Opinion category, Page 754
Letter to the editor: Republican in name only
In response to the article, “Westmoreland commissioner endorses chief of staff in Republican primary” (March 14, TribLIVE): Chuck Anderson sent a clear message that a vote for Sean Kertes is a vote for Gina Cerilli. Apparently the minority commissioner likes the status quo and couldn’t bring himself to endorse a...
Michelle Malkin: CAIR’s dirty deeds
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is having a banner month. The militant Muslim group never lets a crisis go to waste. That means Americans should beware. When unappeasable CAIR is ascendant, our free speech rights, religious liberty and national security are at risk. Following the horrible massacre at two mosques...
John Lott Jr.: Pa. gun registry waste of money, resources
Pennsylvania Democrats want to register your guns. On March 15, state House Representatives Angel Cruz (D-Philadelphia), Mary Isaacson (D-Philadelphia) and Mary Jo Daley (D-Montgomery) proposed the Firearms Registration Act, from which only antiques and guns owned by law enforcement would be exempt. Gov. Tom Wolf strongly supports the bill. “The...
Lloyd Corder: Where do economists stand on Wolf’s $15 proposal?
Earlier this month, Gov. Tom Wolf championed a list of 38 economists who support his proposal to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $15 an hour — a 107 percent increase. The list’s signers, sourced primarily from a handful of Pennsylvania-based colleges and advocacy organizations, argued that the governor’s proposal would...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Lessons from New Zealand
With 5 million residents, New Zealand is large enough to have some big problems but small enough to handle them sensibly. When a new national anthem was proposed — an issue that would polarize most nations — the new anthem was added without dropping the old one, a decision less...
G. Terry Madonna & Michael Young: Dick Thornburgh and Three Mile Island
The 40th anniversary of the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear accident has produced an irony no fiction writer, however brazen, could produce: TMI’s owner, Exelon Corp., has announced that it will close the plant in September. And so it appears that the history of the notorious TMI accident — an...
Editorial: Who won the Michael Rosfeld homicide trial?
No one won. On Friday, when a jury concluded the four-day homicide trial of Michael Rosfeld with three and a half hours of deliberation and an acquittal, there was no real victory. Rosfeld didn’t win the case. He just won’t go to jail. He can walk away from the courthouse,...
Sounding off: We don’t need self-driving cars
Can someone please tell me why on earth we need self-driving cars? This is one of the biggest wastes of time, money and technology I’ve ever seen. Not only that, but you still need to sit behind the wheel. What’s the advantage, and who gets sued when your so-called self-driving...
Letter to the editor: Let’s lift everyone up
With so much talk about socialism, maybe we should think about why people are thinking that way, rather than condemning them. Many people think a single-payer health care system is a better option due to the inadequacies of the present system. I am dealing with something that is causing me...
Letter to the editor: How to find poll workers
Regarding the article “Election officials campaign for poll workers in Allegheny, Westmoreland counties”: There are many ways to find poll workers that our counties don’t use, For instance: •Allow split shifts. The 15-hour day currently required of poll workers is just not possible for many people. However, allowing split shifts...
Letter to the editor: Kudos to Stage Right
I was one of the “fortunate 500” to attend Stage Right’s amazing production of “Children of Eden” at the Palace Theatre March 9 (“Stage Right apparently sets record with ‘Children of Eden,’ awaits official word from Guinness,” March 10, TribLIVE). The show, involving well over 100 participants and volunteers, was...
Walter Williams: Charges small part of college corruption
Federal prosecutors have charged more than 50 people involved in cheating and bribery in order to get their children admitted to some of the nation’s most prestigious colleges and universities such as Georgetown, Yale, Stanford, University of Texas, University of Southern California and UCLA. They often paid more than $100,000...
Colin McNickle: Allegheny Co.’s ‘charitable purposes’ review falls short
In 2007, Allegheny County Council passed an ordinance mandating a review every three years of properties claiming exemption from property taxes under the Purely Public Charity Act. But 12 years after the fact, only one review has commenced — in 2013, six years after the fact and still ongoing —...
Editorial: Act 44 taking its toll on turnpike
On Thursday, state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale released an audit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The results were conclusive. Where some states build bridges to nowhere or roads without a destination, Pennsylvania knows exactly where things for the toll road are headed. Down a path to bankruptcy. Act 44 of 2007...
Letter to the editor: Thanks for honesty
I would like to thank Community Engagement Editor Lori Falce and the Tribune-Review staff for providing the most honest newspaper in the area. You give both sides of an agenda on your Opinion page. It’s so refreshing to not feel bias in editorials. I have read things written by Democrats,...
Letter to the editor: Productive seniors
Please, George Wandell, tell me that your letter “Let’s eliminate unproductives” (March 9, TribLIVE) was simply tongue-in-cheek and not a serious opinion. Surely you jest. Do you not know others in their 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond who are still making meaningful contributions to their communities? I cannot imagine how...
Letter to the editor: Finish the wall
Now that the new Democrat-controlled Congress has been seated, it is obvious that the circus has moved into the swamp. Led for the time being by ringmaster Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who on the heels of her recent declaration that the world would end in 12 years due to global warming has...
Paul Kengor: Do you believe in miracles?
Do you believe in miracles? That’s a line made famous, of course, by sportscaster Al Michaels regarding the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team. But that’s nothing compared to the miracle I heard about two weeks ago. I was at Eureka College, alma mater of Ronald Reagan, speaking on Reagan, Pope...
Lori Falce: How does religion turn into violence?
For the love of God. It’s a common phrase. For the love of God, can’t you pick up after yourself? For the love of God, why can’t someone do something about these potholes? For the love of God, who is calling me now? But, for the love of God, we...
Laurels & lances: Treats, charges, legends and speaking out
Laurel: To spring being sprung. Regardless of predicted snowflakes Friday, spring is officially here and high temperatures in the coming week are predicted to stay in the 40s and 50s and all the way to 60s. It’s the perfect time to appreciate those longer days and brighter evenings, so thanks...
Letter to the editor: Politics & hate
Letter-writer Robert Jedrzejewski’s reasoning for the hate directed at President Trump is interesting (“Trump ‘hate’ is justified,” March 6, TribLIVE). He mentions fraud, narcissism, rudeness, lewdness, crudity, bullying, bigotry and arrogance — he could talking about any politician, old or new. You try to impress using eloquent words to describe...
Letter to the editor: Why I love Trump
Here’s why I love President Trump. Do I believe he would: Speak and tweet without thinking? Yes Chased and was a dog with women? Yes Used every legal means to pay lower taxes? Yes Whisper to enemies: “Tell Vladimir I’ll have more flexibility after the election”? No Ignore pleadings for...
Letter to the editor: Legal pot is a Pandora’s box
In January, Gov. Tom Wolf announced he was considering the legalization of marijuana and has sent Lt. Gov. John Fetterman on a listening tour to get input from state residents (“Fetterman’s marijuana tour stop in Greensburg draws large, divided crowd,”). In a Jan. 24 press release stating his support of...
Dave McElhinny: The 21st century’s secret genocide
Today is World Down Syndrome Day. It is held annually on March 21 (3/21 = Trisomy 21). The technical term for DS is Trisomy 21. But a prenatal test that reveals this condition is more than a diagnosis — it’s a death sentence for thousands and thousands. Utah’s House of...
George Will: Novel will have you pining for days of George W. Bush
WASHINGTON Nostalgia is what Thomas Mallon is counting on to help draw readers to his new novel, “Landfall,” which takes them on a long stroll down memory lane, back to the golden days of … President George W. Bush’s second term. Really. So, if Mallon’s wonderfully entertaining romp attracts the...
