Nutting has an obligation to do better

A message to Pittsburgh Pirates owner Bob Nutting:

Mr. Nutting, as an owner, you have a moral obligation to the fans, the city, the region and the MLB to field a winning team. Reinvest your MLB earnings to pay Paul Skenes real money now. Build a real team with a real bullpen around Skenes and Mitch Keller, and rebuild the outfield and infield.

Your parents and grandparents taught you to work hard, earn and save. They enabled you to be so wealthy that you can own an MLB team. You are in the big leagues. Act like it.

Being an MLB owner is a privilege to spend on great entertainment. Your team plays in a great major league ballpark (PNC Park) but showcases a minor league team with a few exceptions (Oniel Cruz). I respect these Pirates who do not complain but do leave as fast as they can.

Working is about doing what you love and making a living at it. You love baseball. Give your MLB team the money to field quality players. You will not always be successful (Bryan Reynolds).

Change your fundamental being to hoard every dollar you make. Learn the pride great employers feel when they pay their employees well. Repay the region that built and continues to pay for a magnificent entertainment arena. Repay the MLB for the privilege to be a franchise owner. Repay the fans who cherish the memories of Clemente, Stargell, Groat, Mazeroski, Law and Friend. Rebuild your fan base that you are squandering. Please.

David Pollock

Squirrel Hill

***

We should thank Musk and Trump

Columnist S.E. Cupp (“Musk’s rise and fall was pitiful and predictable,” May 31, TribLive) fits her usual “take no prisoners” emasculation of politicians she loathes. Most voters believe government spending is excessive. Enter Elon Musk, one of the world’s smartest men. Musk volunteers his time to lead a Department of Government Efficiency team. DOGE identifies spending excesses and technological improvement opportunities.

Departments are reduced, layoffs are proposed, the government acts. This is not easy. Some on the radical left try to destroy Musk’s successful Tesla Motors, including damaging Tesla dealerships and Tesla owners. This was predictable.

The public should thank Musk and President Donald Trump for taking the risky initiative to reduce the size and increase government’s efficiency. I doubt President Biden would have ever had the courage or the intelligence of Musk’s team to take this risk. Fortunately the DOGE team will continue to work, though Musk is stepping back to focus on his businesses.

Cupp’s broadside against Musk also demonstrates the meanness of her writing style. She must eat nails for breakfast before writing her column. If former Vice President Spiro Agnew was alive, he would likely call her a “nattering nabob of negativity,” his memorable political alliteration meant for writers and other doomsayers like her.

Scott Brown

Greensburg

***

Fetterman transformed

Sen. John Fetterman, given his wardrobe and trash talking vocabulary, may appear different, but unfortunately he has proven to fit right in when it comes to those in Congress, who have become a class unto themselves when it comes to pay and benefits.

Despite what I see as the rampant corruption and misdoings of President Trump, he has done less than nothing, complaining about the minimal requirements of the job of senator, which simply entails showing up.

Moreover, he mastered the congressional art of speaking out of both sides of his mouth. For the moment, let’s forget about his forsaking the positions that led voters to get him his Senate position in the first place.

Let’s focus on the U.S. Steel issue instead. Always professing allegiance to the almighty union, he was first in favor of Cleveland-Cliffs’ proposed acquisition and opposed to the Nippon proposal. Never mind that Cleveland-Cliffs would have eviscerated U.S. Steel’s Western Pennsylvania presence, transferring operations to Ohio. Maybe Fetterman forgot the fact that he represented Pennsylvania instead of Ohio. Now, in a recent forum, he admitted opposing President Biden’s proposal and commending Trump, saying that the now-sweetened deal wouldn’t have happened under Biden. Clearly, he added nothing to what eventuated. So much for candor or representing Pennsylvanians. This is only one example.

Yes, despite his outfits and street jargon, he fits right in, doing as little as possible, complaining about the little he has to do and leveraging his position for profit. Medical and mental history aside, he knows very well what he is doing.

