Opinion category, Page 280
Letter to the editor: False promises of reparations
The Democratic Party in large cities and now state legislatures and the U.S. Congress continue to pander to Black Americans with false promises. Their latest and most troubling promise is that of large cash payments as reparations for slavery. This is dangerous because many Black citizens believe it will actually...
Lori Falce: Titanic loss prompted change. So should Titan’s
The Titanic often is thought of as the quintessential example of a shipwreck. It isn’t the only boat to sink. It isn’t the only ocean liner to meet a watery end. In fact, the famously “unsinkable” sunken ship was part of a family of three identical sisters of the White...
Laurels & lances: Air show and shelter
Laurel: To a high-flying event. For some people, summer starts with the end of school. For others, it’s Memorial Day or that day on the calendar when the solstice officially begins the season. But, for many in Western Pennsylvania, the kickoff is about airplanes. The Shop ’n Save Westmoreland Airshow...
Letter to the editor: ‘Good stewards’ in Norwin?
Dear Norwin School District, The Norwin School Board prefers to eliminate positions through attrition to maintain a “balanced budget.” Now we are praising them for being “good financial stewards” (“Good financial stewards in Norwin,” June 13, TribLIVE). The letter-writer focused on school board member Bob Wayman’s comment of the district...
Paul Kengor: The absurdity of a $15 beer
I recently attended a Pirates game. As readers know, that’s no small step for me. I boycotted Major League Baseball after its ideological commissioner, Rob Manfred, needlessly thrust our beloved national pastime into the nastiness of partisan politics. Manfred and MLB boycotted the city of Atlanta in protest of Georgia’s...
Matthew Yglesias: America can fix its highways much faster, if it wants
The collapse of a section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia, smack dab in the middle of the densest region of the U.S., is an obvious disaster for the nation’s transportation network. But the demolition work, which began within hours, is already ahead of schedule, the repair work will be expedited,...
Cal Thomas: China’s economy and America’s opportunity
Many have tried not buying items made in China, but it is a near impossibility. Everything from prescription drugs to you name it seems to originate in a country whose regime is proving to be America’s greatest adversary and growing enemy. Which is why now may be the ideal time...
Letter to the editor: Kennedy’s vocal condition not a disqualifier for presidency
In regards to the letter “Biden and Kennedy are the best Democrats have?” (June 7, TribLIVE): Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a rare condition called spasmodic dysphonia that affects his voice. Spasmodic dysphonia, also known as laryngeal dystonia, is a lifelong neurologic disorder that causes the muscles that generate a...
Letter to the editor: Trump deserves 4th Amendment protection
Democrats frequently whine that, “No one is above the law.” The Fourth Amendment of our Constitution reads: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause,...
Editorial: Dissenting votes should be applauded amid political rhetoric
On Tuesday, the Allegheny County Council did something that doesn’t happen very often. It overrode a veto by Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. By a vote of 10-5, the council decided that its earlier vote to establish a minimum wage for the county’s employees would stand. It was only the...
Letter to the editor: Explaining the Methodist split
The article “Some Western Pennsylvania United Methodist churches make split official at conference” (June 15, TribLIVE) needs some context. Wesleyan theology would have that those who believe in a new life in Christ are first called to be holy in conduct. Traditionalists of the UMC are saying all people are...
Jonah Goldberg: Most Americans think life was better 50 years ago. That’s ridiculous.
“Remembrance of things past is not necessarily the remembrance of things as they were.” — Marcel Proust Nostalgia, a term that originated as a medical diagnosis for Swiss mercenaries suffering from homesickness, is the sorrowful longing for a lost past. An April Pew survey found that nearly 6 out of...
Letter to the editor: Environmentalists harming the planet
Radical environmentalists and the Democratic Party are killing the planet, despite their claims to be saving it. They started about 50 years ago with their campaign to eliminate the use of heavy paper sacks for groceries. Greenpeace radicals resorted to violence like spiking trees to get their way. They got...
