Opinion category, Page 349
Leonard Pitts Jr.: How to be a Black man
Today’s topic: “How to be a Black man.” It’s a subject on which white conservatives are often quick to offer instruction to actual Black men, their utter lack of relevant experience notwithstanding. In split screens on Fox “News,” online and in emails to Black male columnists, they give unsought counsel....
Bruce Yandle: How tariffs are raising the cost of Christmas presents and more
This time of year, most inflation-weary Christmas shoppers — and perhaps even the inflation-fighting Fed — would welcome an end to our government’s effort to raise the prices of the goods we buy in high volume. In this year’s third quarter, the federal government collected tariffs on imported goods, putting...
Zach Kennedy: The Trump effect in Pa.
A blue wave drowned the Keystone State on Nov. 8, flipping contested state House and Senate districts, delivering every tossup congressional seat, and elevating Attorney General Josh Shapiro to the governor’s office in one of the largest statewide landslides in the country, complimented by a decisive win for Lt. Gov....
Letter to the editor: If Trump won’t abide by Constitution, how can he be president?
How could people who call themselves “Americans” vote for an ex-president who refuses to admit that he lost the last election and calls for the termination of all rules, regulations and articles, even those found in the Constitution? You can’t vote for him. How can he run for president if...
Letter to the editor: Abortion cost GOP the election
The Supreme Court decision on abortion is what caused the Republicans not to get the votes they should have gotten. More chances that someone will have an unwanted pregnancy than get attacked on a subway train. The liberals pushed abortion while the conservatives pushed about crime. Abortion won. Clem Zahrobsky...
Editorial: Arrest promises justice may finally arrive for Pan Am bombing
Justice can appear in many forms. It can come swiftly. It can be sporadic. It might be measured or thorough or haphazard. It might come hand in hand with rage or sorrow, or it might be businesslike and perfunctory. But what is important is that justice shows up, however it...
Letter to the editor: Secession? What if that doesn’t work?
John T. Watson had an interesting take on elections in his letter “Disenfranchised Pa. counties should secede” (Dec. 6, TribLIVE). He feels that the high-population counties in Pennsylvania such as Allegheny and Philadelphia vote for predominantly Democratic candidates and therefore have an untoward influence on elections. To rectify this problem,...
Letter to the editor: Voting, inflation and Democrats
Leo Nagorski’s letter “Republicans have nothing to offer” (Nov. 26, TribLIVE) in response to my letter “Biden will take blame for destruction” (Nov. 10, TribLIVE) is rife with left-wing talking points and short on facts. Nagorski claims Republicans brought discriminatory voting laws, anti-LGBTQ laws and laws preventing many people of...
Tom Purcell: Deck the malls with nostalgia
The Tribune-Review ran a great piece about the nostalgia many Pittsburghers hold for their favorite old suburban shopping malls — especially around the holidays. Malls around the country are in trouble these days. Experts say their golden age ended years ago, and Pittsburgh proves it. Century III Mall, which was...
David Thornburgh: In Pa., independent voters take center stage
Living and working in Pennsylvania this past election cycle has been reminiscent of a 1985 Sally Field Oscar acceptance moment: “You like me. Right now, you like me.” With Florida now a deeper red, Pennsylvania looms as perhaps the most important swing state in the 2024 election. Native Pennsylvanians like...
Letter to the editor: Why is Madden such a grinch?
Why is Mark Madden so negative about the Pens, Pirates and especially the Steelers? He knows damn well the Steelers are rebuilding and are transitioning. They are getting better! Stop being a grinch and look for positives! Jeffrey Zabroski Glassport...
Letter to the editor: Is our free will over?
Klaus Schwab, German engineer and economist, founded the World Economic Forum on Jan. 24, 1971. The WEF is an unaccountable, non-governmental organization with a view of impacting policy decisions on behalf of its members: predominantly multinational corporations and politicians. The WEF is the driving force for what is known as...
Editorial: Pa. should require media literacy instruction in school
Millions of Americans now turn to social media for news, at least sometimes, and it’s clear that much of the “news” they consume is not journalism. Misinformation is endemic to social media platforms, and, in some cases, so is deliberate disinformation and propaganda masquerading as news. The results are profound...
Letter to the editor: There’s no ‘destruction’ happening in U.S.
Ed Davis’ letter “Biden will take blame for destruction” (Nov. 10, TribLIVE) is pathetic. He writes, “I have never witnessed this country more divided. … This division was planned, and implementation began during the Obama/Biden administration.” He must be joking. Obama guided our nation through the trillion-dollar real estate meltdown,...
Editorial cartoons for the week of Dec. 12
Editorial cartoons for the week of Dec. 12....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Dec. 12
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Dec. 12....
Bert Spector: Trump Organization tax fraud convictions show downsides of private companies having no independent oversight or outside accountability
Donald Trump’s family business was found guilty of 17 counts of tax fraud and other financial crimes on Dec. 6 in a case prosecutors said displayed a “culture of fraud and deception” at the Trump Organization. Allen H. Weisselberg, the company’s former chief financial officer, had previously pleaded guilty to...
Randy Santucci and Dan Davila: Pa. Game Commission decisions leave hunters at the gate
The Pennsylvania Game Commission changed the most popular deer hunting weekend in 2019, moving the 60-plus-year Monday after Thanksgiving opening day to the Saturday prior. As Thanksgiving is the most traveled family holiday of the year, that created problems for hunters with family conflicts. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of hunters...
Letter to the editor: How about a GI Bill to help with student debt?
To offer an alternative to Matt Pergar’s letter “How about some tax credits for those without student loans?” (Nov. 1, TribLIVE: Why not offer a G.I. Bill to people with student debt who join the military? For every year served on active duty, forgive one year of student debt — but...
Letter to the editor: Could Garth Brooks save the Pirates?
What do Gene Autry and Bing Crosby have in common? Well, you would be correct if you said iconic Christmas songs. Gene Autry made “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” a holiday standard, and what would Christmas be without hearing Bing Crosby singing “White Christmas”? Well, they also both were owners or...
Editorial: What does Sinema’s switch mean for Pennsylvanians?
On Friday, U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona woke up the political world with an announcement. She changed her party affiliation, dropping the Democratic ties that swept her into office in 2018’s wave of newly elected women and opting to become an independent instead, saying it was more in keeping...
Letter to the editor: Free will and abortion
Regarding the article “Non-religious voters wield clout, tilt heavily Democratic” (Dec. 4, TribLIVE): I am a retired nurse who once had the unfortunate privilege of carrying a much too large aborted, macerated baby to the morgue of my hospital. It was really awful. But even having been raised Catholic, I...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: No need for GOP autopsy — the lessons are obvious
The headlines that appeared last week after Republican Herschel Walker lost the Georgia runoff election to incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael G. Warnock struck a common theme. The Washington Post said Walker’s defeat “spurs new GOP handwringing, calls for new strategy.” As The New York Times described it, “After Georgia...
Patricia M. DeMarco: RECOMPETE can help heal Mon Valley, put Appalachians back to work
Our Appalachian riverfronts should be thriving centers of commerce, trade and recreation. But, instead, the region is scattered with facilities that were abandoned by industry. The sites lie on contaminated land, seeping waste into our waterways. Meanwhile, the population continues to decline in the Mon Valley. The families that stay...
COUNTERPOINT: Immigration detention system is driven by profits
President Joe Biden vowed to end the federal government’s use of private prisons on the campaign trail. His campaign platform further stated that “the federal government should not use private facilities for any detention, including detention of undocumented immigrants.” And in 2021, Biden stepped into office continuing to promise that...
