Letters to the Editor category, Page 16
Letter to the editor: Population control
In the 18th century, after the French Revolution, there was a shortage of food, which led to unrest. To solve the problem the government, through mass executions facilitated by new laws removing the rights of defense and appeal, drastically reduced the population needing to be fed. This attitude toward solving...
Letter to the editor: Flag-burners should be prosecuted
In the letter “Kirk, Kimmel and free speech” (Oct. 16, TribLive), I was thoroughly annoyed (to put it nicely) with the writer’s comment regarding flag-burning. He hates it but would tolerate it as a means of expression. How insane! Tell those thousands of young men storming the beaches of Normandy...
Letter to the editor: We need courage and compassion
I don’t have all the answers, but I see how decades of changes in education and public discourse brought us here. Investment in education has declined, and access to higher learning is increasingly out of reach. Critical thinking and civic awareness have suffered, leaving people vulnerable to misinformation and fear-based...
Letter to the editor: Reject liberal Pa. Supreme Court judges
In an off-year election there usually aren’t many important offices on the ballot. However, this November is an exception. The three uber-liberal Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht must not be allowed to return to the bench. People living in Westmoreland County should remember how...
Letter to the editor: Vote out incumbents
Potential voter: Are you dissatisfied with our federal, state and local governments? I believe the solution lies in voting out long-term incumbents. If a government is corrupt, not serving all its constituents, lacking transparency or simply failing to perform its duties, the incumbent is ultimately accountable. In any other profession,...
Letter to the editor: Energy development facts
In the op-ed blaming technology companies for rising energy prices (“AI, crypto and Pa.’s war on the little guy,” Sept. 20, TribLive), the authors include an unrelated, passing reference to so-called “subsidies” included in the recently enacted federal legislation dubbed the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB). The authors assert the...
Letter to the editor: Murrysville council candidate committed to good planning
As mayor of Murrysville, I want to clarify how the comprehensive plan process works and highlight the commitment of Republican Council candidates Jason Lemak, Michael Korns, Loren Kase and Darren Miller to preserving our community’s rural charm. The comprehensive plan is not something the council can unilaterally impose. It is...
Letter to the editor: ‘Illegals’ can’t get health coverage
I keep hearing the likes of Mike Johnson, JD Vance, Stephen Miller and other right-wingers claim Democrats want to give illegal immigrants health coverage and that’s what this shutdown is about. The Democrats wanted the premium assistance under the Affordable Care Act to not be dramatically reduced, which will spike...
Letter to the editor: No Kings ralliers love their country
I have to chuckle as I read that House Speaker Mike Johnson has declared the No Kings rallies being planned across the country this weekend are actually “Hate America” rallies. This man has children; if he has had to correct them and tried to alter their behavior, does that mean...
Letter to the editor: Franklin Regional’s future deserves proven leaders
This November, Franklin Regional voters face a pivotal choice. As we elect four school board members, we have a rare opportunity to shape a board with diverse strengths and complementary expertise — leaders ready to move our district forward. The candidates who best fit this vision are Debra Wohlin, Bill...
Letter to the editor: Franklin’s $49 million would fund Ivy League coach salaries for years
Here’s some perspective on the economic facts of the firing of Penn State’s head football coach, James Franklin. The buyout of Franklin’s contract was reported in your newspaper to be $49 million. A quick internet search shows that among the academically elite Ivy League universities (Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Princeton, Columbia,...
Letter to the editor: Mail-in voters deserve chance to make corrections
On Oct. 7, the Westmoreland County commissioners finally approved ballot curing for the upcoming elections (“Westmoreland County approves ballot curing process for November election,” Oct. 7, TribLive). However, this was not a voluntary vote on the part of Commissioners Sean Kertes and Doug Chew, but was due to an order...
