Editorial: Budget vote doesn’t make funding flow
The state budget is passed. It’s been signed by the governor. Four months of confusion and belt-tightening is over. But does that mean a handle turns and state funding starts to pour toward all of the restricted agencies and programs like water from a faucet? Not at all. Counties and...
Letter to the editor: NY’s future dire with Mamdani
New York City just elected Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old, inexperienced socialist/communist with radical Islamist sympathies as its mayor. This will not turn out well. I predict New York police officers will leave the force in large numbers due to past statements by Mamdani denigrating and calling for the defunding of...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Nov. 17
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Nov. 17....
Editorial cartoons for the week of Nov. 17
Editorial cartoons for the week of Nov. 17....
Letter to the editor: Epstein victims deserve justice, no matter who is involved
When we see grown women talking about having been sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein, it’s easy to forget that they were children when trafficked and abused. Think of girls 14 to 17 years old that you know. How would you feel seeing them treated like sexual objects? There are also...
Editorial: What does selling naming rights buy a school?
If there’s one thing public schools understand, it’s how to apply math to a word problem. “Jimmy has five apples” and “a train leaves Philadelphia heading east at 30 miles per hour” are the kind of things that show up in homework, teaching kids that math problems don’t just come...
Letter to the editor: We have too much ‘representation’
If the president, the most important position in the country, can only serve two four-year terms, why should senators, representatives and judges be allowed to serve more? A rogue judge who gets elected to a 10-year term can cause a lot of damage in his decade in office. I believe...
Letter to the editor: Westmoreland elections are secure
If Westmoreland County Commissions Sean Kertes and Doug Chew want to switch to paper ballots to conform to neighboring counties (“Westmoreland voters opt for computers over paper ballots,” Nov. 6, TribLive), why not wait until the 900 touch-screen machines purchased in 2019 for $7 million are no longer operational? It...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Democrats must get back to business
If you grew up in one of the blue-collar towns across America, you are no stranger to disputes being settled by a couple of guys going toe-to-toe. Sometimes it was over something important, sometimes it was over an insult or a slight, and sometimes it just had to be done...
Kevin Frazier: You can’t save the American Dream by freezing it in time
“They gave your job to AI. They picked profit over people. That’s not going to happen when I’m in office. We’re going to tax companies that automate away your livelihood. We’re going to halt excessive use of AI. We’re going to make sure the American Dream isn’t outsourced to AI...
Point: Insurance coverage is the next logical step for medical cannabis
I have spent my career caring for patients with chronic pain, dementia and other conditions that drain not only quality of life but also the healthcare system’s resources. Too often, I’ve prescribed medications that are costly and dangerous and carry high risks of dependency and death. There is another option...
Counterpoint: Cannabis is not medicine and never has been
Should health insurance cover marijuana? Should it cover vodka? Lucky Strikes? Bacon cheeseburgers? Like all those substances, marijuana contains pleasure-giving, mind-altering chemicals that the brain desperately wants more and more and more of (especially at today’s ultra-high potencies). It’s not medicine and never has been. Health insurance, which is supposed...
Letter to the editor: Applebee’s makes veterans feel appreciated
Thank you, Applebee’s, for making Veterans Day special. Treating veterans to a meal is nice, but even better is the wholehearted thank-you from everyone at Applebee’s. The manager, the reception desk, the wait staff — all worked to make each veteran (and family) feel appreciated. Sandy Finley Greensburg...
Letter to the editor: Easy ways to reduce our consumption and waste
Today marks America Recycles Day, dedicated to promoting recycling and waste reduction across the country. Yet, as we celebrate, it’s worth asking: How effective is recycling, really? Despite decades of campaigns urging Americans to “reduce, reuse, recycle,” the results remain underwhelming. Only about 13% of plastic packaging in the U.S....
Letter to the editor: Reasons to vote them out
The latest government shutdown proves that figures can lie, liars can figure and facts are stubborn things. Congressional leaders shut down the government over $1 trillion in subsidies for the health insurance industry, which has no incentive to cut costs under the “Affordable Care Act.” Meanwhile, millions of Americans are...
Editorial: Naming new chief is just a first step for Pittsburgh, O’Connor
Pittsburgh has had a rocky road in recent years with its police leadership. Scott Schubert retired in 2022, bringing to end almost three decades with the department and five years as chief. Since then, things have run like a game of Chutes and Ladders — moving forward and sliding back....
S.E. Cupp: Trump’s Epstein mess keeps getting worse
First, he said the late sex-trafficking pervert Jeffrey Epstein was “terrific.” Then he “wasn’t a fan of his.” First, he wanted a “full investigation.” Then it was nothing more than a “hoax” and a “scam.” The 180-degree turn by Donald Trump on Epstein over the years has been a saga...
Noah Feldman: The Supreme Court’s silence on gay marriage speaks volumes
The Supreme Court has declined to hear a case brought in an effort to persuade the justices
to reconsider the court’s landmark 2015 ruling legalizing same-sex marriage, Obergefell v. Hodges. This latest decision is best read as a signal that the conservative majority has little interest in revisiting gay marriage....
Letter to the editor: Good riddance to Pelosi
Good riddance to Nancy Pelosi. She should’ve left 40 years ago. When she goes she should take Hakeem Jeffries with her. Tom Forsythe Ruffs Dale...
Letter to the editor: Money for Argentina, but not for SNAP
It is shameful that “businessman” Donald Trump was able to quickly provide $40 billion of financial support to Argentina, but finds that his country can’t promptly fund a far lesser amount of SNAP food benefits for our own needy citizens, cynically stating that it will take “ a few weeks...
Lori Falce: Politics, elections and not listening
Over the last week, cable news and political columns have been thick with criticism of the Republican Party for not paying attention to what voters want. “Last night was a disaster,” U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said on Fox’s “Hannity.” It was definitely rough. There were gubernatorial losses in Virginia and...
Laurels & lances: Action & inaction
Laurel: To asking for more. Brackenridge residents aren’t waiting for small problems to become big trouble. At a meeting this week, resident Heather Artman made a simple but important point: If ordinances aren’t enforced, they don’t matter. Maybe uncut grass and overflowing garbage cans don’t seem like a big deal,...
Letter to the editor: Two-party system doesn’t work
It occurs to me that the two-party system does not work anymore. The Republicans voice an idea and the Democrats say no way. And the same is true the other way around. What happens? Not a thing. There is so much hate and mistrust, the framers must be rolling in...
Letter to the editor: Authoritarian takeover
The New Republic has published an excellent article on 10 rules for authoritarian takeover of a country. I strongly encourage everyone who thinks to find and read this piece. Rule 1: Fire government referees. President Donald Trump has fired 17 inspectors general and members of the federal oversight commission. Rule...
Jason Kavulich and Bill Johnston-Walsh: Standing up for Pa.’s family caregivers
Every November, a quiet yet profound tribute unfolds across the nation: National Family Caregivers Month. While we celebrate many professions and contributions, this observation, long championed by AARP Pennsylvania and the Department of Aging, is for the over 63 million Americans who provide unpaid care to a family member or...
