Opinion category, Page 219
Editorial: Westmoreland officials’ pay increase, workers’ strike notice are predictable problem
Westmoreland County officials cannot be surprised by employees bristling over contract negotiations. Aside from the four-year contract expiring Dec. 31 and stalled negotiations, there is the fact that many employees have been dealing with increased work and shorter staff for years. These are problems that might have come into the...
Letter to the editor: Too many guns, not enough laws
The writer of the letter “We have plenty of gun laws” (Jan. 6, TribLive) writes “it seems to me” we have enough gun laws already. Then why do we have so many more shootings than other countries with strict regulation? He says the U.S. cities with the strictest gun laws...
Gary Franks: America needs a constitutional tune-up
We are rapidly approaching our 250th birthday as a republic. And the nation is in need of a tune-up. With just a few tweaks of our Constitution we can put the nation on a path that would allow it to go another 250 years. The Constitution is the supreme law...
S.E. Cupp: It’s the money vs. the map for DeSantis & Haley
Anyone watching the Iowa caucuses results pour in Monday night could see very quickly that former President Donald Trump was going to walk away with a decisive victory. He won 98 of 99 counties, and was denied the 99th by only one vote. More than one cable news network called...
Cal Thomas: Why Trump prevails
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich appeared on Fox News Monday night as Iowa voters caucused and delivered a decisive victory for Donald Trump in his quest to win the Republican presidential nomination and a second term as president. Gingrich joyfully predicted that Trump would not only win the...
Lisa Jarvis: Measles outbreak should be a vaccine wake-up call
A cluster of measles cases in the Northeast is putting a spotlight on how easily the highly contagious disease can spread — and how dangerous any further slip in childhood vaccination rates could be. Infants and toddlers not old enough to have been fully protected through vaccination are vulnerable to...
Colin McNickle: A textbook case for regular property reassessments
The dominos of government nonfeasance have begun to fall in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. And the economic fallout could be catastrophic, says a researcher at the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy. “This situation underscores the importance of regular property assessments,” says Frank Gamrat, executive director of the Pittsburgh think tank....
Dwan B. Walker: Communities depend on banks to invest in infrastructure
Aliquippa is the place where I grew up, attended school and raised my family. Eventually, it was the place that granted me the humbling opportunity to become mayor, a role I’ve served in for the last 12 years. It’s safe to say Aliquippa is a community I care about deeply....
Letter to the editor: County tax hike is fiscal mismanagement by commissioners
I stand in opposition to the decision by our three county commissioners to raise property taxes by 32.5% This outrageous increase puts a financial burden on seniors living on fixed incomes and families struggling to live from paycheck to paycheck. I have filed a complaint with the ACLU, and I...
Letter to the editor: Gas operation concerns in Bell Township
In Bell Township, our once-tranquil landscape is undergoing a rapid transformation due to the proliferation of natural gas operations. Four compressor stations, numerous drilling sites and waste facilities have dramatically altered the scenery along Route 819, replacing our serene entryway with an industrial zone. This stark transformation, especially when contrasted...
Laurels & lances: Looking out and letting down
Laurel: To recycling. Everyone knows it’s better to reuse than to let something go to waste. That’s not just true of paper and plastic. It also applies to technology. On a visit to Acrisure Stadium, Leechburg Area School District security guard Mike Kapustik noticed there were unused metal detectors in...
Letter to the editor: Our support of Israel will be disastrous
No group I have encountered has been more generous than Jews. This is a deep part of Jewish culture. So I have long been mystified at Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, especially in this current war. Benjamin Netanyahu has answered Hamas’ barbaric act of war with a barbaric act of war...
Paul Kengor: Japan’s Nippon Steel acquires US Steel: Who cares?
It has been about a month since United States Steel (USS) announced it’s being acquired by Japan’s Nippon Steel Corp. I’ve watched curiously for reactions. I find it interesting that local reaction has seemed somewhat subdued, even underwhelming. To the contrary, I’ve heard from older, relocated Pittsburghers who greeted the...
