Letters to the Editor category, Page 36
Letter to the editor: Rodeos have no place in our city
The recent bull-riding event at PPG Paints Arena showed to me a total lack of regard for the animals forced into it, as well as Pittsburghers who voted against cruel rodeos 32 years ago. In a sickening irony, the ban was enacted all those years ago after a bull broke...
Letter to the editor: A clean environment is not ‘government waste’
The casualties of ongoing federal funding cuts are not just faraway bureaucrats — we are losing programs that are so fundamental to our community life that we have come to take them for granted. The EPA, for example, is charged with stewardship of our air and water. It delegates some...
Letter to the editor: How will our democracy survive manufactured facts?
It is sad that in our beautiful country, we have two such distinct parallel realities. A person can now, for the first time in our history, reasonably live inside a bubble of manufactured facts depending on one’s viewpoint. How can democracy survive when we can’t even agree on a basic...
Letter to the editor: Red Cross Giving Day March 26
Help can’t wait when disaster strikes. Whether a family needs shelter, food or a sympathetic ear, generous donations to the American Red Cross help ensure they never face a crisis alone. The need for this support is constant. In just the first 50 days of 2025, local Red Cross volunteers...
Letter to the editor: Medicaid cuts would have disastrous effects
Among the many recent proposals in Washington is a movement to significantly decrease federal funding for Medicaid, which would be required if the recently proposed budget cuts are enacted. This would be a shortsighted move that would send a cascade of negative effects through our society. Medicaid enrollees are our...
Christopher Briem: In defense of the City of Pittsburgh
What is the state of the city of Pittsburgh? The question is debated even more than usual these days, probably because 2025 will see multiple municipal elections across Pennsylvania. And what people believe about Pittsburgh is subject to the same information distortions that color our national politics. It’s not uncommon,...
Sounding off: EPA cuts, Musk, Trump among week’s topics
EPA cuts will damage Americans’ health I read with sadness about mass firings planned for the Environmental Protection Agency. How terrible for the health and safety of every American. When government agencies are gutted and civil servants are fired, the excuse is often that private industry can do it more...
Letter to the editor: Look deeper into Ukraine, Zelenskyy
Regarding the article “Ukrainian supporters rally in Pittsburgh after Trump’s contentious meeting with Zelenskyy” (March 4, TribLive): I do agree the meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was contentious, for reasons overlooked in the article. I suggest in-depth research from various sources on Zelenskyy, as to...
Letter to the editor: Fathers need to step up
The title of the old ballad “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” can be used to describe a nationwide disgrace: Where have all the fathers gone? Millions of so-called fathers have become nothing more than sperm donors. Children grow without having healthy male role models in their lives. This leaves...
Letter to the editor: Irony, hypocrisy in Trump’s speech
State of the Union and other presidential addresses have been more show biz, less serious discourse for decades. Two performances standing out in President Donald Trump’s latest speech to a joint session of Congress were served with hefty dollops of irony and hypocrisy. Of course, it’s great to have Marc...
Letter to the editor: Tackling methane waste
I am writing to express my sincere gratitude to U.S. Rep. Summer Lee for her commitment to addressing the critical issue of methane waste. Lee’s support for policies like the Methane Emission Reduction Program’s Waste Emissions Charge, or Methane Polluter Fee — aimed at minimizing methane gas emissions and reducing...
Letter to the editor: Hatred of Trump harming our country
Trump Derangement Syndrome is a real menace to our way of life. It is my opinion that our country is being destroyed from within by career politicians, elected members of Congress, who have become millionaires while collecting civil servant paychecks. These people will fight anyone who gets in their way....
Letter to the editor: Questions for a stable genius
Just a few questions for a stable genius. How does government save money by offering buyouts to the tune of one thousand million dollars to employees relieved of their jobs? Along with the proposed money-for-nothing payout until September for the so-called deferred resignation offer. On another note: When would it...
Letter to the editor: Ackerman best pick for county coroner
It is with great pleasure that I offer my endorsement of John Ackerman for the position of Westmoreland County coroner. My perspective is informed by a 26-year career as a Pennsylvania State Police trooper, during which I directed the Major Case Team for Westmoreland, Somerset, Indiana and Cambria counties. In...
Letter to the editor: Politicians, quit wasting our tax dollars
Congress, Senate, Democrats and Republicans: I’m a proud citizen and taxpayer of these United States. I accuse you of fraud, waste and abuse of my tax dollars. It’s your job to spend it responsibly. But lately it seems you’re not doing your job. I hear a lot of crying about...
Letter to the editor: How the wealthy exploit tax loopholes
There are many loopholes in our tax system that allow the extremely rich to legally cheat on their taxes. One such tax avoidance scheme is buy/borrow/die. First, the wealthy buy assets that appreciate in value without producing cash. These assets can include things like stock, collectibles and, particularly, real estate....
Letter to the editor: Power plants and energy costs
Regarding the article “Facing competition from Big Tech, states dangle incentives and loosen laws to attract power plants” (March 9, TribLive): Gov. Josh Shapiro’s push for new power plants to meet growing energy demands glosses over an important detail: the cost of expanding liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports. While companies...
Scott Bricker: Safe, vibrant and thriving — Penn Avenue needs a better design
In his column ”Don’t mess with the Strip” (March 15, TribLive), Joseph Sabino Mistick paints a romantic picture of the Strip District, a neighborhood that has grown and evolved over time, especially in the past decade. He’s right about one thing — the Strip is a treasure. But treasures need...
Letter to the editor: If Democrats won’t fight, vote them out
In 2018, I was the founder of Mt. Lebanon Rise Up, an Indivisible Group that helped elect Conor Lamb and Pam Iovino. I spent hours canvassing and phone banking for Democrats. I have since moved to Heidelberg, Germany, where it is obvious to everyone the United States has aligned itself...
Letter to the editor: EPA cuts will damage Americans’ health
I read with sadness about mass firings planned for the Environmental Protection Agency. How terrible for the health and safety of every American. When government agencies are gutted and civil servants are fired, the excuse is often that private industry can do it more efficiently, but private industry doesn’t want...
Letter to the editor: Today’s Democratic Party a far cry from Kennedy’s party
Today’s Democratic Party is directed by lifetime, millionaire politicians like Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Joe Biden and Barack Obama, non-elected Washington, D.C., bureaucrats and extreme progressive left-wing, woke socialists. In my opinion, it has become synonymous with open borders, sanctuary cities, defunding the police, weak leadership, poor schools, huge federal...
Letter to the editor: On Ukraine, Trump dishonors America
For hundreds of years Ukraine has been contested, divided and ruled by a variety of external powers. In the 1900s, they had mass suffering and death due to Stalin’s policies and then the German occupation during World War II. After years of struggle, Ukraine gained independence from Russia in 1991....
Letter to the editor: Grieving for America
Who died? As I was driving the other day, I noticed an American flag at half-mast at a university. I asked myself, “Who died?” I thought, “If I had a flagpole, I’d fly the flag at half-mast.” Who died? I grieve and mourn the death of many of the values...
Letter to the editor: EPA head’s plans worthy of the Upside Down
Just another day in the Upside Down, an alternate yet much worse dimension that exists alongside the human world that we used to inhabit. The Upside Down, a dark and chaotic place, is continuously blanketed with a thick layer of soot, noxious fumes and neurotoxins. The water is a poisonous...
Letter to the editor: We need Trump’s changes
Real change one can believe in always comes from people outside the “system.” America has caved to special interests and profit first. Two hundred million Americans are obese. One in 36 children are autistic. Thirty-eight million people have diabetes. From 13%-27% of children have a chronic illness. Many ingredients in...
