Opinion category, Page 296
Ayushma Neopaney: Belonging and becoming American
On a recent evening, 30 students from my high school gathered to share a meal of traditional Nepali foods like momos and chow mein noodles. We’re a pretty diverse mix — American born, immigrant, white and students of color. And we’re all members of Global Minds, a youth-led after-school program...
Letter to the editor: Debt, taxes and the unfairness of life
Congress could enact laws to solve our border and other problems, but it seems they would rather blame the president, so they can get more votes. Why would any politician solve any problem when it makes them millions in tax-free political donations? Congress wants spending cuts because it costs more...
Letter to the editor: We need strong EPA standards
It feels like each Pennsylvania summer gets hotter. With more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from fossil-fuel industries, consequences such as droughts, torrential rains and pollution-based health issues will become even more concerning and common. Fortunately, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed new limits on carbon pollution from coal- and gas-burning...
Editorial: Enough garbage. It’s time to pass a state bill that gets serious about litter
Pennsylvania’s government and most local governments statewide have laws against littering and dumping, but it only requires a look around to know officials treat the laws as so much litter. Partially because governments rarely enforce those laws, littering and dumping are pervasive. Even when governments enforce the law, it doesn’t...
Letter to the editor: Congress members don’t need luxury trips
It was recently revealed that members of Congress enjoyed $6.6 million in free travel paid for by special interst groups, with destinations in more than 40 foreign countries and U.S. cities. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy took his mom on a trip to Israel at a cost of $26,847. Both parties...
Editorial cartoons for the week of June 5
Editorial cartoons for the week of June 5....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of June 5
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of June 5....
Guy Ciarrocchi: PA’s Primary Revealed Two Democratic Parties
Pennsylvania’s primary reinforced recent trends, but it also showcased two very different faces of the Democratic Party — courtesy of the mayor’s race in Philadelphia and the county executive and district attorney’s race in Allegheny County. Openly progressive candidates won both races in Allegheny County — as has been the...
Letter to the editor: Bravo to Freeport theater students
Bravo to the students and staff of Freeport High School for their outstanding work on “No, No, Nanette,” winning six awards at the recent Henry Mancini Awards. What an amazing cast photo! What amazing costumes! Thank you for keeping excellence in theater alive in high schools in our community. The...
Letter to the editor: Rail still safest way to transport freight
The editorial “Pennsylvania has real role in regulating rail” (May 8, TribLIVE) rightfully conveyed the importance of railroads to Pennsylvania’s businesses and industry. But the safety discussion could use additional context and a look at the data. Rail is still the safest way to move freight over land — despite...
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...