Christine Flowers: Not even the death of a mother is off limits in today’s politics
There are two things that should be completely off limits: a person’s children and a person’s grief. You do not mock a child, something that we often forget when that child happens to belong to a politician we despise, and you do not make fun of someone in the depths...
Letter to the editor: An idea for easing Parkway congestion
Regarding the article “$142M in federal funding to address congestion, transit along Pittsburgh’s Parkway East,” (Dec. 19, TribLive): Congestion on the Parkway is caused by drivers trying to switch lanes. Install a divider guard rail to divide the lanes so once you are on the Parkway, you cannot switch lanes....
Letter to the editor: What will be cure for deadly ‘Disease X’?
I don’t know much about the newest pandemic on the horizon, “Disease X,” other than the trusted World Health Organization says it will be 20 times more deadly than covid. I do, on the other hand, have a clear understanding of what the cure will be: mail-in ballots. Stay healthy,...
Editorial: Mike Tomlin should punt the pettiness and petulance
A coach is someone who gives instruction. Coaches train. They teach. They help make people better. The simple arithmetic of wins and losses shows the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Mike Tomlin is a good coach. He joined the organization in 2007. In that time, he has amassed two Super Bowl appearances with...
Letter to the editor: How would we deal with extraterrestrials?
As I read through all the ideas as to how best to be prepared for the next catastrophe, I note that all the suggestions being made are excellent and, if adopted, will certainly have a marked influence on how effective our efforts will be no matter which one of the...
Letter to the editor: MAGAs, respect and patriotism
I for one was glad to see a “MAGA conservative” opine on the differences between conservatives and liberals and help clear the air (“Conservatives respectful, liberals destructive,” Jan. 11, TribLive). Most people think the MAGA group is not respectful of life (unless you consider state abortion bans that are rendering...
Jonah Goldberg: Biden is late but right to strike against Yemen’s Houthis
With the possible exception of fights over the national debt and Supreme Court nominations, there is no topic that arouses more partisan hypocrisy than presidential use of military force. And, globally, there is no issue that arouses more hypocrisy than Israel. Put them together, and you have a perfect storm...
Peter Morici: How to help American families afford child care? Give parents money directly
Last September, covid-era federal subsidies to child-care providers ended. Despite apocalyptic warnings that 70,000 daycare centers would shutter, compelling at least one parent, usually mothers, to stay-at-home, American families have so far muddled through. The female labor force participation rate, which has recovered to pre-pandemic levels, did not collapse. Importantly,...
Carl P. Leubsdorf: Haley still has a chance in New Hampshire
Though Donald Trump scored a historically large victory, Nikki Haley’s close third in the Iowa caucuses keeps alive her scenario of how the Republican primaries might shift in her favor, starting next week in New Hampshire. “You know Iowa starts it,” the former South Carolina governor told Granite State supporters...
Letter to the editor: Reasons to root for Cleveland
I had to smile reading the letter from Mike Stehney (“Steelers fan rooting for the Browns,” Jan. 5, TribLive). I was in Cleveland the day after Art Modell and the whole Browns team packed up in the middle of the night and left for Baltimore. Having been born and raised...
Letter to the editor: New year, same tax hikes
It’s a new year, but clearly nothing has changed as far as the continuation of raising taxes. This year not only has inflation and high energy costs, but add to that the over 30% property tax hike in Westmoreland County, a 3.5% pay raise for our commissioners and 4.7% for...
Editorial: Are passengers, airports served by JetBlue-Spirit ruling?
In April 2022, JetBlue Airways decided to make a bid for Spirit Airlines. The move came after Frontier Airlines attempted a merger. Three months later, Frontier walked away, leaving JetBlue as the only remaining suitor. This was a big deal, but it left some worried about what it meant going...
