Opinion category, Page 253
Letter to the editor: On books, whose beliefs matter more?
When I read the article “ ‘It’s a small number of people who are very loud’: Local libraries grapple with book challenges, bans” (Aug. 22, TribLIVE), I was somewhat taken back by the headline and further by the story. The story described how the number of people who had issues,...
Editorial: Reining in commissioner pay raises is worth discussing
How much of a raise did you get last year? According to international insurance and brokerage company WTW, the U.S. average was about 4.2%. That was higher than the 3.1% and 3% of the previous two years. All together, the three years come in at 10.3%. Unless you are an...
Letter to the editor: Corporate greed causes inflation
According to U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, fully 54% of our current inflation is actually the result of corporate price-gouging of the American consumer. This corporate greed started in 1982 when the Reagan administration made stock buybacks legal, then Republican administrations allowed an unprecedented number of corporate mergers resulting in virtual...
Jonah Goldberg: China’s faltering economy is a result of state-directed planning. Now comes the global fallout
“China is going to eat our lunch? Come on, man,” scoffed then-presidential candidate Joe Biden in 2019. Two years later, now-President Biden declared: “The Chinese are eating our lunch. They’re eating our lunch, economically. They’re investing hundreds of billions of dollars in research and development. … We got to compete.”...
John Tamny: Savers and financiers are economy’s lifeblood, so treat them well
In his memoirs about the remarkable rise of The Home Depot, the great Bernie Marcus oh-so-thankfully went against the grain of seemingly all modern thought in writing that “bankers put their careers on the line, and for that we protect them.” Amen. Bankers, investment bankers, VCs and other financial intermediaries...
Bruce Cooper and Mark Reynolds: Climate action has brought major investment, jobs to Pa. Lawmakers should strive for more
One year after a major climate bill was passed, Pennsylvania is flourishing thanks to an influx of clean energy investment and jobs. When the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law last August, it unleashed a stream of clean energy projects, with Gov. Josh Shapiro quickly taking the initiative...
Letter to the editor: Trump, Biden actions on deceased soldiers telling
A curled forefinger, doddery and speckled with beach sand, slyly hoists a Chinese-diamond-studded shirt cuff, languid eyes drooping wristward to gauge the precise Rolex tide — er, that is, “time,” the precise Rolex time — as American- flag-cloaked coffins are carried with white gloves from a military transport plane. On Aug....
Letter to the editor: Trump is no hero
The writer of the letter “Sticking with Trump” (Aug. 23, TribLIVE) has found a very odd way to try make Donald Trump look like some sort of hero. Unfortunately, he decides to choose a critique from a non-MAGA. His first attempt is to show Trump refusing to utilize his power...
Letter to the editor: Seeking financial answers in Norwin
In my letter “Fiscal responsibility in Norwin” (July 14, TribLIVE), I mentioned that the Norwin School District’s treasurer’s reports were not being reported monthly as required by law. It is especially important to note that this is paramount in June, when the district’s annual proposed budget is on the agenda....
Editorial: Is house arrest fair if the house was built with fraudulent funds?
A criminal court sentence should not be something you negotiate like buying a house. It should absolutely not be like buying a multimillion-dollar house that is squarely in the middle of the case in question. But the motion filed by the defense in a federal fraud case seems a little...
Letter to the editor: God is the answer
I believe the world is round. I cannot prove it, but I believe it. I believe that I need oxygen to sustain life. Not “air” but oxygen. Not that I can separate it. But my body does. I can’t prove that either, but I believe it. I believe that a...
Letter to the editor: Two sets of laws?
OK, America, it’s time to wake up and see what is taking place in this great country. Everyone talks about favoritism, discrimination and pride for certain people. The big thing now in the news is with former President Donald Trump. According to what we know, the classified documents that President...