Mark D. Schwartz

Bryn Mawr

***

Good for science, good for animals

April 2025 marked a historic turning point for science, public health and animal welfare. With the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration announcing plans to phase out animal testing in favor of human-based research methods, we are finally moving past a system that has harmed millions of animals and yielded unreliable results.

Over 90% of drugs that pass animal tests ultimately fail in human trials, a significant failure rate in the face of rising health care costs and unmet medical needs.

This shift, catalyzed by the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 and driven forward by new leadership, signals a bold embrace of 21st-century science. Organ chips, organoids and AI-based models offer safer, faster and more humane pathways for developing treatments — especially for the 25 million to 35 million Americans with rare diseases and few options.

Additionally, the rise of biologics, a rapidly growing class of therapies designed specifically for human biology, renders animal testing increasingly obsolete and scientifically unjustified.

As a student in Pittsburgh, a city known for its medical and scientific innovation, I’m proud to see our national research institutions finally recognizing that what’s good for science can (and should) also be good for animals. Aligning our scientific goals with more humane, data-driven methods is a step forward for patients, animals and public trust in medical research.

Abhi Nadendla

Oakland

The writer is a rising senior at the University of Pittsburgh and a volunteer with Humane Action Pittsburgh.

***

‘Resistance’ not helping our country

Whatever it is, I’m against it, I’m not for it. (Groucho Marx song in “Horsefeathers”)

A child will use “NO” to assert himself and gain authority. An adult must override the “NO” for the child’s benefit. With maturity the child will learn that “NO” will not get his way, and will prevent positive things from happening.

Today, “NO” is called resistance. Resistance has escalated to exaggerated predictions and even violence and attacks on property and people.

Simple facts are that we cannot continue to spend (or waste) at current levels, thrive with massive trade imbalances, support the growing national debt, absorb millions of migrants or allow criminals free entry.

It’s easy to say no, but difficult to build, or improve.

President Trump and Elon Musk are making real efforts to improve the country. Frivolous programs, waste and obvious fraud need to be eliminated. Their actions may be heavy-handed and there will be flaws but they will have a positive effect for the country. Constructive criticism and an occasional “no” will be necessary.

However, these require maturity, thought, work and cooperation. These are rare traits in the resistance sector. Continued blind resistance is just Horsefeathers.

Bruce Argall

Greensburg

***

Public transit critical for the lives of many

Pennsylvania’s elected officials must shift their gaze from international politics and federal problems back to basics, like keeping local public transit healthy. If at the end of June the Legislature approves looming service cuts, fare increases and/or layoffs, it would disrupt the lives of scores of passengers from cities, suburbs and rural areas. Among them are many individuals with disabilities, lower incomes, and limited options for getting to and from appointments, work, school and social, athletic or cultural activities.

Advocates reasonably want transit restored to pre-pandemic levels. Whatever combination of measures used to keep it intact, the outcome will not be perfect, but saving this traditional public service needs thoughtful attention now. This is not just about meeting the minimal needs of regular bus and trolley riders. The long-term vibrance of our communities is also at stake.

Patti Murphy

Bethel Park

***

Bill will hurt those with the least

According to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s post, all Republican U.S. representatives from Pennsylvania, including Guy Reschenthaler, voted (in the dark of night) for a “Big Beautiful Bill” that would have devastating impact on his constituents and our state. At least 140,000 Pennsylvanians would lose access to assistance they need to put food on the table and over 300,000 Pennsylvanians would lose coverage under Medicaid. To what end? The bill takes from those with the least and gives to the wealthiest, further burdening the working class. While adding trillions to the national debt. The bill also handcuffs the courts and hands the keys to a strongman.

Reschenthaler, now in his fourth term, remains painfully out of touch with Pennsylvania’s 14th Congressional District. We need to be represented by someone who works for us; Reschenthaler only cares about remaining in power.

Mary Ann Clever

New Kensington

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)