Opinion category, Page 91
David L. Nevins: Just words, or did Trump mean it: ‘He who saves his country violates no Law’
Last week, President Donald Trump shared this quote on Truth Social and X: “He who saves his country violates no Law.” I’ve learned with Trump not always to take him literally but to take him seriously. In this case, I am taking his comment very seriously. It appears that this...
Letter to the editor: Consumer Finance Protection Bureau protects us
The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) has helped American consumers to the tune of $21 billion, protecting them from predatory lending, junk fees and the like. In 2023 alone, over 1.3 million Americans filed complaints with the bureau. These included credit card and identity theft complaints. This agency was built...
Letter to the editor: McCormick owes us an explanation on his votes
Sen. Dave McCormick owes the people of Pennsylvania a real explanation of his recent votes. He voted to install Pete Hegseth at the head of the Department of Defense, even though Hegseth’s only prior organizational leadership — running two veterans’ charities — ended after he was accused of draining their...
Editorial: What will the impact of carving DEI out of schools be?
During the pandemic, we directed a lot of criticism at Tom Wolf. As governor, he was taking a lot of steps to deal with the coronavirus and its impact on Pennsylvanians. Much of the criticism was directed at his handling of education orders and how districts should execute them. Even...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s ‘Riviera of the Middle East’ plan is sad
Has anyone considered the utter irony of our modern populist movement being led by billionaires? Historically these movements involve the common man rising up against the wealthy elite as the middle class got poorer and the rich took all the money (or worse, didn’t care how impoverished their actions left...
Kathryn Anne Edwards: Americans would pay higher taxes to save Social Security
Social Security’s deep popularity among voters has earned it a reputation as the third rail of politics, meaning Congress is afraid to touch it. But the program’s finances require reform, and soon. The trust fund set up to fill a shortfall between what the government takes in for Social Security...
Catherine Coleman Flowers: Poverty, the seemingly intractable problem that the U.S. can actually solve
Even as incomes rose in 2023, the number of Americans living in poverty went up. More and more people are struggling to afford their basic needs. But this is a problem we can actually solve. With a fully mobilized, multidimensional effort, the U.S. can slash the poverty rate — especially...
Letter to the editor: Trump is a businessman, not a politician
President Trump is a businessman, not a politician. He is working our country as he would a business, looking out as how to make it better and safer for all. He is not running it as a politician would, taking care of friends who can do something for him and...
Letter to the editor: Musk and Trump will take care of us
I am so thrilled with our glorious leaders in Washington, D.C. I guess we now will not have to vote again as President Trump told us, because he has given full authority to that genius Elon Musk. Musk now has full access to all Social Security numbers and everyone’s bank...
Editorial: Birthright citizenship helps make America great
Amid the flood of executive orders issued from the White House on Jan. 20, one is especially misguided, both in legal and policy terms: Beginning in 30 days, the order declared, children born in the U.S. to mothers who are undocumented immigrants — or even legal temporary residents — may...
Letter to the editor: Welcoming immigrants has limits
Some of the established religions are saying that we should be kind and welcoming to immigrants. Of course we should be kind to all people, but the established religions — the Episcopalians, the Catholics, the Lutherans and others — seem to miss the point that it was highly unusual for...
Letter to the editor: Keep pets safe in cold weather
While Pittsburgh and the surrounding areas have experienced a bit of a warmup the past few weeks, winter is far from over, and cold weather is still on the horizon. With that being said, this is a friendly reminder to keep your dogs safe during the cold weather. In Pennsylvania,...
Editorial cartoons for the week of Feb. 17
Editorial cartoons for the week of Feb. 17....
John Walliser: Stay the course on methane rules
The need for clean, affordable, reliable sources of energy to power our homes and economy is growing more urgent as energy demands rise and the consequences of unchecked greenhouse gas emissions become increasingly evident in the extreme weather events threatening every community. Pennsylvania has long been an energy powerhouse and...
Peter Zaleski: Reasonable skill game tax rate would generate needed Pa. revenue
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s recent budget proposal to tax skill game revenue at 52% will fall well short of his estimated $8 billion projection over five years. How far short? To answer that question, one needs to look no further than Pennsylvania’s experience with tavern games. Tavern games, which are games...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Feb. 17
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Feb. 17....
Letter to the editor: Better uses for $25 million in Norwin
Regarding the letter “What will $25 million for Norwin stadium do for the area?” (Feb. 8, TribLive): Are you kidding me? I played junior/senior high and college football (mid ’60s-early ’70s) and and never saw anything close to the facilities that the Norwin football team enjoys now. If the school...
Letter to the editor: Improve education to stop decline
In my opinion, the education of America’s youth, especially in economically disadvantaged districts, is shockingly deficient — and the cause of many social problems. If someone cannot read or write, how can they get a job, and what, then, are their alternatives to earning a living? Teachers and students must...
Editorial: Is a big box closing the way to revitalize local business?
Joann is closing. The crafting and fabric retailer announced it was shuttering about 500 stores nationwide. Of those, at least 30 are in Pennsylvania and there are many throughout the Southwestern Pennsylvania region. Stores from Robinson and Monroeville in Allegheny County to Greensburg and Indiana and Johnstown in surrounding counties...
Letter to the editor: Union nurses lead way on maternal and infant health
Union nurses have been winning historic investments in their profession, and there’s one particular area where these gains will be especially impactful: maternal and infant health. As co-founder and co-chair of the Pennsylvania Black Maternal Health Caucus and Joint Subcommittee chair on Women and Girls of Color in the Women’s...
Letter to the editor: Trump, Musk chaos not the right path
I get that people voted for Donald Trump for change. There is always room for improvement. But chaos usually isn’t the path to greatness. Big change in big organizations has some rules. First, don’t break the law, and second, follow the time-tested rules for change control for large data systems....
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Pennies, straws distract from Trump’s big news
I don’t use straws much, but I have to say President Donald Trump hit a home run last week with his executive order banning paper straws at all federal government facilities. Trump was right when he said they “don’t work.” “It’s a ridiculous situation. We’re going back to plastic straws,”...
Noah Feldman: JD Vance is playing a dangerous legal game
The federal district courts have been standing up to Donald Trump’s illegal executive actions, blocking or pausing multiple orders from the denial of birthright citizenship to unprecedented data access for Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency.” It’s neither surprising nor especially worrisome that Musk is now attacking the courts —...
Counterpoint: Let parents and teachers, not bureaucrats, make decisions about cellphones in schools
Should kids have access to smartphones in school? Some argue the smartphone problem leads to distraction. Others say smartphones are necessary for reasons related to safety or other concerns. In reality, it is a more complicated question than it appears. Yet, oftentimes, when complicated questions arise, broad state-level policies that...
Point: Cellphones are distractions, not toys
In today’s digital age, the ubiquitous presence of cellphones has transformed them into essential tools for communication, information and entertainment. However, when placed in the hands of children under 16, these devices can become detrimental, leading to physical inactivity, social isolation and addiction driven by sophisticated algorithms. As a scientist...
