Opinion category, Page 650
Letter to the editor: Gov. Cuomo would be good Democratic candidate
Even though I am a Trump supporter, I hope Democrats are watching N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo giving his daily summary. He is the real deal. President Trump will wipe out Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders — not even close. Cuomo would be a formidable candidate, causing Trump serious problems. He...
Letter to the editor: God gives us tools to fight covid-19
Regarding the the Word of Life Church gathering “Hempfield church pastor apologizes for open services on Sunday,” March 23, TribLIVE): I am reminded of the story of a man who was waiting for God to save him from an impending flood. He was offered a way out by a neighbor’s...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Americans deserve better from our leadership
Talking politics at a time like this is tricky, but politics has made the coronavirus more deadly, and it will take politics to bring us back after the death and destruction passes. Until last week, when Donald Trump had to cave and show that he had been wrong all along...
Paul Bojarski: I miss the alone
While most of the world is struggling with the issues that come from staying home from work — the loneliness, the lack of interaction with co-workers, the quiet — I am struggling with something else: I miss being alone. I miss the alone that comes with working from my home...
Editorial: Be shocked, but not surprised, by massive unemployment
The numbers are exploding as more people are affected by the coronavirus epidemic. Not just the number of people who are diagnosed with the disease, now topping a million worldwide and 266,000 in the United States. Not just the number of people who have died — some 7,000 nationally and...
Douglas Morris: All American workers deserve military benefits
Right now every American worker is on the front lines of the war against a lethal viral pathogen, especially U.S. nurses, doctors and other medical personnel. So are our retail, food service, delivery and transportation workers, as well as many others who earn a low minimum wage without any benefits....
Sounding off: Church members put us all at risk
I was truly believing we were all coming together to quell this coronavirus. I was seeing less traffic and more people heeding the advice of our officials and our medical professionals. Then, the news that 200 people congregated together at Word of Life Church on March 22 (“About 200 attend...
Lawrence McCullough: Restarting Pittsburgh’s arts economy
In late summer of 1606, one of the liveliest theater seasons London, England, had known was abruptly shut down by the sudden onset of bubonic plague. When public entertainments were allowed to resume almost two years later in April 1608, several drama companies that had flourished pre-plague were nowhere to...
Letter to the editor: News sources for the informed, uninformed
Letter-writer Richard Boley (“Politics & covid-19 pandemic decisions,” March 26, TribLIVE) states that President Trump’s supporters who “probably can be called ‘uninformed’ ” can get their information from Fox News “if they need further assurance” beyond Trump. I guess “informed” Richard Boley gets all his excellent news from CNN. Bill...
Letter to the editor: Cruise ship passengers must be sequestered
As a former medical readiness officer who advised three chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the secretary of Defense at the Pentagon on biological, chemical and nuclear warfare during 9/11, I once made the same decision as our Coast Guard on sequestering a ship transporting infected passengers. To...
Letter to the editor: Do your part & keep us all safe
When you are going about your daily life in this age of the coronavirus pandemic, please remember your letter carrier, who comes to your mailbox every day. Take time to sanitize that mailbox: Mix a half-cup of bleach in water (a half or full gallon) and use it to wipe...
Letter to the editor: Seeing Trump for what he truly is
In late February, President Trump said the Democrats’ “new hoax” was claiming the White House was doing a bad job in response to the coronavirus. As late as the first week of March, he was claiming there was little to be concerned about in our country. Now that he has...
Letter to the editor: Hopeful treatments for covid-19
Tests by many have given great hope that hydroxycholorquine and also in combination with Z-Pak (azithromycin) will help patients tremendously. There are trials starting, and the CEO of pharmaceutical Novartis just said this: “Preclinical studies in animals, as well as the first data from clinical studies, show that hydroxychloroquine kills...
Letter to the editor: We’re bailing out corporations — again
There is one part of the $2.2 trillion stimulus that worries me: the $500 billion bailout to large corporations. They are partially responsible for today’s problems. For the last decade, large corporations have had record profits while paying little in taxes. They have reduced our manufacturing capabilities and decimated the...
Antony Davies & James Harrigan: Making trade-offs during covid-19 crisis
Last week’s initial jobless claims, which tally up the number of people applying for unemployment benefits for the first time, were horrifying. The numbers present bad news and worse news. But if we can see through the devastating haze that is our economy, there might be some good news on...
John Stossel: Unsung heroes are innovating during covid-19 crisis
Congress passed and the president signed a $2 trillion “stimulus” bill. “Not enough!” shrieked politicians. They said the government must do more. They demanded President Donald Trump reactivate the Defense Production Act, a 1950 law that lets government force companies to make things. Trump hesitated. That upset lovers of big...
Walter Williams: Managing a disaster
I’m not sure whether covid-19, first identified in Wuhan, China, in the U.S. qualifies as a true disaster. Putting the disease in perspective, we might look at current influenza illnesses. According to Centers for Disease Control estimates, between Oct. 1, 2019, and March 14, 2020, there have been 390,000 to...
Keith Williams: System-focused bureaucracy is tying teachers’ hands
Anyone who has stood in front of a classroom knows: You must adapt to succeed. The coronavirus crisis has proven that flexibility is king when it comes to essential skills for teachers. Like the rest of us, teachers are being forced to adapt to statewide school closures and local quarantines....
Editorial: A glimpse of hope in Pitt’s covid-19 vaccine trial
Good news came out of Pittsburgh on Thursday. It came in the form of a fingertip-sized innovation with miniature needles made of sugar and virus proteins. It might be the vaccine that protects millions from the novel coronavirus pandemic. And it has been developed at the University of Pittsburgh School...
Kim Stolfer & Klint Macro: Law-abiding citizens’ gun rights
In his op-ed “Congratulations on your new gun. Now lock it up.” (March 25, TribLIVE), Rep. Dan Frankel shows his contempt for the individuals who have decided to exercise their right to defend themselves and those they love. As professional firearm instructors, we teach that a firearm that is out...
Nuket Curran: Telemedicine a powerful tool in coronavirus pandemic
Nuket Curran, a doctor of physical therapy, lives in Shaler. She is director of compliance at Phoenix Rehabilitation and Health Services (phoenixrehab.com). Coronavirus has changed our lives completely. Each day we are making the choice to not to see anyone in person and rely on digital technology to connect with...
Letter to the editor: Beer essential, school not?
Let me make sure I have this right: Beer distribution is an essential service, but K-12 education is not? Thomas Comini Sewickley Township...
Letter to the editor: Relieved that dentists can now provide care
It was a great sense of relief to many that the Pennsylvania Department of Health came to its senses and is allowing Pennsylvania dentists to reopen their offices to care for patients who are experiencing dental emergencies. It’s too bad we were shut down in the first place, causing untold...
Letter to the editor: Trump needs to take action on supplies
Why isn’t President Trump implementing a plan for mass production of supplies badly needed by medical professionals and medical facilities? Shouldn’t that have been considered foremost on his agenda in order to protect doctors, nurses, aides and those already afflicted by the coronavirus? Asking companies to donate their supplies of...
Letter to the editor: Why Americans support Trump
Shame on letter-writer Anthony Cortazzo Jr. (“Reasons for Trump support,” March 12, TribLIVE). He states as “possible reasons” certain voters support Trump is that they are “deaf, intellectually disabled and blind.” This is hate speech. How does name-calling solve anything? I think this is discrimination. The Americans with Disabilities Act,...
