Opinion category, Page 127
Letter to the editor: Don’t be fooled by Harris’ plans
As I watched the Donald Trump-Kamala Harris debate, I was reminded of the Clinton era, when he attempted to have every American have a home to achieve the so called “American dream.” He removed the mortgage requirements set by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by regulating that a homebuyer needed...
Editorial: Are more appeals necessary in Pittsburgh officer’s firing over Taser death?
In October 2021, Pittsburgh police Officer Keith Edmonds had an interaction with a citizen. Jim Rogers was a homeless Black man in his 50s. He matched the description Edmonds was given as he responded to a call about a possible stolen bike. Body camera footage recorded the incident — including...
Letter to the editor: Disgusted by Trump’s attitude toward military
I am a U.S. Army veteran. My six-year enlistment included two years on active duty and two in the Pennsylvania National Guard. I attained no high rank, was awarded no medals or ribbons for gallantry or heroic actions. I never served in combat, but I wore the uniform proudly and...
Dan DeBone: Time for legislative action on Pa.’s transportation and infrastructure crisis
As the State House and Senate return for their remaining voting days this year, one major piece of overdue legislation demands immediate attention — Act 89. Passed a decade ago, Act 89 was one of the most comprehensive transportation packages in Pennsylvania’s history. It provided funding for public transportation, highways,...
Letter to the editor: Pro-choice hypocrisy
I am amazed at the hypocrisy of the “pro-choice” crowd with their anti-Republican ads, condemning certain political figures for wanting to take away their “right” to destroy their unborn child. They complain, “What right does a politician have to tell you what you can or cannot do with your body?”...
Letter to the editor: Zelenak will protect women’s rights
House Bill 1140 to ensure that health insurers cover contraceptives was passed in the Pennsylvania House on June 25. Fourteen Republican women voted “yes” on the bill. Rep. Leslie Rossi was not among them. Apparently, she believes that legislators can determine the suitability and safety of over-the-counter contraceptive medications better...
Letter to the editor: No one is perfect
To answer the writer of the letter “Why do evangelicals support Trump?” (Aug. 6, TribLive): First of all, are you a Christian? You stated you read your Bible, and quoted a Scripture passage. You make judgments on Christians supporting Donald J. Trump. You continue about all his faults. I guess...
Letter to the editor: We must overcome fear and chaos
They called FDR a traitor; the president who overcame the Great Depression caused by bottomless greed and saved the world from fascism’s hatred of someone, anyone who can be blamed for perceived wrongdoing. The radical few called FDR a traitor, a traitor to his class, for the president’s sin of...
Editorial: U.N. speeches reflect grim global realities
The world, warned President Joe Biden, is at an “inflection point.” The world, warned U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, “is in a whirlwind.” “Our task, our test,” the president said, “is to make sure that the forces holding us together are stronger than those that are pulling us apart.” Today’s choices,...
Letter to the editor: Trump, Vance not the leaders we need
How did America lose its footing? I have seen hate-filled, Trump-style politics before. George Wallace ran on a hate-filled platform of segregation. From 1971 to 1979, we laughed and cried with “All In The Family” every Saturday night. We laughed at Archie Bunker and his skewed prejudices. We watched as...
Letter to the editor: Trump is the right pick for president
After watching the presidential debate, I as a young American have been shown who the correct candidate to vote for is, President Trump. Countless times throughout the debate, misinformation was spread about Trump, from claims about Charlottesville that the media has debunked or his affiliation with Project 2025, which he...
Editorial cartoons for the week of Sept. 30
Editorial cartoons for the week of Sept. 30....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Sept. 30
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Sept. 30....
Letter to the editor: Campaign season is fairy tale season
I recently came back from vacation and, while away, a fairy-tale debate took place between two candidates for president. It seems one candidate defended the record the candidate had as president and also made some wild statements that were fact-checked by the moderators. The other candidate was in a fishing...
Letter to the editor: Bible tells us to love neighbors, foreigners
As a Christian who has studied and taught the Bible most of my life, I’m struck by a regular theme in it. Did you know that the familiar command, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” first appears in Leviticus 19? Then, 15 verses later, the command is, “You shall love the...
Letter to the editor: Harris’ grocery gouging ban makes no sense
So one of the latest big ideas coming from the mind of presidential candidate Kamala Harris is to impose price controls on groceries. Let’s take a closer look: A typical profit margin for a supermarket operator is on the order of 1% to 2% (let’s assume 2% to be extra...
Letter to the editor: Paper ballots best way to vote
Several citizens attended the Aug. 27 Westmoreland County commissioners’ public meeting, requesting expert-recommended paper ballot use instead of voting machines. In March 2024, after studying paper ballot and voting machine security for 20 years, Princeton’s Dr. Andrew Appel and two additional cybersecurity experts testified before the Pennsylvania Senate regarding voting...
Editorial: Is Pennsylvania Board of Higher Education a solution to post-secondary problems?
The University of Pittsburgh has 36 trustees. So does Temple University. Penn State has 39 — 40 if you count the governor’s nonvoting representative. Lincoln University has 38. The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education has a 20-member board of governors. The system includes 10 state universities. PennWest, with campuses...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Decency on the ballot
“Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?” That was the question that attorney Joseph Welch asked of Sen. Joe McCarthy in the 1954 U.S. Army hearings after McCarthy took his reckless cruelty a step too far. Decency counted for something then, and we will see if it...
Point: When violent crime was at its worst, congressional action helped get the country back on track
By the early 1990s, the United States had experienced dramatic and unprecedented surges in crime, with the violent crime rate up 470% from 1961 and the murder rate up 92% from that year. Life in American cities was more dangerous than ever, and punishment was not fitting the crimes. While...
Counterpoint: The 1994 crime bill’s legacy — 30 years of failure
The 1994 crime bill, a misguided policy choice rooted in fear and misinformation, has inflicted irreparable harm on communities nationwide. By prioritizing punitive measures over proven prevention strategies, this legislation has fueled mass incarceration, eroded civil liberties and exacerbated systemic inequalities, all without demonstrably improving public safety. The architects and...
Sounding off: Presidential race tops week’s letters
Reenergized by Harris I want to extend a personal thank-you to Donald Trump. For many years, I was very apathetic toward politics … until he entered the fray. But my interest in politics isn’t because I’m pro-DT. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. I can unequivocally say that I haven’t...
Letter to the editor: Zelenak will protect children
Does your child, grandchild or other young person you care about play a school sport? Would you want that athlete to receive the fastest possible medical attention should something happen during an event? If you do, here’s some good news. Representatives in Harrisburg agree with you. In early July, the...
Letter to the editor: Do religious folks see themselves in Trump?
Recently I received a letter from an alleged group of church ladies from Monroeville. While cowering behind guarded anonymity and the church, they stated that they had never encountered so many wicked accusations and hateful, mean references as in my letter “There’s still time to replace Trump” (Aug. 24, TribLive)...
Editorial: Extreme weather shows need to work together
Weather doesn’t care about borders. The lines on a map are drawn by people in response to treaties, negotiations and legislation. The border between Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, for instance, is the result of years of history and decision, carefully surveyed and documented. But when rain falls in Tarentum, it...
