Opinion category, Page 422
Clara Ferreira Marques: Bucha’s atrocities are not Russia’s first. They must be the last
It’s hard to read the reports emerging from Bucha and other Kyiv suburbs, and nearly impossible to look at the images. Retreating Russian soldiers have left evidence of unthinkable brutality. Ordinary men and women lie dead on the street, in the dark mud and dirt, many shot, some with hands...
Colin McNickle: Keystone Exams an abject failure
The concept of achieving proficiency on Keystone Exams as a high school graduation requirement has been a very costly failure in Pennsylvania, concludes a new analysis by the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy. “Implementation has been continuously postponed while more and more complicated and expensive-to-administer alternatives have been enacted into...
Letter to the editor: Pirates need to focus on team, not amenities
The Pirates’ announced upgrades to PNC Park are the latest smoke-and-mirrors act from the Bob Nutting Bank and Trust (“PNC Park getting enhancements in advance of Pirates’ season opener,” April 4, TribLIVE.) Ooh. Ahh. More barstools. Giant bobbleheads. More overpriced food and drink options. None of these enhancements, while nice,...
Letter to the editor: Commitment to global public health is right move
I applaud President Biden’s budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year (“Biden’s budget plan: Higher taxes on rich, lower deficits,” March 28, TribLIVE), particularly the president’s commitment to global public health initiatives. One aspect of the federal budget that should not be overlooked is our nation’s commitment to The Global...
Editorial: Avian flu precautions protect Pennsylvania economy
There is a pretty good chance that a chicken or egg eaten somewhere in the U.S. came from Pennsylvania. The Keystone State is the fourth largest producer of poultry in America. The U.S. Department of Agriculture puts the number of chickens alone at 201 million, and that doesn’t count other...
Letter to the editor: More must be done on dangerous chemicals in our water
I was pleased to see the article “MAWC seeks damages for contamination of water system” (March 16, TribLIVE) about the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County filing a lawsuit against chemical companies for allegedly making toxic substances that contaminate local water systems. Among the chemicals cited as being produced is the...
S.E. Cupp: Will GOP leaders excuse Marjorie Taylor Greene yet again?
How do you solve a problem like Marjorie? Even after Twitter banned Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s personal account for a fifth-strike violation of spreading false covid information in January, the Jewish space laser conspiracy theorist still, inexplicably, has control of her official Twitter account. And boy is she putting...
Gary Franks: Democrat-controlled Congress should do more to help Biden on Ukraine
More than 70% of the country feels we are going in the wrong direction. If Americans did not need another reason to change direction, at least at the congressional level, the massacre at Bucha and horrors seen in Ukraine cry out for change. Where is the Democrat-controlled Congress? It is...
Joseph Wright and Abel Escribà-Folch: Calling Putin a ‘war criminal’ could spark even more atrocities in Ukraine
As the war in Ukraine continues, officials in the U.S. and Europe are sounding alarms about alleged war crimes being committed by Russian troops there. President Joe Biden has called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal,” as has the U.S. Senate, on the grounds that schools, hospitals and civilian...
Tyrone McKinley Freeman: How MacKenzie Scott’s $12 billion in gifts to charity reflect an uncommon trust in the groups she supports
Editor’s note: MacKenzie Scott disclosed on March 23 that she had given $3.9 billion to 465 nonprofits in the previous nine months. These no-strings-attached donations bring the total she has given away in the past two years to at least $12 billion. Philanthropy historian Tyrone Freeman weighs in on Scott’s...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Call it a stealth coup
What if the coup already came and nobody noticed? It sounds nonsensical, yes. How does a coup go unnoticed? The conventional wisdom, as we learn more about the election of 2020 and the insurrection of 2021, is that by the machinations of Ginni Thomas, Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump and others,...
Letter to the editor: Biden worst president ever
Jimmy Carter can sleep well at night knowing that he’s no longer known as the worst president in American history. Joe Biden claimed that title after only 14 months in office. Biden accomplished this by giving us record high inflation, record high gas prices, record high illegal immigration, record high...
