Opinion category, Page 12
Letter to the editor: Shutdown is Democrats’ fault
I can accurately be described as a voracious reader; that said, I can honestly say I’ve never been as amazed as I am now at the blatantly false items I’ve been reading lately on these opinion pages. Of course I realize and respect everyone’s right to their opinions, but at...
Editorial: The common cents of planning ahead on eliminating the penny
Sometimes a decision is as easy as a coin toss. The stakes are low. The outcome is variable. Heads, you win. Tails, you lose. No big deal either way. Others may seem easy up front, but a little digging shows the process needs more care. Take, for instance, the penny....
Letter to the editor: Trump disgraceful
Here we are in the middle of a government shutdown, and President Trump has torn down the East Wing of the White House at a cost of $300 million to build his golden ballroom. Shameful. Those in Congress sit quietly and let him have his way. They should be doing...
Letter to the editor: Term limits the old-fashioned way
It’s pretty clear by now that the group of folks in office in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C., have no intention of ever doing what they were sent there to do: To represent their district/state, keep the government open and properly administered. Instead they blindly follow the dictates of their party,...
Kellie Walenciak: How to stay informed without being consumed
My father had a simple ritual. At 6 a.m., he would read the New York Post and Daily News cover to cover. At 6 p.m., he tuned into the evening news — an hour of straightforward reporting, not commentary. He formed his own opinions, and then he moved on. The...
Rosa Prince: King Charles destroys his brother over Epstein. America dithers
Born into unimaginable luxury and showered with honors, the man formerly known as His Royal Highness Prince Andrew, Duke of York will henceforth be addressed as plain old Mr. Mountbatten Windsor. It’s a stunning fall. The second, apparently favorite, son of Queen Elizabeth II has not only lost his many...
Letter to the editor: A businessman in the White House
I was angry when I saw the commercial from Canada showing President Reagan speaking for free trade and against tariffs. Reagan was president when the steel mills closed down in the 1980s. I think he could have saved the steel mills if he would have put tariffs on steel coming...
Letter to the editor: Enough of Trump’s lies, desecration and disdain
The president stood up and said quite explicitly that the White House would not be affected by the building of his monstrous, tasteless and gaudy ballroom, which I’m sure will bear his name. Once again he lied. No surprise there. I think if his lips are moving, he’s lying. I...
Letter to the editor: Unneccesary, punitive land ordinance in Murrysville
On Wednesday, Murrysville will be considering what is essentially a “land confiscation ordinance,” No. 1104-25. It requires property owners to register all property within the municipality that is vacant for more than 60 days or risk a fine of $1,000 per day. After you register, the municipality will have police...
Editorial: Duty doesn’t wait for big election years
An old Dutch story tells us the importance of doing what is necessary when duty demands. The Netherlands is a low-lying country prone to flooding. A system of earth and stone embankments makes up the defenses that hold back the water. The familiar tale speaks of a boy who noticed...
Matthew Yglesias: Doom-scrolling is a vice. Tax it like cigarettes
Americans are reading less, sleeping less and partying less. We have fewer marriages, fewer children and fewer friends than we used to. Our children are doing worse in school. These are complicated phenomena on some level, but on another level it’s pretty simple: Smartphones, social media and the internet are...
John T. Shaw: Johns Hopkins scholar shows that knowing history is invaluable to statesmanship
Winston Churchill, the towering British statesman who served as prime minister during World War II, was once asked by an American student how to become a successful leader. Churchill’s advice: “Study history, study history. In history lie all the secrets of statecraft.” Frank Gavin, a professor at the Johns Hopkins...
Letter to the editor: King George III and King Trump
Professor Paul Kengor thinks the No Kings rallies are silly (“Teaching ‘No Kings’ nonsense,” Oct. 23, TribLive). Let me remind him of some of the provisions of offense cited by Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence against King George III that apply directly to King Trump. “For Quartering large bodies...
Letter to the editor: Name-calling goes both ways
The letter “Why I’ll never vote for a Democrat” (Oct. 25, TribLive) calls out writers who utilize personal insults over facts. He neglected to note that name-calling goes both ways and is the No. 1 method by which our president chooses to communicate. The author goes on to provide not...
Letter to the editor: Congress must help protect puppy mill dogs
Congress must pass Goldie’s Act (HR 349) to fix the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s persistent failure to protect dogs in puppy mills. The Animal Welfare Act already requires commercial breeders to provide basic care, but the USDA has largely stopped enforcing it. Inspections of licensed facilities are often infrequent, and...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Nov. 3
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Nov. 3....
Editorial cartoons for the week of Nov. 3
Editorial cartoons for the week of Nov. 3....
Letter to the editor: Shutdown would end if legislators’ pay stopped
I was mentally going over the state of the “United States” at this present time, Congress not getting a budget passed at the top of the list. I had a thought that if all Congress members would not be paid or receive health insurance or any of the “allowances” they...
Letter to the editor: Do we no longer love thy neighbor?
This is an example of a person who came here to be safe. It now happens day after day. My name is No One. I am from a Hispanic country where we are ruled and subjected to cruelty, fear of death, hunger and illness. I wanted to escape this madness,...
Editorial: Two government crises face Pennsylvanians
Pennsylvania is feeling a pinch other states aren’t. Oh sure, everyone is embroiled in the now month-old federal government shutdown. As of Saturday, what started out bad, with federal employees either sent home or working without pay, got worse as important programs were set to shut down. The Supplemental Nutrition...
Letter to the editor: A eulogy for America
I never expected to feel sorrow comparing my own country to another. But each time I return from China, I do. There, I see pride in motion — trains that whisper across the land, cities lit with care and purpose, and a people who believe in the power of tomorrow....
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Pittsburgh needs a fresh start with next mayor
There used to be a saying that Pittsburgh always gets the mayor it needs when it needs it — a lesson that the voters and candidates should remember this Election Day and after. At Mary Campbell Corbett’s recent Downtown Pittsburgh presentation of “Pivoting to the People: The Untold Story of...
Point: U.S. needs a Strategic Minerals Reserve
Five decades after the creation of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in the wake of the Arab oil embargo, the United States is facing a new threat to its economic, energy and national security that calls for similarly decisive action: the weaponization of mineral supply chains by China. The time has...
Counterpoint: With mineral stockpile, oversight and innovation are critical, not stock ownership
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently announced plans to expand the national stockpile of minerals such as lithium and rare earths needed in the production of renewable energy technologies and military weapons. This is nothing new; the U.S. government has stockpiled minerals for decades. What is new is that the government...
Letter to the editor: Tomlin and coordinators should hit the road
I think it is past time for Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin to hit the road and to take the offensive and defensive coordinators with him. I think they have no clue what they are doing. They make no adjustments throughout the games and just let us get burned all day...
