Opinion category, Page 313
Morgan Polikoff: 40 years later, are our schools ‘mediocre’?
The National Commission on Excellence in Education’s release of a report titled “A Nation at Risk” in 1983 was a pivotal point in the history of American education. The report used dire language, lamenting that “the educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by a rising tide of...
Ronald Suny: Finland, NATO and the evolving new world order — what small nations know
In the world of geopolitics, great powers make, break and play by their own rules. Smaller states largely have to make do with adjusting to the world as determined by others. Which is why the decision by Finland — a country of just 5.5 million people, noted for decades as...
Habibeh Khoshbouei: Misuse of Adderall promotes stigma, mistrust for patients who need it
The nationwide shortages of Adderall that began in fall 2022 have brought renewed attention to the beleaguered drug, which is used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy. Adderall became a go-to drug for ADHD over the past two decades but quickly came under fire because of overprescription and misuse. In...
Letter to the editor: E-ZPass costs the people who don’t have it
Regarding the editorial “Make E-ZPass easier for low-income drivers” (April 3, TribLIVE): You forget the people who don’t use E-ZPass because they seldom drive on toll roads. E-ZPass does have a cost. Although I live in Pennsylvania near Washington, the only time I use a toll road is when I...
Letter to the editor: Politicians, guns and violence
I wish something could be done about gun violence. I think nothing will ever get done. I deeply feel sorry and sad for the three children and three adults killed at the school in Nashville. There is nothing anyone can say or do to appease their loss. It seems this...
Letter to the editor: Saturday vs. Monday deer opener
I would like to address two recent letters to the editor: “Saturday deer opener takes fun out of hunting” (March 24, TribLIVE) and “Saturday deer opener works fine” (March 25, TribLIVE). I agree with the writer of the second letter, that we had to accept antler restrictions. None of my...
Editorial: Should judges be allowed to prevent death penalty cases in Pennsylvania?
Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas Judge Anthony M. Mariani no longer plans on seating a death-penalty jury for cases brought to trial. Capital punishment technically is something that could happen in Pennsylvania. It’s a penalty that is on the books. It is used only for first-degree murder but requires...
Letter to the editor: Time to end taxpayer-paid vehicles for county employees
Let’s continue to beat the dead horse and reclassify it as living impaired. Why does any Westmoreland County employee have a taxpayer-paid vehicle to commute to work? According to Rich Cholodofsky’s latest expose (“Westmoreland DA vehicle usage declines as a result of crash,” April 5, TribLIVE), the county coroner uses...
Letter to the editor: Let’s work together to better City of Pittsburgh
In February, I started a new job in the City of Pittsburgh. I was thrilled to start working downtown in a bright new space. I’ve made Allegheny County my home for more than 30 years. I have seen and heard from various media outlets that the City of Pittsburgh “is...
Bill Kovarik: Reporting is not espionage — but history shows that journalists doing the former get accused of the latter
The detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in Russia on espionage charges marks an unusual throwback to the old Soviet tactics for handling foreign correspondents. Authorities in Vladimir Putin’s Russia have increasingly used criminal charges against their own journalists as part of a “increasing crackdown on free and...
Hallie Dong: Early school start times harm students’ health, success
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! It’s 5:30 a.m., and all around the North Allegheny School District, alarms jolt teens from their dreams. They wake up, contemplate life choices, then groggily crawl out of bed, sometimes eat breakfast, and try to catch the school bus in time. Sleep deprivation, whether due to late-night...
Letter to the editor: Will we hold Biden accountable for immigrant deaths?
I read the article “Pence says Trump ‘endangered my family’ on Jan. 6” (March 12, TribLIVE). Former Vice President Mike Pence said, “I had no right to overturn the election. And (Trump’s) reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day, and I know history will hold...
Letter to the editor: Immigrants exploited in U.S.
