Opinion category, Page 762
Letter to the editor: Clarifying Hempfield property tax issues
There is so much misinformation about property taxes, it warrants a response. Many seek to scare Hempfield Area School District residents by saying the district is going to appeal their property, but that is absurd. The school board voted to appeal properties with a difference between fair market value (estimated...
Paul Waldman: Mike Pence predicts war everywhere in the next few yearsVideo
Vice President Mike Pence spoke to the West Point graduating class on Saturday, and amid the standard congratulations and tributes to the graduates, he said something truly shocking: “It is a virtual certainty that you will fight on a battlefield for America at some point in your life. You will...
Tom Purcell: Time to retire Social Security numbers
Like most people, I didn’t think much about my Social Security number — until I got a bizarre call from a total stranger. “Hello?” I answered suspiciously, because I saw “restricted” on my smartphone screen. “Hello, Tom.” “Who is this? What do you want?” “Who I am isn’t important. I...
Editorial: Does Pittsburgh view have too many signs?
Pittsburgh has always been a city pulled in opposite directions. It’s built around the natural wonder of two rivers coming together to birth a new waterway, but it was built by vital industries that obscured the sky and belched pollution for decades. It’s the home of ground-breaking, enviable medical treatment...
Letter to the editor: New lows for campaigning politicians
Politicking reached new lows during this election cycle. Candidates stooped to robocalls and texts. This is an invasion of privacy and demeaning to voters who politicians believe can be swayed by sound bites inflicted upon us. I received three robocalls, six texts and one obnoxious door-knocker who wouldn’t go away...
Letter to the editor: Border invasion
There is an invasion going on at our southern border. The Democrats are acting like conscientious objectors in this war that is affecting our national decurity and our national debt. It won’t go away by just ignoring it and saying we should have open borders. This is an outright dereliction...
Letter to the editor: Ideas on Social Security/Medicare
I tire of Congress referring to Social Security and Medicare as “entitlement” programs. If you review your paycheck, you will see that FICA is your ongoing payments to Social Security. This is matched by your employer but not shown on your paycheck. You can also see the withholding for Medicare...
Editorial cartoons for the week of May 27
Editorial cartoons for the week of May 27....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of May 27
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of May 27....
Elizabeth Cobbs: Harriet Tubman, America’s foremost female patriot, belongs on the $20 bill now
Harriet Tubman won an internet vote in 2015 to decide which American woman should appear on the nation’s currency by 2020. As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump denounced the choice as “political correctness.” Now, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has canceled the plan’s implementation, at least until President Trump leaves office....
Jonah Goldberg: Abortion debate leaves no room between extremes
“Democrats are aggressively pushing late-term abortion, allowing children to be ripped from their mother’s womb right up until the moment of birth,” President Trump said at a Florida rally earlier this month. “The baby is born and you wrap the baby beautifully and you talk to the mother about the...
Editorial: Lest we forget
For Memorial Day, a classic Trib editorial: On this Memorial Day, be grateful that Americans’ willingness to sacrifice for freedom’s sake, instilled by each generation in the next, remains as strong as ever. Today, Americans honor those most worthy of such gratitude — those who gave their lives in our...
Letter to the editor: Obama vs. Trump
To better understand how we descended into this era of hate politics and partisan warfare, it is telling to compare the last two American presidents. One was likable, charismatic; the other outspoken, abrasive. One, a smooth-talking politician; the other, a direct-speaking businessman. One, the media’s darling; the other, the media’s...
Letter to the editor: Wolf, Obama & clemency
Gov. Tom Wolf has commuted the life sentences of more convicted murderers than any other governor in the last 25 years (“Wolf commutes life sentences of 3 more Pennsylvania inmates,” May 7, TribLIVE). That article reminded me of one I read two years ago, about President Obama using his clemency...
Letter to the editor: Christian leaders & Trump
Wherefore art thou, Christian leaders? Who are these wolves in sheep’s clothing that are pretending to be you? Our president has committed multiple acts of adultery, yet you say, “He gets a mulligan!” He has lied thousands of times (and counting) to the American people, yet your voices are silent....
Ted Kopas: We need to care for our caregivers
There is a looming crisis in Pennsylvania. Who will care for our aged family members and loved ones? It’s difficult to find a family who does not have older members in need of some long-term services and supports (LTSS). Pennsylvania’s changing demographics pose significant challenges, as approximately 70 percent of...
George Will: Trump, Obama and Congress to blame for disturbing Iranian policy
WASHINGTON Difficulties with Iran will recur regularly, like the oscillations of a sine wave, and the recent crisis — if such it was, or is — illustrates persistent U.S. intellectual and institutional failures, starting with this: The Trump administration’s assumption, and that of many in Congress, is that if the...
Mitchel Nickols: Proper management true measure of school success
The school year is drawing to an end for most students, but school districts’ work continues throughout the year. As they prepare to submit final budgets for the upcoming fiscal year, districts focus on critical needs for educating youth effectively and efficiently. Discussion topics include teacher salaries and benefits, which...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Bill Burns knew the value of freedom
In 1868, Union General John A. Logan issued General Orders No. 11, establishing a day “for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion.” We still remember our war heroes that way. What is...
Sandip Shah: Baby boomers should be wary of Medicare changes
Baby boomers are aging rapidly. Around 10,000 Americans celebrate their 65th birthday every day. Unfortunately for these seniors, the government health care to which they’re entitled may put their lives at risk. That’s thanks to a new proposal from the Department of Health and Human Services that would impose price...
Editorial: CEO salaries, raises show wage gap
Pay raises: they’re not just for political employees anymore. Yes, it was just a week ago that we were questioning the salary bumps for members of Gov. Tom Wolf’s staff. Those annual numbers jumped from $9,000 to $33,000. But for some, that’s chump change. We all know the guys at...
Sounding off: If abortion is outlawed, who will take care of the babies?
“Heartbeat ban” is an attempt to outlaw abortion. At least 15 states to date are trying to enact laws that ban abortion as early as six weeks of gestation or when a heartbeat can be heard. Most women don’t even know they are pregnant six weeks into a pregnancy. My...
Letter to the editor: Pittsburgh sisters welcome immigrants
Pittsburgh’s templed hills have long provided refuge to persons of diverse heritages and faiths whose virtues tempered our city of steel. The Catholic Sisters Leadership Council of Western Pennsylvania wishes to join Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto in welcoming vulnerable migrants and refugees seeking asylum from violence, injustice and other life-threatening...
Letter to the editor: Keep arts in schools
Thanks to the Trib for the comprehensive coverage of local arts organizations and events and, particularly, your expanded coverage of local theater and Westmoreland County high school musicals. Bravo! As I see it, the collective arts community throughout our county is the envy of Western Pennsylvania. Yet, while interest in...
Letter to the editor: What’s Gov. Wolf’s take on abortion?
As more and more states are enacting laws to curb rampant abortions, where is Gov. Tom Wolf? Of course there is a “D” after his name, rhetorical as it may be. Surprisingly he has not yet attempted to enact horrific laws like those in Virginia and New York. Rene A....
