Opinion category, Page 738
Letter to the editor: Suggestions for new laws for Pennsylvania
The following was sent to Gov. Tom Wolf: Dear Sir, As our Pennsylvania state governor, please consider the following laws that would benefit the voting citizens of Pennsylvania: 1. Voting citizens 65 years of age and older can vote via mail if they choose without having a medical problem or...
Editorial cartoons for the week of May 20
Editorial cartoons for the week of May 20....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of May 20
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of May 20....
Timothy L. O’Brien: Wouldn’t you like to know if Trump can be bribed?
President Donald Trump, courtesy of the Office of Government Ethics, gave the public its annual look at his business holdings on Thursday afternoon. According to Trump’s personal financial disclosure form, his boutique portfolio of golf courses, hotels, real estate and other ventures had revenue of at least $435 million in...
Ken Jennings: I’m rooting for James Holzhauer
When James Holzhauer returns to “Jeopardy!” on Monday night after a two-week hiatus, he will already be the second-longest-running contestant in the venerable quiz show’s history. During his 22-game winning streak, he has amassed almost $1.7 million, getting within spitting distance of the $2.5 million all-time cash record. All right,...
Michelle Malkin: Harvard’s insatiable identity-politics cannibals
I have no love for left-wing, Hillary-promoting Hollywood producer and accused #MeToo villain Harvey Weinstein. Nor am I a fan of those who perpetrated the cop-bashing “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” fiction involving social justice martyr Michael Brown. But I do strongly believe that a grave injustice has been committed by...
Editorial: Elected officials need to show up
OK, prospective office holders. Let’s think about this. You’re about to take a step toward holding a real responsibility. If you go through the primary process on Tuesday, you could win nomination and move on to the general election in the fall. You could end up as a leader of...
Letter to the editor: Abstinence is control
In response to Georgia’s “heartbeat” bill, pro-abortion activist and occasional actress Alyssa Milano has exhorted her social media followers to engage in a #sexstrike. “Our reproductive rights,” says she, “are being erased. Until women have legal control over their bodies we just cannot risk pregnancy.” Apparently, abstinence is the sole...
Letter to the editor: Schlaugh, Caldwell proven leaders in Plum
Letter-writer Megan Reck claims claims her family moved to Plum with the hope that her kids would be able to attend quality schools (“Changes needed on Plum school board,” May 14, TribLIVE). Well, at least partially due to Steve Schlauch and Sue Caldwell’s leadership on the Plum School Board, we...
Michael MacDowell: A Brexit report from the front
Though not intentional, our trips to Ireland and the United Kingdom bookended the Brexit dilemma. We visited Ireland June 23, 2016 when the U.K. voted to leave the EU and ironically were in London March 29 when that exit was to occur. It didn’t, and so the debate continues, and...
Letter to the editor: Stopping school shootings
The NRA called yesterday. It was my choice not to answer the phone; however, yesterday was different. I was listening to the news regarding the Colorado school shooting and firsthand accounts from students. I opted to answer the phone knowing it was the NRA. I asked how could they call...
George Will: Blaine paid steep price for bigotry, but children shouldn’t have to
WASHINGTON — Republican James G. Blaine (1830-1893) was a House speaker, senator and two-time secretary of State, but he is remembered, if at all, for this doggerel: “Blaine, Blaine, James G. Blaine/ the continental liar from the state of Maine.” His lasting legacy, however, is even more disreputable than his...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Joe Biden may be antidote for those sick of fighting
“I think if you look at Joe’s record, and you look at my record, I don’t think there’s much question about who’s more progressive,” Bernie Sanders recently said on ABC’s “This Week.” And, if that’s how America sees it, that could be a good thing for Joe Biden as he...
Antony Davies & James Harrigan: Peduto’s equity office more business as usual
Mayor Bill Peduto is rebranding the city’s Bureau of Neighborhood Empowerment. It will henceforth be known as the Office of Equity, and will be headed by a chief equity officer. This sounds all well and good, but raises a number of questions, not the least of which is what kinds...
G. Terry Madonna & Michael Young: Choices overwhelming for Pennsylvania voters
Government in Pennsylvania can seem underwhelming sometimes: The lack of a responsive Legislature comes to mind, as does a baffling irrational and inefficient tax system, an indifferently maintained highway system, and a structural framework better fitted to the 19th century than the 21st. But there is one arena where the...
David Hickton: Don’t nickel & dime Pennsylvania’s democracy
The front lines of today’s cyberwarfare battles are not just at Fort Meade. They are in Allegheny County’s Elections Division. And in Erie County. And Butler County. And Indiana County. And all across Pennsylvania. Our elections — and the integrity of your vote — are under threat from nation-state adversaries....
Sounding off: Not vaccinating has consequences
Many readers, politicians and media types do not understand that freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences. Yes, we live in a country with many freedoms and the right to exercise those freedoms. But there are consequences, both good and bad, for exercising those freedoms. Colin Kaepernick exercised...
Editorial: Trickle-up voting can change government
The message is the same before every primary, and every general election. Get out and vote. It’s important. It’s how our system functions. We need to have voters participate in order to have representative government. The people who make the decisions have to be the ones who the voters have...
Letter to the editor: Remembering Tim Conway
I had the privilege and thrill of attending a “Carol Burnett Show” reunion show taping in Hollywood in August 2001. The whole cast was assembled, including the beloved Tim Conway, one of the great comedians of our day. My wife and I managed to be seated in the front row....
Letter to the editor: Thanks for helping Stamp Out Hunger
Stamp Out Hunger Westmoreland County Food Bank appreciates all the hard work by the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) during the 27th annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive held May 11 across the nation. We recognize that it is not easy for them to deliver mail and collect food...
Letter to the editor: With abortion outlawed, who will take care of the babies?
“Heartbeat ban” is an attempt to outlaw abortion. At least 15 states to date are trying to enact laws that ban abortion as early as six weeks of gestation or when a heartbeat can be heard. Most women don’t even know they are pregnant six weeks into a pregnancy. My...
Walter Williams: Fixing higher education in America
Richard Vedder’s new book, “Restoring the Promise,” published by the Independent Institute based in Oakland, Calif., is about the crisis in higher education. Vedder, distinguished professor emeritus of economics at Ohio University, summarizes the three major problems faced by America’s colleges and universities. First, our universities “are vastly too expensive,...
John Stossel: Sex ‘trafficking’ panic
When police charged New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft with soliciting prostitution, the press said the police rescued sex slaves. “They were women who were from China, who were forced into sex slavery,” said Trevor Noah on “The Daily Show.” We’re told this happens all the time. “Human trafficking is...
Letter to the editor: Murrysville-Export GOP not endorsing
If you received an envelope in your mailbox this month with “2019 REPUBLICAN PRIMARY VOTER GUIDE — URGENT OPEN” in place of the return address — beware! This mailing from “Conservative Friends” is misleading voters into thinking it came from the Murrysville Export Republican Committee. The committee is not endorsing...
Editorial: Gov. Tom Wolf staff salary increases set tone, raise eyebrows
Everybody loves getting a raise. You might wait all year, have your review, get a gold star and be told, yes, you are valuable. You are worth another 3% in your paycheck. After Gov. Tom Wolf was re-elected, some of his staff got a taste of that experience. About a...
