Opinion category, Page 148
Laurels & lances: Stay sober & pay up
Laurel: To recognizing a reality. Not everyone drinks alcohol or indulges in other substances. Some people don’t drink because they’re in recovery from alcoholism or other substance abuse. Some people can’t drink because of a medical condition, like pregnancy, diabetes or liver disease. Some may have an emotional or psychological...
Letter to the editor: We deserve greatness, not chaos
There is only chaos with Donald Trump’s candidacy. His entire life has been nothing but. The majority of Americans agree, as shown by the popular vote in 2016 and 2020. It will be shown again in 2024. Personally, I have always voted for the party platform, for ideas that help...
Charles Mitchell: Shapiro failed on school choice — again. There’s hope despite him
The state budget is finally done, but Pennsylvania families should be angry. That’s the most important takeaway from the budget that Gov. Josh Shapiro and state lawmakers passed this month. Last year, Shapiro failed our most vulnerable kids by vetoing his promise to enact Lifeline Scholarships, which would have saved...
Rev. Erik Hoeke: Climate action is a moral imperative
Climate change is one of many significant moral challenges we face today as a nation, requiring a committed response. The social principles of my own faith tradition, the United Methodist Church, express moral imperatives to address climate change, protect the most vulnerable in society and promote human health. Humans have...
Letter to the editor: Where is the evidence of Trump’s lies?
The letter “Trump doesn’t have qualities needed to serve common good” (July 19, TribLive) mentions that Donald Trump spread a “litany of lies and distortions“ without offering one example or one fact to back up these claims. Not one. How are we supposed to take the writer of this letter...
Editorial: Football season comes early with Steelers training camp
Football season doesn’t mean the same thing in the Latrobe area that it does in Pittsburgh. In Pittsburgh, football season is a fall phenomenon. It is tailgating and Sunday afternoons, Monday nights and powering through games sometimes cold enough to freeze a Terrible Towel. It is months of fans living...
Letter to the editor: Democracy or hypocrisy?
If you are a viewer of MSNBC, CNN or one of the other major networks, you have been told ad nauseam that our “democracy” is at stake. On June 27, the first presidential debate was held between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. It was evident that night that what was...
Letter to the editor: Republicans’ violence
In a healthy society, politicians wouldn’t be targeted with violence. No one would. Anyone who openly advocates violence — against protesters, political rivals, his own vice president, a legislature and more — would be ineligible for public office. A party that condemns violence against their candidate and supporters would condemn...
Jonah Goldberg: Is replacing President Biden as his party’s nominee an attack on democracy? Hardly.
Alas, the coronation of Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee is complete. Democrats are surprisingly ecstatic with the decision, and Republicans, or at least the Trump campaign, are very cross about it, complaining that democracy has been subverted. This is something of a reversal, given that Republicans argued Biden was...
Solomon D. Stevens: When our politics turns apocalyptic, we all lose
The assassination attempt on Donald Trump was terrible and a stain on our republic. In our government, “we the people” are responsible for choosing our leaders. No individual has the right to take that away. But, as wrong as the assassination attempt was (and it was wrong), it is essential...
Jeff Coleman: Trust elections and good neighbors
It was 1986 when a presidential election first captured my imagination — the contest between incumbent Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos and challenger Corazon Aquino. As an 11-year-old American living in the Philippines, for me it was the ultimate master class in democracy. Marcos risked his dictatorship by declaring a snap...
Letter to the editor: Harris as president Dems’ death wish
Kamala Harris for president? Does the Democratic Party have a death wish? She has been in charge of President Biden’s disastrous failed border/immigration policy since 2021. ’Nuff said? Gerald Schiller Penn Hills...
Letter to the editor: Calling on the Founders to respond to Project 2025
One answer from our Founders that I could offer in response to Project 2025, to those installing a version of the Ten Commandments in public schools, to those who want to “teach” the Bible and Christianity in American public schools comes from Thomas Jefferson’s Jan. 27, 1800, letter to Joseph...
Editorial: ‘Unacceptable’ is an understatement regarding security failures at Butler rally
Members of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security did something Monday that lawmakers rarely do. They did not meet in a formal room, sitting at glossy wood desks, perched behind nameplates underscoring their importance to a political process. Instead, a group of lawmakers from both parties went into the...
Letter to the editor: Rodeo and legislative accountability
If you live near Pittsburgh, you may have noticed a rodeo tour here. In 1992, the city of Pittsburgh banned practices used at rodeos, like electric prods and bucking straps, which inflict intense pain and cause injuries to animals. This effectively banned rodeos from the city. This local law is...
Philip Klinkner: Picking vs. electing candidates
Now that Joe Biden has dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the nominee, it will ultimately be up to Democratic National Convention delegates to formally select a new nominee for their party. This will mark the first time in over 50...
Bruce A. Antkowiak: Federalism and separation of powers — a double security?
Two cases, both involving former President Trump, have captured headlines recently and, like everything else connected with the upcoming presidential election, stirred virulent emotions on all sides. In one case, the Supreme Court afforded the Office of the President immunity from prosecution in certain circumstances and, in the second case,...
Letter to the editor: Why is Westmoreland County adding staff?
Regarding the article “Westmoreland OKs new jobs, more pay for human service staffers” (July 18, TribLive): Why is the county adding staff when population continues to drop? Time to challenge the county commissioners as to why they’re growing the government. Dave Bonazelli Unity...
Letter to the editor: County Republican moves
Not one Westmoreland County Republican Committee member had the courage or ambition to oppose Bill Bretz for county chair on July 9 after all the outrage over how he treated Republican commissioner candidates Paul Kosko and myself, and committee members who helped us. In 2023, Bretz called for an endorsement...
Editorial: Gershkovich conviction could spark prisoner deal, but don’t forget Fogel
On Friday, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was convicted of espionage by a Russian court. He was sentenced immediately. The penalty was 16 years in a maximum-security prison. The sentencing has given rise to speculation about negotiation for Gershkovich’s release. Russia likes to trade prisoners only after they have...
Letter to the editor: Presidential race, a sad state of affairs
They stood, two old men arguing over who was the worst U.S. president, and then, which of the pair occupying center stage in Atlanta was the better golfer. It could have been a pair of geezers sitting on a park bench. But no. It was called a presidential debate and...
Steven Hill: Soaring grocery prices are not acts of God
Since the pandemic, going to the grocery store has become a jarring experience. On a recent visit, I packed my purchased items into my tote bag and then gawked at the receipt in disbelief. I’m not alone. Griping about the high cost of groceries has become a national pastime. It’s...
John R. Kasich and G. William Hoagland : Lawmakers 5 decades ago passed a big budget fix. It made a difference (for them)
Fifty years ago, Congress tried to rein in deficits and fix the budget process — or, perhaps, lawmakers were mostly just trying to wrest back some spending power from the White House. If the goal was fiscal responsibility, the results have been mixed at best. But if the goal was...
Letter to the editor: Democrats are cowards
Love Donald Trump or hate him, he’s a man with guts and courage. No Democratic president in my lifetime can say that. Just look at the facts: hostages in Iran — Carter; no air support in Mogadishu — Clinton; no support or reinforcements in Benghazi — Obama; the cowardly withdrawal...
Letter to the editor: Who needs presidential immunity?
I believe everything you need to know about the upcoming presidential election can be determined from the two candidates’ reactions to the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity decision. President Biden bitterly condemned the ruling as a violation of separation of powers and the law under the Constitution. Apparently, Biden isn’t contemplating...
