Opinion category, Page 343
Letter to the editor: Abortion leak, not Biden, gave Dems the win
In his column “Happy Birthday, President Biden” (Nov. 19, TribLIVE), Joseph Sabino Mistick cites President Biden’s record as president as a major reason Democrats scored an upset in the midterms. Biden’s legislation passed because the Democrats held majorities in both houses chaired by experienced legislators A lot of this legislation...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Citizens’ work is never done
Most Americans have moved on from politics now that the 2022 midterm election is behind us. They voted in record numbers, defied the self-proclaimed political experts and rejected extremism in many places. It raised the hope of a revival of good citizenship. Possibly, Thanksgiving dinner was a little less stressful...
Edward Cunningham: Jiang Zemin propelled China’s economic rise in world, leaving successors to deal with massive inequality that followed
By the summer of 1989, a series of problems were threatening China’s stability. Soaring inflation was undermining the economy at home while the violent suppression of Tiananmen Square demonstrations had left it largely a pariah state abroad. Yet, within a few years the nation rebounded — beginning two decades of...
Teresa Wright: Protests in China are not rare — but the current unrest is significant
Street protests across China have evoked memories of the Tiananmen Square demonstrations that were brutally quashed in 1989. Indeed, foreign media have suggested the current unrest sweeping cities across China is unlike anything seen in the country since that time. The implication is that protest in China is a rarity....
Lisa Jarvis: That blockbuster Alzheimer’s drug? It’s not a cure.
Biogen Inc. and Eisai Co. caused a stir in September when they announced positive results in a late-stage trial for a closely watched Alzheimer’s drug, lecanemab. Doctors tempered their excitement, though, until they could scrutinize the full peer-reviewed data. That data arrived Tuesday night. And while it is stoking enthusiasm...
Letter to the editor: Jail staff’s voices must be heard
When the National Commission on Correctional Health Care did its assessment of suicide prevention at the Allegheny County Jail (ACJ) in August 2019, it found “staffing challenges” of 37 vacancies of medical and mental health staff at the jail. Now there are 69 vacancies of medical and mental health staff...
Sounding off: Politics and politicians on readers’ minds
Run elections like the lottery Our election system is archaic. Consider the lottery system: Hundreds of millions of entries are recorded, and a winner is known within a few hours. Not only the winner, but also the location where the ticket was purchased, plus all the lesser winners that didn’t...
Letter to the editor: Thanks for nothing, Mr. President
Dear Mr. President, Thank you for the 8.7% increase you gave me for my Social Security monthly payment in order to cover the increase in my cost of living. I had no idea you had so much money to give away. Can you tell me how you have managed to...
Editorial: Legacy of CHIP is more than medical
Pennsylvania’s Child Health Insurance Program is now 30 years old. Since 1992, it has been a pathway to healthy lives for children in the Keystone State and a guardrail protecting families. It was a model for the national CHIP program that did the same for kids and parents in other...
Letter to the editor: Biden’s accomplishments
Even with the Senate split 50-50, President Biden’s accomplishments in just two years are very impressive. His handling of covid-19 saved countless lives. Medicare coverage improved. Childhood poverty levels were cut in half. The bipartisan PACT Act and Safer Communities Act were passed. The CHIPS Act, which will strengthen American...
Gary Franks: A boxing strategy for Ukraine
I want to believe that Ukrainians in time will push the Russians out of their country. Afghanistan did just that back in the 1980s. I see Ukraine being able to do the same. But fighting in this manner, going “toe to toe” with Russia, may not be the best approach....
S.E. Cupp: Getting the vapors over the Trump-Ye-Fuentes dinner
While it’s nearly impossible to think of a headline that Donald J. Trump didn’t relish, no matter the scandalous implications, he might just be getting sick of the never-ending loop of stories on his now-infamous dinner with rabid antisemite Kanye West and noted white supremacist Nick Fuentes. It was a...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: We owe them much better than this
Joe Engel died last week. It’s unlikely you will know the name, especially if you don’t live in Charleston, S.C., his hometown since 1949. Joe never wrote a great novel or made a scientific breakthrough. His accomplishment was less gaudy, yet no less significant. Joe lived to tell. I met...
