Opinion category, Page 91
Editorial: Railway safety is worth congressional action
As national eyes focus on the midair collision of a commercial plane with a military helicopter over the Potomac River, concerns remain about how to prevent a different kind of disaster. U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Aspinwall, introduced a package of rail safety bills in March 2023, about a month after...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s to-do list moving at warp speed
President Donald Trump brought civics lessons back into style. Only it’s not book-learnin’, but doing the actual experiments. Isn’t (political) science wonderful? Fourteenth Amendment and birthright-citizens resurrected from the 1860s. Greenland — is that even in the northern hemisphere? After just a few days of him being president, I haven’t...
Letter to the editor: Shapiro needs to ban fracking
Regarding the article “Rundown of President Trump’s executive orders on Day 1 — from pardons to TikTok” (Jan. 21, TribLive): In his inaugural address, Donald Trump made his foolish anti-environment and anti-health priorities clear. It is more critical than ever that Gov. Josh Shapiro stand up to Trump’s reckless “Drill...
Jason W. Park: Hey Hegseth — for Pete’s sake, get a Eureka! moment
Pete Hegseth’s appointment to lead the Department of Defense involved the slimmest of margins and required the tie-breaking vote of Vice President JD Vance, 51-50. However, this was not before allegations of public drunkenness on one hand and sexual assault and spousal abuse on the other surfaced. Of course, even...
S.E. Cupp: Autism families — keep RFK Jr. away from our kids
“(H)ead-banging, football helmet on, non-toilet trained, nonverbal.” This is how President Trump’s pick to head the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has described the millions of Americans who are on the autism spectrum. He was talking to fellow conspiracy trafficker and mega-podcaster Joe Rogan in...
Letter to the editor: A return to common sense with Trump
A president who wants to bring common sense to government. I wish he would bring common sense to the Trump haters of this opinion page. Hitler, threat to democracy, oligarchy, dictator, etc., etc. What do you think you just had? I don’t even know who was giving the orders for...
Letter to the editor: McCormick’s Hegseth vote is telling
One of the first tests of new Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick was how he would vote on the flawed nomination of the unqualified, immoral Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. McCormick failed his constituents, providing the deciding vote to install Hegseth. Throughout his campaign, McCormick cited his military experience and...
Lori Falce: When is it too soon for criticism?
On Wednesday night, a tragedy happened. In the skies over Washington, D.C., an American Airlines commercial plane out of Kansas was approaching Reagan Washington National Airport. A Black Hawk military helicopter was on a training exercise. The two aircraft collided and crashed into the Potomac River. Rescue efforts quickly turned...
Laurels & lances: Juveniles & education
Laurel: To making improvements. Westmoreland County commissioners say they want to see more oversight at the secure juvenile detention center. Good. The facility was closed for about eight months between 2023 and 2024. It reopened in March 2024 with half the licensed 16-person capacity. That will require more staffing. Part...
Letter to the editor: Our leaders used to deserve respect
There was once a time when public officials earned and deserved respect. A time when those with policy differences were political opponents, not enemies. A time when public service was honored. Divorce was once considered to be a negative for candidates seeking the presidency. Today’s White House occupant is a...
Paul Kengor: A new Donald Trump?
Last week I received a fascinating email from a longtime reader. Her assessment at first might sound like a salvo at Donald Trump and his family, but it was meant as a compliment to egg them on. She has been a strong Trump supporter since 2016. Her assessment related to...
Destenie Nock: Help is out there for those struggling with heating costs
The sound of a pipe bursting somewhere inside my wall, followed by a torrent of water gushing from my kitchen cabinet, interrupted one of my work calls a week ago. The culprit: freezing temperatures in Pittsburgh. The estimated cost of repairs: $950 and counting. I had taken all the recommended...
Letter to the editor: Oligarchy? It’s not a new development.
