Opinion category, Page 113
Cal Thomas: Fluoride — good or bad?
Florida Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo has joined Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in opposition to fluoride in the water supply. Ladapo cites controversial studies that claim the additive poses a risk to developing brains. I shall resist the temptation to draw a link between such studies and our politicians. The...
Kathryn Anne Edwards: The IRS shows what government efficiency really looks like
Between all the talk of fiscal commissions and efficiency agencies, it seems like the question of the day is how to make the U.S. government operate more proficiently. There is no shortage of ideas on what should be cut and by how much. Before any actions are taken, officials should...
Ernie Tedeschi: A better way to pay for extending the Trump tax cuts
One of the first orders of business in 2025 for Congress and the incoming administration will be the extension of President Donald Trump’s signature 2017 tax law, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), most of whose individual provisions are set to expire late next year. There’s one problem: America’s...
Letter to the editor: We’re handing off too many problems to ‘the courts’
The Trib is correct in saying that the state needs an answer “once and for all” on mail-in ballots (“Courts need to decide election question on more than a race-by-race basis,” Nov. 20, TribLive). But we shouldn’t expect the courts to come up with the answer. Looking at the brief...
Letter to the editor: Make America God-fearing again
After the election, just let me say you honored the men and women who fought and died for your right to vote by your voting. Thank you. Next: Women’s rights should include more than killing your offspring. It should allow for female athletes to compete against women, not transgender people...
Letter to the editor: Steelers, Penn State fair-weather teams?
After this weekend of sports looks like the Steelers & Penn State are fair-weather teams. Carl Felton Columbus, Ohio The writer is a Seward native....
Editorial: When should Pennsylvania deer season start?
In Pennsylvania, the national holiday of Thanksgiving and the retail festivities of Black Friday are quickly followed by the state’s own seasonal celebration. Bust out your camouflage and fluorescent orange. It’s deer season. Since 2019, the first day of regular firearm hunting for antlered and antlerless deer has come on...
Letter to the editor: History validates concern for future under Trump
Community Engagement Editor Lori Falce’s column “The sweet justice of The Onion buying Infowars” (Nov. 15, TribLive) was an interesting, timely, insightful report about The Onion, an often very funny satirical news journal, taking over disgraced and disgraceful Alex Jones’ company (I can’t even use the name without an emesis,...
Gary Franks: Can the liberal cable news networks survive?
Post-Election Day, MSNBC viewership fell to a 25-year low and CNN fell to new lows as well. They had all their eggs in one basket. They clearly wanted and supported the Democratic candidate for president, Vice President Kamala Harris. Is that what we expect from our “news” media? They amplified...
Joanne Kilgour, Jeaneen Zappa and Lindsay Fraser: To keep Allegheny home for all, county council must pass Innamorato’s budget
Allegheny County residents are living through an ongoing housing crisis. Western Pennsylvania has some of the oldest housing stock in the nation and decades of disinvestment, and the climate crisis is driving increased costs for homeowners and renters through increased utility bills. Many of our homes lack insulation, are badly...
Dan DeBone: Avoid quick fixes for public transportation funding
As the Southeastern Public Transportation Association (SEPTA) recently announced a potential fare increase due to a lack of state funding, it is hard to ignore the familiar pattern that has plagued Pennsylvania’s public transportation system for years: short-term solutions, funding crises and finger-pointing. This time, the frustration comes after the...
Biswa Das: Young families are leaving many large US cities — here’s why that matters
Young families with children are a shrinking part of the U.S. population in many areas. The decline is especially pronounced in major urban centers, including Boston, San Francisco, New York, Minneapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, Seattle, Philadelphia, San Jose and Washington, D.C. During the covid-19 pandemic shutdown, many families with...
Letter to the editor: Latrobe leaders should take declining population into account
Regarding the article “Greater Latrobe School Board divided over plans for roof, future of junior high” (Nov. 24, TribLive): Does the school board realize that student population and Latrobe population are declining and little is being done to sustain? Had this discussion a year ago! Dave Bonazelli Unity...
