Opinion category, Page 75
Letter to the editor: O’Connor nearly killed paid sick leave
Corey O’Connor is claiming credit for Pittsburgh’s paid sick leave policy in TV ads and mailers in his campaign against Mayor Ed Gainey. But the truth is, he almost killed it. I know this because I was there in the negotiating rooms. As executive director of Pittsburgh United, I helped...
Editorial: No excuse for not letting Pittsburgh City Council, controller know about emergency coordinator’s absence
“That’s my bad.” Pittsburgh Emergency Management Coordinator Darryl Jones used those incredibly underwhelming words to explain not making it clear to City Council or Controller Rachael Heisler that he was leaving the state or who would be in charge while he was gone. That’s the apology you offer for not...
Letter to the editor: ICE’s treatment of students troubling
My heart sank when I saw a young female Tufts University student, on TV, being taken by several men in black with their faces covered. She was grabbed without warning and with no knowledge of the reason. It looked as if she was being kidnapped. As we learned, the student...
Letter to the editor: Letters from left not based in reality
Occasionally an anti-Trump letter to the Trib is insightful and interesting. Usually, however, they read like wild, dissociative ramblings. A couple of recent letters exemplify my point. “Economic hardship ahead” (April 26, TribLive) warns of impending doom we can expect from Donald Trump’s presidency. In it, the writer wails of...
S.E. Cupp: The Democrats must start running now for 2028
Among the many problems Democrats faced in the 2024 election — former President Joe Biden’s obvious decline, a rejiggered ticket at the 11th hour, a slumbering economy and a border crisis that Dems took too long to acknowledge — was their terrible timing. When Biden won in 2020, it was...
Stuart Fisk: Medical professionals respond to call for higher dose naloxone
While well-intentioned, Scott L. Bohn’s op-ed “Equipping first responders for the age of synthetic opioids” (April 28, TribLive) calling for expanded use of high dose and long-lasting opioid overdose reversal agents misstates the need for these products and ignores current research and best practices for reversing opioid overdoses. The consensus...
Matt Shorraw: Medicaid, CHIP, environmental justice must be legislative priorities
As budget negotiations continue in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania lawmakers are faced with a defining decision: Will they protect the health and dignity of millions, or allow devastating federal cuts to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to take hold? This choice isn’t just about numbers on a spreadsheet —...
Greg Fulton: Remembering the Steelers’ ‘Tuskegee Airmen in cleats’
It’s 50 years ago when the Steelers had a string of years, 1975 to 1980, where most experts would say they had the best defense in the NFL, and some might assert the best in the game’s history. This defense, known as the Steel Curtain, was a major reason the...
Robert F. Powelson: Pittsburgh’s water woes — why slamming the door on private solutions is a bad idea
Pittsburgh, you have a problem. A water problem. And City Council is flirting with a permanent decision that could make it a whole lot worse by asking voters to ban any future partnerships with regulated, private water companies. This referendum is shortsighted and ignores the reality of the city’s crumbling...
Letter to the editor: Renaming Veteran’s Day is absurd
This latest proclamation from the 47th president on May 1 on Truth Social, regarding renaming Veterans Day, is absurd. His rationale is the U.S. doesn’t know how to celebrate victories. As the wife of a Vietnam veteran and a nurse who worked half my career in the VA caring for...
Letter to the editor: Darren Miller for Murrysville Council
I’m proud to support my dear friend, Darren Miller, in his run for Murrysville Council. Last week, after a storm dropped a tree across my driveway, making it inaccessible, Darren showed up 20 minutes later with a chainsaw in hand to help. He didn’t wait to be asked. He simply...
Lori Falce: Let them have dolls
Christmas isn’t just a festive holiday. Not in the U.S., at least. Christmas is also business — big business. Overall, the National Retail Federation puts sales during November and December at about 19% of the annual total. For perspective, the monthly average is around 8%, which means those last two...
