Editorials category, Page 20
Editorial: Education is a responsibility, not a political game
The Department of Education accounts for 4% of federal spending. That’s less than Health and Human Services, Social Security Administration, the Treasury, Defense and Veterans Affairs. The 2024 federal education budget is about $79 billion. There are more than 54 million school-age children in the United States, according to the...
Editorial: Hard to run as a 3rd-party candidate, but it’s easy to challenge them when they try
George Washington was not a third-party candidate. He was a no-party candidate. He was adamantly opposed to the idea of political parties, believing them to be detrimental to the intent of the constitution. John Tyler started his political career as a Democrat, but it was the Whigs who nominated him...
Editorial: Butler shooting task force must resist shows of partisanship
The answers about what happened July 13 are coming, but they are coming slowly. Four weeks after the shooting at the Trump rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds, there has already been testimony in front of a joint panel of the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Judiciary committees. The...
Editorial: Cheap fakes are dangerous knockoff of AI deep-fake threats
Deepfakes are getting attention as we creep closer to the election. These are things that spread like a bad flu with increasing reliance on technology. Often, they are a political weapon. Thousands of people in New Hampshire received robocalls ahead of the primary, with a voice that sounded like President...
Laurels & lances: Crime stopper & crime fighter
Laurel: To being a crime stopper. Bad things happen all the time, and people often wonder what would happen if someone was in the right place at the right time. Sharpsburg Mayor Kayla Portis can tell you because it happened Monday. Portis said a random passerby made all the difference...
Editorial: Naloxone vending machines are worth a try to curb overdose deaths
In 1999, the opioid addiction epidemic began. That was around the time when school districts and police departments began to have meetings with parents and residents about the dangers. In the ensuing 25 years, the addiction problem has continued. Much like the trajectory of addicts’ journeys, the main players on...
Editorial: Shapiro won’t be VP. What now for Pennsylvania?
Gov. Josh Shapiro will not be the vice president of the United States. At least, he won’t be on the ticket this year. The Democratic nominee and current VP Kamala Harris unveiled her running mate pick after two weeks of speculation. The honor went to Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota...
Editorial: GPS tracking doesn’t have to be a danger for sheriff’s office
Westmoreland County commissioners want to track where county-owned vehicles are going. It makes sense. The county owns or leases 180 vehicles. Cars, trucks, SUVs, vans — all of them are intended to help county employees or elected officials provide the services residents need. The government is one of the largest...
Editorial: The end for terror masters: Death comes for Hezbollah’s Fuad Shukr and Hamas’ Ismail Haniyeh
A small bit of justice came to two very evil men when they met their ends in Beirut and Tehran last week. Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr was blasted to oblivion by Israel in Beirut after Hezbollah fired an Iranian-made Falaq-1 rocket into the Golan Heights, killing a dozen Druze children...
Editorial: This trade is not finished, Mr. President
A Rube Goldberg machine is the intersection of inspired engineering, cartoonish imagination and childlike faith. Familiar from Goldberg’s own illustrations in the 1930s and Saturday morning programming like “Tom and Jerry” and “Scooby-Doo,” they are contraptions that string together improbable parts to accomplish a seemingly simple task. A marble rolls...
Laurels & lances: Doing good & doing nothing
Laurel: To a sense of purpose. When you mention “volunteering” and “dementia,” people have an image in mind. It’s about people coming to a nursing home and doing something with the patients. Maybe they read. Maybe they play music or just sit and talk. But it’s about an able person...
Editorial: U.S. government didn’t do enough to bring home Marc Fogel
On Thursday, Evan Gershkovich did what he has been waiting to do for 491 days. He left his prison cell in Russia. He got on a plane. He started his journey home. For former Marine Paul Whelan, the wait was longer — 2,043 days. For Radio Free Europe journalist Alsu...
Editorial: Prison phone calls shouldn’t be source of revenue for counties
The Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act was signed into law in 2023 after passing through Congress with surprising bipartisan support. It amended a 1934 law governing how inmates in an institution can have access to people outside the walls of their jail or prison. It requires the Federal...
