Opinion category, Page 709
Letter to the editor: Despite media’s messages, U.S. is doing well
I don’t understand why the television media keep creating problems that don’t exist. Is it because they want to divide us or is there some other reason? One problem is racism. Many of us grew up when there was actual racism, but our country is doing very well now. We...
Letter to the editor: Don’t use names of killers
Would the Trib consider not using the names of the idiots who decide (or “allegedly” decide) to take innocent lives? Maybe show their faces if you are worried about clicks, but I don’t think their names are pertinent information because they’ve given up their rights as humans. Just a thought....
Letter to the editor: Danish prime minister being childish
Recently, media outlets including The New York Times have printed articles about a minor dustup between Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and President Trump. The gist of these articles is that Trump overreacted to Frederiksen’s innocent comment that any idea about the purchase of Greenland, a semi-autonomous part of Denmark,...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Sept. 2
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Sept. 2....
Editorial cartoons for the week of Sept. 2
Editorial cartoons for the week of Sept. 2....
Tom Purcell: Americans, unite: The Martians are coming!
An invasion from outer space might do America some good. And maybe one’s coming? In June, Politico reported a top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee sought details from the Navy about pilots reporting an “unidentified aerial phenomenon” that appeared to defy the laws of physics and aerodynamics. The...
William Isler, Audrey Russo & Jake Witherell: Gap in nontraditional child care undermines economic growth
Kids love playing musical chairs. Around they go, and when the music stops, someone has a seat, and someone is standing. But Pennsylvania parents and employers are playing a real-life game of musical chairs, with devastating consequences. Nearly half of Pennsylvania families work in fields demanding evening, night-time and weekend...
Letter to the editor: Finding a cure for Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease affects an estimated 5.8 million Americans, including almost 300,000 in Pennsylvania. As the state’s older population grows, so does the number of individuals and families affected by this dreadful and costly disease. Alzheimer’s and other dementias are a growing global health problem that can only be solved through...
Letter to the editor: Liberal ‘vs.’ conservative
In her letter “Walter Williams’ op-ed misleading,” Aug. 20, TribLIVE), Laurie Lucianne Scheid wrote, “We (liberals) look in the mirror and ask ourselves if we know right from wrong.” I found this quote from Williams: “You have to evaluate the effects of public policy as opposed to intentions.” Isn’t this...
Letter to the editor: Both Democrats, Republicans need to get to work
How many places employ people at full pay that do not do their job? Well, I don’t know the answer myself, but the U.S. government is one of them. Isn’t it time the politicians, Republican and Democrat, get on with running the country and quit running their mouths? I love...
George Will: All-too-real parable of ‘privilege-hoarding’
WASHINGTON Nestled on the Front Range of the Rockies, the city of Crystal was a largely upper-middle-class paradise, chock full of health-conscious and socially conscious — meaning, of course, impeccably progressive —Coloradans. Then in slithered a serpent in the form of a proposal for a new school, to be called...
James Disantis: No ‘fix’ for delusional killers
I have worked as a licensed clinical social worker in the health/mental health field in a variety of settings for 40 years. Hopefully, with age has come some wisdom I would like to share. The “dirty little secret” no one will talk about is this: There is no successful mental...
Colin McNickle: Keeping an eye on police regionalization
Cheswick Borough and Springdale Township have joined forces to form Allegheny County’s second regional police force. And if the conclusions of a state study that led to the creation of the Allegheny Valley Regional Police Department come to fruition, it could be an operational and financial win-win for local taxpayers,...
Deena Flinchum: USMCA good deal for union workers
When members of Congress return from their August recess, they’ll face one of the most important decisions of their political careers — whether to ratify President Trump’s new trade deal with Canada and Mexico. The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) isn’t perfect, but it’s far better than NAFTA, the pact which...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Unions for America
By the time Fannie Sellins was killed outside a mine near Brackenridge on Aug. 26, 1919, the widowed mother of four children was already a veteran union organizer, a fierce fighter for the poor and a fearless picket-line marcher. Sellins’ life was celebrated last week in the Allegheny Valley at...
Letter to the editor: Heed musical wisdom, turn off your screens
In 1973, there were three TV channels and the average “screens” per household were rarely more than one. That same year, Frank Zappa released “I’m The Slime,” prophetically warning about “vile and pernicious slime oozin’ out from your TV set.” By 1979, average screens per household had doubled, and The...
Letter to the editor: Reach out to show seniors they’re valued
I’d like to recognize the incredible kindness of Dylan Tetil, who took a few moments out of his busy schedule to chat with a lonely elderly man (“Rostraver Eat’n Park waiter serves up simple act of kindness to WWII veteran,” Aug. 19, TribLIVE). Thanks also to Lisa Meilander, who witnessed...
Walter Williams: Slavery & our ‘democracy’
The New York Times has begun a major initiative, the “1619 Project,” to observe the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. It aims to reframe American history so that slavery and the contributions of black Americans explain who we are as a nation. Nikole Hannah-Jones, staff writer for...
John Stossel: In Africa, bad law keeps people poor
Why does most of Africa stay poor while other parts of the world prosper? People blame things like climate, the history of colonialism, racism, etc. But I say Senegalese businesswoman Magatte Wade gives the right explanation: too many rules. “Once you hire someone, good luck getting rid of them for...
Letter to the editor: Walter Williams’ racism
Did letter-writer Laurie Lucianne Scheid actually suggest that black columnist Walter Williams was racist because of his op-ed regretting how easy it is to be labeled racist (“Walter Williams’ op-ed misleading,” Aug. 20, TribLIVE)? She sure proved him wrong. Thomas Wagner Murrysville...
Letter to the editor: Reschenthaler & our elections
It is plain to see from his op-ed (“Mueller show’s over; it’s time to move on,” Aug. 7, TribLIVE) that my representative, Guy Reschenthaler, does not believe that a) the Russians compromised our 2016 presidential election; b) the confirmation of our nation’s 17 intelligence agencies that the Russians had compromised...
Letter to the editor: Do homework to see who’s lying
How do so many of your thoughtful, well-meaning letter-writers come to such opposite hyper partisan conclusions? Your July 31 letter headlines were typical: “Overcoming the Trump mistake,” “Dems’ racist rhetoric,” “Mueller vs. Trump: Who to believe?” We are being unduly and selectively influenced by the confusing and repetitive, and even...
Judy Butler & Adriane Fugh-Berman: Opioids are still overprescribed
A new government report found that although naloxone prescriptions have increased substantially in recent years, prescription rates are still too low. Naloxone, a drug that temporarily reverses the effects of opioids, can help prevent overdose deaths and should be prescribed with all high-dose opioid prescriptions. According to the Centers for...
Lori Falce: The death penalty shouldn’t be easy
I struggle with the death penalty. I want to be the kind of person who feels forgiveness in my heart and embraces the redemptive possibility of prison. I’m not. I’d like to feel the certainty of those who are all-in on the eye-for-an-eye aspects of capital punishment. I’m not there...
Laurels & lances: Scholarship, soil, support and snow
Laurel: To sharing a life and a loss. The family of Terry Ranieri lost him to cancer last week, and that was a hard blow for them. We previously applauded the band for supporting Ranieri in his final days. Now we acknowledge the Ranieri family’s reciprocation. Knowing that Ranieri, a...
