Opinion category, Page 359
Joseph Sabino Mistick: We need more leaders like Tony DeLuca
When Aristotle described politicians as craftsmen — creating paths to a “good life” for the people they serve — he could have been describing Penn Hills state Rep. Tony DeLuca, who died last week at 85. DeLuca was in his 39th year in the Pennsylvania Legislature, representing Penn Hills, Verona...
Michael Elkin: Will there be another Cuban missile crisis?
The hunt for Red October? It had its roots in a Halloween moment 60 years ago. “We will bury you!” blurted out Nikita Khrushchev, clad in funereal finery as any fashionable premier of the Soviet Union would be. But he wasn’t without holiday spirit: The Red Menace toted a trick...
Cindy Adams Dunn: Growing outdoor recreation in Pennsylvania meets public demand
The Tribune-Review editorial board recently posed the question, “How many state parks is enough?” (Oct. 3, TribLIVE) as it addressed the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) adding three new state parks to its system. Obvious bias notwithstanding, we believe this new investment is badly needed and hopefully is...
Letter to the editor: If you haven’t decided your vote yet, you ain’t smart
To parody President Biden’s interview with Charlamagne Tha God: If you look at your 401(k) plan, interest rates, fuel prices, supply shortages, utility bills, war in Ukraine, food costs and the Afghanistan pullout disaster, and you’re having trouble deciding whether to vote Democrat or Republican in the upcoming midterm election,...
Sounding off: Election, abortion on people’s minds
Time for a new political party As we inch closer to the election, we are being bombarded with political ads by the candidates and political interest groups to tell us what is wrong with the other candidate. I see things with both sides that I like and don’t like, but...
Letter to the editor: Flag Day should be a federal holiday
Whatever happened to good old Flag Day? Should this not be included in federal holidays? Should we all not be patriots and celebrate the red, white and blue? Unfortunately, about the only folks to remember and recognize Flag Day (June 14) are the people of the older generation. How wonderful...
Editorial: Bigfoot fake flyers point to real problems
If you want a measure of how far off the beaten path we have gotten when it comes to facts, look no further than Pennsylvania. Is that bar about the 2020 election? Is it the endless parade of ads for next month’s gubernatorial and U.S. Senate elections that are stretching...
Letter to the editor: Lindsey Williams deserves our votes
I fully support Lindsey Williams’ bid for a second term as District 38 state senator. Following are a few of my reasons. Williams strongly supports unions as well as whistleblowers who seek to protect workers and the public. She has fought hard for investment in infrastructure, access to high-quality and...
Letter to the editor: Summer Lee, we hardly know you
With mail-in voting in progress and nonstop TV political ads, one important race gets almost no coverage. State Rep. Summer Lee opposes Mike Doyle in the newly redistricted 12th U.S. Congressional District. The Pennsylvania House website lists sponsorship memoranda for Lee that give us a view of key issues where...
S.E. Cupp: Kanye West, Tommy Tuberville and Herschel Walker GOP problems
In August, the residents of Nassau County woke up to find ominous flyers outside of their homes. They were aimed at Long Island’s Jewish community. “Every single aspect of the media is Jewish,” it blared across the top. “Every single aspect of gun control is Jewish,” it continued. “This is...
Gary Franks: Tuberville’s inappropriate remarks — apology needed
I had planned to write about an election issue this week, but Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville interrupted those plans with some inappropriate, disturbing remarks at a recent Republican rally in Nevada. Tuberville said the following about Democrats: “They’re not soft on crime. They’re pro-crime. They want crime. They want...
Paul Muschick: Day care’s carbon monoxide scare could have been prevented if lawmakers did their jobs
Most of those hospitalized Tuesday after a carbon monoxide leak at an Allentown daycare center are back home. That’s wonderful news. I hope the children rebound quickly and soon will be bouncing around again at Happy Smiles Learning Center. I also hope state legislators recognize what a tragedy this could...
