Opinion category, Page 687
Cal Thomas: Whatever happened to teaching history?
According to a report by the National Assessment of Education Progress , the teaching of U.S. history to American students lags behind all other subject matters. The latest NAEP survey finds that proficiency levels for fourth-, eighth- and 12th-grade students are in the 20th, 18th and 12th percentile, respectively. Part...
Editorial: Gift limits are good policy
As Black Friday approaches, everyone is thinking about gifts. Kids. Parents. Department store Santas. And state representatives. On Tuesday, the Pennsylvania House State Government Committee unanimously approved an annual limit on what a public official, employee or candidate can receive. The value of limiting gifts should be obvious for anyone...
‘Harmful therapy ban’ bill would allow minors to pursue their own therapy goals
In March, Allegheny County Councilman Paul Klein proposed a so-called “conversion therapy” ordinance that would ban “any attempt” by a mental health care provider to assist an individual who seeks help managing their same-sex attractions or gender identity/expression. This blanket counseling ban would include efforts to “change behaviors” or to...
Letter to the editor: Trump will make America even greater
Why are Democrats so hell-bent on removing our president from office 12 months from the next election? If he is the most miserable, lying, racist, sexist, homophobic, communist-loving, American-hating, power-hungry devil who ever walked the Earth, won’t the voters remove him? Therein lies their problem: The people will not reject...
Letter to the editor: Presidential accomplishments
President Donald John Trump loves to boast that his administration has accomplished more than any other in our storied past. OK. But may we take a stroll down history lane? Thomas Jefferson subdued the Barbary pirates, authorized the Lewis and Clark expedition, and negotiated the Louisiana Purchase. James Polk extended...
Pat Buchanan: What’s behind our world on fire?
When the wildfires of California broke out across the Golden State, many were the causes given. Negligence by campers. Falling power lines. Arson. A dried-out land. Climate change. Failure to manage forests, prune trees and clear debris, leaving fuel for blazes ignited. Abnormally high winds spreading the flames. Too many...
Vince Mercuri: Establishing boundaries
Quite often, even before we awake each morning, it begins to happen: The guideposts that define our behaviors and interactions start to present themselves. Alarms, schedules, tasks, timelines, speed limits, job descriptions, appointments, etc. — many typical expectations and dos and don’ts provide the external boundaries for our internal conduct...
Editorial: Judge is right on Toner Trust
Robbing Peter to pay Paul is a familiar saying. It refers to the idea of meeting one obligation at the expense of something else. Pay your light bill by putting off a credit card payment. Buy gas with the grocery money. Use the Christmas savings to take care of the...
Letter to the editor: Bills will help lower prescription drug costs
It’s time to lower prescription drug costs in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania’s Medicaid program is paying billions more than it should for prescription drugs, due to the growing influence of pharmacy benefit managers. Designed to save Medicaid dollars, PBMs have seen their payments from the commonwealth increase by more than $1 billion...
Letter to the editor: Pirates fans beware
With 2020 approaching, so is another season at PNC Park. The new schedule is out, along with new ticket plans and promotional schedules. Pirates fans beware: Don’t get caught in the bobblehead and “Free Shirt Friday” traps that “Trapper Bob” Nutting lures his prey into. He can set traps that...
Jonah Goldberg: Shaking down the rich is bad for democracy
Forget whether the math works. (It doesn’t.) Expecting billionaires to pay for all the nice things is bad for democracy. One of the more exhausting rituals of presidential campaign season is the effort to make every new proposal “add up.” Sure, it’s better that politicians try to come up with...
Tom Purcell: Let’s talk this Thanksgiving
America could use a good food fight this Thanksgiving. Every day in our country, factions grow and battle lines harden. Americans are spending more time with like-minded people, their “tribes,” and less with people holding differing viewpoints, those “Neanderthals hell-bent on destroying the country.” Technology has widened our divide. Social...
Editorial: Kids shouldn’t suffer for politics
Kids need homes. A kid doesn’t necessarily need a smartphone or a new game system or a puppy, though those might all be on a wish list. But there are basics, like a roof and a door and clothes and food that are non-negotiable. There are things like love and...
Editorial: Give thanks for food bank grants
The shopping lists are being made. There’s the turkey. You’ll need the stuff to make the stuffing. Potatoes, of course — both sweet and starchy. The cranberry sauce that might not get eaten at all but still somehow seems necessary. Pies, lots of pies, but with whipped cream or ice...
Letter to the editor: Trust NASA on global warming
If you’re still not sure who to believe about global warming, NASA has a website devoted to the subject. You can access the site by Googling “NASA global warming.” There are good reasons why one might trust NASA’s information. They literally are “rocket scientists,” and please recall that 50 years...
Letter to the editor: Help out Alzheimer’s caregivers
Alzheimer’s disease is devastating — not only for the more than 5 million Americans living with the disease, but also for the more than 16 million family and friends serving as caregivers. The caregiving needs for someone living with Alzheimer’s are extensive and increase over time – on average four...
Letter to the editor: Pro-life candidates succeed
After the election I was scared to find out how the candidates we identified on the LifePAC flyer as pro-life had done. I knew that only one of two Superior Court candidates won and that Allegheny County did poorly, and even my township conservatives did poorly. But my initial fears...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Nov. 18
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Nov. 18....
Editorial cartoons for the week of Nov. 18
Editorial cartoons for the week of Nov. 18....
S.E. Cupp: Senate vote could offer up some surprises
At a time when politics has become less and less about governing and increasingly, well, about politics, last week is perhaps the penultimate illustration. Last week the testimony began in President Trump’s impeachment inquiry, and the nation is watching as members of Congress from both sides of the aisle perform...
Dan Hensley: Community-based programs help passionate learners
According to experts — and a famous ratio — 90% of how we learn is considered informal learning. That’s because 70% of how we learn is from experience and 20% is from peers. The other 10% is through self-directed learning. Add it all up and you have the 70:20:10 ratio,...
Letter to the editor: All news, Fox, too, should be factual
I am puzzled by the question Jon Herby asked in his letter “Fox News & factual news” (Oct. 19, TribLIVE): “Does letter-writer Michael Bitterice include Fox News in his opinion of ‘factual news’?” In my letter ”Media’s bias is dangerous” (Oct. 16, TribLIVE), I offered no opinion on “factual news”...
Letter to the editor: GOP holding up bills that will help Americans
I am ashamed of Pennsylvanians. I am embarrassed at their ignorance. There are so many levels to this stupidity. For example: There are a number of bills passed by the House and sitting in the Senate where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refuses to bring them up for a vote. These...
Letter to the editor: Send Jane Fonda back to Vietnam
Hanoi Jane Fonda is protesting climate change. A simple solution: Move to Vietnam and enjoy a tropical climate. I know she has a lot of friends there. I don’t think she is broke and cannot afford to move, but I also know many Vietnam vets will take up a collection...
Letter to the editor: Celebrating public schools
The week of Nov. 18 we celebrate American Education Week, a great opportunity to appreciate the amazing public-school educators and support professionals who work hard every day to prepare our students for future success. Our educators introduce students to the wonders of reading. They teach them to reason with numbers...
