Opinion category, Page 114
Jason W. Park: Trump has a clean slate; we’ll see where it goes
President-elect Donald Trump will wield what he calls an “unprecedented and powerful mandate” handed to him by voters to help him reach his goals. There is no doubt on the part of Democrats that he will ram his agenda down their throats while all three branches of government have swung...
Earl Ofari Hutchinson: Why I voted third party and I’m not sorry
I’m a progressive Californian, a Black man, and I did not vote for Democratic presidential contender Kamala Harris this year or Donald Trump. I voted for Claudia De La Cruz, the Peace and Freedom Party candidate for president. The decision was easy. With two exceptions over the past four decades...
Letter to the editor: Riverview president shows poor leadership
I am embarrassed by Riverview School Board member and board President Jennifer Chaparro’s derogatory social media post (“Riverview School Board member faces backlash after political post, a trend in local politics,” Nov. 15, TribLive). Her conduct is unbecoming of a school board member. Her post eschews hatred and poor leadership....
Letter to the editor: Trump’s simple approach to serious problems
An open letter to President-elect Trump: Sir, your simplistic approach to serious problems is fraught with undesirable, unintended consequences. Here are this lifelong Democrat’s fears: 1. The border. Rounding up and deporting illegal immigrants is no small matter. Its huge cost will be assumed by average Joes while your rich...
Editorial: Offer of fire station dorm room benefits college students and community
You can learn a lot of things in college. You can study the law. You can explore history. You can become an artist, a scientist, an engineer or a teacher. Most college students also learn a lot about debt. The average cost of a year’s in-state public university tuition in...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s comeback gives us a chance
Nov. 5, 2024, was arguably the greatest presidential comeback in political history. A man who was relentlessly demonized by corporate media for eight years, attacked by a weaponized Department of Justice, charged with numerous questionable criminal indictments, schemed against by deep-state traitors, impeached twice — I believe without cause —...
Victor Peskin: ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Hamas leader doesn’t mean those accused will face trial anytime soon
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on Nov. 21, 2024, for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and one leading Hamas official. Those named in the action are accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity relating to the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by the Palestinian...
Erran Carmel: Crypto is soaring after Trump’s election — but is it a good ethical investment?
An estimated 18 million Americans are invested in cryptocurrency, according to the Federal Reserve. And the United States just elected a pro-crypto president. Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin have become a trendy digital asset. Supporters claim crypto subverts capitalism because it bypasses traditional bankers. Crypto can offer quick riches along with...
F.D. Flam: Trying to quantify everything is hurting our decisions
The usual rule of thumb is that stories sell; data doesn’t. But new research suggests that’s not necessarily true. Contrary to the conventional wisdom that numbers are dull and uninspiring, numbers dominate our decisions — on what to buy, whom to hire and where to donate money. A paper published...
Letter to the editor: Allegheny County taxpayers already pay enough
By now many have probably heard that the Allegheny County executive is proposing to raise county property taxes by 46.5%. Not only is this an obscene and unaffordable increase, but Allegheny County taxes, at the current rate, are already among the highest in the country. According to tax-rates.org, Allegheny County...
Letter to the editor: How will deportations help us?
I’m wondering exactly how deporting millions of undocumented people living in America is going to personally benefit me. I never believed the lie told by Donald Trump and others of that ilk that Haitians are stealing and eating family pets. Nor do I understand how sending them back to their...
Editorial: Crypto’s coming back. Here’s how to avert disaster
The crypto party seems to be getting restarted. Bitcoin is surging, and big players are celebrating amid expectations that President-elect Donald Trump will make the U.S., as he put it, “the crypto capital of the world.” Lest this experiment go awry, regulators need to keep some guardrails in place. In...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s win will make us safe, secure
It was a historic day, the Nov. 5 election. The Democrats and Republicans blamed each other for how much the country had declined economically, morally, scholastically, heath-wise, militarily and in law and order over the past four years, while the legacy mainstream media, who were the biggest offenders, got off...
Editorial cartoons for the week of Nov. 25
Editorial cartoons for the week of Nov. 25....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Nov. 25
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Nov. 25....
Letter to the editor: Kudos to Westmoreland election bureau workers
I would like to commend Westmoreland County Election Bureau Director Greg McCloskey and his team for their exceptional work during the 2024 election. As an observer for Attorney General David Sunday’s campaign, I witnessed firsthand their dedication, transparency and professionalism. The team’s meticulous preparation ensured a fair, smooth process and...
Letter to the editor: Let’s call him President Re-elect Trump
The media is addressing former President Trump as president-elect. Trump was in office from 2017 to 2021, so why is he addressed as president-elect? Shouldn’t he be addressed as president re-elect? It was the same with the late former President Ronald Reagan when he was elected to two terms. And...
Editorial: Let’s change the tone of elections in 2025
With the Thursday concession of U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, Pennsylvania’s 2024 election season effectively comes to a close. Republican businessman Dave McCormick has already gone to Washington for new-senator orientation. The sliver of difference between the two candidates — McCormick’s 48.8% to Casey’s 48.6% — triggered an automatic recount. Casey’s...
Letter to the editor: Here’s how voting works
Regarding the letter “Why is ID not required to vote?” (Nov. 15, TribLive): I am not an attorney, but here’s what I believe it takes for you to vote. The U.S. Constitution guarantees your right to vote as long as you are a citizen. When you first registered to vote,...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Blue city blues
As political observers search for broader meanings of the presidential election, one thing is certain: There is another election coming just around the corner. In the Pennsylvania 2025 spring primary election, the parties and their voters will select their candidates for local offices — including mayors, council members, township commissioners...
Counterpoint: Reporters shouldn’t have more First Amendment rights than the rest of us
Do reporters have more rights under the First Amendment than ordinary Americans? Should they? The answer to both questions is “no.” Unfortunately, a bill passed by the House of Representatives and is sitting in the Senate wants to change that. The PRESS Act would allow the media to operate outside...
Point: A federal shield law is needed to protect the press
Like it or not, the Constitution’s First Amendment gives the media special protection in the American republic. That amendment says, “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom … of the press.” With one of the recent presidential candidates unconstitutionally threatening to shut down media outlets or take away...
Sounding off: Presidential election still top of mind
Trump committed to his promises President-elect Donald Trump unburdened me of another great fear when it was announced Mike Pompeo would not be joining the Trump Cabinet. For context, as CIA director in 2017-18, Pompeo plotted to kidnap and assassinate WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. And, more recently, Pompeo was caught...
Letter to the editor: Grow up and accept the results
The election is over, and the Republicans have won decisively. I now see people are shaving their heads, swearing off sex, freezing out their own families and acting in other bizarre ways. I have two simple words for them all: Grow up. In this world, you don’t always get things...
Letter to the editor: How is Trump’s behavior acceptable?
Based on everything the president-elect said and did during his campaign, I thought he was trying to lose. But then we elected him in spite of all the dangerous rhetoric he spewed? Well, the majority (minus millions of missing voters) of the United States has spoken, and we need to...
