Opinion category, Page 51
Letter to the editor: We must stand up to evil
There’s so much that can be said about what our country is facing, what we are going through, and yet it really comes down to this: “The only thing necessary for evil to thrive is for good men to stand by and do nothing.” Joni Campbell Harrison...
Letter to the editor: Losing our freedoms under Trump
My father fought in World War II, and one of the lessons I heard growing up was “I may not like what you have to say, but I will fight for your right to say it.” Apparently that American ideal of free speech is disappearing under President Trump’s administration. He...
Editorial: People must be free to speak up safely
On Saturday, Americans exercised their right to gather and their right to speak up. Across the country, No Kings protests blossomed, timed to coincide with the Washington military parade celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army and President Donald Trump’s birthday. Organizers put the number of protests at more...
Letter to the editor: Mistrust of mainstream media
Do you believe the United States economy was better under President Biden or President Trump? Do you believe Trump is a criminal, a dictator, or do you believe that Biden was incompetent and the worst president in our country’s 279-year history? Unfortunately our beliefs most likely depend on which media...
Tom Gilbert: Pa. communities win when we invest in outdoor recreation
Anyone who doubts the economic importance of outdoor recreation in Pennsylvania should visit rural Huntingdon County, home of Raystown Lake. Thousands visit the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-operated recreation area each year to boat, fish and camp, leaving behind tens of millions of dollars spent at local businesses. Or rather,...
Colin McNickle: Again, PRT, first help thyself
As state budget negotiations come down to the June 30 wire and transit agencies across the commonwealth continue to lobby for the most taxpayer bailout money they can secure, we’ve repeatedly heard, and read, that Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) can’t cut its way out of its latest fiscal “crisis.” But...
Letter to the editor: Insurrection Act for protests?
Am I the only one who finds it strange that President Trump is talking about invoking the Insurrection Act on demonstrations against his immigration deportations? Where was he on Jan. 6 when there was a true insurrection against the Capitol? Oh, I forgot — that was a day of love...
Letter to the editor: We must privatize public education
At one time public schools and teachers were in the business of caring about and educating students. Then the teachers’ unions came along. Now I think the public education system is all about teachers making as much money as they possibly can while doing as little for it as they...
Editorial: Republicans may find they need to get behind the ACA
House Republicans’ reconciliation bill seeks to pay for $5 trillion of tax cuts by slashing health care spending, potentially leaving millions of Americans uninsured. The job of averting this self-inflicted disaster now falls to the Senate. The legislation seeks to cut $793 billion from Medicaid, the health program for the...
Letter to the editor: Cellphone law only works if we’re all visible
June 5 was the first day the Paul Miller’s Law went into effect to alleviate the usage in most capacities of cellphones or internet service while driving. While this is a much needed law to prevent accidents, I do feel there is a major hurdle that will prevent the likelihood...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of June 16
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of June 16....
Editorial cartoons for the week of June 16
Editorial cartoons for the week of June 16....
Letter to the editor: In praise of civil servants
Within two hours of discovering a bat in our children’s bedroom, my wife and I spoke on the phone with a dispatcher and medical professional at the Department of Health, someone from the Pennsylvania Game Commission and our local game warden. The warden came out at midnight to remove the...
Letter to the editor: Repurposing schools shows creativity
I am a retired city planner who attended Morningside Elementary School for seventh and eighth grades. I’m writing to thank you for your recent article about repurposing older schools (“Retirees live it up at retired school buildings,” June 1, TribLive). It’s one of many creative solutions to the national housing...
Editorial: Is Pennsylvania the golf capital of America?
Think about golf, and your thoughts might gravitate toward warm, sunny climes where people retire to spend their days on the links. There’s a reason for that. Florida has the most golf courses at 1,262, according to the National Golf Foundation. The Professional Golfers’ Association is headquartered in Texas. But...
Letter to the editor: Budget cuts will result in lost lives
Too often, global moments are measured by lives lost — conflicts, pandemics, natural disasters. The creation of effective, accountable and life-saving programs like PEPFAR, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and Gavi brought us an era that could be measured by lives saved — lives that have...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Ike knew a thing or two about real leadership
“I like Ike” was Dwight David Eisenhower’s successful presidential campaign slogan in the 1950s. Nearly 75 years after he started his first run for the White House, there are still reasons to like Ike. Republican Eisenhower served two terms as president, and it was hard not to like the retired...
Bishop Timothy C. Senior: All Pennsylvanians must confront human trafficking
During my time as Bishop of the Diocese of Harrisburg, I have quickly come to realize that the problem of human trafficking is far more serious in Pennsylvania than many of us (may) want to recognize. Victims and survivors include every demographic. They are men and women, adults and children,...
Point: America’s law-and-order problem is Donald Trump
Yes, America does have a law-and-order problem. It’s the president of the United States. Throughout U.S. history, the best presidents have sparingly sought to use federal forces not to exacerbate tensions but as a last resort to deescalate violence, protect constitutional rights and restore order. Whether Democratic or Republican, when...
Counterpoint: Crime is down, but chaos is up
Protests are erupting in Los Angeles and other cities, with streets filled with demonstrators clashing with police, National Guard troops and Marines deployed under a presidential order. Scenes of civil unrest, from property damage and looting to tense standoffs clouded in tear gas, have dominated headlines, fueling a sense of...
Letter to the editor: Remember Dan Rooney’s Obama endorsement?
To the writer of the letter “Steelers should be above political fray” (June 9, TribLive): Did you find it “divisive, inappropriate and truly disheartening” when Dan Rooney endorsed Barack Obama on April 14, 2008? Mark A. Malobicky Maryville, Tenn. The writer is an East Deer native....
Letter to the editor: Legislators need to defend our democracy
I think the Republicans in Congress are cowards, loyalists who only want to do what one man wants them to do, not what their constituents want and need. Ask yourself, is this what you voted for? In my opinion, the wanna-be king wants us to be poor, unhealthy and scared....
Editorial: Does that star-spangled banner yet wave?
O say can you see, by the dawn’s early light, What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming From inauguration ceremonies to baseball games to high school graduations and more, those words are used to celebrate the American flag. The national anthem was penned by Francis Scott Key...
Letter to the editor: The American flag, a symbol of freedom
Today, Flag Day, celebrates the American flag as a symbol of freedom, history and national strength. In our schools, when children and youth recite the Pledge of Allegiance, it is my hope that they do so with pride, dignity and respect for America as the greatest nation in the world....
Jerel Ezell: The scars from unrest can run deep, for protesters, residents and even authorities
The heavy-handed responses by the Trump administration to ongoing protests in Los Angeles reveal how little imagination our politicians continue to have when it comes to grasping the causes and consequences of social unrest. Last Friday, in response to increasingly bold and reckless raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Angelenos...
