Opinion category, Page 701
Editorial: Mental health is important
“Your mental health matters, and it’s OK to reach out for help.” That simple message needs to be repeated until it is accepted as a truth — basic and incontrovertible as the alphabet and gravity. Gov. Tom Wolf said it Thursday when announcing a public outreach campaign and efforts to...
Sounding off: Indifference may end our republic
The end of an empire slowly creeps in unawares. It’s like a chronic case of indigestion repeatedly ignored until it’s diagnosed as stage 4 stomach cancer. And the prognosis for America the Beautiful could be terminal. Generations indoctrinated by a lifetime of the blue glow of television have been rendered...
Letter to the editor: National debt under Trump, Obama
We are constantly hearing about the soaring national debt under Donald Trump. One of my statistics textbooks in college was titled “How to Lie with Statistics,” which seems to be the norm today. Since Trump became president, the average compounded rate of increase of the national debt has been 5.09%....
Letter to the editor: Capitalism is a sin
Regarding Dr. Joel Last’s letter “Socialism & religious values” (Nov. 9, TribLIVE): You associate capitalism with God, but I believe that capitalism can truly be evil. Yes, there are laws involving capitalism that prevent committing the sins and crimes listed in the Ten Commandments, but capitalism in itself is a...
Letter to the editor: Managing the plastic bottle crisis
Regarding Toni Crisci’s op-ed “Every Bottle Back aims to keep empties out of waterways” (Dec. 7, TribLIVE): The Every Bottle Back initiative may be critical for keeping our environment clean and safe for people as well as protecting wildlife habitats. The Pennsylvania Beverage Association is to be commended for promoting...
John Stossel: Popcorn, iPhones & butter all better in 2020
I learned three new things this year that made my life better! I share them with you here, hoping they make your 2020 easier. My “life hacks” are about popcorn, iPhones and butter. Weird? Maybe. Now I report on how politicians wreck just about everything, but at ABC’s show “20/20,”...
Walter Williams: Colleges dupe parents & taxpayers with ‘diversity’
Colleges and college students have also been around for centuries. Yet, college administrators assume that today’s students have needs that were unknown to their predecessors. Those needs include diversity and equity personnel, with massive budgets to accommodate. According to Minding the Campus, Penn State’s Office of Vice Provost for Educational...
Editorial: Opioid companies profit from cure
According to statistics from Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, the number of fatalities resulting from drug overdoses is expected to have fallen for the second year in a row. That is undeniably good news. It means fewer people are grieving the loss of loved ones. What it does not mean is...
Letter to the editor: Irwin residents getting gouged on gas
This is intended for people who live near the Irwin Pennsylvania Turnpike entrance. Have you wondered why we keep getting ripped off on gasoline? If you go a few miles in any direction, you will find gas up to 30 cents a gallon cheaper. It is apparent to me that...
Letter to the editor: Ridiculous pay increases in North Huntingdon
So now we have North Huntingdon Township “officials” granting “department heads” a pay increase for 2020. Only one councilman voted no, Brian Blasko, the voice of reason. By my acute math skills (as I am not a product of the public screwel system, another black hole for spending abuse), a...
Letter to the editor: Illegal school-bus passing
Regarding the article “Traffic citations in school zones surge in Allegheny County” (Dec. 23, TribLIVE): Many school zones are not properly signed and lack flashing lights. You cannot read the signs unless you stop, and the flashing lights go off at all hours, when there is no school. Act 159...
Donald Boudreaux: Some hopes for 2020 & beyond
A traditional New Year’s practice is to express hope for the coming year. As 2020 dawns, I here convey some of my hopes not only for the coming year, but for the coming decade and beyond. I hope, first of all, for an end to this past decade’s infatuation with...
Lori Falce: Real resolutions for 2020
It’s January 2020. Resolution time. Are you too fat? There are dozens, if not hundreds, of apps, books, programs, subscription-based meal delivery services and trendy diets out there waiting to tell you what you’ve done wrong, what you should look like and how to change — for a price. Not...
Laurels & lances: Sports, spats, skates and scams
Laurel: To little bits of sports history. Close to 300 people gathered on New Year’s Day in a North Huntingdon auto dealership to get a glimpse of some of the pieces of the past that made up Bill Mazeroski’s 17-year Hall-of-Fame career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. More than 120 participated...
Letter to the editor: Impeachment should stop dictatorship
I’ve watched the impeachment debate. The impending vote should stop the dictatorship of the U.S. I as well would love to hear from witnesses. I do believe First Lady Melania Trump is the whistleblower. What do you think? Deb Gorlewski Harrison...
Letter to the editor: Conor Lamb in line with Nancy Pelosi
When Conor Lamb ran for Congress, he emphasized that he would not be a Nancy Pelosi hack. It didn’t take long for him to renege on his promise and fall into line with Pelosi. It seems like it doesn’t take long for an amateur politician to learn how to lie...
Letter to the editor: Putin’s message to Americans
An open letter from Vlad Putin to the American people: My dearest Amerikan Demokrat and Repubican freinds, You believe still accuse me meddling elections? I love Amerikans!!! Most beautiful people in hole world. Why I support candidate never heard of Armenia or Crimea? I prefer strong adversary, like Donald The...
Letter to the editor: Will new county commissioners fix ‘death spiral’?
In 2016, Wall Street analysts said President Trump would be bad for the economy. So much for experts. We get to re-elect Trump next November with our best economy in history. Locally, the outgoing Westmoreland County commissioners wrestled with a 2020 budget shortfall of $9.3 million, and in an act...
William Kerr: Remembering Apollo Patrolman Leonard C. Miller
Jan. 3 marks the 40th anniversary of the death of Apollo Patrolman Leonard C. Miller, who sacrificed his life for the community. This date is celebrated not because Leonard Miller died, but because he lived. Miller was a friend and colleague, and the life of this young man — who...
Editorial: Preparation is never a problem
It is now 20 years since the world didn’t end with the crash of all the computers. The Y2K bug didn’t do what everyone feared. Years of increasing anxiety about what would happen when the calendars flipped from the 1900s to the 2000s in a digital world that was often...
Letter to the editor: Does Schumer have an open mind?
It appears Sen. Chuck Schumer is confused and frustrated about his role in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. Is he the prosecutor? Is he Trump’s defender? Will he act as an impartial juror? He has made statements indicating he can act in all three roles. Schumer should only...
Letter to the editor: Trump & our freedoms
At the beginning of the 20th century, there was the war to end all wars. Approximately 15 years after the end of this war, a sick-minded, evil man through lies, trickery and deceit captured the minds of most but not all of the German people and led the world into...
Letter to the editor: Reelect Trump, keep making America great
President Trump was elected to office by more than 63 million Americans. He was elected to make our country prosperous again. To make our country safe again. To make our country respected again. He has accomplished these things and much more in spite of the constant opposition from the Democrats....
Pat Buchanan: Is ‘Little Rocket Man’ winning?
As of Dec. 26, Kim Jong Un’s “Christmas gift” to President Donald Trump had not arrived. Most foreign policy analysts predict it will be a missile test more impressive than any Pyongyang has yet carried off. Kim cannot want war with the United States, as this could result in the...
Kristin Buccigrossi: NFL, how could you honor Michael Vick?
My blood has been boiling for the past few weeks toward the NFL with its choice to honor Michael Vick as a captain at the Pro Bowl. While some say that time can heal all wounds and that people can learn from their mistakes, I do not believe that Vick...