Cal Thomas: On turning 80
“Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures.” (Psalm 90:10) A TV ad for a dietary supplement features a woman who says, “Age is just a number and mine is unlisted.” Mine is not unlisted and a simple internet search can reveal it, so I...
Letter to the editor: Missing when we were Christian, English-speaking
I’m beginning to think that you know when you’re old when nothing at all makes sense any more. If we can’t stop it, control it or deal with it, let’s legalize it. First it’s murder (abortion) then it’s marijuana what is next? Maybe theft, heroin, shootouts in the streets? We...
Lori Falce: I want to vote for Jimmy Stewart
When you ask people what they think we need in government, you can get a wide variety of answers. We need more conservatives. We need more liberals. More progressives. More hardliners. More Christians. More business people. More people with experience. Fewer millionaires. More “real” people. There is no shortage of...
Laurels & lances: Bridges and brick walls
Laurel: To an end in sight. The year started with a bang — literally. It was Jan. 28, and the president was on his way to talk about infrastructure when a very public example of why it was important occurred in Pittsburgh. The Fern Hollow Bridge in Frick Park collapsed,...
Letter to the editor: Election may be over, but political bribery is not
The election may be over. But political bribery is not. I voted on Nov. 8, but I woke up the next morning to a state that still permits lawmakers to accept gifts, in the form of cars, vacations and fancy meals, from lobbyists. It’s ludicrous but painfully true. Bribery is...
Jessica Poitras and Daryl James: Ugly deal for Pa. beauty workers
Pennsylvania code enforcers caught a criminal on May 21, 2021, but not the dangerous kind. The outlaw’s offense was braiding hair with a lapsed occupational license. Her penalty: $250. Many other Pennsylvania beauty professionals remain on the lam. Since 2009, anyone guilty of twisting, wrapping, weaving, extending, locking or braiding...
Letter to the editor: Let’s help our homeless like we help immigrants
The current estimate on immigrants illegally crossing the southern border since President Biden took office is approximately 5 million people. Where are these people now? How are they living? Where are they living? How do they eat? Does the U.S. government provide them with free housing and health care and...
Letter to the editor: World AIDS Day
Everyone around the world deserves to lead a life of dignity and opportunity. That’s why we mark World AIDS Day today. I urge Sen. Pat Toomey to ensure the U.S. can maintain its historic leadership in the global fight against AIDS by reauthorizing one of the most effective tools in...
Editorial: Corrections officers are key to a successful jail
The most important part of a corrections operation is not the bars. A jail is not a cage. It isn’t a place where people are chucked in and the door is locked behind them like some medieval dungeon. At least, it’s not supposed to be. No, the word “corrections” implies...
Letter to the editor: What will Republicans do?
Accepting that Republicans have gained control of the U.S. House, I was anxious to hear their plans for dealing with inflation and crime, these being the primary issues raised during their campaigns. I was especially eager to learn of their ideas for ways of battling worldwide inflation. How capturing just...
Jonah Goldberg: McCarthy may win House speakership, but he can’t control the clown caucus
Kevin McCarthy’s quest for the House speaker’s gavel is a near perfect inside-the-Beltway story because it’s about pure politics and personal ambition without many narrative-muddling concerns about principles, governing philosophy or policy considerations. McCarthy was never a policy wonk or doctrinaire conservative; he’s a dealmaker and glad-hander, which is why...
Letter to the editor: Our rights are absolute
Where is the outrage? In grade school social studies, we learned that our Founding Fathers defined our rights as God-given and cannot be taken away by any government. In other words, no self-serving dictator can supersede our constitutional rights. They come from our creator. It is for this reason communism must...
