Opinion category, Page 58
Beth Kowitt: The old model of billionaire philanthropy is ending
Bill Gates is an optimist. He believes the world will be a better place in 20 years, that diseases like polio, measles and malaria will be eradicated, and that there will be other rich people lining up to fill the void when, as he announced recently, his foundation shuts its...
Kevin Snider: An open letter to Penn State trustees, leadership
Penn State must evolve to survive. Penn State New Kensington already has. At a time when the university faces a choice between retreat and reinvention, it is poised to close one of the few campuses already evolving — and succeeding. That’s what is at stake in the May 22 vote...
Jay Paterno: For Penn State, today’s challenges vs. tomorrow’s dreams — a call for defiant optimism
On July 2, 1862, this nation was at war for its very existence. The Union Army was retreating from a campaign to capture Richmond. Victory was far from certain. On that day, the United States Congress and President Abraham Lincoln had their eyes on a future clouded by massive uncertainty....
Letter to the editor: Realities about Trump
I have some “lefty” reality for the author of the letter “Letters from left not based in reality” (May 10, TribLive). During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump often promised grocery and fuel prices would drop on “day one” of him being elected. After taking office, he stated that it is...
Editorial: It’s Trump’s move on U.S. Steel sale
Nippon Steel is putting more money on the table. But will it matter? The nearly $15 billion elephant in the room is the Japanese company’s offer to acquire Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel. It’s a deal that has been dragging on since December 2023. It slow-walked through the Committee for Foreign Investment...
Letter to the editor: Analyzing why the U.S. is in financial trouble
Dear fellow taxpaying citizens: Do you understand that the U.S. is in deep financial trouble? As ham-handed as President Donald Trump is, he is doing what he thinks is best for the country. What suggestions or alternative plans do any of you have to solve the future economic train wreck?...
F.D. Flam: Quantum computing could be the future of drug development
One of the first and most promising uses scientists envision for the rapidly evolving technology of quantum computing is a new approach to drug development. A quantum computer could, in theory, eliminate much of the trial and error involved in the process to help researchers more quickly zero in on...
Sarah Gundle: TikTokers are self-diagnosing. That’s good and bad.
“My ADHD? I figured it out on TikTok,” a new patient told me proudly. She hadn’t turned to social media for answers because she wanted to; she just couldn’t afford the cost of a formal psychiatric evaluation. Appointments for neuropsychological assessments, the gold standard for diagnosing conditions such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity...
Letter to the editor: Pittsburgh teams paying big money to bad players
As a “youngish” man in my early 70s, I’m astounded by the amounts of money Pittsburgh sports teams pay much younger men to stink up the playing field. My message to the Pirates and Steelers is, “Hey guys, I’m right here, give me a call.” Team owners are paying tens...
Letter to the editor: Pine-Richland’s book ban sham
On March 17, the Pine-Richland School Board approved a sweeping revision to Library Policy 109.1 after 16 months of deliberation. This effort was sparked in October 2023 when a group of religious activists demanded the removal of 14 books they deemed “pornographic.” At a December board meeting, board member Michael...
Editorial: In red and blue Pennsylvania, primaries matter more than ever
Elections follow a certain rhythm. Presidential years are followed by municipal years where the ballots are filled with local, school board and county races. Then there are the midterms, in which state and federal lawmakers are elected. In Pennsylvania, that’s also a gubernatorial year. Then it goes back to more...
Letter to the editor: Tariffs don’t improve economy
To those who still believe that tariffs will improve the economy: Ain’t gonna happen. Never. Not ever. No matter how long you wait. Tariffs are not magic beans from which factories spring. For example, take the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930; a depression grew from that. Tariff revenue goes directly...
Jackie Calmes: Will the Qatar gift to Trump fly?
The real value of President Donald Trump’s acceptance of a $400 million “palace in the sky” — a super luxe Boeing 747-8 grift, er, gift, from the oil-rich Qatari royal family — could be in what it reveals to his fellow Americans about his unprecedented, global grab for wealth and...
Bradford Fitch: How veterans, plane travel and sausages lead to less partisanship
It’s no secret that partisanship is more intense than at any other time in recent history. And these intense political feelings don’t just play themselves out through gridlock in Congress. The threats of political violence have increased dramatically. Politics seeps into the workplace, resulting in coarse relations with colleagues (and,...
Letter to the editor: Protecting county’s appeals process
Allegheny County Council is about to vote on a bill (May 21) that would insulate the appeals board from the political process. Under present law, the people who make the frozen base year assessments also administer the appeals process. The part-time appeals boards’ role is limited to only hearing and...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s war on women
President Trump said that he would protect women, whether the women like it or not. However, through his actions, I belieev he has declared a war on women. By demonizing “DEI,” he seems to be seeking to wipe out the gains women have made since the 1960s, gains in equality...
Editorial: How to cut U.S. drug prices without hurting innovation
The price of Wegovy, Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster weight-loss drug, is $1,349 a month in the U.S.; in Germany, it’s $328. The U.S. price for Keytruda, a cancer treatment, is $191,000 a year; in Japan, it’s $44,000. The U.S. pays three times more for branded prescription drugs, on average, than other...
Letter to the editor: Murrysville endorsement process fair
I want to address several recent letters to the editor related to the endorsement process conducted by a local political committee. As a former Murrysville Council member who held office for eight years until I termed out, I feel that I am more than qualified to speak about the endorsement...
Editorial cartoons for the week of May 19
Editorial cartoons for the week of May 19....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of May 19
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of May 19....
Abigail Auyeung: Reducing mental health to buzzwords and online trends may do more harm than good
If you’ve been on Instagram recently, you may have seen Insta stories of giddy teens dumping water — which doesn’t even contain ice — on their friends in the name of #SpeakYourMIND. Influencers give pretty speeches in which they claim “mental health is important!” and give a cheerful thumbs-up of...
Ronald L. Hirsch: Are liberals destroying America’s ideals?
The opening paragraph of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 wrote, “America is now divided between two opposing forces: woke revolutionaries and those who believe in the ideals of the American Revolution.” What a perfect example of fake news. By taking on the mantle of American values and attacking their opponents...
Letter to the editor: Don’t believe what others say — seek the truth
I really appreciate the letter “It’s up to us to seek the truth” (May 14, TribLive) in this amusing paper. It is what so many of us folks (Dems) have been saying. Regardless of party, search out the truth for yourselves. Do no follow someone else because they are friends/family....
Letter to the editor: Independence layoffs will further hurt care
More layoffs at Independence Health will further hurt the care that patients are receiving since the merger between Excela Health and Butler Health (“Independence Health cuts 151 workers, locations not specified,” April 9, TribLive). The “retirement” of several Excela administrators while being replaced with those from Butler should be of...
Letter to the editor: Penn State must close some campuses
The article “As deadline looms for Penn State’s future, former PSNK chancellors share thoughts” (May 5, TribLive) was written as though the drastic reduction of student enrollment at Penn State campuses and other colleges has just suddenly happened. My goodness, it’s been going on for 25-plus years! To see this,...