The writer of the letter “We now have an oligarchy” (Jan. 24, TribLive) states “political advisers, allies and billionaire oligarchs have suddenly gained influence within the U.S. government.” Suddenly? The left has been controlled by George Soros, John Morgan, Reed Hoffman, etc. for years. Rick Rohac Greensburg...
Letter to the editor: Questioning representatives’ ‘nay’ votes on Laken Riley act
To the three Pennsylvania congressional Democrats having the distinction of casting “nay” votes for the Laken Riley Act, but most importantly to Summer Lee and Christopher Deluzio (the former previously was my representative in District 14, the latter my current representative due to realignment). Having been born and raised in...
Editorial: Government must be reliable to function
The somewhat simplified diagrams in social studies textbooks and the catchy tunes of “Schoolhouse Rock!” have taught us a rudimentary idea of what society looks like and how government fits into that. But civics classes and cartoon shorts on Saturday mornings did not give us an appreciation of how those...
Letter to the editor: What to do about PPS absenteeism crisis?
Colin McNickle wrote an excellent column on the shocking, to some, absenteeism in Pittsburgh Public Schools (“PPS’ continuing chronic absenteeism crisis,” Jan. 18, TribLive). I’m not shocked as much, perhaps as a retired teacher and brother of a retired PPS administrator, who saw the absenteeism firsthand. But this should shock...
Jonah Goldberg: Party unity no easy feat with leader like Trump
Donald Trump has long complained that Democrats are better at sticking together than Republicans are. He’s already revisited this gripe. In meetings with Republican leaders from the House and Senate and with the House Freedom Caucus, he reportedly insisted that Republicans need to be unified the way Democrats are. Whether...
Cal Thomas: The good and the bad in Trump’s first days
When President Trump threatened to slap tariffs on Colombia if President Gustavo Petro did not accept criminal migrants deported from the U.S., he did not get the initial response he expected. Instead of immediately caving to Trump, Petro countered with plans for his own tariffs on U.S. goods coming into...
Richard Davies: Trump uses power of outrage and keeps everyone guessing
President Donald Trump loves to keep us guessing. This is exactly what we’re all doing as his second term in the White House begins. It’s one way he controls the narrative. Trump’s off the cuff, unfiltered, controversial statements infuriate opponents and delight his supporters. The rest of us are left...
Claire B. Wofford: Federal threats against local officials on immigration orders could be unconstitutional
President Donald Trump has begun to radically change how the U.S. government handles immigration, from challenging long-held legal concepts about who gets citizenship to using the military to transport migrants back to their countries of origin. Trump’s administration is doing more than reshaping the approach of the federal government toward...
Letter to the editor: GOP no longer seems to stand for law and order
The Republican Party has long branded itself the party of law and order. As I drove around local neighborhoods this fall, I saw scores of “Back the Blue” lawn signs at the same homes sporting “Trump 2025” signs. I wonder how many of those homeowners support Trump’s pardon of all...
Letter to the editor: Trump has given us optimism
Now that the new president has been sworn in and the Cabinet picks are advancing through the confirmation process, I feel a palpable sense of optimism in the nation, and in fact around the world. We are coming out of four years of national malaise, with record high inflation, high...
Editorial: No excuse justifies silencing student journalism
Here at TribLive, we value the news. We have to value it. It’s our job. We value the news we cover. We value the news other professional outlets cover. We value local news and state news and national news. But we also value student news. In particular, we value student...
Letter to the editor: Steelers need to turn page on Tomlin
Dear Art Rooney, It’s me again, I would like to welcome you to the 21st century. Your modus operandi is antiquated and paralyzed with fear and has lost its way. It’s time to give the Mike Tomlin era a Viking funeral. Or have you forsaken winning for profit? Your coach...
Mihir Sharma: India has good reason to help shore up Trump’s wall
India is proud of its diaspora. People of Indian extraction tend to earn well over the average wage in most countries and often fit seamlessly and unobtrusively into local power structures. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made a point of cultivating Indians abroad and sometimes gifts foreign leaders a bit...
