Opinion category, Page 72
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Standing up for our system of justice
The voters of Wisconsin stood up last week and showed the Elon Musks and Donald Trumps of the world the judicial branch of government is not as easily conquered as the executive and legislative branches. In the high-stakes race for a seat on the Wisconsin state supreme court, the Musk-backed...
Sheldon H. Jacobson: How to win the lottery without buying a ticket
Lotteries have become ubiquitous, available in nearly every state. The most recognized national lotteries, Mega Millions and Powerball, have jackpots that reach $1 billion a few times every year. Of course, that payout is spread over 29 years, with the first year around $15 million and the final year around...
Counterpoint: Crackdown on international students is a self-inflicted wound?
Recent detentions and deportations of international students have sparked controversy, raising concerns about the long-term damage to the United States’ reputation as the global leader in higher education. Meanwhile, the increasing number of U.S. students studying abroad underscores the importance of international academic exchanges. Several high-profile cases have highlighted the...
Point: Deport immigrants who are advocating evil
In then-President Joe Biden’s words, Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, massacre of Israeli civilians was an act of “pure, unadulterated evil,” resulting in “the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust,” with “more than 1,000 civilians slaughtered,” “stomach-turning reports of … babies being killed.” Yet, over the last year and a...
Letter to the editor: We’re watching the destruction of our country
On one hand, we have witnessed the detainment of Mahmoud Khalil, a legal alien, for organizing and leading protests against the slaughter of thousands of Palestinians and the destruction of their homeland. On the other, 1,600 duly tried and convicted American citizens involved in the attempted overthrow of our government...
Sounding off: Libraries, Steelers, Idlewild purchase, DOGE cuts on readers’ minds
Our communities need libraries As a former public librarian and current school librarian, I am in a position to tell you about the impact libraries have on communities. At the Carnegie Library, the staff and I helped elders learn how to use computers for the first time, taught them how...
Letter to the editor: The real Pentagon waste not being addressed
The Pentagon is not able to pass an audit of its expenses. It cannot account for around one-half of its budgeted $850 billion. There is waste and abuse in failed weapons programs, unnecessary nuclear expansion and exorbitant prices for goods and services by defense contractors. The failure of DOGE to...
Editorial: Is this the Pirates’ year?
Baseball is a game of numbers. Sure, every sport can claim that to some extent. A scoreboard is all about the numbers, after all. A tie is never broken by an essay question. But baseball may be the peak intersection of jocks and accountants. Even before the book (and movie)...
Letter to the editor: Solving the senior care workforce crisis
Pennsylvania’s aging services providers, including nursing homes, senior living communities and home and community-based services, continue to sound the alarm about their ongoing workforce crisis. We don’t have enough qualified workers to care for Pennsylvania’s fast-growing older population, due to costly staffing agencies and limited government support. To help, LeadingAge...
S.E. Cupp: Happy Liberation Day? More like tariff doomsday.
Here’s a nice trick for the misanthropic: Mention “import substitution industrialization” at the next dinner party you attend, and watch eyes glaze over and bodies slowly depart your general area. Talking economic theory isn’t usually exciting. And talking trade theory, including the supporting theory for tariffs, even less so. But,...
Colin McNickle: PRT must help save itself
Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT), facing a $100 million budget deficit in fiscal 2025-26, is threatening massive service cuts. And it’s squarely blaming the commonwealth’s transit funding policies for its woes. State funding is “no longer able to meet the needs of Pennsylvania’s second-largest transit agency,” PRT complains. But researchers at...
Dr. Susan Kressly: The dangerous war on vaccines
Against the backdrop of a rapidly expanding measles outbreak, what we need right now is urgent assistance from the federal government to support immunization and strengthen vaccine delivery, not more challenges. Unfortunately, vaccine expertise is instead being sidelined while anti- vaccine perspectives are being elevated. Last Friday, Dr. Peter Marks, a...
Letter to the editor: Hoping for a return to tradition with new Idlewild owners
So glad to hear another company is taking over Idlewild & SoakZone, along with Kennywood and Sandcastle. Hopefully, the new owners will restore the beauty and traditions Idlewild once valued before it was sold to Palace Entertainment. Joanne Thornburg North Huntingdon...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s golf costing taxpayers millions
President Donald Trump and Elon Musk in February said they had already saved taxpayers $55.6 billion. According to NPR, the amount was closer to $6.5 billion. “Taxpayers” paid more than $26 million for Trump’s golf outings this year; he has traveled to his own golf resorts, Trump International Golf Club...
Lori Falce: President Trump doesn’t understand groceries
Groceries are not old-fashioned. For some reason, President Donald Trump appears fascinated with the word. It started back in August on the campaign trail, when he was working on his economic record and the high prices Americans were seeing on food. He stood at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster...
Laurels & lances: Town halls & ballot rules
Laurel: To being canceled. The idea of cancel culture gets a lot of criticism, as it should. There should be less shutting down of ideas and more frank discussion of problems and solutions. But when events get canceled, that’s a little different. Last week, an event featuring both U.S. Sens....
Letter to the editor: Our communities need libraries
As a former public librarian and current school librarian, I am in a position to tell you about the impact libraries have on communities. At the Carnegie Library, the staff and I helped elders learn how to use computers for the first time, taught them how to sign up for...
Christine Flowers: That prison video in El Salvador was a bit much
This might appear to be a frivolous observation, given other issues that have hit the headlines over the past few days, but I have a big problem with the secretary of Homeland Security’s wardrobe. Normally, I don’t pay all that much attention to the sartorial style of women in the...
Meghan Amayo: Multilingual learners deserve a place in schools within their communities
I met Miguel* one summer when his mom, who was enrolled in an English as a second language (ESL) class with my sister-in-law, attended our family’s Memorial Day picnic. He easily blended in with the rest of the preteens kicking around a soccer ball and talking about all things pop...
Orli Trumbull: The Pittsburgh Promise is ending. What’s next?
In ninth grade, I started high school at the Pittsburgh Barack Obama Academy of International Studies. I wanted to experience the diverse community that the Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) magnet program offers. At Obama, I have been exposed to new experiences: participating in sports with limited funding, opportunities to lead...
Letter to the editor: Respect history and don’t use Nazi symbol
I have seen protests saying President Trump and Elon Musk are Nazis. The swastika, the symbol of the Nazis, is on the signs they hold and place in their front yards. This is emotional for me because I don’t think they have any idea of history. My father-in-law endured 18...
Letter to the editor: In praise of ICU nurses
Have no doubt, kindness is alive and well in our world. In addition to suffering from ALS, I recently spent over five weeks in the intensive care unit at UPMC Presbyterian hospital, where I was treated for pneumonia and respiratory failure. The doctors, technicians and other staff were fantastic and...
Editorial: Hearings on bus route cuts should be where routes will be cut
When you have someplace to go and you own a car, your schedule can be in your own hands. You have an appointment at 2 p.m. It’s 2 miles away. Depending on where you are and what traffic is like, you could be sitting on the couch watching TV until...
Letter to the editor: We’re witnessing a constitutional coup
I believe the U.S. is in the throes of a constitutional coup, the seizure of power through exploitation of loopholes in the Constitution. Using the Project 2025 blueprint, democracy is being dismantled and replaced by an oligarchy composed of billionaires. First, we get the chaos created by a flurry of...
Jonah Goldberg: What will Trump’s tariffs ‘liberate’ us from?
I am writing this from the last days of our captivity. Indeed, by the time some of you read this, we will be free. If all goes according to the White House’s plan, April 2 will go down in history as America’s “Liberation Day.” Steve Bannon, a prominent unofficial Trump...
