Opinion category, Page 342
Letter to the editor: Banning negative ads is censorship
Trib Total Media President and CEO Jennifer Bertetto’s recent announcement on eliminating negative political ads was a total surprise to me (“Why Trib Total Media is nixing negative political ads,” Nov. 27, TribLIVE). While I sometimes find your newspaper’s positions or articles objectionable, they generally do not violate my expectations...
Peter Morici: The Fed should keep hiking rates, but talk about it less
Federal Reserve policy makers should not waver in their pursuit of 2% inflation but talk less about it. As measured year-over-year by the consumer price index, inflation slowed from 9.1% in June to 7.7% in October but the Fed faces tough challenges beyond the reach of monetary policy. Sanctions on...
Letter to the editor: Christmas tree fires are no joke
Regarding the Dec. 5 editorial cartoon that depicted a Christmas tree being burned in a fireplace: Although the point was made about the high cost of home heating, I was appalled at the image. Christmas tree fires, whether in the room or worse, being burned in a fireplace, cause thousands...
Letter to the editor: Why is it OK for Obama to demean Walker?
We all know President Trump is out of line when he makes fun of people. And I agree he should not make fun of people; it’s not what we should do. And now to my point: Why, then, is it OK for President Obama to make fun of and insult...
Letter to the editor: LGBTQIA+ shouldn’t live in fear
The hate-motivated shooting at Club Q in Colorado is extremely disheartening to everyone who belongs to the LGBTQIA+ community around the world. It is said that U.S. citizens live in a free country due to the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, but how can this be so if we...
Editorial: Do Real ID deadlines really matter?
In a move that should surprise no one, the government has once again called a timeout on requirements for Real ID. On Monday, the Department of Homeland Security pushed back the deadline for getting the enhanced identification cards needed for getting on a plane or gaining access to a federal...
Letter to the editor: Dumping negative political ads a smart move
I wholeheartedly approve of the Tribune-Review’s recent decision to restrict negative political ads (“Why Trib Total Media is nixing negative political ads,” Nov. 27, TribLIVE). The adjective-laden, hyperbolic diatribes really served no good purpose other than to reduce political discourse to a series of schoolyard taunts. I also found it...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Why is America like this?
But why? It is the question that haunts every mass shooting. It seems to be asked in the tacit belief that if we could just find a reasonable motive, just suss out a cause, it might provide a way to comprehend the incomprehensible — even suggest a road map to...
Cal Thomas: Congressional lame duck quackery
There is little Republicans and Democrats in Congress agree on these days, but spending (and borrowing) money is as nonpartisan as it gets. House Democrats apparently have decided to leave their majority with a spending spree. They’ll do it the way they usually do. In a script familiar to an...
Letter to the editor: Solutions for Pittsburgh police
Regarding the article “Pittsburgh needs to step up police recruitment efforts, officials say” (Dec. 1, TribLIVE): I have a few suggestions for the city. First and foremost, stop mandating what I believe is an unsafe and ineffective vaccine for your police officers. Untie the hands of those out there risking...
Letter to the editor: Mayberry’s legacy
To get away from the incessant political and insurance ads, I decided to go back to a simpler time and began binge watching the antics going on in Mayberry. While watching “The Andy Griffith Show,” I came to the conclusion that a certain fruit-named company ripped off what was to...
Editorial: Another child shot dead in Pittsburgh is too many
Sometimes being right is a terrible thing. In June, the Tribune-Review presented an editorial headlined “De’Avry Thomas won’t be the last victim.” That came after the death of an 18-month-old boy who was killed in a drive-by shooting in Downtown Pittsburgh while in a car with his mother. Indeed, that...
Letter to the editor: Disenfranchised Pa. counties should secede
As I surveyed the midterm election results county by county, one glaring truth jumped out at me. As long as the Democrats control the vote in the eastern end of Pennsylvania via Philadelphia, along with Harrisburg and Allegheny County, they will always win in Pennsylvania. There is not enough population...
Tom Purcell: Truth is, we like to be lied to
My dog Thurber has been lying to me. It only figures, because it’s impossible to avoid mistruths these days. We just exited a miserable election cycle in which truth stretching, name calling and vote pandering were all in high gear — and inescapable. Our politicians in both major parties really...
Jonathan Zimmerman: University rankings spur a revolt. What we need are more meaningful evaluations
In the beginning, God created the heavens, the Earth and American higher education. We lived in a bucolic state of nature until an evil serpent, U.S. News & World Report, tempted us to partake of the Tree of Knowledge — namely, college rankings. A fall from grace ensued. That’s what...
Liz Terwilliger: Power of listening can produce better candidates
Election Day is behind us, but as of this writing, the election is far from over. Races around the country remain contested, heading for a run-off or likely to wind up in the courts. I can say only one thing for certain about this election: A lot of voters are...
Ellen Glover: Congress can prevent more overdose deaths
We all want our homes to be filled with joy, comfort and the people we love the most during the holidays. But many of us will miss someone at the holiday table, because our country’s overdose crisis now touches almost every family and community. Overdoses took over 108,000 lives in...
Letter to the editor: On Trump’s claim what about Nixon?
Regarding the article “Trump files lawsuit to avoid Jan. 6 committee subpoena” (Nov. 12, TribLIVE): President Trump’s suit asserts that “no president or former president has ever been compelled” to provide testimony or documents in response to congressional subpoenas. What about Watergate and President Nixon? The only reason he didn’t...
Letter to the editor: Covid affects disability community disproportionately
Regarding the article “After a year, omicron still driving covid surges and worries” (Nov. 25, TribLIVE): Most people want to move on from covid-19. But many health professionals warn of a potential surge in respiratory illnesses this winter, especially after holiday gatherings. For Pennsylvania’s disability community, however, the pandemic never...
Editorial: Senate should follow House, end luxury car leases
A former state representative once joked that he wisely kept his sparkling new state-leased vehicle out of sight in his home garage when he was in the district and drove around town in an old beater to remind his constituents that he was a man of the people. Like everyone...
Letter to the editor: GOP needs new leadership
Wave the great “red wave” goodbye. The disaster that was the 2022 midterms falls directly at the GOP establishment’s feet. Mitch McConnell, Kevin McCarthy and Ronna (ROMNEY) McDaniel could be given the ball on their opponent’s 1-yard line and four plays later have scored a safety. This group makes the...
Editorial cartoons for the week of Dec. 5
Editorial cartoons for the week of Dec. 5....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Dec. 5
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Dec. 5....
David Osborne: Shapiro should follow Tennessee’s lead on dealing with unions
After contributing nearly $11 million to Governor-elect Josh Shapiro’s campaign, executives of Pennsylvania’s biggest labor union will surely expect a return on their investment. But for Shapiro, fulfilling those expectations would be a grave mistake, as the incoming governor can learn by studying contrasting examples from Illinois and Tennessee. During...
Letter to the editor: Guns are safe until humans get involved
Regarding the letter “Our gun culture makes ‘life’ pleas ring hollow” (Nov. 8, TribLIVE): If only it were that easy. Unfortunately, human beings are involved, and that changes the whole concept that guns are dangerous. We have a gun safe full of guns and not once have those guns left...