Letter to the editor: Kirk, Kimmel and free speech
Until very recently I would not have been able to identify late-night TV comedian Jimmy Kimmel from Adam. Well, maybe not Adam, given the loin-covering fig leaf he is reported to have worn. Certainly not after 10:30 p.m., which is late night for me. Charlie Kirk was a name I...
Letter to the editor: Penn State has money for Franklin, but not campuses?
Penn State will be closing seven branch campuses in 2027, including the New Kensington branch. Penn State cites financial pressures as a reason for these closings. But yet the university has $49 million to buy out James Franklin’s contract. I understand that this money will not be paid in one...
Letter to the editor: Thanks to Norwin board members, who did a thankless job
As a Norwin Community Republican Committeeman, I coordinated several of the past election’s staffing needs for our local conservative candidates. We touted our Republican candidates’ conservative agendas, especially on fiscal matters. Our school board candidates were a top priority. It is a thankless job. Our candidates ran modestly funded campaigns...
Letter to the editor: Jail officers’ dark perceptions of Jail Oversight Board
The 2025 Allegheny County Jail correctional officer survey, completed by 216 officers, found that 72.2% of the officers strongly disagree and 18.1% disagree with this statement: “Our Jail Oversight Board (JOB) communicates effectively with our correctional officers, understanding our officers’ challenges and is effectively working to improve conditions of employment...
Letter to the editor: AI, absolute ignorance
The writer of the letter “We need competence, not chaos, from our leaders” (Oct. 9, TribLive) quips in his last paragraph, “Readers, I apologize for this poorly worded letter, but you can easily tell it was not written by AI, because it would be much better.” Well, sir, I respectfully...
Letter to the editor: Don’t shut down, America
As I witness another government shutdown, I contend that it is time to shut down the entire Trump regime. Remove President Trump from office and demolish both the White House and the Capitol building. Both have been forever sullied by Trump’s presence and his domestic terrorist assault of Jan. 6...
Letter to the editor: Don’t let Big Money overtake Pa. court
Big corporations and Big Money have corrupted the Supreme Court of the United States. This explains their partisan decisions that favor corporations over the American people. Their ruling on Citizens United gives companies an outsized voice in politics, drowning out the voices of average citizens. Their elimination of the Chevron...
Letter to the editor: Retain Supreme Court justices Donohue, Dougherty, Wecht
Throughout my legislative and legal career, I have had the opportunity to review the decisions of numerous judges, and Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht have proven themselves to be a few of the best. They are honest, firm but fair and knowledgeable. They are...
Letter to the editor: Civilized politics is possible
I never thought I would say this, but I applaud the actions of a Republican U.S. senator: Dave McCormick. By meeting with Democratic Sen. John Fetterman, to have a conversation free of hate and malice, he has shown me and many others that being a civilized, ethical politician may not...
Letter to the editor: Congress, Supreme Court must end Trump’s game
President Trump is running our country like a game. When he’s falling behind in the game he changes the rules. He flip-flops on his own words. His good friend Vladimir Putin is no longer his good friend. His one-hour tirade at the UN was embarrassing. He told Ukraine they’d have...
Letter to the editor: Lingg best choice for Murrysville Council
Jamie Lingg is running for reelection to Murrysville Council. We first met her years ago when she was knocking on doors in our neighborhood discussing her campaign for a council seat. We had a very nice discussion and were impressed by her honest openness and desire to keep Murrysville fiscally...
Letter to the editor: Trump has created a new type of civil war
Many U.S. presidents have attempted to deflect attention from their low poll numbers by sending troops to foreign nations to start wars or skirmishes, but President Trump has more reason to get voters to look elsewhere than any of these former presidents did. He is violating his campaign promise to...
Matt K. Lewis: Congress’ Democrats are wildly unprepared to face down Trump
Donald Trump has made politics into a dystopian reality show he loves to host, but Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries are playing by the old rules — and the mismatch may cause Democrats to get blamed for the government shutdown. This is not because they’re dumb (they’re not)...
