Opinion category, Page 138
Letter to the editor: Democrats will do anything to win
I worked 36 years as an engineer and paid off my own student loan. I am an extremely hard worker, capable of fighting my own battles and not a stupid person. I vote independent and supported President Obama. I am looking for a competent executive to be president and manage...
Editorial: Trump shooting cannot stop political process
U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly opened his news conference at the Butler Farm Show grounds Monday with an explanation. Kelly, R-Butler, co-chairs a committee investigating the July 13 shooting in which former President Donald Trump was wounded, Buffalo Township volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore was killed and two others also were hit...
Letter to the editor: Applying Thomas Paine’s ‘Reason’ to Trump
In this age of Donald Trump claiming to be Christian, Project 2025, white Christian nationalism aligned with Trump to teach their version of Christianity, and the Bible in schools, schoolchildren and the public should be reading Thomas Paine’s “The Age of Reason” as applied to Trumpism: “Infidelity does not consist...
Letter to the editor: A true nature park would be better in Hempfield
The 43 acres Hempfield Township purchased from Excela Health three years ago has been providing profound benefits for the region for decades. The woodlands and meadow greatly enhance the air and water quality in nearby neighborhoods, as well as the greater surrounding area. They help mitigate the noxious emissions from...
Tom Pike: Shapiro needs to step up his environmental game
As attorney general, in 2020, Josh Shapiro made a name for himself by publishing a grand jury report that called for 2,500-foot protective buffers between residents’ homes and fracking well pads. It cited reams of evidence that living near fracking infrastructure is dangerous to Pennsylvanians’ health. Shapiro’s track record as...
Lindsey Galvao and Benjamin Klutsey: Teaching civil discourse — a classroom blueprint for all America
First-time teachers and first-time voters gearing up for the 2024 election may have only ever been exposed to toxic polarization — it’s their norm. But for those of us who’ve been in the classroom for decades, the landscape of teaching civics has changed dramatically. In the early 2000s, America was...
Aaron Brown: Wager on the NFL or invest? It’s not about morality
Does legalized online sports betting strain family finances? A recent study, “Gambling Away Stability: Sports Betting’s Impact on Vulnerable Households,” argues yes, but the conclusion reflects the moral assumptions of the authors rather than the statistical evidence. That’s not to say this is a bad study. It is a good...
Letter to the editor: South Park carry license event appreciated
I was at the recent Allegheny County Sheriff’s Department license to carry event in South Park, and I have to say that it was run as smoothly as it could possibly be. It took me 12 minutes to stand in line, have my photo taken and developed and be called...
Letter to the editor: What’s Trump’s military record?
I don’t understand why JD Vance and several Republicans keep badgering Gov. Tim Walz about his military service of 24 years. This could all be stopped by someone speaking up and saying, “What is Donald Trump’s military service record?” I’m just saying. Nancy Cochran Springdale...
Letter to the editor: Criticism of Walz’s military record deserved
In conjunction with the advent of the Harris-Walz ticket on the Democratic side, one area of continued focus and evaluation pertains to Gov. Tim Walz’s military record. The letter “Facts about Walz’s military record” (Aug. 17, TribLive) lays claim to having absolute truth to end all debate about Walz’s service....
Editorial: Iran’s attack on America: Criminal meddling in U.S. elections and protests
Back in 2016, it was the Russians who interfered with the U.S. presidential election, stealing emails and computer files from the Democrats and giving them to WikiLeaks to publish, seeking to embarrass the party and damage nominee Hillary Clinton. The culprit was the FSB, the Kremlin’s successor to the KGB,...
Letter to the editor: Biden and Harris deserve a failing grade
President Biden (and Vice President Harris, by association) have had four years to fix the rising prices, the out-of-control borders and soaring inflation that affect all of us, whether Democrat or Republican. The fact that the Biden administration has done practically nothing to fix those and the other problems they...
Letter to the editor: Harris excitement will continue
The enthusiasm and energy of Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign will continue to be a force that can’t be ignored. It presents hope for the future. “We won’t go back,” the slogan that emanated from the people, resolves to abandon the chaos, disparity and embarrassment of the Donald Trump presidency....
Editorial cartoons for the week of Aug. 26
Editorial cartoons for the week of Aug. 26....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Aug. 26
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Aug. 26....
Letter to the editor: Pirates, Steelers owners go for money, not championships
We know a rip-off when we see it, and we see it year after year. I’m talking about Pirates owner Bob Nutting and Steelers owner Art Rooney. Twin brothers of another mother. These billionaire bums shortchange Pittsburgh by making little effort to compete for championships. The City of Champions is...
Letter to the editor: Local politicians have too much taxing power
After the tax increase scam the former Greater Latrobe School Board members tried to pull last year and the one the current Westmoreland County commissioners did pull as a Christmas present to all of us, it’s obvious that the taxation powers of all local Pennsylvania politicians need to be severely...
Editorial: U.S. Secret Service has no margin for error in protection
The U.S. Secret Service has a remarkable record when it comes to protection. It was born in 1865 — not because of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln but because of wildfire counterfeiting in the wake of the Civil War. The Secret Service is a child of the Treasury Department, transferred...
Letter to the editor: Oil output under Biden tops Trump
In our politics and related economics, there are many questions whose answers largely reflect a point of view vs. a specific data-based conclusion. Are government-paid school lunches a good investment, are they morally sound? Is an abortion justifiable at three hours, three days, three months? Little in the way of...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Playing politics with the border
“That’s just politics” is a common response whenever Donald Trump says or does something outrageous, and it’s true that many of his carnival sideshow antics are worthy of nothing more than a chuckle. But his decision to get Republican senators to kill the bipartisan border bill in February deserves more...
Carl P. Leubsdorf: History hasn’t been kind to female nominees. Will it be different this time?
Once again, we are seeing how female nominees create excitement in presidential politics. But in the past, it’s mostly worn off by Election Day. Kamala Harris and the Democrats hope this time will be different, but it’s too early to know. The vice president’s nomination marks the fifth time in...
Point: Beware bias by omission
A long time ago, the American people expected reporters to gather and report the facts, explain the arguments of political parties and keep their opinions out of it. Today, reporters openly express their opinions, in their stories and in nearly every utterance on television and social media. The “objective” media’s...
Counterpoint: Media ‘bias’ is a perennial part of elections
Donald Trump’s esteem for Vladimir Putin is well known. For more than a decade, starting before he became president, Trump has expressed admiration for the Russian strongman, from his October 2013 claim that Putin had “done really a great job of outsmarting our country” to his July 2018 assertion at...
Letter to the editor: Unflattering Pittsburgh
In his op-ed “An unflattering portrait of Pittsburgh” (Aug. 17, TribLive), Colin McNickle has the courage to report what needs to be disclosed about the city: it is blunt, fault-finding and insulting,” all synonyms of “unflattering.” He states: “… the think tank researchers say Pittsburgh’s very high spending, excessive taxation...
Sounding off: Presidential politics
Trump is a real leader who cares I wanted to reply to the letter “Doesn’t Trump care, or does he think we’re stupid?” (Aug. 13, TribLive), but I found I couldn’t because he didn’t give any specifics about what had upset him. But I can reply to the tone of...
