Opinion category, Page 279
Paul Kengor: Fetterman on Trump’s ceiling
I don’t often agree with John Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s junior Democratic senator, but I found myself nodding vigorously at his recent assessment of Donald Trump’s prospects in Pennsylvania for November 2024. In a respectful, non-snarky, sober analysis, Fetterman responded to a question from The New York Times about whether he believes...
Rep. Chris Deluzio: Derailment rattled region 6 months ago; the fight for accountability, safer freight rail continues
The spotlight on the fiery train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, has dimmed over the past six months, but the fight for accountability and safety continues. Massive railroad corporations’ reckless pursuit of power and profit is nothing new. And without badly needed safety reform, it will be just a waiting...
Greg Fulton: America the Generous
In watching cable news, reading articles on the internet or listening to certain pundits, you might get the impression that Americans are greedy and selfish people. In fact it’s become good sport for the media periodically to highlight a particular “ugly American” who has shown exceptional greed and been uncaring...
Letter to the editor: Books and the sexualization of our children
Regarding the letter “Book-banning futility” (July 23, TribLIVE): Assuming an honest opinion here, not just more leftist hysteria, the letter expressed a concern for sexual material being used in schools. How anyone can defend the sexualization of children in our schools is beyond me. Is this truly necessary? The diatribe...
Letter to the editor: Trump unveiled our country’s corruption
Regarding the letter “Trump should pay the price” (July 25, TribLIVE), I ask the pertinent question: “It’s been almost three years since he’s been out of office; are people not seeing what President Biden and his sycophants have done?” Donald Trump, while crass and arrogant, showed the country just how...
Letter to the editor: Thanks to Biden for honoring Emmett Till
Leave it to a man of compassion, empathy, tolerance and decency like Joe Biden to spearhead the establishment of memorial statues to commemorate the savage murder of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old boy whose “capital crime” was to have allegedly whistled at a white woman. Young Emmett was kidnapped from his...
Jon Pushinsky and M. Jean Clickner: Personal reflections on the impact of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
We joined Congregation Dor Hadash as young parents over 30 years ago. We appreciated that the congregation was formed by a group of independent thinkers who were largely raised in the orthodox and conservative Jewish traditions. The congregational founders embraced their Judaism while striving to find new ways of applying...
Editorial: Pittsburgh synagogue verdict shines light on the enigmatic nature of justice
On Oct. 27, 2018, 11 people were killed in the largest, most savage act of antisemitism in American history. Rose Mallinger. Bernice Simon. Sylvan Simon. David Rosenthal. Cecil Rosenthal. Dan Stein. Irving Younger. Dr. Jerry Rabinowitz. Joyce Feinberg. Melvin Wax. Richard Gottfried. They were observant Jews worshipping with their three...
Jonah Goldberg: Can we shift the Republican conviction that only Trump will save them?
”They’re not indicting me, they’re indicting you. I just happen to be standing in the way,” Donald Trump declared (again) in the wake of a new updated federal indictment connected to the classified documents case. The claim is as effective as it is stupid. The federal government is not, in...
Cal Thomas: Look to Coolidge to fix today’s politics
PLYMOUTH NOTCH, VT. — One hundred years ago on Aug. 2, President Warren Harding died and Calvin Coolidge became America’s 30th president. The contrast between the two men is stark. While Harding was extremely popular with voters, later revelations doomed his presidency to the bottom rungs. Scandals included paying hush...
Letter to the editor: Elites, media moving to Newsome?
It looks like the judge in Hunter Biden’s plea deal, Maryellen Noreika, was not paid off and did not rubber-stamp his plea deal, which would have made him immune to future indictments. I think that the Washington elites and the news media dropped Joe Biden like a hot potato and...
Letter to the editor: Back Zappala over Dugan in Allegheny County
Recently, the majority of Democrats in Allegheny County voted for Mike Dugan as the Democratic candidate for district attorney in Allegheny County over Stephen Zappala, a tested Democrat. Do you who voted for Dugan know that he is a George Soros-backed candidate? Do you know what that means? Are you...