Letter to the editor: Trump voters validated his criminal conduct
I wonder if the people who voted for Donald Trump understand that they have validated his criminal activity. You are saying that it was OK for him to illegally try to overturn an election he knows he lost. You have given the green light for him to try and subvert...
Lori Falce: Black Friday in the time of tariffs
The Meta Quest 3S virtual headset is prominently featured on the front of the Target Black Friday flyer. At Walmart, kids may be clamoring for the Hot Wheels hot deal. Kohl’s is cutting the price on Beats by Dr. Dre headphones in half and kicking in some Kohl’s Cash to...
Laurels & lances: Social media & bad sports
Laurel: To accessibility. Many people don’t have much contact with their local governments. If you are a renter, for instance, any contact with your municipality might be between your landlord and officials. You might not even know where the local government offices are. So what is the best way for...
Letter to the editor: Proposed county budget should confront jail staffing crisis
Many of the correctional officers at the Allegheny County Jail are working 80 hours in five days. Over 60% of first-year correctional officer recruits have terminated employment primarily because of being forced to work these unimaginable shifts. Correctional officers’ life expectancy is 61 years of age. Millions are being proposed...
Tad Weber: If Trump deports farm workers, who will be left to pick California’s crops?
Do you enjoy fruits and vegetables? Assuming the answer is yes, come next year who do you think will harvest the oranges, almonds, lettuce, strawberries, tomatoes and the other 300-plus crops grown in California? Who will work in the state’s dairies, meat plants, and food processing factories, most located in...
Jonah Goldberg: What if most Americans aren’t bitterly divided?
Among elites across the ideological spectrum, there’s one point of unifying agreement: Americans are bitterly divided. What if that’s wrong? What if elites are the ones who are bitterly divided while most Americans are fairly unified? History rarely lines up perfectly with the calendar (the “’60s” didn’t really start until...
Christine Flowers: I discovered the meaning of Thanksgiving in a Paris apartment
Thanksgiving was never an important holiday for me. Gathering the family from near and far for a celebratory meal wasn’t unusual; our family was composed of Italians and a small sprinkling of Irish. Growing up, we always gathered around different tables at different houses, broke out the biscotti and anisette...
Bethany Mandel: How super glue saved my childhood Thanksgivings
For most kids, Grandma and Grandpa’s house is their favorite place to visit. Filled with toys and endless affection, treats and hugs. For ordinary people, Thanksgiving is a particularly special time to spend with family. That wasn’t my childhood. Don’t worry — this isn’t a sob story. My grandparents were...
Letter to the editor: Counting Thanksgiving blessings
Responding with advice to the article “Western Pa. experts offer tips on navigating lingering election-related tensions over holidays” (Nov. 24, TribLive): If you are not happy with the recent election results, you could isolate yourself and not associate with family and miss out on being around others; or rise above...
Editorial: Break bread, not hearts, this Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is not the same from one house to the next. Some families spend all day with relatives coming and going, talking and laughing and eating from an endless buffet. Some gather around an elegantly laid out table for a formal dinner. Some hold hands as they say grace. Some...
Letter to the editor: Thankful for Pa.’s energy bounty
The first Thanksgiving in 1621 occurred after the pilgrims of Plymouth overcame food scarcity thanks to the bountiful harvest their Wampanoag neighbors helped produce. Fast- forward four centuries, and New Englanders face two modern scarcities: Patriot wins and affordable energy. The former is a gift for Steelers fans hoping Pittsburgh finally...
Allison Schrager: Trump’s economic policy can’t be just nostalgia
President-elect Donald Trump’s economic legacy may well depend on whether he prefers the comparative form of an adjective. Specifically, does he believe it is hard to make a living in the U.S. — or harder than it used to be? It is not an insignificant distinction. The central conceit of...
