Opinion category, Page 63
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of June 23
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of June 23....
Letter to the editor: Al Oliver’s HOF induction long overdue
The Pittsburgh Pirates finally did something right, and long overdue. Recently, they announced their 2025 Hall of Fame class. At long last, they chose to induct Pirates legend and baseball superstar Al Oliver, a great player and even better person. Oliver was someone who always put the team first, unselfishly...
Letter to the editor: Politics, a low-skill job
The Founding Fathers outlined specific standards in the Constitution regarding age, citizenship status and residency requirements for serving in Congress. They, sadly, did not go any deeper. They did not enumerate qualifications such as education, experience or technical skills, nor did they address leadership, stability of character, the ability to...
Letter to the editor: Transit cuts violate the spirit of Virtue, Liberty and Independence
Disability Rights Pennsylvania (DRP) is deeply concerned about proposed cuts that devastate access for people with disabilities across both urban and rural parts of the commonwealth. In Pittsburgh, 41 bus routes and much of the paratransit service area are on the chopping block. In Philadelphia, SEPTA may eliminate 50 routes...
Editorial: What did the Nippon Steel-U.S. Steel deal really do?
The Nippon Steel-U.S. Steel deal is done. Finally. Really. What was proposed as a sale in December 2023 and talked about frequently as a “deal,” “merger,” “partnership” or “proposal” over the ensuing 18 months has cleared its hurdles and been approved by President Donald Trump. Whatever it is, it involved...
Letter to the editor: Political violence is never OK
I completely agree with Sen. Kim Ward’s comments (“ ‘It’s a scary time in politics,’ state Sen. Kim Ward says following Minnesota shootings,” June 17, TribLive), in which she decried the recent political killings in Minnesota. Neither she nor any other person serving in our governments (whether elected or appointed)...
Letter to the editor: America has always been great
Notwithstanding bloviation from the White House, America has always been great. Correction: It was, until the Project 2025 gang took over, shredding the Constitution, gutting our institutions and instigating a brain drain. Let’s look at some previous examples of our greatness: The Revolution freed this country from the tyranny of...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: The American flag belongs to all of us
Two new American flagpoles were installed at the White House June 18 at a ceremony attended by President Donald Trump and the national media. What should have been an important expression of what our flag represents turned into a reminder that our relationship with the American flag is complicated. Trump...
Nicole Stallings: Sounding the alarm for Pa.’s rural hospitals
Pennsylvania’s rural hospitals are struggling. Declining patient volumes, workforce shortages and chronic underpayment have left many on a lifeline. About half are operating at a loss, according to fiscal year 2023 data from the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council. Another 17% are barely breaking even or operating with margins...
J. Byron Fleck: Pitt’s $246 million bet against its students, employees
By July 1, the University of Pittsburgh will have made a choice: fund up to a quarter-billion-dollar commitment to pay its professional football and men’s basketball players — or protect its students, families and employees from financial ruin. The money? $246 million over 10 years, taken directly from student tuition,...
Dwight Boddorf: Reinventing Tarentum, a small town with a big vision
The odds haven’t been in our favor, and for towns like Tarentum, they rarely are. At its peak, Tarentum was home to over 11,000 residents and was built on industry, tight-knit neighborhoods and a strong tax base. Today, we’re a town of just over 4,200. We’ve lost more than half...
Letter to the editor: All hail Trump the king
Evidently, the Democrats, liberals and others who follow their thinking have tired of calling President Trump a Nazi, an oligarch and a fascist. So they came up with a clever new idea. Now Trump is a “king.” Personally, I am not offended by this latest political distraction. Our president has...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s bill will harm veterans
Last weekend, President Trump threw an extravagant military parade on his birthday, and taxpayers are footing the $45 million bill. While it may seem like Trump is honoring the military, I know, as a former Army soldier, what we really need is to end the Republican-backed assault on programs veterans...
Editorial: Pets should have legal protections from being treated like trash
Families don’t always look the same. Sometimes they are small and nuclear. Sometimes they are blended from remarriage. Sometimes they are extended with grandparents or grandchildren. And for many people, families include animals. According to Forbes, 66% of American households include pets. That’s almost 87 million families. Most pets are...
Letter to the editor: Reschenthaler not representing
It’s best for me to think of Rep. Guy Reschenthaler’s weekend newsletters as attempts at humor. Witness his June 9 email. I want him to take me to the Westmoreland County grocery store where eggs are $2.52 so I can purchase there. He claims to be a great supporter of...
S.E. Cupp: Loyalty to Donald Trump overrides basic decency
In 50 years, when we talk about this era of American politics, it will be truly impossible to capture the chaos, exhaustion, darkness and insanity of Donald Trump’s presidencies. There won’t be adequate words to describe how much changed in such a short period of time, thanks to Trump’s utter...
Letter to the editor: We already defeated America’s only king
What a great celebration Saturday in our nation’s capital for the United States Army’s 250th anniversary. George Washington would be very proud. Yes, we did defeat a king — it was King George III of England. America’s first and only king. And then there was whatever was going on that...
Letter to the editor: Defending our right to protest
Our right to protest is not up for debate. It is protected by the First Amendment — because protest is how everyday people make their voices heard when the system fails them. Let’s be clear: Peaceful protest is real, and it matters. It’s not chaos. It’s not a threat. It’s...
Lori Falce: Lee’s words about Minnesota victims must be remembered
On Saturday, when Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were murdered, and state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were gunned down, they were not the only casualties. And no, I don’t just mean that there were other people killed in gun violence that day. I’m not even...
Laurels & lances: Careers & cash
Laurel: To forging new paths. High school students spend a lot of time thinking about the future. For some, that’s about preparing for college, applying to schools and choosing a major. The number of students learning new skills to enter the job market when they graduate, however, is growing. According...
Letter to the editor: Politicians should account for their costs
As a follow-up to my letter “Wasteful spending in Westmoreland” (March 9, TribLive), I would like to bring to light wasteful spending in our 14th District by our representative. I previously asked what our local elected officials are doing to save taxpayer dollars. It is quite apparent wasteful spending is...
Paul Kengor: The silliness of ‘No Kings’
The first rule of launching a campaign is clever sloganeering. One might also call this marketing or “branding.” Many groups over the years have been very effective in that regard, from Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” campaign to the LGBTQ movement’s “Marriage Equality” slogan to the enormously effective Black Lives...
Jonah Goldberg: Maybe the latest Democratic disarray means they’re coming to their senses
Randi Weingarten, the head of the American Federation of Teachers, and Lee Saunders, the president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, resigned from their positions on the Democratic National Committee. This could be great news. I don’t really know, because the actual reasons remain murky. “While...
William M. Cotter: Pushing public notices to government websites is a bad move
Legislation in the Pennsylvania Senate risks allowing local governments to operate in the shadows, leaving taxpayers unaware of decisions affecting their pocketbooks, their communities and their quality of life. State Senate Bill 194, sponsored by Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Adams/Franklin, would allow school districts and municipal and county governments the option...
Jasmine Thompson: To be seen, heard and loved — the power of Black educators
During sessions of “The Girls Room,” which I established during my first teaching job as a safe space for high school Black girls to be seen and celebrated, we read novels like “The Skin I’m In” by Sharon Flake, talked about our goals, walked into womanhood together and discussed the...
