Opinion category, Page 642
Letter to the editor: Federal government doing great job
In Michael DiVittorio’s article “6 employees at Smithfield Foods plant in Arnold test positive for coronavirus” (April 13, TribLIVE), union president Wendell Young was quoted as saying, “We wish we had better guidance out of the federal government.” Where have you been, Wendell? The federal government created the Coronavirus Task...
Letter to the editor: The Trump circus
I read letters stating how President Trump restricted travel in January. It was Jan. 31, and he never stopped flights. He stopped people in China from flying here, but Americans, dual citizens and permanent residents still could fly here. Travel from Europe was not restricted until mid-March, even though Italy...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: The leader we need
Mr. President, people need your help right now. This is not the time for you to remind us how you “cut off” China at the end of January or how “people are surprised” that you understand the medical issues surrounding the pandemic. You are constantly trying to play catch-up, instead...
Letter to the editor: Parties should join together, not blame
The editorial page often includes opposing “pro Trump” letters that approve the president’s policies and results and “blame Trump” letters that attack him but offer few solutions. Many hate what he says, not what he has done. Some letter-writers twist the president’s words out of context and echo the Democratic...
Walter Williams: Benefits vs. costs & covid-19
One of the first lessons in an economics class is everything has a cost. That’s in stark contrast to lessons in the political arena where politicians talk about free stuff. In our personal lives, decision-making involves weighing costs against benefits. Businessmen make the same calculation if they want to stay...
Editorial: Is cutting polls smart in pandemic?
As a nation, we spend a lot of time telling people to get out and vote. As a news organization, we do, too. We want people to be informed about issues, aware of implications and prepared for the decisions they are about to make. But more than anything, we want...
Drs. Terence S. Dermody & Mark Gladwin: Thanks to Pittsburgh for leadership in covid-19 crisis
Terence S. Dermody, M.D., is the Vira I. Heinz Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and physician-in-chief and scientific director at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Mark Gladwin, M.D., is the Jack D. Myers Distinguished Professor and chair of...
Kelly Dickey: Covid-19 & the USPS
Our country is facing an unprecedented situation. We are all anxious to see what awaits us in the next weeks and months, and what life after will be like. It is the essential workers who are trying to bring normality to our lives, ensuring our hospitals stay open and we...
Letter to the editor: Find the good & uplifiting during difficult time
If you want a mental pick-me-up in these trying times, take a drive or a walk and view all that “Mom Nature” has done to cheer us up this spring. The flowers, trees and shrubs are all in bloom and gorgeous to behold. Another thing to keep yourself less stressed:...
Letter to the editor: Keep the free press free
As if we don’t have enough laws and regulations limiting our freedom and open-ended society, along come some politicians seeking to further erode the precious constitutional right to a free press. Although its premise describes a change in the manner in which we receive our news, the change is no...
Lori Falce: How do you say no to your mom?
My mother called me to ask if I had plans for the weekend. Being that it is a pandemic and there are no movies to attend or restaurants to patronize or museums to visit, no, I do not. “Great,” she said. “I can come see you.” It hurt to tell...
Paul Kengor: This isn’t the flu! On covid-19’s virulence & politics
Covid-19 is the real deal — a virulent killer. Unfortunately, that’s not the view of many of my conservative friends, including those protesting in Harrisburg and with megaphones on talk radio and Fox News. I’m not going to call them out by name. It’s not necessary. Everyone is hearing such...
Laurels & lances: Recover, release, rescue, return
Laurel: To getting better. Coronavirus is most dangerous to our older population. It’s most risky for those with other health problems, like cancer or diabetes. But that doesn’t mean it is a death sentence for them, even when they are seriously ill. James Toth, 89, and Yvonne Demagall, 92, are...
Jonah Goldberg: Quarantine protesters no heroes of civil disobedience
Our culture has a wonderful way of taking controversial or partisan figures and weaving them into the broader story of America. When Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, for example, his secretary of war, Edwin Stanton, purportedly said, “Now he belongs to the ages,” which was a way of saying that the...
Dan Heit: Funding must continue to ensure help for abused children
Dan Heit founded JusticeWorks YouthCare in 1999 and serves as its CEO. JusticeWorks YouthCare serves families within the child welfare system and youth on juvenile probation. We also operate alternative high schools for students with behavioral problems. Based in Pittsburgh, we work in 45 counties throughout Pennsylvania. Just as nurses,...
John Ash: Preparing for the worst
In the early 1900s, Spanish-American scholar, philosopher and humanist George Santayana wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” His five volumes of “The Life of Reason: Introduction and Reason in Common Sense” rank as one of the greatest works in modern philosophical history. That well-known...
Letter to the editor: When will risk be low enough?
A framework for reopening was offered by the federal government to the states based on a decreasing number of new coronavirus cases over a 14-day period. I haven’t seen a trigger number for this process to begin. There should be a certain number of cases that allow health officials to...
Letter to the editor: Coming together is the American way
Letter-writer Dave Majernik (“Hysteria shouldn’t kill our economy”) asked why we lock down for coronavirus when we don’t lock down for other fatal diseases. It’s not rocket science. Think contagion. If we all go back to work with some of us infected, 10,000 sick turn into 100,000 sick, and then...
Letter to the editor: If liquor stores can open, why not other Pa. businesses?
The decision to allow some Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores to reopen (“Pennsylvania to reopen some liquor stores for curbside sales”) is good news. Common sense is prevailing when it comes to this shutdown. Yes, many businesses can open with enhanced procedures in place. But after it sank in,...
Letter to the editor: Year-round resort would boost Ligonier Valley
Earlier this year, Ligonier Township manager and zoning administrator Terry Carcella said township officials are making plans for the Ligonier Beach property (“Ligonier Township committee to consider plan for reopening Ligonier Beach,” Jan. 7, TribLIVE). One possibility mentioned was a master comprehensive parks, recreational and open space plan that could...
Letter to the editor: Shutting down not way to deal with virus
Coronavirus has caused huge numbers of small businesses here in Pittsburgh to close. Inventories are spoiling, families are being torn apart and countless other disruptions have overwhelmed our society. We cannot shut down our country every time there is a virus outbreak. We have thousands of interlocking parts that must...
Editorial: Nursing home data key to covid-19 response
Testing and tracking. Those are the two things that will make it possible to get out of the black hole of coronavirus lockdowns. The state needs to know not just who is sick. It needs to know who is infected and not sick. That’s the testing part, and that is...
Harry Hochheiser: Earth Day in the time of coronavirus
This is not how anyone expected to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. With the world on a coronavirus lockdown, planned celebrations join events from all walks of life in the canceled column, with Earth Day, like everything else, going virtual. For those of us who are alarmed about...
Letter to the editor: Contempt for Trump irresponsible
I could only laugh at how some “environmental warriors” can’t let a good crisis go to waste, especially letter-writer Hana Koob (“We need candidates who respect science,” April 16, TribLIVE). Funny how some have to proclaim their view of science (without providing any firm basis or reference) is the only...
Letter to the editor: Celebrate Earth Day by reducing meat, dairy consumption
With the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, we are already reducing our carbon footprint during the pandemic by curtailing travel. But we can do so much more by cutting our consumption of animal meat and milk products. Yes, that. A recent article in the respected journal Nature...