Ron Klink: Congress cracks down on shady PBM middlemen — and not a moment too soon
Congress is considering more than half a dozen bills that’d curb the power of pharmacy benefit managers. The increased, bipartisan scrutiny of these rapacious drug supply chain middlemen is welcome. In fact, it’s overdue. For years, they’ve been inflating pharmaceutical prices and bilking patients while providing little value to the...
Nancy S. Jecker: There’s no age limit for politicians — as people live longer, should that change?
President Joe Biden was “fine,” according to White House Communications Director Ben LaBolt, after tripping over a sandbag at a U.S. Air Force graduation ceremony on June 1. But his fall was caught on live camera — and people on social media speculated about what was behind it. Biden, approaching...
Letter to the editor: Trump is not a leader
Enough already! Contrary to popular belief (MAGAs), Donald Trump is not the second coming. I think he is the biggest narcissist the world has ever seen. We were all thinking in 2016, “Maybe a businessman would be an ideal president.” But we chose the wrong one. This guy, known as...
Editorial: Pennsylvania’s education funding should be rebuilt
Pennsylvanians have spent years — decades, really — begging the state to find a better way to fund education. School districts in the Keystone State operate primarily on real estate taxes. An April report from advocacy group PA Schools Work estimates that 84% of the 500 school districts in Pennsylvania...
Letter to the editor: Understanding God
In reference to the writer of the letter “God is a problem, not an answer” (July 29, TribLIVE): I’m sure thousands of local Christians are praying for you. You obviously don’t understand the God of the Old Testament that punished us for disobedience and the God of the New Testament...
Tom Purcell: A smaller home is a happy home
Houses are getting smaller again — which is going to make many Americans happier. Americans faced with high mortgage rates and a shortage of affordable homes for sale are opting for new, smaller homes that do not have dining rooms, living rooms, spare bedrooms and even bathtubs, reports the Wall...
Dr. A. Jay Gross: Fetterman’s fight for affordable health care
Ranked fifth in the country by its size of seniors, Pennsylvania is home to over 2.2 million older Americans. As the population of seniors grows 20 times faster than the state’s general population, it is more important than ever that Pennsylvania has representatives who advocate on behalf of seniors’ needs...
Bev-Freda Jackson: Mahalia Jackson’s suggestion during 1963 march resulted in majestic sermon on an American dream
Every now and then, a voice can matter. Mahalia Jackson had one of them. Known around the world as the “Queen of Gospel,” Jackson used her powerful voice to work in the Civil Rights Movement. Starting in the 1950s, she traveled with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. throughout the South...
Vanessa Lynch: Clean air and a healthy climate can be Pa.’s future
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued a “code orange” air quality alert for Western Pennsylvania last week, confirming what many of us already knew — there was something in the air. A cocktail of air pollution, heat and sunshine created unhealthy concentrations of ground-level ozone, also known as...
Letter to the editor: No justice for sister killed in DUI crash
On Aug. 19, 2022, our sister, Helen Ringeisen, was killed in a head-on collision with a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus in Kennedy Township. Her boyfriend, who was driving, blacked out because his blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit for driving. He only had minor injuries. On June...
Letter to the editor: ‘The Hazards of Hunter’
In the early days of cinema, there was a serial titled “The Perils of Pauline.” Today, it has been replaced with a modern version: “The Hazards of Hunter.” The president’s son’s escapades are purportedly cited in his confiscated laptop. Just as we waited a week in the “Perils of Pauline”...
Editorial: Rail safety legislation derailed
Clarity emerged in February from the thick, acrid, black smoke that billowed over and fell upon East Palestine, Ohio: The nation needed significant rail safety improvements. A Norfolk Southern train including multiple tank cars full of toxic vinyl chloride derailed after parts of the train experienced mechanical problems with brakes....
Letter to the editor: ‘Hostilities’ in Allegheny Township
I have a few comments on the article “Employee exodus blamed on hostile work environment in Allegheny Township” (Aug. 18, TribLIVE). To the Allegheny Township Supervisors: You all were elected by the voters. If there is hostility, deal with it. The voters entrusted you to do what is best to...
