Opinion category, Page 227
Laurels & lances: Reaching for stars, praying for rain
Laurel: To a moonshot. Pittsburgh-based space company Astrobotic was set for a Christmas Eve launch of its lunar lander, but that was scrapped less than two weeks out. That move was attributed to “routine” ground system problems. But a Christmas launch will come early in the new year as the...
Letter to the editor: Keeping union momentum going
With membership steadily decreasing, the past several decades have been dark ones for the union movement. Now, because of a combination of forces, including covid, CEO greed, income inequality and a positive political environment, workers are finding their voices once again. Recently there have been big wins for organized labor....
Paul Kengor: A wonderful Jimmy Stewart story
In 1946, legendary director Frank Capra teamed up with legendary actor Jimmy Stewart to make a legendary Christmas movie, the iconic “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Indiana, Pa. native Stewart was Capra’s favorite actor and the favorite of many. The film, of course, is filled with scenes leaving you laughing and...
Terry Fitzpatrick: Beyond platitudes on clean energy
It’s popular to talk about the need to transition to “clean energy” to combat climate change. But what is clean energy? It should mean any type or use of energy that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and keeps energy reliable and affordable. But to some activists, clean energy means only renewable...
Letter to the editor: Send some lottery proceeds to EMS providers
I’m sure most of us are aware of the mandate requiring the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to pay so much every year to PennDOT. We were reminded by the annual increase in tolls. Those of us who keep up with the news are also aware of the dire financial crisis facing...
Letter to the editor: Calcium chloride is damaging our roads, bridges
I recently reached out to PennDOT about the dangers of using the chemical calcium chloride on our roadways. It is extremely caustic to most metals, including brake lines and components, and the rebar in our roads and bridges. This could lead to premature failure, putting drivers at risk. Many auto...
Letter to the editor: Republicans’ revenge impeachment
I doubt that anyone is surprised that Republican U.S. House members have voted unanimously to continue and deepen the revenge impeachment proceedings against President Joe Biden. Biden’s self-appointed mortal enemy, Donald Trump, is surely delighted. The House GOP is a bunch, after all, which cast their votes in unison for...
Editorial: Student philanthropy shows lessons beyond the classroom. It’s our role to support it
Kids learn a lot of important lessons in school. They learn the alphabet and simple arithmetic. They learn to read and, for some, to love it. They learn to make baking soda volcanoes. They learn about the scientific method, what happened in 1776 and how to find Nebraska on a...
Letter to the editor: More energy production = more consumer savings
Natural gas development has yielded significant benefits for Western Pennsylvanians in terms of jobs, economic activity and cleaner air. Add consumers benefits to that list, with the Trib reporting that up to a 65% decline in purchased gas prices will be reflected in residential heating bills this winter (“Southwestern Pa....
Jonah Goldberg: The right’s antisemitism problem is well known. What about the left’s?
The good news is the bad news is wrong. The bad news? Harvard-Harris poll which found that 67% of 18 to 24-year-olds believe that “Jews as a class are oppressors and should be treated as oppressors.” One piece of good news: The poll is pretty lousy, as Ilya Somin, author...
Stacy Garrity: The hospital that stole Christmas
In early December, my telephone messages were filled with the pained voices of veterans who felt more like prisoners than liberators, men about to be robbed of Christmas by the endless quarantine at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Wilkes-Barre. It would mark the fourth consecutive Christmas where overreaching covid regulations...
Joshua Jansa and Eve Ringsmuth: Sandra Day O’Connor saw civics education as key to the future of democracy
Beyond her trailblazing role as the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor considered iCivics — a civics education nonprofit founded after she retired from the court — to be her “most important legacy.” “The practice of democracy is not passed down through the gene...
Mark Schweiker: It’s time for a second USAR team in Pa.
On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, the sun shone brightly. Little did we know that this beautiful day would end as the second bloodiest on American soil in history. The dust had hardly settled when our Pennsylvania Task Force One (PA-TF1) deployed to help with the search and rescue...
Letter to the editor: Hunter’s charges
In the article “Hunter Biden is indicted on 9 tax charges, adding to gun charges in a special counsel investigation” (Dec. 7, TribLIVE), defense attorney Abbe Lowell stated, “Based on the facts and the law, if Hunter’s last name was anything other than Biden, the charges in Delaware, and now...
Letter to the editor: Bidenomics has been disastrous
The article “Biden goes into 2024 with the economy getting stronger, but voters feel horrible about it” (Dec. 11, TribLive) quoted a few “experts” that stated they were “mystified” as to why Americans weren’t more positive about Bidenomics. They cited the reduced inflation rate of 3.2 % (annual rate in...
Editorial: Who actually learns a lesson from Comprehensive Healthcare’s guilty verdict?
Comprehensive Healthcare Management Services is guilty. On Monday, after five weeks of trial and 29 witnesses taking the stand, two entities of the corporation were found guilty of health care fraud. The case involved accusations of making false statements in connection with the payment of health care benefits and for...
Letter to the editor: Why don’t Republicans want to help ALL children?
The hypocrisy of Republicans concerning right to life is astounding. They are against abortion — many with no exceptions. New draconian laws threaten to punish women if they can’t prove a miscarriage is “spontaneous.” However, they are promoting socioeconomic genocide by cutting funds for WIC, school lunch programs and Medicaid,...
Mary Ziegler: A Texas case shows how cruel and illusory the latest abortion-ban exceptions can be
A historic drama playing out in Texas ended last week when the Texas Supreme Court held that Kate Cox, a woman 20 weeks pregnant with a fetus with trisomy 18, an almost always fatal abnormality, could not legally end her pregnancy in her home state. Cox had taken the rare...
Ryan Costello: U.S. Steel-NSC Merger a good deal for workers, consumers and Pa.
U.S. Steel is one of the most iconic American brands in one of America’s most storied industries, and both have deep roots in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The announced sale of U.S. Steel to Japan’s Nippon Steel Corp. (NSC) may seem like another American industry falling to foreign competition, but...
Letter to the editor: Gift card safety
Please be careful when purchasing gift cards at this time of year, especially if purchased off kiosks that aren’t watched by store personnel. I tried to use a $50 gift card given to me as a birthday present, but it was turned down. The security code on the back had...
Letter to the editor: Individualism and morality
The late 20th and 21st centuries ushered in a host of concepts that have radically changed how many view their relationships with God and others. Individualism, and its offspring relativism, dominated a cultural change that caused fractures in our dependencies, community life, families, religious institutions and public affairs. The bonds...
Editorial: What is the future of U.S. Steel?
U.S. Steel has been the skeleton of American industry. It didn’t just churn out millions of pounds of metal. It was behind and inside the landscape of the nation. It is in bridges and railroads and freighters. It has drawn the iconic skylines of our cities. It is the U.S....
Letter to the editor: Strong women fight for our democracy
Former acting Attorney General Sally Yates, who opposed President Trump’s Muslim ban, was among the first to get fired because she stood up for the rule of law. She refused to be cowed by the most powerful man in our country. With integrity and courage, she put the country before...
Tom Purcell: The best Christmas gift ever — re-embrace childlike joy
The best Christmas gift I ever gave anyone was the one I gave my father about 20 years ago: a Lionel train set. Every year, we got him the same gifts, you see. And every year he’d tell me to tell us, “For God’s sakes, please, no more sweaters.” As...
Christine Vendel: Genetic testing can save lives. I believe it saved mine.
I lost a lot this year. My breasts. My ovaries. My uterus. My belly button. (I’ll explain that last one later.) But I gained a lot, too. After enduring four surgeries that benched me from work for a total of 14 weeks, I have removed the vulnerable body parts to...
