Opinion category, Page 60
Kelley Shepherd: We are not the waste — a DSP’s plea to protect Medicaid
Since 2008, I’ve worked as a direct support professional (DSP). In this work, I’ve witnessed miracles — small ones, daily — that show what people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and autism (ID/A) can achieve when they’re given a fair chance and real support. I remember someone with a traumatic...
Letter to the editor: Vote to bring back democracy
May 20 is the date of election. Donald Trump now owns the Republican Party. If you like the huge tariffs, assault on our legal and justice system, furloughing of our federal workers (there are over 70,000 in Pennsylvania) and the acceptance of the Jan. 6 insurrection and approve of his...
Letter to the editor: It’s up to us to seek the truth
Honesty and truthfulness are bearings on a good moral compass. They are attributes of a good human being. “I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts.”...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s amoral foreign policy
Nearly 60% of Americans oppose President Trump’s statement that Ukraine is to blame for starting the war. Our reputation is as the protector of smaller countries. We do not keep them out of negotiations that will determine their fates — which Trump did in 2018, shutting the Afghan government out...
Editorial: Penn State needs to be open about closing campuses
Penn State leaders are proposing the shuttering of seven Commonwealth Campuses. The idea has been on the table since February. It would be brought up in May, it was suggested. But the May meeting of the board of trustees falls in a sweet spot between the annual Blue-White Game at...
Brian C. Rittmeyer: Penn State branch campuses provide more than memories
There’s a beaver plushie on my nightstand, and a glass bottle of Coke from 1990 in my living room. What do these two unusual — and one, advisably undrinkable — things have in common? Penn State branch campuses. More importantly, for me, the memories attached to them. And now that...
Cal Thomas: Bad political theater in Newark
Political theater extends back to the Greeks. William Shakespeare wrote about politics in “Coriolanus” and other plays. A personal favorite of mine was “Fiorello!,” a 1959 musical about New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. What happened in Newark last week was political theater at its worst. New Jersey Democratic Reps....
Alisa E. Harris: State funding is reducing violence and supporting youth — we must keep it going
Pennsylvania is home to more YMCAs than any other state in the nation — more than 700,000 Pennsylvanians are members of their local YMCA, and an additional 180,000 people participate in YMCA programs each year. It is hard to overstate the positive impact a YMCA has on a community —...
Letter to the editor: Pirates make fans want the game to end quickly
Columnist Paul Kengor’s lamentations on the advent of a less leisurely pace of play in Major League Baseball are severely undermined by citing our local team (“Ruining America’s national pastime,” May 8, TribLive). Even as a former professional radio sports announcer, I find watching the “dreaded Pittsburgh Pirates” a quite...
Letter to the editor: Of course Trump would see himself as pope
Who can blame President Trump for seeing himself as worthy of being the next pope? Our behavior has enabled this expectation. Republicans in Congress taught him that he won’t be expelled from office even if evidence is clear that he tried to bribe a foreign leader with taxpayer money. American...
Letter to the editor: Get rid of the incumbents not paying attention to voters’ needs
In the article “Where did all the Democrats go? In suburban Pittsburgh counties, they’re harder to find in elected office” (May 4, TribLive), Westmoreland County Republican Committee Chairman Bill Bretz suggested the Democratic Party lost favor with Westmoreland County voters due to a lack of attention to their basic needs....
Letter to the editor: Tim Carson should remain as coroner
I had the honor to serve alongside Tim Carson while serving as chief of staff for Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew. Because of my position, I had a frequent exposure to the work he and his department did for the county. From a professional evaluation, I can assure you Carson’s...
Editorial: Divided legislature means pointless bills
The great frustration of a divided legislature is how it works so hard to stay in exactly the same place. Having a governor of a different party than the lawmakers is a challenge, but it still allows both sides to do their jobs. Legislators pass a law or decide on...
Letter to the editor: Tariffs will make us less rich, less respected
Picture a White House press conference. A conservative journalist mentions a rumor that Amazon might display tariff surcharges online. Before tariff evangelist Scott Bessent has a chance to speak, the press secretary lunges in front of him. She launches into a breathless rant about Joe Biden and Amazon’s disloyalty, complete...
Letter to the editor: Pet care assistance available
As a volunteer with Humane Action Pennsylvania (HAP) and a proud guardian of two cats, I have seen firsthand the importance of responsible pet guardianship. This means more than just providing food and shelter, it’s ensuring proper medical care, socialization and love. It includes spaying or neutering, routine vet visits...
Ed Beck: Independent vets locked out of Pa. primaries
Consider this situation. A Pennsylvanian devotes over three decades to military service, most of it in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. Along the way, he earns multiple degrees and becomes a management consultant, a college professor and an entrepreneur. He’s played by the rules, served his country and contributed to...
Jeff Kupfer: Hydrogen future begins in Western Pa. — if we seize it
Western Pennsylvania helped build America’s energy backbone. Now, we stand at the edge of another turning point – one where the region can once again lead, this time by investing in clean hydrogen technologies that power the future and support our workers, manufacturers, or communities. Let’s be clear: This isn’t...
A.J. Bauer: NPR and PBS aren’t threats. They’re treasures.
When President Donald Trump signed an executive order cutting federal funding for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service, he was right about one thing: We do live in a moment of media abundance. But his market-based notion of abundance fundamentally misunderstands the purpose of public broadcasting, which is...
Letter to the editor: Harvard should lose tax-exempt status
Quincy Reese omits an important U.S. Supreme Court case in the article “If Harvard loses its tax-exempt status, Western Pa. universities, nonprofits could be in trouble” (May 3, TribLive). In the case Students for Fair Admissions vs. Harvard, the U.S Supreme Court ruled that Harvard had discriminated against Asian applicants...
Letter to the editor: Carson has earned reelection
I want to take a moment to recognize our coroner, Tim Carson, for the incredible work he’s doing in our community — because it truly goes far beyond what most expect from that role. Tim has shown exceptional compassion and community leadership through initiatives like Operation Dignity, which honored 15...
Letter to the editor: Lingg deserves reelection
I am writing in support of Jamie Lingg, who is running for reelection to Murrysville Council. Lingg is currently the only woman on council and, notably, the only female candidate running this year who was not endorsed by the local committee despite having a nearly identical voting record to a...
Editorial: Pope Leo XIV is symbol of hope in a world of suffering
Our world needs symbols of hope, compassion and something greater than the struggles of this life. For that reason, we believe so many people, not just Roman Catholics, pay great attention to the selection of a new pope, in the belief that faith, even a faith they may not share,...
Letter to the editor: Real patriots question Trump’s moves
The dictionary definition of a patriot is as follows: “One who loves and supports his country.” You will note it does not include verbiage indicating a patriot is someone who staunchly follows their politician of choice. It is beyond my comprehension that some letter-writers here will attack their fellow citizens...
Letter to the editor: We’ve made enormous progress
In his op-ed “The arc of history does not simply bend toward justice” (May 3, TribLive), Adrian Wooldridge writes that the “nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘The arc of the moral universe bends towards justice.’ ” Wooldridge says they are not true and they engender a...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of May 12
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of May 12....
