Opinion category, Page 265
Editorial: The heavy burden of fighting fires
The weight of a fire truck is hard to bear. The average fire vehicle comes in between 19 tons and 30 tons, according to PennDOT. It’s the equivalent of six to 10 nice big pickup trucks. The weight is important. It’s part of what makes them work. They carry a...
Letter to the editor: Cluster munitions deal condemned
The Biden administration’s decision to supply cluster munitions to Ukraine, as part of a new military aid package, is morally unacceptable and must be immediately reversed. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, “cluster munitions remain one of the world’s most treacherous weapons.” Falling over wide areas, the...
Elwood Watson: Teaching about racism without discussing race?
Ryan Walters, a far right-wing education official who currently serves as Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction, recently caused a political firestorm when he insisted the Tulsa race massacre can be taught in public schools without amounting to “critical race theory” — so long as it’s taught without discussing race. Walters,...
Nathan Benefield: Shapiro, lawmakers must choose — students or special interests?
In education policy, there are two main groups of stakeholders: parents and special interests. Parents want the best opportunities for their children, while special interests benefit from maintaining the status quo. The first group is much more numerous. The latter, unfortunately, has far greater political power — with dozens of...
Letter to the editor: Don’t facts matter to Trump supporters?
Doesn’t it concern you at all when one of the many MAGA millions claims that, as president, Donald Trump “did everything he promised to do”? It should. Did Trump repeal and replace Obamacare? Did he ever balance the federal budget? Did he work out a significant trade deal with China?...
Letter to the editor: SAFE Act would ban consumption of horse meat
I urge Pennsylvania residents to thank Sen. John Fetterman for co-sponsoring the SAFE Act, and for him to advocate that it be included in the 2023 Farm Bill. The SAFE Act was introduced in the Senate in June and would play a key role in banning horse meat for human...
Editorial: Are legacy admissions the real problem for colleges?
A legacy is something left by those who went before us. It might be a reputation. It might be an inheritance. And for some kids filling out applications, it is a leg up in the college admissions process. At least, it was. For generations, prestigious universities made a sometimes spoken,...
Letter to the editor: Biden is chasing votes
Regarding the article “Supreme Court rejects plan to wipe out $400B in student loans; Biden vows ‘fight is not over’ ” (June 30, TribLIVE): The Supreme Court’s decision to deny President Biden the authority to forgive $430 billion of student loans is all about Biden chasing votes. Promising to give tens...
Tom Purcell: The lost freedom of childhood
I dream of recreating some of the epic bike hikes I enjoyed as a kid back in the 1970s. My used Murray five-speed Spyder bike with the high handlebars only cost 25 bucks, but it was one of the coolest bikes of the age. Man, I loved that bike. During...
Colin McNickle: How the next Allegheny County executive can start fixing PRT
Change is in the air with the coming election of a new Allegheny County chief executive in November. And once the new leader takes office in January, he or she can help ensure that change is the operative word to begin fixing the long-out-of-step Pittsburgh Regional Transit, researchers at the...
Zach Kennedy: In Allegheny County, progressives are now the establishment
A political powerhouse now rivaling Philadelphia as the bedrock of Democratic electoral strength in Pennsylvania, Allegheny County has been consistently trending more progressive. This past May’s primaries in Pennsylvania’s second-largest county added another layer of icing on a cake that’s been baking for nearly a decade: In Allegheny County, progressives...
Letter to the editor: Faith can change lives
I loved the letter “Using God’s word correctly” (June 30, TribLIVE). Studying God’s word, learning the Bible and putting the word into action can change a person’s life. It will cost you time and it takes years to develop a strong personal relationship with the Lord, but the reward is...
Letter to the editor: School retirees need more money? Boo hoo.
Regarding the letter “School retirees deserve COLA increase” (July 3, TribLIVE): Boo hoo. Most people don’t have a pension. Those who do don’t get COLA increases either. Tim Scheeren Hempfield...
Editorial: Lawmakers: Carpe diem; end per diems
Taxpayers, who employ Pennsylvania legislators, should reimburse those employees for the expenses they incur while conducting the public business, just as a private employer should cover its employees’ work-related expenses. But they should do so under a comparable system. Private employers don’t simply provide employees with a flat-rate expense payment....
Letter to the editor: Facts on student loan ‘forgiveness’
The article “Borrowers disappointed with Supreme Court ruling striking down student loan relief” (June 30, TribLIVE) is full of left-wing emotionalism that omits many obvious and important facts. Despite what President Biden says , there is no such thing as loan “forgiveness.” Others will pay the debt for people who...
Letter to the editor: Freedom of speech; religion and morality
I think the writer of the letter “Our rights are being eroded” (July 9, TribLIVE) needs to reread the First Amendment. It states Congress shall make no laws abridging the freedom of speech. Nowhere does it say there will not be consequences for speech in the private sector. So people...
Editorial cartoons for the week of July 17
Editorial cartoons for the week of July 17....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of July 17
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of July 17....
Letter to the editor: We need pride celebrations because of our bigotry
Bigotry toward the LGBTQ community shows exactly why pride celebrations are so very necessary. The increased visibility and mainstream inclusion of this part of our population have caused great discomfort among those who spew hate-filled rhetoric toward those whom they don’t understand. This rhetoric has often led to violence against...
Letter to the editor: The government will always get you
Regarding the article “Poll: Taxes, cost of living driving away young residents from Pennsylvania” (July 5, TribLIVE): I’ve developed a theory over the years that the government is going to get you somehow regardless of where you live. There will be exceptions, and one individual’s situation will be different from...
Editorial: Coroners’ obstruction is obituary for open records
In a perfect world, no one would ever need to see a coroner’s report. They would be the paper relics of a life ended. They would be filed away in the bureaucratic mausoleum that is a governmental file cabinet. They would rest in the peace of the millions of other...
Letter to the editor: The American political system
Politics is one of the few jobs in America where unqualified people can ask the public for money to be elected to positions they are not qualified to fill. The American political system further complicates itself with the fact that the blind are leading the blind. The newly elected politicians...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Wray hits back at FBI weaponization accusations
Only in an upside-down world would the Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee accuse conservative Republican FBI Director Christopher Wray of weaponizing the Justice Department against conservative Republicans. But that is what happened last week. Wray testified for five hours before the committee, spending most of his time discrediting and fending off...
F.D. Flam: How much heat can the human body stand?
The June that just ended was the Earth’s hottest — ever. And the first week of July saw the trend continue. The surging summer temperatures made me wonder: Just how much heat can the human body stand? Deaths from heat are pretty common and, as the world heats up, may...
Nicole Woitowich: Clinical trials are better at including women. But data analysis is still a real problem.
The summer of 1993 was an eventful time: Prince changed his name to a symbol, “Jurassic Park” was released and Congress passed the National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act requiring the inclusion of women in clinical research. Most people aren’t aware of this law, which requires that women be included...
