Opinion category, Page 17
Letter to the editor: Who cried for Israel?
The writer of the letter “Who cried for the children of Gaza?” (Dec. 3, TribLive) uses the metaphor of the shedding of tears to accuse various individuals and organizations of callousness and complicity in the destruction and suffering of the people of Gaza. I cannot help but notice that the...
Letter to the editor: Trump Derangement Syndrome
The term “Trump Derangement Syndrome” is not examined properly. A more accurate definition might be demonstrated in the opinion of Jared Whitely (“Counterpoint: It’s real, and it’s spectacular,” Dec. 20, TribLive), who believes that the opponents of President Trump are allergic to facts. It’s no secret that the president and...
Editorial: Preparing for the politics of 2026
There is something clarifying about opening a fresh calendar. The pages are clean, the boxes empty, the year ahead undefined. It invites planning even as experience reminds us that no year ever unfolds exactly as written. This will be another year when Pennsylvania finds itself under a political spotlight. Presidential...
Letter to the editor: Why would anyone support Reschenthaler?
I want to understand why a voter in Pennsylvania’s 14th Congressional District would support an incumbent who consistently backs policies — and a president — that appear to conflict with their economic self-interest. Most voters in the district are middle class, earning roughly $45,000 to $135,000 a year. What explains...
F.D. Flam: Experimenting on dogs is getting harder to defend
Medical experiments on research dogs could be phased out soon — a change that’s based as much on science as ethics. Pressure is coming from within the scientific community as well as from activists, following a string of scandals involving inhumane living conditions. It follows a similar phase-out in the...
Allison Schrager: The economy needs a little bit of unfairness
There are a lot of reasons, some deserved and some not, for Americans’ distrust of their institutions. Lately I have been thinking about one of the more counterintuitive ones: Our schools, governments and even employers are trying too hard to make things fair. In so doing, they are not only...
Letter to the editor: Steelers need some creativity
I was born in Irwin and am still an avid Steelers fan. I must weigh in on the team. Their performance of late is someone’s fault, and thought it may be complicated, I think Mike Tomlin should look for a more creative, more imaginative and perhaps more competent offensive coordinator....
Letter to the editor: End the hate and vote for what works
Today much of the media and far too many individuals are spewing largely unsubstantiated hate for one political party or the other, while at the same time, many millions the world over celebrate the birth of a child in Bethlehem, thousands of years ago, as a symbol of love and...
Editorial: What most-read letters say about 2025
A newspaper can sometimes feel like a fire hose, delivering a steady stream of information to the reader. This person was arrested. This tax is being levied. That politician did something controversial — depending on your point of view. But the opinion page is different. It’s not a speech. It’s...
Letter to the editor: Game commission destroying hunting traditions
I am disheartened by the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s actions that have destroyed the tradition of “deer camp” for many. Adding Sunday hunts, combining doe and buck seasons, and the inexplicable changing of the first day have robbed future generations of fond memories of family and friends sharing a yearly trip...
Lynn Schmidt: When medical misinformation costs lives — balancing free speech and public health
In my corner of the world, it feels like 2020 all over again, experiencing the push and pull between losing someone I love due to medical misinformation, all while holding respect for free speech. The tension between combating medical misinformation and protecting free speech represents one of the most challenging...
Kathleen Enright: As Americans look for unity, the charitable sector provides a model
As the United States confronts the limits of its own divisions, it can feel as though blame has replaced problem-solving in nearly every area of public life. That perception has led to public trust in just about every major institution — from government to media, religious institutions and nonprofits —...
Letter to the editor: McCormick OK with ketamine but not marijuana?
I’m gonna need someone to explain this to me like I’m 5. Help me please. Pennsylvania has a medical cannabis market. Thousands of patients use the system annually to therapeutically manage chronic conditions. Pennsylvania took in nearly $87 million from gross receipt taxes in 2024 (not including any local taxes)....
Letter to the editor: We must focus on renewable energy sources
I agree that we need to look for ways to reduce our energy use. So, as I read the op-ed “New energy sources needed now” (Dec. 17, TribLive), I was distressed because it was promoting the use of nuclear energy and carbon-capture technology. Both of these options are extremely expensive...
Editorial: A year defined by accountability
When it comes to editorials, our focus is always on our people — what hurts, what helps, what can be fixed. Sometimes that means being hyperlocal, examining issues that may start on a single street or in a single community but carry meaning across the region. Other times it means...
Editorial cartoons for the week of Dec. 29
Editorial cartoons for the week of Dec. 29....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Dec. 29
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Dec. 29....
Letter to the editor: Who needs gerrymandering?
So, let me get this straight. The tie in the recent East Deer commissioner seat election was decided by “drawing lots” within the walls of the epicenter of the Democratic Party’s seemingly forever stranglehold on Allegheny County politics. I wonder if James Carville orchestrated the proceedings. I should have sent...
Letter to the editor: Death of common sense
When did the slow and agonizing death of common sense in America begin? Some believe it’s as recent as 2024 when 70 million people voted for an “appointed” candidate and her sidekick. Think Bugs and Daffy with a mallet. Maybe it was when we accepted lockdowns and a “minimally” tested...
Editorial: Broadband decisions must outlast politics
Congress made a bipartisan promise a year ago: Every home and business in America would have access to high-speed internet. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act put $42.5 billion into the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program on a simple premise: In a world where work, education and health care...
Letter to the editor: Pharmacists care
One Christmas Eve, while I was closing a pharmacy in Pittsburgh, a woman rushed in with her young son, crying from an ear infection. She had run across the parking lot hoping to make it before we locked the doors. I had already begun to close, but there was no...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Trump’s renaming frenzy will fade when he does
In what could be a chapter from some “authoritarian’s handbook,” President Donald Trump has used much of his second term naming publicly funded institutions and projects after himself. The decision a week before Christmas to change the name of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts to...
Martin Schram: Teaching the world’s lost leaders
Just about a week ago, we saw how fast a viral video could virally whip around the world. It was taken during Australia’s Hanukkah-by-the-Sea family-fest that turned into a mass shooting tragedy. Yet it ended with that astonishing, made-for Hollywood heroic twist. It was quickly seen by just about all...
Counterpoint: Ban kids from social media? Yes, absolutely.
Should the United States follow Australia’s lead in banning children under 16 from social media platforms? Absolutely! Australia has set a new global standard by requiring platforms to act in children’s best interests. Its new law raises the minimum age to 16, requires age verification, and holds platforms financially accountable...
Point: Throwing parental rights on the barbie won’t fly in the United States
The world’s first social media ban of users under age 16 is in effect in Australia. Whatever parents’ genuine concerns and understandable frustrations around their kids’ safety online, the Aussie approach is not the answer and should not be emulated by U.S. lawmakers. The Australian ban covers Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat,...