Editorial: Workforce development should have broad support
When establishing a business location, there are a number of factors to assess. Does this area have the infrastructure to support the company’s needs? Is there real estate that will accommodate things such as equipment, production and shipping? Is the state and local government supportive of the industry? Will there...
Letter to the editor: Garish billboards deface communities
Crossing the bridge into Tarentum used to be one of life’s simple pleasures, enjoying the topography, gentle town, the steel mill where Dad worked, the majestic Grandview School I attended. But now, the crossing elicits sadness and anger at the garish electronic billboard supplanting the familiar loveliness. Tarentum officials made...
Elwood Watson: Conservatives latest in long line of Barbie critics
Like many material icons, Barbie has had a complex history. When Mattel introduced Barbie to the public in 1959, America was beginning to enter deep into the throes of the Cold War. The modern civil rights movement was beginning to gain steam, and the nation was largely embracing the status...
Sens. Ryan Aument and Anthony Williams: Pa. students are struggling to read; we must help them
It’s time to sound the alarm on early literacy in Pennsylvania. Almost half of fourth-graders across our state are reading below grade level, a challenge that exists in every corner of Pennsylvania — from urban cities to our rural communities. Research consistently has shown early literacy is critical to academic...
Letter to the editor: Thanks to Reschenthaler for commonsense vote
On June 14, the House Appropriations Committee passed a bill that cuts federal spending while supporting critical agricultural research of national interest. As the plant manager for Flexsys’ manufacturing operation in Monongahela, I rarely, if ever, think about government-funded agricultural research. However, this year, I want to publicly praise Rep....
Editorial: Does a billion-dollar lottery jackpot make it hard to play responsibly?
For the second time in two weeks, there is a lottery jackpot topping $1 billion. The Mega Millions drawing will be $1.05 billion. It has grown steadily over 15 weeks, with drawings each Tuesday and Friday, as people pay $2 for each line of numbers printed on a small slip...
Letter to the editor: Bowers’ sanity shouldn’t be issue
As the Robert Bowers trial seemed to be winding up, I kept ruing the fact that I hadn’t composed a letter because I feared it would no longer be topical. I am finally putting pen to paper realizing that, damn, it looks like it might be topical for a while....
Letter to the editor: U.S. not ready for electric vehicles
It seems to me that, in this country in the last two years, we have had extreme changes, and not for our betterment. On electric cars, our government put the cart before the horse. The structure of power grids should have been in place before they started pushing for electric...
Tom Purcell: To aliens, human wisdom is unbelievable
Last week, a whistleblower testified before Congress, alleging that federal officials have concealed evidence of unidentified flying objects from the public for decades. I’m not sure why advanced beings would want to talk to us, but, if they came today, I imagine their visit might go something like this: “Take...
Nathan Benefield: Pennsylvanians are leaving — but Shapiro, lawmakers can inspire them to stay
Do you know someone who left Pennsylvania — or is considering doing so — to find greener pastures? You’re not alone. Nearly half of Pennsylvanians flirt with moving out of state, according to a recent survey commissioned by the Commonwealth Foundation. Younger respondents show a higher propensity to look elsewhere....
Letter to the editor: Why do laws not apply to all equally?
We have a system in which you fill out a form to get a gun, to see if you are permitted to have one. If you lie on a federal form in any way, it was my understanding you go to jail. Now we have the president’s son, Hunter Biden,...
Letter to the editor: Hydrogen hubs — leave gas in the ground
Regarding the article “Pa. is competing for billions to build hydrogen hubs. Will they really be green?” (July 25, TribLIVE): Don’t be misled. It is impossible for hydrogen made from methane to be green. Hydrogen in Pennsylvania will be made from methane. The American Petrochemical Institute and the U.S. Department...
Editorial: Public really does have right to know
All four Democratic and Republican caucuses in the state House and Senate have staff lawyers, some of whom are paid more than $200,000 a year. Yet, lawmakers spend millions more public dollars to hire outside lawyers. Then senators, especially, thumb their nose at the taxpayers by refusing to disclose why...
