Opinion category, Page 111
Editorial: The terrible cost of an unknown mine
Pennsylvania often is split into its major parts. It is Pittsburgh to the west, Philadelphia to the east and everything else in the middle. Aside from the handful of cities, it is filled with almost 17 million acres of forest and more than 7 million acres of farmland. It is...
Letter to the editor: Dems should look to Clinton for course correction
A few words about the national Democratic Party, from a lifelong Democrat and a former D elected official. One billion dollars in campaign spending and hours of free media promotion still failed to sell the Democratic presidential ticket. In Westmoreland County, not a single Democratic candidate broke 35% of the...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Working together ‘the Pittsburgh way’ can save our city
It was in the 1940s just after World War II when Arthur Van Buskirk changed the direction of the city forever with an offhand remark to his boss Richard King Mellon, the head of Mellon Bank and all its corporate holdings. Van Buskirk, a vice president of T. Mellon &...
Counterpoint: How conservatives can win over women
Republicans, and particularly President-elect Donald Trump, did better with women than the media, the polls or recent history would have led anyone to expect. Here are five ways Republicans can make this the beginning of a permanent realignment. Follow through on campaign promises Millions of women — including young first-time...
Point: Working-class men have abandoned the Democratic Party; here’s what we should do about it
I know the moment when I knew in my gut that Donald Trump would win the 2024 presidential election. I will not pretend I have all the answers because I don’t. However, I am a Democrat who has run for office in four consecutive cycles. I have overperformed at the...
Letter to the editor: Clintons, Obamas should fade away
As a result of this past election, the Clintons and Obamas should realize that they no longer have any influence or prestige when it comes to commonsense voters. They should just enjoy their millions of dollars and fade away forever from the political scene. Gerard Pasquerell Pleasant Hills...
Sounding off: Letter-writers weigh in on pardon, election
Biden pardon sets dangerous precedent “No one is above the law,” a notable quote President Joe Biden made on July 1, showing himself as an enforcer of the law lining up with his campaign rhetoric to bring back some semblance of unity to the U.S. Four years after his victory,...
Letter to the editor: With pardon, Biden cements legacy as worst president ever
By now, I’m sure you are aware that Joe Biden has soiled himself, the Democratic Party and every Democrat who has supported that dying party by pardoning his criminal son after swearing for the past two years that he would allow the justice system to run its course, regardless of...
Editorial: Are Westmoreland County elected officials’ pay raises fair?
How much should an elected official be paid? It’s not a simple question. There are a variety of positions filled by election. Some are jobs that require a meeting or two a month — perhaps an overall investment of two to four hours. Depending on the city or borough, a...
Letter to the editor: Build Back Better would have helped many
The writer of the letter “Progressives have ruined Democratic Party” (Nov. 20, TribLive) speaks of progressives producing “great ideas in theory, but no substance” and asks, “How do you implement and fund these progressive fantasies and measure their effectiveness?” Regarding President Biden’s original, progressive plan, Build Back Better, had it...
Gary Franks: Pardon me, Mr. President
No one could truly be surprised by the actions of President Joe Biden as he announced the granting of a pardon to his son, Hunter Biden. What father in a similar position would not do the same? But Biden is more than a father. He is president of the United...
S.E. Cupp: Selfish Biden has given us four years of Trump
It’s been a rough go of it for those of us still clinging to antiquated notions that with leadership and power should come things like honesty, integrity, morality and expertise. But these long-gone vestiges of a forgotten America, one in which criminals don’t get to be president and sex offenders...
Robert Smith: Steel City’s steel saga continues
Pittsburgh was truly the Steel City. Coke plants, tar plants, steel mills, glass manufacturers and other ancillary heavy industry lined the banks of the rivers, producing the raw products of the country’s industrial revolution. A remnant of these days are the current U.S. Steel facilities still occupying their locations in...
Robin Abcarian: President Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter is understandable. It’s also unforgivable
It came as a surprise that President Joe Biden unconditionally pardoned his son Hunter, a convicted felon, after repeatedly vowing that he would not. For the past few months, each time Biden or his press secretary was asked whether a pardon was in the cards, they both emphatically said no....
Letter to the editor: Woe to you, Trump and Republicans
President-elect Trump and Trump Republicans sit in Moses’ seat ready to put the unjust like Kash Patel, a proponent of the QAnon cult’s bizarre and dangerous conspiracy theories, in charge of the FBI and other departments. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but...
Lori Falce: The bitter pill of an insurance CEO’s murder
On Wednesday, a man died — and a lot of people just didn’t care. UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, was gunned down on a sidewalk as he approached the Hilton Midtown Manhattan hotel for an investors meeting, right between Rockefeller Center and Carnegie Hall. It was an early-morning ambush, and...
Laurels & lances: Convention, collection & Christmas
Laurel: To looking ahead. The Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce announced Monday the launch of a $25,000 study to explore construction of a convention center. “We feel the time is right to move forward with this next step,” Chamber President Dan DeBone said. The preferred location would be somewhere along...
Letter to the editor: Trump will change the world
Like the covid jab, progressives will soon be a note in history. Like magic, world leaders are changing their policies. Think tanks and TV news are changing co-hosts or canceling their shows or liberal views. “The View” and MSNBC suddenly flipped to moderate. Walmart has scaled back DEI. Even Sen....
Paul Kengor: Revenge of the covid rogues
Of all the cast of rebels and rogues selected by President-elect Donald Trump for his incoming administration, few are igniting a meltdown quite like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Jay Bhattacharya. RFK Jr. has been nominated to head the Department of Health and Human Services. Bhattacharya has been selected to...
Sam Daley-Harris: Learning to make a difference between elections
For most Americans, this election has brought exhaustion, divisiveness and, for many, fear and deep pain. After the election, Tom Nichols wrote in The Atlantic: “Americans must stay engaged and make their voices heard at every turn.” And Liz Cheney tweeted, “Citizens across this country … must now be the...
Letter to the editor: Kudos to musical Freeport students, staff
Once again, Freeport Area High School students have excelled at entertaining and enriching us through their lively, accomplished and enjoyable presentation of “9 to 5: The Musical.” The singing was remarkable, the acting flirtatious and fun, and the costumes so authentic. The students and staff are to be commended for...
Letter to the editor: Thank you, Coach Albert
After 34 years, Sam Albert has decided to step down to become an assistant coach (“Kiski Area football coach Sam Albert hangs up head coach’s whistle after 3 decades,” Nov. 20, TribLive). He was a great coach, mentor and motivator. My first contact with Albert was after his first season...
Editorial: Why is Trump’s opposition to U.S. Steel sale a ‘gut punch?’
On Monday, President-elect Donald Trump took to social media to make a statement about his feelings on an issue of domestic economy and foreign relations. “I am totally against the once great and powerful U.S. Steel being bought by a foreign company, in this case Nippon Steel of Japan,” he...
Letter to the editor: Biden pardon sets dangerous precedent
“No one is above the law,” a notable quote President Joe Biden made on July 1, showing himself as an enforcer of the law lining up with his campaign rhetoric to bring back some semblance of unity to the U.S. Four years after his victory, on Dec. 1, Biden acted...
Jonah Goldberg: Why the American media and their critics won’t stop telling the same lie
The American media has a bootleggers-and-Baptists problem. “Bootleggers and Baptists” is one of the most useful concepts in understanding how economic regulation works in the real world. Coined by economist Bruce Yandle, the term describes how groups that are ostensibly opposed to each other have a shared interest in maintaining...