Editorial: Don’t feed antisemitism in Pittsburgh
We cannot accept antisemitism. It shouldn’t happen in America. It shouldn’t happen in Pennsylvania. It cannot happen in Pittsburgh. In every other place in the country and the state, antisemitism is an ugly word that speaks of an ugly history. It reflects disgusting, individual attacks. It is about policies and...
Editorial: Will U.S. Steel advertising campaign work for Nippon Steel sale?
If you have a mailbox, you may have gotten a postcard advertisement from U.S. Steel. If you watch television, you may have seen a commercial about Nippon Steel. If you spend time online, you may have seen a pop-up ad about the sale of the high-profile Pittsburgh-based American steel company...
Editorial: Olympics challenge us all to do better
Every year, the world has a chance to be better for a few days. Right now, more than 10,000 athletes from 206 countries have gathered in France for the Olympic Games. They will compete in 329 events over 32 sports. There are the classics such as running and cycling. There...
Editorial: How will Butler rally change the way candidates campaign?
Former president Donald Trump will return to Pennsylvania. On Friday, it was announced the Republican presidential nominee would campaign Wednesday at the New Holland Arena in Harrisburg. It is another sign things are returning to normal after the July 13 campaign rally in Butler. Gunman Thomas Crooks, 20, of Bethel...
Laurels & lances: Stay sober & pay up
Laurel: To recognizing a reality. Not everyone drinks alcohol or indulges in other substances. Some people don’t drink because they’re in recovery from alcoholism or other substance abuse. Some people can’t drink because of a medical condition, like pregnancy, diabetes or liver disease. Some may have an emotional or psychological...
Editorial: Football season comes early with Steelers training camp
Football season doesn’t mean the same thing in the Latrobe area that it does in Pittsburgh. In Pittsburgh, football season is a fall phenomenon. It is tailgating and Sunday afternoons, Monday nights and powering through games sometimes cold enough to freeze a Terrible Towel. It is months of fans living...
Editorial: ‘Unacceptable’ is an understatement regarding security failures at Butler rally
Members of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security did something Monday that lawmakers rarely do. They did not meet in a formal room, sitting at glossy wood desks, perched behind nameplates underscoring their importance to a political process. Instead, a group of lawmakers from both parties went into the...
Editorial: Gershkovich conviction could spark prisoner deal, but don’t forget Fogel
On Friday, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was convicted of espionage by a Russian court. He was sentenced immediately. The penalty was 16 years in a maximum-security prison. The sentencing has given rise to speculation about negotiation for Gershkovich’s release. Russia likes to trade prisoners only after they have...
Editorial: What does Biden’s withdrawal mean for Pennsylvania voters?
On Sunday afternoon, President Joe Biden posted to social media a letter that was both surprising and anticipated. He bowed out of the presidential election. It was surprising because it is really unheard of at this point in an election year. The closest analog is when Lyndon B. Johnson stepped...
Editorial: Hiding medical debt won’t make it go away
Paying for health care in America is a complicated business. In recent years, the government has taken valuable steps to reduce the harm that unexpected medical bills and unscrupulous debt collectors inflict on consumers. But a newly proposed rule, which would strip all health care bills from credit reports, is...
Editorial: Add political rallies to the places we aren’t safe
Butler County has been Trump country from the beginning. North of the Democratic island of Allegheny County, Butler County is not hesitant in its support of former president and GOP nominee Donald Trump. In 2016, 66.7% of the county picked Trump over Hillary Clinton. In 2020, support barely wavered, dropping...
Editorial: Westmoreland Register of Wills has been absent for years. Just leave already
It might seem like the dysfunction in the Westmoreland County Register of Wills Office is a new thing. The department — responsible for filings and services regarding estates, wills, adoptions and more — has been in the spotlight all year. There was a hearing in January that saw Register of...