Letter to the editor: GOP looking more like Communist Party
Maybe President Biden could be more successful if he mobilized an angry mob and sent them down to Washington to smash their way into the Capitol, erect a gallows and then chase down the disagreeable legislators. But if he did that, he wouldn’t be Democrat, he’d be a Republican. And...
Letter to the editor: A plan to track immigrants, politicians
President Biden’s gang is releasing illegal aliens into our country by the bus loads. They have reasoned that it is better to give them a government cellphone paid for by us than to put ankle bracelets on them. I have a better, cheaper method. I would insert a chip into...
Lori Falce: Why are we reluctant to tax billionaires?
Who wants to be a billionaire? It’s an aspirational number that most people can’t truly fathom. Oh, they’d like to, but it’s hard to truly appreciate. The median household income in Pennsylvania is around $50,000. If you were able to hold on to every penny — spending nothing on food...
Letter to the editor: County’s mental health needs
The American Rescue Plan allocated $105 million to Westmoreland County. Commissioners Gina Cerilli Thrasher and Sean Kertes, please join with Commissioner Doug Chew and realize the acute need for better mental health care in the county and make funding mental health care a priority. In 1990, I moved to Westmoreland...
Letter to the editor: Time to increase Social Security thresholds
Congressional Gaming Caucus co-chair Guy Reschenthaler recently introduced the Shifting Limits on Thresholds (SLOT) Act, which would raise the tax threshold for slot winnings from $1,200 to $5,000. The current threshold for reporting slot winnings was set in 1977. While this is commendable, it doesn’t adequately address what constituents really...
Laurels & lances: Support and punishment
Laurel: To shining a spotlight. For years, Steven Matto, 54, of Arnold, has taken people into the heart of area emergencies as the official photographer for many fire companies, particularly in the Alle-Kiski Valley. The pictures sometimes gather the attention they merit in print or in broadcast. They always document...
Shelley Inglis: Putin puts international justice on trial — betting that the age of impunity will continue
Images of pregnant women fleeing a bombed maternity ward in Mariupol, Ukraine, raised again the question of how far the Russian military will be willing to go to conquer the country — and whether war crimes are being committed. In just over two weeks of the invasion, the World Health...
Kelly Flanigan: Pa. communities should be allowed to choose clean energy
If we’re going to make headway in the fight against climate change, we must reduce the carbon footprint of our homes and buildings. That’s because buildings account for about 40% of all energy use in the United States. And about 80% of that energy comes from dirty power sources that...
Letter to the editor: Let Ukraine, Russia duke it out
The war in Ukraine will not end well. There’s a lot of self interest among world leaders. Ukrainians cannot win the war without assistance. NATO is involved. Russia may come after European NATO members before they come after us. Joe and Hunter Biden may be subject to Ukrainian blackmail because...
Letter to the editor: Biden a better car salesman than president
Joe Biden said in his State of the Union address that if you buy an electric vehicle (EV), you can save $80 in gasoline every month. Imagine that. In August, the White House held an EV summit, inviting executives from GM, Ford and Chrysler but none from the world’s largest...
Editorial: A gigabyte of prevention is worth a server farm of cure
Prevention is important, whether we are talking about disease or drugs or crime. It is easier to extinguish a match than to put out a house fire. It’s the kind of thing that frequently is said and frequently ignored on a host of topics. The most obvious and timely might...
Letter to the editor: Use ARP funds to fix Westmoreland’s safety net
Ninety-eight people died June 24 when a 12-story condo in Surfside, Fla., collapsed. This tragedy occurred because warnings regarding the building’s crumbling structure were ignored. Westmoreland County commissioners have spent $7 million of American Rescue Plan funding to repair structural defects to a courthouse parking structure. These necessary repairs will...
Jonah Goldberg: Could wedge issues be the cure for polarized politics?
Conan O’Brien recently tweeted: “Well, I’ve officially lived a long life because people are excited Germany is rearming.” I had a similar feeling recently listening to the 538 politics podcast that discussed “wedge issues.” The conversation between the host, Galen Druke, and two prominent political scientists was illuminating, but the...