Eric Bohannon: Eligible for Medicare? Here’s what you should consider when choosing a plan
As inflation causes us all to stretch our dollars, the majority of Americans are likely focused on finding the best prices without sacrificing quality. Health care is no different; picking the right insurance plan that meets individual or family needs can be critical to maintaining a balanced budget. Right now,...
Letter to the editor: Right choice to eliminate Westmoreland drop box
Regarding the article “Republican commissioners remove ballot drop box from Westmoreland courthouse” (Sept. 28, TribLIVE): The mail-in-ballots that have been sent out are mail-in ballots, not drop box ballots. With the price of gas, why would you want to travel 10 miles to the courthouse when you could walk 10...
Letter to the editor: GOP’s abortion exception — when they need them
Republicans claim to be against abortions and are now eager in the wake of the Roe v. Wade reversal to institute the most draconian bans they can get away with. But there is one exception to an abortion ban that Republicans seem pretty comfortable with: not rape, not incest, not...
Lori Falce: Alex Jones damages the First Amendment
Without a doubt, the best and simultaneously hardest thing about the U.S. Constitution is the First Amendment. Specifically, that tug-of-war is represented in the words, “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech.” It is a masterpiece of protection. It enshrines the absolute right to raise your...
Paul Kengor: Another year without baseball
An astute reader with a keen memory recently emailed to ask if I had carried on my boycott of Major League Baseball from 2021 into 2022. Readers will recall that what set me off was the egregious politicization of baseball by an ideological MLB commissioner, Rob Manfred. Manfred had shamelessly...
Laurels & lances: Partnership, problems and learning lessons
Laurel: To new partnerships. With the financial accessibility of a college education being such an issue, combined with the many higher education institutions that are important job creators in Pennsylvania communities, a newly brokered deal could be a problem solver. Westmoreland County Community College is joining with Carlow University to...
Letter to the editor: Is Oz committed to Pa., or U.S.?
When I heard Dr. Oz was carpetbagging for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. senator position, I asked why he didn’t apply in New Jersey. Someone said New Jersey was never going to elect him to anything. So that was kinda bad. But then I heard he has dual citizenship with Turkey, and...
Letter to the editor: Money, diversity in Westmoreland
In response to John Ventre’s rebuttal (“Does Voice of Westmoreland really represent us all?” Oct. 5, TribLIVE) to my letter (“Diversity in Westmoreland,” Sept. 19, TribLIVE): I take great insult for his assumptions about me. For one, my vote is not influenced by any one group, and I do not...
Editorial: Book bans can threaten local control
It should go without saying that banning books is no way to learn — or teach. And yet, for the past few years, banning books has hit its heyday. The topic keeps coming up via protests that seem to be more political than educational. Sometimes it is a particular text...
Letter to the editor: Questions to answer before voting
Mid-terms are just around the corner. Here is a shortened version of a much longer list of things to think about before casting your vote. Do you believe that the right to an abortion transcends the higher moral authority? Do you consider the right to an abortion an inalienable right...
Jonah Goldberg: Herschel Walker may be lying about an ex-girlfriend’s abortion. Does it matter?
Herschel Walker, the Republican former football star running for a Georgia Senate seat who supports a total ban on abortion, denies he pressured a former girlfriend to have an abortion, which he paid for. He’s almost certainly lying. The allegations are easy to believe, while his rambling, often contradictory denials...
Mary Prendergast: What’s next for ancient DNA studies after Nobel Prize honors paleogenomics?
For the first time, a Nobel Prize recognized the field of anthropology, the study of humanity. Svante Pääbo, a pioneer in the study of ancient DNA, or aDNA, was awarded the 2022 prize in physiology or medicine for his breathtaking achievements sequencing DNA extracted from ancient skeletal remains and reconstructing...
Letter to the editor: Democrats don’t deserve my vote
As I grow older, I pay less attention to what people say. I just watch what they do. Given what I have heard from the political stage, I will not vote for a Democratic candidate. What politicians do is more factual than what they say. Dean Ambrose Hempfield...