Peter Morici: Biden is vulnerable in 2024, but Republicans offer too little in response
From a legislative perspective, Joe Biden is the most successful president since Ronald Reagan, but he faces skeptical voters in his bid for reelection. The American Rescue Plan, Infrastructure Act, Chips and Science Act and green energy, electric vehicle and other industrial policy initiatives embedded in the Inflation Reduction Act...
Ron Klink: Biden must put American workers first and fight corruption overseas
As President Biden hosts Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House this week, Modi will become the third world leader to be honored with an official state visit by our president. As India implements economic reforms and emerges as a global economic power, the Biden administration must do...
Letter to the editor: Animal rights activists pick and choose
Animal rights activists pick and choose what they are outraged about. In 1975 they delayed by three years the building of a dam in Tennessee because of a 3-inch-long fish called the snail darter. Today windmills kill over 500,000 birds, including the American eagle, and solar panel farms fry over...
Letter to the editor: Respect our country and its treasures
People today, particularly the younger generations, think it’s OK to bastardize and modernize the documents that created this great nation. They think a modern rendition of the homage to our flag or a modernized version of the national anthem is OK, cute, creative, whatever you want to call it. Taking...
Letter to the editor: Frick Park not place for sensory classroom
Frick Park is planning an outdoor sensory classroom for specialized outside activities for all abilities. Frick Park has multiple issues as a park in decay. One is bikers generating erosion by creating challenging slopes. Another is the expanding deer population seeking food. Protect our Parks and Gardens has been addressing...
Editorial: Harrisburg ethics shouldn’t be a game of chance — or skill
Should Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board officials meet privately with casino lobbyists? That’s a good question. State Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Lycoming County, and state Rep. Jared Solomon, D-Philadelphia, showed a rare moment of bipartisan and bicameral agreement when they asked the Office of the Attorney General and the state Ethics Commission...
Letter to the editor: Fight Alzheimer’s on The Longest Day
Today, June 21, people across the world will participate in an activity of their choice for The Longest Day. The Longest Day is held on the day with the most light — the summer solstice — to fight the darkness of Alzheimer’s disease. The Longest Day participants can support the...
Joyce M. Davis: Pa. highway collapse shows how vulnerable our roads are
Traffic has been severed in both directions on one of America’s busiest and most economically important thoroughfares. It will be months before I-95 is back to normal in the Philadelphia area, after a truck carrying thousands of gallons of gasoline crashed into a wall and burst into flames June 12....
Jason Kavulich and Bill Johnston-Walsh: Pa. needs a master plan written for — and by — older adults
Gov. Josh Shapiro recently signed an executive order laying the groundwork for creating a Pennsylvania Master Plan for Older Adults. The master plan will serve as a roadmap to building and maintaining a commonwealth where every resident can live and thrive at any age. AARP and the Department of Aging...
Letter to the editor: Kennedy’s voice not fair game for criticism
Perhaps the writer of the letter “Biden and Kennedy are the best Democrats have?” (June 7, TribLIVE) should have done his homework before commenting on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s speaking voice. You don’t criticize someone with a disability. Kennedy suffers from spasmodic dysphonia. This disorder causes spasms of the larynx...
Letter to the editor: Homeless shelter closing a mistake
Allegheny County recently announced the closure of the Smithfield Street homeless shelter by the end of June without a clear plan to relocate its clients. This is a mistake. Closing this shelter will harm hundreds of our neighbors. There has been an estimated 24% increase in people experiencing homelessness in...
Editorial: Taylor Swift and Juneteenth prove peaceful, joyful fun is still possible
Pittsburgh does love a party, and there’s no party like a huge arena concert. On Friday and Saturday, the city welcomed fans of one of the biggest stars in the world when Taylor Swift brought her “Eras” tour to Acrisure Stadium. To say the turnout was heavy is an understatement....
