Opinion category, Page 131
Kayla M. Williams: JD Vance’s dangerous push to further privatize the VA
When asked whether he would consider privatized health care for veterans, vice presidential candidate JD Vance replied, “I think I’d consider it.” While he acknowledged that there are areas where the Department of Veterans Affairs works well and rejected the idea of completely eliminating our second-largest federal agency, Vance doubled...
Patrick Starr: Trails are transportation
Trails and roads intersect in several ways, but from a transportation perspective they provide the same function. In many ways, trails are more accessible to a greater number of Pennsylvanians. Trails are beloved as a safe and comfortable place to move, to see, smell and experience the out-of-doors; to interact...
Barbara McQuade: Fighting Russian disinformation must be a team sport
Russian disinformation continues to poison U.S. politics via our social media platforms. As the tactics grow more sophisticated, our best defense may be building resilience rather than hoping to eliminate it. Earlier this month, the Department of Justice announced two law enforcement actions relating to a covert Russian disinformation campaign....
Letter to the editor: Border crisis one of many reasons not to vote for Harris/Walz
Imagine this: Sex offenders no longer need to register and are now permitted to live near schools and day care centers without fear of retaliation. Does this scare you? A lack of action protecting our borders on the part of Vice President Kamala Harris has essentially made this possible. Literally...
Letter to the editor: Zelenak will have everyone’s back
In a historic bipartisan vote, in May 2023, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed the Fairness Act, which aims to grant statewide anti-discrimination protections to LGBTQ+ individuals. The bill, HB 300, passed with a 102-98 vote and received support from both Democrats and Republicans. This marks the first time the...
Letter to the editor: Lead in schools’ drinking water a danger to children
Your article “Deer Lakes welcomes back students with coffee shop, Legos-style learning and colorful parking spots” (Aug. 30, TribLive) demonstrates how the back-to-school season can be an exciting time. However, considering the persistent issue of lead in our schools’ water, it is also a time of concern. As an analysis...
Editorial: Election officials focused on system integrity
Ideally, the number of noncitizens casting ballots in the United States should be zero. But elections and voter registration are run by human beings, so mistakes are inevitable. The test of any system is not the ideal but how it responds when the inevitable mistakes occur. As we head into...
Letter to the editor: Trump, guns and inflation
Here it is just a few weeks into the school year and already another tragic school shooting by a young white male who was “picked on” and had access to an AR-15. Isn’t it ironic that half the country worships at the feet of the biggest bully there is who...
Letter to the editor: Leaders must restore domestic tranquility
For multiple reasons, I thank God that Donald Trump was not killed, injured or shot at in the latest attempted attack by a domestic terrorist who appears to have been politically motivated. There will always be those who are inclined toward violence, some of them pursuing that path for reasons...
Kristina Becvar: National Voter Registration Day is more important than ever
Each election, millions of Americans miss out on the opportunity to cast their votes because they are not registered. Some may have moved; others may not realize they need to update their voter registration, while others missed the deadline. In polling, thousands of non-voters consistently cite registration issues as their...
Matthew Yglesias: What if Harris and Trump could ignore Pa.?
The 2024 election will almost certainly come down to Pennsylvania. But nothing is certain in life, and it’s not too soon — forgive me — to look forward to the 2028 election, when warmer, faster-growing, less-unionized states are key Electoral College battlegrounds. In fact, according to Nate Silver’s forecasts, the...
Letter to the editor: Women’s ‘rights’ and covid vaccine mandates
The writer of the letter “Women’s rights may determine presidential election” (Aug. 28, TribLive) declares: “At the top of any list of concerns regarding freedom is a woman’s right and health decision to control her own body.” I’ll fix this for the author by adding: “… recognizing, however, that a...
Letter to the editor: State, local governments make doing business tough in Pa.
In 2019, U.S. Steel had plans to invest $1 billion in the Edgar Thompson and Clairton mills to increase production and cut emissions. The Allegheny County Health Department sat on the permits for over two years. In 2021, U.S. Steel scrapped the plans for an upgrade. What would be different...
Letter to the editor: Keep Trump out of the White House
I am a 60-year-old registered Republican. I have voted pretty much Republican since the day I could vote. I voted for Donald Trump in 2016. That will be the last time I will ever vote for this convicted criminal who I believe is a liar and racist who discriminates against...
Letter to the editor: Vote for the best leader — Trump
I’m not a big Donald Trump fan, but I am a huge fan of America, so I will vote for the best leader for the nation I love in November. We’re in the unique position of having both candidates with executive branch records to compare. Trump gave us four years...
Editorial: Pennsylvania ballot dating dilemma is a political Groundhog Day
The dating of ballots in Pennsylvania is a Groundhog Day kind of issue. No, we don’t mean that it pops its head up in February and then crawls back into its burrow to finish a long nap. No, we don’t mean that it is a kind of nonsensical, made-up affair...
Letter to the editor: Father Monieau should return to his vocation
I was privileged to serve Mass with Father John Moineau. He was the most devout priest I have known. His homilies so many times have spoken to me directly. He always seemed to have just the right thing to say. As my confessor, his compassion was beyond compare. As a...
Letter to the editor: Gerrymandering blocks Pa. innovation
Given its abundant resources, Pennsylvania underperforms economically. That’s according to the Brookings Institute report, “Commonwealth of Innovation.” The report recommends that state government take “catalytic steps” to “unlock” Pennsylvania’s innovation potential. Former Ohio Chief Justice and Lt. Gov. Maureen O’Connor, a Republican, recently noted one factor blocking economic development — gerrymandering....
Mickey Edwards: When considering foreign policy, there is only one choice for president
Every U.S. presidential election plays to three separate audiences: American voters, America’s allies and America’s enemies. For the most part, voters focus on questions of domestic policy, but the focus of the other two audiences is dramatically different. For our allies, it’s a question of America’s reliability as a partner...
Susan McWilliams Barndt: Do you remember what politics were like without Donald Trump? My students don’t.
Every year, I ask my political science students, “What is your earliest political memory?” I pose the question to figure out what political and cultural moments have shaped them. Over the years, their answers have served mainly to help me think about the mix of perspectives in my classroom. But...
Letter to the editor: Political talk has become dangerous
I recently ordered a Harris-Walz bumper sticker for my car and decided to buy a magnetic one to easily remove and then reapply it. Since we live in a majority Republican area, my husband is worried about damage to my car and also my safety! What’s happening? My parents emigrated...
Letter to the editor: Republican tactics should stop
The Republican Party includes many decent people, no doubt, who believe passionately in a set of beliefs. I fully respect their right to hold such beliefs and to promote them through honest means. However, these are minority views and aren’t gaining ground. Republicans should be content with all the advantages...
Letter to the editor: Father Monieau, parishioners have been punished enough
I feel compelled to speak out. As a parishioner of Immaculate Conception Parish for 71 years, I attended Catholic grade school and high school. I have known many priests, and none have shepherded me as Father John Monieau has. When I was troubled, I asked for help coping with forgiving;...
Editorial: Not a value ad: Google’s ad services monopoly needs to end
This week began the federal antitrust trial against Google for alleged monopolistic practices when it comes to the online advertising space, with the Justice Department contending the company has outsize dominion over what is a lifeline for industries including online publishing. Google, of course, doesn’t see it that way. Google...
Letter to the editor: Not better off now
Am I better off than I was four years ago? In January 2020, my electric bill was $102 a month; in July 2024 it was $168 (I have a heat pump for heating and cooling). That’s an over 60% increase in less than four years. I attribute it to the...
