Opinion category, Page 660
Pat Buchanan: Establishment’s ultimatum — scuttle Bernie
After Joe Biden’s blowout victory in South Carolina Saturday and the swift withdrawal of Tom Steyer, “Mayor Pete” Buttigieg and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Super Tuesday is the decisive day of the race for the Democratic nomination. Fourteen states — including California and Texas and delegate-rich Colorado, North Carolina and Virginia...
Letter to the editor: Alice in Wonderland defense
Here’s a case study for budding defense lawyers in any law school. It’s called the “Alice in Wonderland” defense: Defense: My client didn’t do it. Prosecution: But he admitted that he did. Defense: Well, OK he did it, but … there was no quid pro quo. Prosecution: Actually, there was...
Editorial: Strip District defined by history
Pittsburgh is not a city that objects to a little industrialism. In fact, there may be no city built on industrialism quite the way Pittsburgh was. It wasn’t just a city where things were made. It was a city that made it possible for things to be made in other...
Letter to the editor: Giant Eagle’s double-coupon decision
It has finally happened. Giant Eagle stores are no longer doubling manufacturers’ coupons, citing “industry trends towards eCoupons and digital offers.” In other words, Giant Eagle is discriminating against anyone who doesn’t have a computer and anyone who doesn’t have the ability to print coupons from the internet. Those of...
Letter to the editor: Allegheny County Health Department must ensure clean air
Now that the details related to the settlement agreement between U.S. Steel and the Allegheny County Health Department are final, it’s time for ACHD to fulfill two promises: Updating coke oven regulations and devising a plan to combat weather-exacerbated air pollution events. It’s no secret Allegheny County has an air...
Dr. Carol J. Fox: How to prevent the spread and protect our community against coronavirus
Coronavirus — specifically the strain that causes covid-19 — has dominated our news cycles in recent days. We learn daily of increasing numbers of individuals who have been infected. At this writing, there are only two presumed positive cases in Pennsylvania, but we do need to be prepared for the...
Editorial: The people have a right to know
Elected officials are still employees. A mayor may not be answerable to a council member. The governor might not have to get the attorney general to approve his vacation. The president doesn’t have to get Congress to approve a sick day. But all of them were elected to do a...
Tom Purcell: No laughing matter
At least Michael Bloomberg gave it a try. Having done poorly in his first Democratic presidential candidate debate, he joked during the Feb. 25 debate in South Carolina that he was surprised the other candidates showed up — because he “did such a good job beating them last week.” His...
Jonah Goldberg: Bernie gives too much credit to authoritarianism
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the front-runner for the Democratic nomination for president, is praised by his admirers for being consistent. He’s been saying the same things for 40 years, they explain — as if this is an obvious compliment. I think that’s kind of weird. But I also like it...
Samir Lakhani: The simple power of soap
Sometimes the simplest acts make the biggest impact. Take handwashing with soap. It’s proven by researchers to reduce the presence of harmful bacteria by 92%, according to researchers at the National Institute of Health. I run a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit charity called Eco-Soap Bank — and our sole mission is to...
Letter to the editor: If unborn could vote, Democrats wouldn’t stand chance
Just a thought: If unborn infants could vote, a Democrat couldn’t be elected dog catcher, let alone president of the United States. Joseph Marmo Chewick...
Letter to the editor: School taxes are unjust
Regarding Barbara Markle’s letter “Property taxes ruin seniors’ ‘golden years’ ”: Yes! You paid taxes and now don’t have any kids in school — very unjust. How about those of us who never had kids? My husband and I have owned homes since 1959, thus paying taxes all these years. Add...
Letter to the editor: Advice for Harvey Weinstein
Fear not, felon rapist and serial abuser of women, Harvey Weinstein! The door to freedom may lie before you! Here is the proven winning strategy: Immediately after you are sentenced to what is certain to be a lengthy prison term, have your attorneys appear on Fox News for an interview...
Letter to the editor: Greensburg Salem kindergarten policy
Having asked Lenni Nedley, coordinator of elementary education, federal programs and instruction for the Greensburg Salem School District, to clarify the district’s recent decision to move the kindergarten cutoff date from the widely accepted Sept. 1 to Aug. 1, she referred me to Section 1304 of the Pennsylvania School Code....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of March 2
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of March 2....
Editorial cartoons for the week of March 2
Editorial cartoons for the week of March 2....
Zachary Yost: When will Pennsylvanians stop being bilked for milk?
Over 200 years ago, the great Scottish economist Adam Smith warned: “People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices.” Although Smith wrote these words so long ago, he...
Colin McNickle: Pa.’s gambling dichotomy
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reports that total gambling revenues increased by 4.5% in 2019 over 2018. The gain did not reflect any increase in the number of people playing traditional slot machines but rather the expansion of gaming options, scholars at the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy note. However,...
Letter to the editor: Al Gore, Jerry Brown could beat Trump
This might sound crazy, but I wish Al Gore or Jerry Brown would seek the Democratic Party nomination for president. I believe both of them could beat President Trump. They are both well known for being very knowledgeable about the environment, and are just what future generations need as we...
Letter to the editor: Let’s try common sense in politics
Enough already! The election is over and the impeachment is, too. Now can everybody grow up and shut up? All this name-calling has to stop. Speak your mind at the next election and then shut up again — no names or insults to anyone regardless of who wins or loses....
Letter to the editor: Reducing litter, keeping America beautiful
Regarding the article “Study: Pa. roads average 1,030 litter items per mile”: I have done my best to keep a stretch of rural road near my home free of litter. I pick up beer and pop cans, cigarette butts, plastic bottles, and bags from convenience stores and fast-food restaurants. Trash...
Philip Ameris: Don’t expect labor’s endorsement after opposing blue-collar jobs
Pennsylvania’s battleground status draws attention to endorsements ranging from the presidential to the local level. The Allegheny-Fayette Central Labor Council, of which the Western Pennsylvania Laborers’ District Council is an affiliate, recently announced its statewide endorsements. In House District 34, the council endorsed Chris Roland, the Democratic challenger to Democratic...
Peter Morici: Trump the moderate in 2020
Washington has a way of capturing presidents more than they conquer its bureaucracy — in current parlance, President Trump has become an alligator more than he has drained the swamp. Whether it’s Sanders, Warren, Klobuchar, Buttigieg, Bloomberg or Biden, the country will get a choice between a defender of the...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Facts are stubborn things
Americans have become far too familiar with the big lie. It is usually used to cover up a devastating truth or to sell us some public policy that was dreamed up by ideologues or business tycoons. By the time the last Americans were airlifted out of Vietnam in 1975, nearly...
Drew Johnson: America shows how to fight climate change without regulation
Speaking at the United Nations in December, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi drew cheers by saying the United States was “still in” the Paris climate agreement. Green activists applauded Pelosi’s defense of the international climate accord, which President Trump has vowed to exit. They claim remaining in the Paris Agreement will...
