last week by dismissing all charges against former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Then Barr threw more gas on the fire when Catherine Herridge of CBS asked him, “When history looks back on this decision, how do you think it will be...
Colin McNickle: Calling Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority to account
The long financially troubled and often politically hacked Pittsburgh Water & Sewer Authority (PWSA) faces a challenging road ahead as it attempts to cleanse its operations of past failures and meet new state oversight mandates, concludes an analysis by the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy. “(T)the scope of the PWSA’s...
