Opinion category, Page 216
Letter to the editor: How can anyone vote for Trump?
I don’t know how anybody could vote for Donald Trump. The man is a bully, always making fun of people and calling them names. But don’t say anything about him or he will retaliate against you. And remember, he is never wrong — it’s always somebody else, not him; everybody...
Letter to the editor: Protecting children’s health and safety
Bad news, good news and sad news. Okay, first the bad news. A month ago, a friend broke his right hand rather badly. He is a young, talented, hard-working and right-handed plumber. Now the good news: An orthopedic doctor reset the bone and applied a temporary cast. In only a...
Editorial: Does anyone want to be a school superintendent?
Why do you need a school superintendent? The job might seem hard to understand for some taxpayers. Teachers? That one makes sense. They’re the people in the room with the students, opening their eyes to reading and math and science. Principal? That’s the person in charge of a school —...
Letter to the editor: We need smart energy policies
With inflation having risen in December, many Americans remain concerned about their economic future, as discussed in “U.S. inflation edges up, fueled by food and housing prices, but many other costs rise only mildly” (Jan. 11). Inflation is an economy-wide issue that affects everyone. Given the role of energy as...
Tom Purcell: The sad future of AM radio
You had a great 100-year run, AM radio, and your demise is breaking my heart. According to the Wall Street Journal, carmakers such as Tesla, Volvo and BMW no longer are providing AM radios in their new vehicles. Why? In part, because of the emergence of electric vehicles. As the...
Seth Lavin: I bought a flip phone and tried to get by without my smartphone. Here’s how that went.
About three months ago, I bought a flip phone and turned off my smartphone for good. I am part of a trend — interest in old-fashioned flip phones is up — but I don’t feel trendy. When I flip my phone open in a hallway of the middle school where...
Letter to the editor: Leave Punxsutawney Phil alone
I think it’s ridiculous about PETA saying Punxsutawney Phil needs to be retired taken to a nice place to live. Believe me, Phil is not being abused. Why change the tradition? It’s an event that everyone enjoys, whether Phil gets the weather right or wrong. Who cares? It helps bring...
Letter to the editor: Plastic bag bans only serve to make people feel better
New Jersey’s plastic bag ban was followed by an increased use of plastic. This has happened in California and across the land, including here in Pittsburgh. But data doesn’t matter. “There’s clearly a hiccup on this,” Democratic New Jersey Sen. Bob Smith told The New York Times. Makes some people...
Editorial: Keep asking questions about school violence
“No child should ever go to school and never come home.” Terra Campbell is absolutely right. She knows that better than anyone. Her son, Marquis, was shot and killed as he sat in a school van outside Oliver Citywide Academy on Jan. 19, 2022. On Thursday, Eugene Watson was sentenced...
Letter to the editor: No time to go backward on abortion safety
Karnamaya Mongar was a female immigrant patient who died as a result of the negligence of West Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell. It was a tragic death that could have been prevented. It is in the memory of Karnamaya and all those women who suffered at the hands of Gosnell that...
Letter to the editor: Prioritize brain health
As Pennsylvanians keep to their New Year’s resolutions, the Alzheimer’s Association Greater Pennsylvania Chapter is urging everyone to make brain health a priority in 2024. Currently, two-thirds of Americans have at least one major risk factor for dementia. The need for effective risk reduction strategies to help all communities grows...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Jan. 29
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Jan. 29....
Letter to the editor: Look to character rather than party affiliation when voting
I believe, in light of the American political climate today, party affiliation is less important than a candidate’s character and positive accomplishments. A commitment to truth, a strong moral compass, empathy toward those less fortunate, compassion for those who are sick in mind and body, and a commitment to a...
Letter to the editor: Patience of Pirates fans is wearing thin
Jan. 12, 2007, may have been the worst day in the life of every baseball fan in Pittsburgh. As they were fathered by a new principal penny-pinching owner who has justifiably earned the nickname “Bottom Line Bob.” As the fans of the once-great ball club long for change, the reigning...
Editorial: Shapiro’s big idea on colleges needs more detail
Gov. Josh Shapiro has proposed an overhaul to the way postsecondary education works in Pennsylvania. The state is a leader when it comes to going to college. It sports an Ivy League school in the University of Pennsylvania, one of the largest universities in the country in Penn State, groundbreaking...
Letter to the editor: Keeping Tomlin shows disregard for players, fans
I have been a Steelers fan for well over half a century and remember the days when Buddy Parker was allowed to walk away, Mike Nixon was terminated after only one season and Bill Austin was let go after three. What has followed may have earned Dan and Art Rooney...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Clemente magic
Democrat Chris Deluzio and Republican Guy Reschenthaler, two Western Pennsylvania members of the U.S. House and unlikely allies on any piece of legislation, have co-sponsored a bill. The Roberto Clemente Commemorative Coin Act sounds like an easy layup for both politicians, but nothing is easy in politics these days. Just...
Jackie Calmes: Why 2024 may not be the worst political year ever
The 2028 presidential campaign can’t come soon enough. Just think: Fresh faces, furrowed by fewer lines. Fresh ideas, not of the authoritarian, willfully divisive kind (we can hope). Fresh blood, and without triggering Hitlerian talk of “poisoning” our nation. A new contest, not a rematch of two unpopular geriatric retreads....
POINT: Housing alone cannot solve homelessness
In March 2021, San Francisco’s Mission Hotel held a joint funeral service for seven residents. The hotel is one of the sites leased by the city to house the unsheltered population, and resident deaths have become so frequent in these facilities that joint memorials have become the norm. Although the...
Counterpoint: Housing is a human right, not a privilege
Homelessness in the United States surged by a record 12% between January 2022 and January 2023, according to a report by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. In the world’s wealthiest nation, how does this happen, and what can be done to remedy it? The primary reason people are...
Letter to the editor: Greensburg Salem school costs disheartening
The article “Greensburg Salem seeks committee to navigate potential construction upgrades” (Jan. 19, TribLive) concerning capital needs of Greensburg Salem School District was disheartening. How could such a long list of needs have developed? Has maintenance been deferred or ignored? Would the millions of dollars of covid relief funds spent...
Sounding off: Writers focus on Steelers, CEO pay, Trump, county tax hike
Post-season thoughts on Steelers In reference to the end of the Pittsburgh Steelers season, the onus has been placed upon the coaches, which is mostly valid. I offer my own thoughts on this matter. Chuck Noll went from the basement to NFL history. He demanded discipline. He drafted the best...
Letter to the editor: Trump should not have immunity
Alexis de Tocqueville, in “Democracy in America,” Volume 1, Chapter 6, states: “The right granted to the courts of punishing the agents of the executive government when they violate the laws is so natural a one that it cannot be looked upon as an extraordinary privilege. Nor do the springs...
Editorial: What is the future of volunteer fire departments?
Fire departments aren’t an optional public service. Some things we enjoy having, such as a museum or library, make lives better or help people access important services. Other things augment our communities and improve property values, such as swimming pools or baseball fields. But fire departments are something we can’t...
Letter to the editor: Biden derelict in his duties
On Jan. 20, 2021, Joe Biden spoke the following words inscribed in the body of the Constitution; “ I, Joseph R. Biden Jr., do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and...
