Opinion category, Page 286
Editorial: With synagogue shooting trial unfolding, Pennsylvania and federal courts need to reevaluate position on cameras in the courtroom
The courtroom sketch is an attempt to capture a moment with the strokes of charcoal, the lines of a colored pencil and the shade of some oil pastels. It is the intersection of art and a specific kind of journalism. It is a valuable tool that blends information and craft....
Letter to the editor: Our society needs to toughen up
The letter “We need to help young people learn to deal with stress” (May 28, TribLIVE) was a wonderful piece about how we in the mental health profession need to teach our clients how to handle stress. I could not agree more. In an effort to shield our kids from...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: DeSantis could learn a few lessons from our valleys
Whatever lessons presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took from his youthful connection to Western Pennsylvania, there are some things he seems to have missed or forgotten. DeSantis said in his recent memoir, “I was geographically raised in Tampa Bay, but culturally my upbringing reflected the working-class communities in...
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis: An opportunity to address gun violence
Firearms are now the No. 1 cause of death for young people in Pennsylvania. Not car accidents. Not cancer. Guns. As someone who is looking forward to becoming a father later this year, I think about that statistic a lot. Truthfully, I sometimes worry about what kind of world we’re...
Ari Mittleman: Models for combating antisemitism
Last week, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff released the first-ever National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. This is an acknowledgement by the entire federal government that the global rise in hatred against Jews is a fundamental challenge to the principles of American democracy. The national strategy details 100 concrete new actions the...
Letter to the editor: Post office should cut delivery days
Postal rates keep going up, and the U.S. Postal Service seems to have a difficult time getting employees. Why not cut the delivery days from six to three? This would help both problems because in this day and age, with all our electronic devices, we don’t need six-day-a-week home delivery....
Sounding off: Coal, gun laws, privacy, Biden-Harris among week’s topics
Coal can still provide reliable, cheap energy I disagree with the letter “We shouldn’t be celebrating coal” (May 23, TribLIVE) criticizing the legacy of coal in Pennsylvania. Although coal power plants provide only 12% of our state’s electricity today, they once provided the majority of our electricity powering our manufacturing...
Letter to the editor: Why does Latrobe have to raise taxes?
Regarding the article “Greater Latrobe School District: Tentative budget passes with tax increase” (May 25, TribLIVE): Thank you, Andrew Repko, for standing up for senior citizens; $81 is a lot of money when you don’t have any or very little. Why is it that whenever someone comes up with an...
Editorial: The proud history of Pittsburgh Pride
Sometimes the word pride is associated with a glowing, crowing satisfaction in something that has been achieved. People take pride in their awards or their bank accounts. People feel pride in their children or their résumés. But that isn’t all that pride is. As with many words, there are other...
Letter to the editor: Prevention, awareness key for Lyme disease
Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria. The bite of a black-legged tick or deer tick transmits the disease. It causes flu-like symptoms and a rash. If left untreated, the infection can cause swelling and pain in your joints. It can cause problems with your heart and nervous system. A...
Gary Franks: Some Democrats give hypocrisy a bad name on education
“Public schools are good for your kids but not good for … my kids?” This should be the Democratic Party’s motto. They practice this hypocrisy, and sadly get away with it. The liberal media is AWOL on challenging them. Democrats would say “let public funds be used only for public...
S.E. Cupp: Christie may not win, but can he thwart Trump?
In 1965, William F. Buckley Jr. decided to avenge the loss of Barry Goldwater to Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1964 presidential election by running for mayor of New York. His goal was to restore attention to conservatism as he understood it, and take votes from Republican John Lindsay, who...
Roger Thomas: Reforming jury compensation
Pennsylvania adopted “42 PaCSA § 4561(a).Compensation of and travel allowance for jurors” in 1959, when minimum wage was $1/hr. Eight hours of jury service, plus one hour of travel time, equaled $9/day paid by the local county. The Act provided neither a sunset provision nor a cost-of-living allowance. This -well-intentioned-...
Hunter Tower: SEIU resorts to more influence-peddling in Pittsburgh
Two years ago, hell-bent on getting its hooks into the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) — the largest private workforce in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania — SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania effectively bought the Pittsburgh mayor’s office. In November, the union intends to pay more than twice as much to consolidate...
Lori Falce: Synagogue shooting trial spotlights a horror that hasn’t changed
Everyone sees terrible things every day. We just see them from a safe distance. We see people die in horror movies in ways that make you question the sanity of the person who wrote the script. Television serves up the kind of fictional crime dramas that are a staple of...
Letter to the editor: Dead man’s curve on Veterans Bridge
Anybody riding a motorcycle knows that, once you lean into a curve, it’s difficult to renegotiate. You either brake or stand it up and pray you don’t crash. My first time entering the Veterans Bridge on-ramp when it first opened, I caught myself heading for the Jersey barrier. I braked...
Letter to the editor: Elon Musk can sell more Teslas
Maybe Elon Musk sees this as his chance to sell Tesla EVs to Republicans. Clem Zahrobsky Delmont...
Letter to the editor: We’re too willing to give away our privacy
Are you aware of open road tolling? It is a scheme whereby your vehicle’s travel is monitored by road sensors. (Already being done on some roads in Pennsylvania). A toll is then generated for your car and billed accordingly. No need to even slow down as you pass the sensors....
Laurels & lances: Speaking up and reaching out
Laurel: To the power of participation. We harp a lot on the responsibility of voting. We urge people to register and to get out and do their duty. There still are a lot of voices that chime back about what good it does. Can one vote really matter? What makes...
Letter to the editor: Enforce existing gun laws
The so-called Common Agenda to End Gun Violence is no more than a feel-good law for the anti-gun crowd. I seriously doubt that anyone who values the Second Amendment would favor it. So what is going to be accomplished by enacting this as a law? None of the points of...
Matt Harris: House approval of debt ceiling deal a triumph of the political center
Talking with a friend about the debt ceiling negotiations, I mentioned that there were incentives for centrists in Congress to cobble together a deal. My friend said, incredulously, “Do we actually have centrists in Congress?” Certainly, it is true that the country’s two major parties have sorted and separated over...
Gary Pezzano: Time is right to build a national model for senior care in Pa.
As the new governor and new state Legislature take the reins on their first budget, there is a sense of anticipation of what their leadership will bring to the commonwealth. While the Shapiro administration and General Assembly have developed their priorities, we urge them to seize this opportunity to build...
Letter to the editor: Independence Health System’s ‘expense reduction’
The recently combined Excela Health and Butler Hospital System lost over $62 million. President and CEO Ken DeFurio said they need to develop a “significant expense reduction plan.” The hospital system recently announced it is adopting a new name, Independence Health System. It will cost hundreds of thousands, if not...
Letter to the editor: The truth about Clarence Thomas
Regarding the letter “Clarence Thomas innocent until proven guilty” (April 20, TribLIVE): The Supreme Court justice has boasted on air that he comes from “regular stock” and claims that one of his greatest joys comes from touring America and parking his RV at Walmart. Actually, he has been yachting and...
Editorial: Increased electric bills are power struggle
Every year on June 1 and Dec. 1, Pennsylvanians face the struggle between power and money. That is when the state Public Utility Commission allows electric companies to make price changes. As it happens just twice a year, it’s definitely more stable than gas prices. And, hey, just because it...
