Opinion category, Page 512
Letter to the editor: Youngwood mine fields
If any of you unlucky people either live or drive through the small town of Youngwood, I’m sure you’ve noticed that the roads are like minefields. They say it’s to make improvements to all the underground systems and the roads themselves. I don’t know who the genius is who decided...
Editorial: The Steelers and Saint Vincent belong together
The coronavirus pandemic isn’t done with the economic gut punches yet. As more and more people have been vaccinated, the covid-19 precautions have been slowly rolled back. On Monday, Pennsylvania’s mask mandate was lifted. That means the state isn’t requiring the unvaccinated to wear masks in public places anymore. Individual...
Letter to the editor: Voter fraud ‘what-ifs’
Regarding “Pa. GOP proposes major election overhaul, including stricter voter ID and in-person early voting” (June 10, TribLIVE): What if someone goes to rest homes and other elderly people to harvest ballots? What is the advantage for a ballot harvester? Does he just get the voter to sign the ballot?...
Tom Purcell: Civics lesson for the Fourth
You become an American citizen by being born in the USA or you can become one by getting “naturalized.” Becoming naturalized is a heck of a lot harder. It not only means having to meet all the legal and residency requirements Congress has established, it means passing a U.S. civics...
Joyce Lukima: Funding for crime victims must be restored
“I finally decided to press charges against my father for 11 years of sexual abuse. I didn’t know where to turn or what to do … I called your center and spoke with a woman who changed my life. After four years of an unbearable legal process, I’m so happy...
Rep. Tony DeLuca: Republican voting legislation leads to a path of taking voters’ rights away
There is no greater right than voters participating in democracy by casting their ballots to elect those who will represent them. However, legislation Republicans recently pushed through the House would restrict access for voters and impinge on their rights. It is vital to remove barriers for voters to use ballot...
Letter to the editor: Biden is upholding his oath
President Joseph Biden swore an oath that he “will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” The writer of the letter ”Biden’s actions are not in line with Catholic faith” (June 17, TribLIVE) seems angry that Biden is upholding that oath...
Letter to the editor: Save the bees; we depend on them
Humans are smart. We’ve learned how to transplant organs, pack millions of books worth of data into a microchip and travel through outer space. And yet our lives still depend on little buzzing bugs to grow our food. Seventy-five percent of food crops require pollinators like bees, but bees are...
Editorial: Exotic pets call for logical local regulation
Pennsylvania has rules about animals. There’s a whole Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement. Many others fall under the Department of Agriculture’s umbrella. State law can be brought to bear in cases of neglect or cruelty. Local ordinances can come into play, too. They regulate how people are required to handle...
Letter to the editor: Church should clean its own house first
The Catholic Church has some nerve (“U.S. Catholic bishops OK steps toward possible rebuke of Biden,” June 18, TribLIVE). Some priests have relations with women in their parishes, and others abuse children. Maybe they made babies and told the women it’s a sin to get an abortion. They are the...
Letter to the editor: Biden administration not putting Americans first
President Biden and America’s checkbook were greeted with open arms at the G-7 Conference. Boris Johnson embraced Biden like he was his long-lost brother. French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Biden to “The Club,” aka the global swamp. Our current administration declared that America and its people are not first and...
Editorial cartoons for the week of June 28
Editorial cartoons for the week of June 28....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of June 28
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of June 28....
Mona Charen: The difference a father makes
There was a Father’s Day parade in Washington, D.C., that warmed my family-obsessed heart. It was called the Black Fathers Matter motorcade, and it featured silver and black balloons, a band serenading the crowd aboard a flatbed truck, kids singing their dads’ praises, community leaders, politicians and at the end,...
Jonah Goldberg: Parties, politicians don’t really represent ‘the American people’
What if elected politicians actually did what the American people want them to do? Now, you might respond: “Isn’t that what they already do?” or “Isn’t that how it’s supposed to work in a democracy?” The answer to both of these questions is: “No.” Let me explain. “The American people”...
Letter to the editor: Babies have right to being born
As we recently rejoiced with our country in celebrating Juneteenth and the end of enslaving human beings against their will, I have a question: What about our unwanted “enslaved” unborn babies whose mothers do not choose to give them the freedom to be born alive? What about the most vulnerable...
Letter to the editor: Not all Democrats want socialism
My dictionary defines socialism as “an economic system in which the government owns and controls the means of production and operates it for the good of the people.” As a lifelong Democrat, I do not agree with socialism. And I don’t know any Democrat who does. We Democrats vigorously support...
Letter to the editor: Republicans’ history will repeat itself
I was taught during my history classes in high school and political science classes in college that history repeats itself. During President Barack Obama’s administration, he negotiated with Republicans concerning two key issues: the Affordable Care Act and an economic stimulus program. He tried to achieve bipartisan support, considering that...
Letter to the editor: Why does Fetterman feel he is above law?
According to the article “Wolf, Pa. Democrats again push for passage of LGBTQ discrimination protections,” “The GOP-controlled Legislature banned all but the U.S., Pennsylvania and POW MIA flags from being flown on Capitol grounds. … (Lt. Gov. John) Fetterman, however, has continued to fly Pride flags, including one removed by...
Editorial: Another sweet, but legal, perk for state legislators
A per diem is an amount of money that an employer will give someone to cover expenses for a business-related trip. Unless you have a very specific job where travel is required, it’s not usually the kind of thing that becomes a big part of your paycheck. But then there...
Letter to the editor: Recent lessons learned
Here are some lessons I’ve learned in today’s troubled world: Jobs and free market opportunities, not big government programs and subsidies, are the answers to poverty. CNN and MSNBC provide mostly partial, biased, misleading news. Excessive government spending and the resulting higher taxes often lead to higher prices, uncontrolled inflation,...
Letter to the editor: Ready-to-drink cocktails good for Pa.
Expanding the sale of ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails to additional retail outlets that already sell beverage alcohol is a commonsense way to increase consumer convenience and generate millions of dollars for the commonwealth (“Pa. Senate passes bill to legalize cocktails-to-go, sends to House with modifications”). In fact, allowing spirits-based RTDs to...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Balancing tough policing and reform
It’s been decades since an off-duty Pittsburgh beat cop shared a few beers and some stories at the neighborhood bar on the eve of his retirement. When a kid asked if he ever shot anyone during his 30 years walking a beat, the cop said, “I only drew my weapon...
Sen. Lindsey Williams and Josh McNeil: Harrisburg and Washington must step up to save Pittsburgh transit options
One thing that the covid-19 pandemic has taught us is the importance of public transit. The Port Authority of Allegheny County has kept our city and region running. While businesses were shuttered to curb the spread of the virus, brave bus drivers and light rail engineers, conductors, mechanics and operators...
Sounding off: Responsible gun owners don’t ‘forget’
For the 12th time this year, a loaded handgun was confiscated by TSA at Pittsburgh International Airport from a passenger’s carry-on bag (“Man faces charges after being stopped for gun at Pittsburgh International Airport,” June 7, TribLIVE). He used the same excuse as the others: “I forgot it was there.”...