Laurels & lances: Hoping, paying & reopening
Laurel: To not giving up. Cherrie Mahan, 8, was last seen at a Winfield bus stop in February 1985. Forty years later, although Cherrie has been legally declared dead, there is still a search for answers in her case. Steve Ridge, a private investigator from Iowa, has stepped up with...
Letter to the editor: Consequences of Trump’s decisions
I admit and apologize for this article that lacks continuity and a flow of thought. These points are my opinion. President Trump has surrounded himself with abusers, convicts, drunks with no expertise. To me their jobs are way over their heads. Trump makes us less safe by alienating allies. He...
Paul Kengor: Ruining America’s national pastime
While watching the dreadful Pittsburgh Pirates recently, I was struck by something very confusing. It was extra innings, and each team somehow started the inning with a runner on second base. The runner magically materialized on my TV after the commercial break. I tried to figure out when that player...
Vincent Trometter: Trump needs Nippon Steel to win agenda
Vital toward reindustrializing the country, where our factory towns are revitalized, our ports are making new ships and the skylines of our cities grow higher, President Trump is seeking to correct President Joe Biden’s ill-sighted decision to block Nippon Steel’s acquisition of U.S. Steel. The idea has been in the...
Cynthia Kirsch and Dana Siler: Citizens, stand up for climate action
On April 29, an unprecedented storm with hurricane force winds tore through southwestern Pennsylvania, with many areas in Pittsburgh hit particularly hard. At its peak, 40% of Duquesne Light customers were without electricity. Three people died as a result of the storm. Hundreds of trees, many stately old shade trees...
Letter to the editor: Venditti for Franklin Regional School Board
I’m writing to express my strong support for my longtime friend, Shannon Venditti, in her candidacy for the Franklin Regional School Board. Having known Shannon for many years, I can confidently say she embodies the values, energy and commitment our district needs. As a devoted mother of four school-aged children,...
Editorial: Westmoreland County crisis teams address critical need
There might be no single issue in the United States that affects more areas than mental health problems. They can be caused by physical health issues, such as chronic pain or a dire diagnosis. But they also can exacerbate those issues as depression or anxiety can delay treatment or interfere...
Letter to the editor: Message to Reschenthaler
Congressman Reschenthaler, Let’s address the substance, or lack thereof, in your canned replies. The constant finger-pointing at the previous administration is not only tired — it’s cowardly. The Trump administration was handed a stable economy, and in record time launched a reckless trade war that’s vaporized trillions in U.S. wealth....
Jonah Goldberg: Trump’s right ends, wrong means
President Donald Trump has identified real problems, but he’s abusing his power in trying to correct them. Perhaps the most frustrating thing about being a conservative critic of Trumpism is that you often start by agreeing with Trumpworld about ends while disagreeing about means. This pleases nobody. The left, broadly...
Dan DeBone: Regional transit proposals warrant caution — and a seat at the table for Westmoreland County
In recent weeks, there has been growing conversation around potential legislation that would consolidate smaller, rural transit systems — such as our own Westmoreland County Transit Authority — into Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT). While no formal bill has been introduced, the concept alone is already drawing attention across Southwestern Pennsylvania....
Jason Richey: As conditions change, it’s time for administration to rethink the Nippon-U.S. Steel merger
The tallest building between New York and Chicago, the U.S. Steel Tower stands as a monument to Pittsburgh’s industrial past — and a reminder of what the future could be if our nation’s leaders step up for our manufacturing sector. Once the world’s largest steelmaker, U.S. Steel’s presence remains vital...
Letter to the editor: All veterans should be honored
As the mother of an Operation Enduring Freedom combat vet, I am infuriated! Apparently President Donald Trump only honors veterans from wars we won. Last week, he declared on social media that he is “renaming May 8th as Victory Day for World War II and November 11th as Victory Day...
Letter to the editor: Trump selling out to highest bidders
Vietnam’s latest move is a masterclass in transactional politics. In what to me is clearly a bid to avoid the wrath of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, the country just greenlit a $1.5 billion Trump-branded resort, fast-tracked Starlink (owned by Trump ally Elon Musk) and made clear they’re willing to pay...
