Opinion category, Page 149
Editorial: What does Biden’s withdrawal mean for Pennsylvania voters?
On Sunday afternoon, President Joe Biden posted to social media a letter that was both surprising and anticipated. He bowed out of the presidential election. It was surprising because it is really unheard of at this point in an election year. The closest analog is when Lyndon B. Johnson stepped...
Editorial: Hiding medical debt won’t make it go away
Paying for health care in America is a complicated business. In recent years, the government has taken valuable steps to reduce the harm that unexpected medical bills and unscrupulous debt collectors inflict on consumers. But a newly proposed rule, which would strip all health care bills from credit reports, is...
Letter to the editor: Economy is top issue for voters
Many Americans are struggling to feed families and put gas in cars. “It’s the economy, stupid” says it all! That phrase was coined by James Carville for Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign. Today, President Biden supporters tell us Bidenomics is working and things are just fine. But are they? The average...
Editorial cartoons for the week of July 22
Editorial cartoons for the week of July 22....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of July 22
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of July 22....
Letter to the editor: Let’s protect the South Side
The perpetual problem of the South Side once again begs a call for some sort of redress. I submit a couple ideas that might be fruitful. The time has come to ban public urination during daylight hours. The ban could be from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. over the winter....
Letter to the editor: The dark side of ‘green energy’
The average lifespan of a solar panel is only 25 years. Afterward, will the user be willing to invest in all new panels, especially once all the government grants are gone and the green energy bubble has burst? Eventually, millions of burned-out, Chinese-made solar panels will end up in our...
Editorial: Add political rallies to the places we aren’t safe
Butler County has been Trump country from the beginning. North of the Democratic island of Allegheny County, Butler County is not hesitant in its support of former president and GOP nominee Donald Trump. In 2016, 66.7% of the county picked Trump over Hillary Clinton. In 2020, support barely wavered, dropping...
Letter to the editor: Secret Service incompetence troubling
It’s now apparent that Thomas Crooks, the person who attempted to assassinate former President Trump, was better prepared for the events that unfolded at the July 13 rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds than were the United States Secret Service personnel (“Secret Service is investigating how a gunman who...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Assassins can’t steal our elections
We are all sickened by the attempted assassination of former president Donald Trump. Public policy is to be decided by the voters in this Republic, not by assassins. Those of us who were around during the 1960s remember too clearly the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. His...
Patricia Lopez: Republicans’ war on divorce is just Christian nationalism in disguise
No-fault divorce is an option available in all 50 states. But it might not be for long if Donald Trump wins a second term, further emboldening a surging Christian nationalist movement that has divorce reform in its sights. Already, several GOP-led states, including Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana, are moving...
Counterpoint: Assassination attempt will not be the end of leftist violence
Details are still emerging about the attempt to kill Donald Trump — about the shooter and how it was possible, and also what it says about America. The first is obvious: Political violence has no place in America. No matter our politics, Americans should never resort to violence to settle...
Point: Right-wing politicos must relinquish their violent rhetoric
Sadly, political violence is as old as politics itself, around the globe and, yes, in the United States. However, the last decade has seen a marked increase, especially in the United States. Rhetorically, one might argue — and those on the political right will — that heated words and actions...
Letter to the editor: Justice denied in Trump documents case
The phrase “justice delayed is justice denied” comes to mind with a conflicted and biased Judge Aileen Cannon throwing out the documents case against former President Trump. This is a case where an ex-president took highly sensitive and secretive documents to his home, stored some in the bathroom, some in...
Sounding off: Assassination attempt among writers’ topics
Assassination attempt an outrage All of the officers, staff and membership of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 92 in Lower Burrell pray for a speedy recovery, physically and mentally, for David “Jake” Dutch, his wife, Sheree, and extended family. Jake is a Marine Corps veteran and an active and valued...
Letter to the editor: New rule suggestions for PIAA
The PIAA (Profiting In Athletic Activities) has just announced another idea (oops, another stupid idea) to move teams up for success. If you win two state championships in a row, you get moved up. Wow. It’s incredible what rules executive director Bob Lombardi and his crew of merry men can...
Editorial: Westmoreland Register of Wills has been absent for years. Just leave already
It might seem like the dysfunction in the Westmoreland County Register of Wills Office is a new thing. The department — responsible for filings and services regarding estates, wills, adoptions and more — has been in the spotlight all year. There was a hearing in January that saw Register of...
Letter to the editor: An alternative to Summer Lee’s extremism
This November, voters in the 12th Congressional District can remove another U.S. House member of the extremist “Squad” led by Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez. One member already lost a primary election. Rep. Summer Lee, a proud Squad member, will have glitzy TV ads hiding this fact as she claims she is “fighting...
Gary Franks: For Trump – God is good… Trump’s work is clearly not finished
Being at the Republican National Committee convention in Milwaukee this week to witness the first public appearance of former President Donald Trump following the failed assassination attempt was one of my most emotional campaign experiences. Thank God Trump, who was just a mere inch or so away from death, is...
S.E. Cupp: Trump wants to win. And that should scare Biden.
In many ways, the selection of Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance as former President Donald Trump’s running mate is odd and seemingly impolitic. After all, Vance is another white guy from a state Trump won twice and is sure to win again — hardly a value-add. He’s brash and often unlikeable....
Tom Pike: Water suppliers must make frackers accountable
With much of Westmoreland County having suddenly entered a “flash drought,” vegetable gardens are drying up in the withering heat. Although this flash drought is unlikely to deepen into a long-term crisis, let’s take it as a reminder that we are only ever a bad month or two away from...
Rachel Langan: Fully funded public education must include cyber charters
When a parent says that a public school isn’t what it used to be, the implication is usually bad. But for Brenda Jesky, a Latrobe mother of three, that’s not the case. Her daughter Maddy — who has high-functioning autism — struggled with learning in both public and private traditional...
Letter to the editor: Trump has already won
The election is over — Donald Trump won. He is a hero and martyr. He took one for the team. It will only get better for Trump, with President Biden’s slow deterioration. And I’m not even a Trump supporter. Pete Miller Delmont...
Letter to the editor: Trump doesn’t have qualities needed to serve common good
According to the article “Why Butler County is so crucial to Trump’s election chances” (July 6, TribLive), southwestern Pennsylvania and Butler County play significant roles in the upcoming election. We remain concerned Catholics who have been challenged to integrate gospel aspirations when we vote. To be more specific we consider...
Letter to the editor: It’s clear Biden isn’t up for the job
After the humiliating and bizarre surrender to the Taliban in Afghanistan, resulting in 13 dead and dozens of horribly wounded U.S. troops, and hundreds of dead and wounded Afghan civilians, I wrote a letter titled “Democrats’ double standard” (Sept. 21, 2021), pertaining to President Biden’s mental decline, that was published...
