Opinion category, Page 11

Initially, I was perplexed about why Elon Musk and President Trump seemed to be targeting Social Security before other entitlements. Typically, Republicans advocate for cutting spending to reduce taxes. However, Social Security pays for itself with FICA, and because there is a cap, at most, each billionaire pays a little...

Editorial cartoons for the week of April 14....

Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of April 14....

I encourage everyone to look at President Trump’s tariff tax chart and compare his tariffs to the tariffs we are paying to other countries. Trump’s new rates are still a lot lower than the tariffs most countries are charging us. It’s about time somebody is looking out for the American...

Thank you to Ian Karbal for shining a light on the concerning rise in measles cases in Pennsylvania (“Measles cases up in Pa. and some counties lag behind school vaccination targets,” April 7, TribLive). In this context, vulnerable populations include babies too young to be vaccinated, cancer patients in the...

American government is representative. We pull from our neighbors to find the people who should lead us. But we don’t put those people in place forever. Or at least, we don’t plan on it. Frequently, however, it seems to play out that way. U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is 91....

The Westmoreland County Farm Bureau is recognizing Rural Roads Safety Week April 13-19 by encouraging county motorists to travel safely on roadways this spring and throughout the year. As the new season gets underway, tractors, farm trucks, wagons and other large equipment are once again traveling on Pennsylvania roadways. To...

The recent release of the last reported bunch of classified files about the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy yielded information on various mysterious CIA plans worldwide — but no agency involvement in Kennedy’s murder. There was never any actual contact between the CIA and the assassin, Lee Harvey...

The share of before-tax income going to the richest 1% of taxpayers has more than doubled in the last half-century. This massive upward redistribution of income was primarily a result of the ability of the rich to structure the economy in ways that benefited them: trade agreements, longer and stronger...

Heading into Tax Day, if you listen to progressive policymakers for a few minutes, you’ll likely hear that few problems on Earth can’t be solved by “taxing the rich.” Want to nationalize health care? Tax the rich. Want to close the deficit? Tax the rich. Need a ball gown for...

Standing ovations! Thunderous applause! Sold-out performances! The audience moved to tears! All indications of a magnificent performance! Congratulations to the students, teachers and staff of Freeport Area High School on an extraordinary performance of “Les Misérables.” The vocals were clear, strong and compelling. Young people gave Broadway-worthy performances, bringing life...

In the health insurance section of the Q&A advertisement on page A6 of the March 25 edition, there is a question about the definition of an emergency for HMO plan coverage for emergency room treatment. I don’t believe the answer provides a full explanation. I learned a more detailed explanation...

Sun Tzu, a Chinese military general and strategist, wrote the famous war strategy book “The Art of War.” This book is taught in U.S. military academies. Sun Tzu taught that “all war is based on deception and the supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” One...

The word library is a bit of a misnomer. It conjures visions of older women sitting behind desks, checking out books and stamping dates on cards. Libraries are actually vibrant places. In an average day as a volunteer at the Scottdale Public Library, I might encounter: • An older adult...

Our long national nightmare is over. Or is it? After the longest week of economic uncertainty and peril Americans have endured in a long time, President Donald Trump finally caved and announced a 90-day pause on his ham-fisted, hairbrained, ill-advised and ill-conceived trade war with the world. The 10% baseline...

Regarding the article “Damage reported at U.S. Steel facility in Braddock, followed by an increase in air pollution” (Feb. 25, TribLive): Merely two days after a hole opened up in a heavy industrial factory, we saw a violation of normal pollutant levels in areas surrounding the factory. Immediately, officials came...

Much has been said about Sen. Kim Ward and Gov. Josh Shapiro regarding the appointment of Jon Wian as Westmoreland County’s register of wills. However, the real political maneuvering began with court-appointed conservator Jim Antoniono, whose handling of the office laid the groundwork for a partisan conflict. Antoniono had every...

Things can be even and still be unfair. For instance, Pennsylvania jurors receive $9 per day in compensation. That’s even. Everyone gets the same. But is it fair for someone who is unemployed or retired and is, in essence, getting a $9 bonus for participation versus a self-employed plumber who...

Laurel: To finding balance. Many police departments have struggled with filling open positions and retaining officers. At the same time, a number of officers have been stepping away from law enforcement in recent years. Part of the reason has been about pay, but another major factor has been burnout and...

On March 14, the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the parent organization for Voice of America, was defunded. (Typically, late on a Friday night!) The next day, the Voice of America shut down. No longer is it broadcasting in 48 languages. What Stalin, Khrushchev, Putin, Ayatollah Khomeini, three leaders of...

President Trump’s trade policies are creating quite the uproar. They’re also creating a political realignment. The history of America’s dominant political parties on trade is complex. Republicans have largely favored free trade, whereas Democrats have been more committed to protecting their union base. As for tariffs, look at the last...

There are not many times people put their names on a ballot with the kind of experience Westmoreland County coroner candidate John Ackerman has: 25 years as a police officer; 50 years as a fire department member; 18 years as a deputy coroner, investigating more than 9,000 deaths; endorsements from...

I am a small business owner for over 30 years, a past business consultant and resident of Westmoreland County since 1976. As an independent voter, I expect the people I vote for to put country above party as well as represent our district with common sense and the ability to...

The stock market has been unruly over the past week. On April 2, President Donald Trump announced a broad swath of reciprocal tariffs on nations — and some uninhabited islands — around the world. On April 3, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1,679 points. The Standard & Poor’s 500...

When we last spoke, “Steelers serving up skunk” (March 7, TribLive) was the topic, but the solution offered today is DOSE (Department of Steelers Efficiency). With apologies to Elon Musk, I nominate the Honorable Mark Madden and Tim Benz to continue to weed out the waste, fraud and abuse permeating...