The letter “DeSantis would be better than Biden” (March 28, TribLIVE) notes that “Over the last two years, our (shining city on a hill) has been tarnished” by illegal immigration. Both political parties use immigration as a political football. Neither one wants to solve the issue. They would rather have...
Letter to the editor: Legislation targeting university funding limits students’ opportunities
Eric Nelson is proposing legislation to decrease funding to the University of Pittsburgh, University of Pennsylvania and Temple University. These are premier public schools in the state. The University of Pennsylvania is an Ivy League school and supports one of the few veterinary schools in the nation. This legislation is...
Editorial: Clarence Thomas situation shows why Harrisburg needs gift ban
If you want to know why a gift ban is important, look no further than U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. On Thursday, a ProPublica investigation outlined years of travel and generosity from Texas real estate billionaire Harlan Crow to Thomas, who has sat on the country’s highest court since...
Letter to the editor: With Biden, it’s always America last
America last: This phrase becomes more true every day. Seems our government is more worried about everybody except Americans or America. We now have people from over 140 countries plowing our so-called “under control” border, including Chinese and Russians. This, mind you, is a border that the so-called border czar...
Letter to the editor: Funding, not schools, broken
In his op-ed “Now is the time for transformational change in Pa. education” (March 28, TribLIVE), state Rep. Jesse Topper fails to mention that the majority of K-12 funding for public education comes from property taxes — not from state revenues. Pennsylvania ranks 43rd nationally for state share of funding,...
Tom Purcell: Will’s wit soothes a taxing time
Tax returns are due next week, and many Americans are surely stressed out as they scramble to get their financial records in order. I can’t think of a better time to revisit the wit and wisdom of Will Rogers. Rogers was a famous American humorist, actor and social commentator who...
Katelyn Salva and Kylie Lichtenstein: The ADHD medication shortage — what can be done?
There has been an unprecedented increase in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses since the covid-19 pandemic. Prescriptions for Adderall, used to treat ADHD, for adults rose 15.1% during 2020 (over double the 2019 rise of 7.4%). This increased consumer demand for ADHD medications has resulted in a shortage of Adderall. The...
Letter to the editor: Our experts should be able to solve global warming
I don’t know if global warming is real or a theory, but I do know that the U.S.A. has some of the best engineers in the world. I suggest the oil companies hire a top-rated engineering firm to build a small scale model of the earth/atmosphere and prove that CO2...
Letter to the editor: Government helping average citizens is socialist?
The writer of the letter “Taxpayers not responsible for student debt” (March 16) gives us his sage wisdom, surprisingly free of charge. You see, he doesn’t seem to like the idea of the government easing some of the financial burden for those who are struggling. It’s strange though, that he...
Letter to the editor: Turnpike as government’s cash cow
The editorial “Make E-ZPass easier for low-income drivers” (April 3, TribLIVE) brings to light facts that should make our blood boil. It points out that legislators started to force the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission in 2007 to start paying the state for the government, mass transit and the Department of Transportation...
Editorial: Public School Employees Retirement System meter keeps running
When school districts send tax bills, they should include a notice of how much they pay to the scandal-plagued Public School Employees Retirement System. Due to PSERS’ history of limited transparency and mismanagement, legislative malpractice and financial practices for the benefit of the finance industry, each of 500 Pennsylvania school...
Letter to the editor: Pick a side, good or evil
E pluribus unum, in my opinion, is officially dead! America, has devolved into a battleground pitting the forces of good against the forces of evil. Due to the rampant corruption of government and the press, I don’t believe the winner will be fairly determined by “we the people.” The good...
Letter to the editor: Opposed to Pa. marijuana expansion
The article “Proposed bill would give Pa. doctors more leeway in prescribing medical marijuana” (March 5, TribLIVE) explains a bill that would loosen the state’s medical marijuana regulations. Opposition to marijuana expansion is needed in the state Senate and House. Legislation co-sponsored by state Sens. Jim Brewster, D-McKeesport, and Mike...
