Opinion category, Page 274
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Happy Father’s Day, George Washington
As we get ready to honor our own fathers, especially after a week like the last one, Father’s Day 2023 seems like a good time to remember “The Father of Our Country,” George Washington. This past Tuesday, former president Donald Trump was arraigned in federal court on 37 criminal charges...
Yarone Zober: Downtown can make comeback again … with care for place and people
Since 1753, when a young British major named George Washington recognized that the land at the confluence of Pittsburgh’s three rivers was “extremely well situated for a fort,” our “Golden Triangle” of a Downtown has been recognized as a special place. This little patch of land, a little less than...
Gary Ross: How the exposure of highly classified documents could harm U.S. security — and why there are laws against storing them insecurely
When Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on June 13 to federal criminal charges related to his alleged illegal retention of classified documents, it was his first opportunity to formally answer charges that he violated the Espionage Act. The Justice Department alleges that, after his presidency, Trump held, in an unsecure...
Sounding off: Mental health days, Springdale ‘implosion,’ Trump, Madden on readers’ minds
Mental health days help students succeed As a recent high school graduate, I can wholeheartedly say that our schools need more mental health support. Across Western Pennsylvania, the recommended ratios of guidance counselors to students are not being met, workloads are increasing and students are suffering. If “mental health day”...
Letter to the editor: Stan Savran was a class act
Stan Savran was the man. I thoroughly enjoyed his broadcasts, both TV and radio. He knew his stuff and asked the right questions. I remember in my youth asking Stan for his autograph while we were walking up the hill to the locker room during Steelers training camp at Saint...
Letter to the editor: John Kerry’s climate hypocrisy
I can’t hold back. When are the real scientists going to start speaking out and making themselves seen and heard? Now we have another genius, John Kerry, telling us we need to “cut agricultural emissions.” Next maybe he’ll suggest we get rid of our cows, like in Ireland, where the...
Editorial: Pittsburgh synagogue shooting jury delivers justice
In a criminal court, the point of a trial is establishing responsibility. Was the person at the defense table guilty? Is there enough evidence to say this is who committed the crime? With some crimes, this seems downright pointless. We know who did it, society says. We know who is...
Letter to the editor: We need wage and tax reform
The Republican temper tantrum is over, but not before they held the country hostage in the debt ceiling crisis, with their warped financial views. They love to stamp their feet and beat their chest when the government is using its resources to help 90% of us. They scream too much...
Gary Franks: Trump should return to being unpredictable
The best move for former President Donald Trump is the one most unexpected. Being unpredictable or unconventional was the trait that helped him win the White House in 2016, and it would help him today. The baseball pitcher that tips off his pitches eventually gets hit hard, looks bad and...
S.E. Cupp: Trump has torn America apart for his own gain and giving him a pass will not heal the nation
“It’s an idea whose time is inevitably coming for Republican presidential candidates — pardoning former President Donald J. Trump.” That was National Review editor Rich Lowry in Politico this week, echoing others on the right who have decided that if Trump is convicted of any of the crimes he’s been...
Robert Gregerson: Pitt-Greensburg’s state discount critical for students, local economy
It’s been 60 years since six local school districts asked the University of Pittsburgh to establish a regional campus in Westmoreland County, and look how far we’ve come. Today, the University of Pittsburgh at Greenburg proudly continues our mission to serve the educational needs of the region — two-thirds of...
Letter to the editor: Thanks for flags, Lower Burrell
Thank you, Lower Burrell, for the United States flags that lined your Main Street on May 30, the original date to remember our veterans. What a special tribute. Cindy Wallace Harrison...
Letter to the editor: Springdale ‘implosion’
On the “implosion” in Springdale: What we have here, in the words of Cool Hand Luke’s captain, is “failure to communicate” (“Amid dusty cleanup, Springdale residents remain unsettled in the wake of smokestack implosions,” June 4, TribLIVE). To call what happened in Springdale (and the Hulton Bridge about six years...
Lori Falce: Court’s job is to find justice. Finding forgiveness isn’t as easy
The justice system is an odd balancing act. It must be impartial, yet it weighs more than just guilt and innocence. It also takes into account harder-to-quantify qualities like remorse and regret, grief and loss — and perhaps the hardest of all, forgiveness. We are told to forgive and forget,...
Laurels & lances: Schools and police
Laurel: To open discussion. It isn’t easy to talk about topics that point to problems. People can get defensive or frustrated. That doesn’t mean it’s better to just pretend the problems don’t exist. On Monday, Highlands School Board had that tough conversation. More than 100 teachers from the Highlands Educational...
Letter to the editor: Ramifications of DEP name change
Our state senator, Kim Ward, announced on June 10 that the Senate had passed Senate Bill 691 to rename the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to the Department of Environmental Services. Sounds innocuous, and they basically say it’s just a name. However, there may be sinister plans with the department...
Matthew J. Brouillette: No one — including unions — should be above the law
On June 1, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling in Glacier Northwest v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local Union No. 174. The case in question concerned whether Glacier, a concrete company, could sue the Teamsters due to striking employees’ intentionally destroying Glacier’s property by leaving concrete running in trucks...
Susan Spicka: School property taxes fund cyber charter excess
More than $3.4 million spent on advertising over a three-month period. Over $75,000 spent on tickets, parking and concessions for Major League baseball games — including $50 per person for rooftop catering. Tens of thousands of dollars spent sponsoring minor league baseball and hockey teams. Over $100,000 spent on branded...
Letter to the editor: Robert F. Kennedy’s voice disorder
The writer of the letter “Biden and Kennedy are the best Democrats have?” (June 7, TribLIVE) comments that “this guy” Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is seeking the Democratic nomination for president, has a “terrible speaking voice.” The fact is that Kennedy suffers from a rare voice disorder, spasmodic dysphonia,...
Letter to the editor: Inflation information
John Tamny was wrong on a couple things in his op-ed “There’s no such thing as ‘government stimulus’ ” (June 10, TribLIVE). Inflation (increasing the money supply) does lead to more investment but it goes into many things that would not be successful in the absence of inflation. When the...
Editorial: We won’t see another Stan Savran
With the passing of Pittsburgh broadcasting icon Stan Savran, the spotlight has turned on his place in the pantheon of talent that called or commented on Steel City sports teams over the years. More than one person — including Savran’s former “SportsBeat” co-host Guy Junker — has called to mind...
Letter to the editor: Where’s defense of Trump?
When the details of the 37-count indictment against former President Trump were unsealed last week, I eagerly awaited the response from both Trump supporters and non-supporters. I watched several different Fox News and CNN shows to hear what the “experts” had to say. I expected the approach of the two...
Letter to the editor: We need tax reform, not new housing
The main interview in the article “Senior housing project in Irwin draws large response from prospective tenants” (May 17, TribLIVE) was from a woman from Wilkinsburg (Allegheny County), not Westmoreland County. All of the hoopla over this housing project seems to come down to someone from out of the county...
Jonah Goldberg: Republicans wanted Clinton prosecuted for her emails. And now they defend Trump?
In the wake of Donald Trump’s latest indictment, two basic defenses have been offered: He did nothing wrong, and it doesn’t matter that he did anything wrong. So far, most of his defenders are more comfortable making the latter argument. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, is one of the few exceptions....
Chris Sandvig: To win federal infrastructure funding, Southwestern Pa. can’t afford to wait
The bipartisan infrastructure law is a once-in-a-generation investment, offering a remarkable — and time-sensitive — opportunity for Western Pennsylvania’s public transit systems. With billions of new dollars ready to be invested by the federal government, there is an urgent need to act swiftly to secure these funds before the window...
