Opinion category, Page 288
Gary Franks: For the banking industry, let’s pray it is not deja vu all over again
How can billions of dollars be lost, and nobody can figure out who got the money or where it all went? Maybe fraud is involved somewhere? In the last banking crisis in 2008 — which led to a crippling recession in America and around the world — a deep-dive investigation...
S.E. Cupp: Tucker’s ‘shocking’ text message does not shock
In the minutes, hours and days after the shock of Tucker Carlson’s firing from Fox News settled in, the immediate question became: Why? And more pointedly, why now? In some ways, these were ridiculous if not rhetorical questions — there were countless good reasons to fire Carlson, from his myriad...
Howard M. Rieger: Allegheny County executive must clean up our air
On May 16, Pittsburghers will go to the polls to elect a new Allegheny County executive. What’s at stake in this election is literally a matter of life and death. The American Lung Association’s (ALA) State of the Air report issued April 18 documents that the Pittsburgh region is the...
Rev. Jesse Jackson: Who gets the gold and who gets the shaft?
Over the next few weeks, the manufactured crisis over the “debt ceiling” will reach its boiling point. But this is pure melodrama, badly overacted with the outcome already known. The real question is about our priorities — and about who gets the gold and who gets the shaft. On the...
Letter to the editor: Zellers will be a fair judge
“The most sacred of the duties of a government (is) to do equal and impartial justice to all its citizens,” Thomas Jefferson wrote. I don’t believe this has happened in the magisterial courtroom serving Allegheny Township, Lower Burrell, Upper Burrell, Vandergrift, East Vandergrift, Hyde Park, Oklahoma Borough and West Leechburg....
Letter to the editor: We need write-ins in Leechburg
According to the Armstrong County election website, there are three open borough council seats on the ballot for May 16 in Leechburg, with only one candidate each on the Republican and Democratic sides. The mayor’s position is also up for election, with two Democrats as candidates. It is imperative that...
Letter to the editor: Another snake will surface at Fox
Rather than Fox hosts having to come clean live on air and tell the Big-Lie-believing faithful that they were repeatedly lied to by them, Rupert Murdoch has paid a $787 million (ouch!) settlement in the defamation case brought by Dominion. I’m reminded of that old movie “A Face in the...
Lori Falce: Judicial reform is about accountability, not retribution
There is a difference between accountability and retribution. Accountability means you are subject to the consequences of your actions. You back into a car in the parking lot, you pay your deductible and probably see your insurance premium go up. You miss your credit card payment and have to pay...
Letter to the editor: Girardi best candidate for district judge
I was fortunate to clerk for a good magisterial district judge for 21 years prior to retiring in 2022. I also subbed in a court with a newly elected judge who was formerly a scientist. It was challenging because of his lack of experience and limited familiarity with the court...
Laurels & lances: Reaction and consequence
Laurel: To a quick response. For several weeks, we have had the unfortunate duty to chastise people for hoaxes. These involved reports of active shooters that were made up. They targeted Oakland Catholic and Central Catholic high schools in Pittsburgh, Laurel Highlands High School in Fayette County, Mt. Pleasant Area...
Letter to the editor: Fritz well qualified to be commissioner
The writer of the letter “We need qualified candidates in Westmoreland commissioner race” (March 28, TribLIVE) believes Patricia Fritz isn’t qualified to run for Westmoreland County commissioner. I disagree. Fritz was a supervisor for PennDOT for 23 years with responsibilities that included the smooth operation of the busy District 12-5...
Colin McNickle: Reduce costs before adding new mass-transit taxes
Proposed legislation now before the House Transportation Committee in Harrisburg would enable specific counties to enact new taxes, surtaxes and fees to subsidize mass transit and fund transportation infrastructure. But a new analysis by the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy says that as far as Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) is...
Letter to the editor: Speak out on another Penn-Trafford budget increase
As the Penn-Trafford School Board prepares to vote on the district budget in June, they are still unsure whether they can hold the line on it or if they will vote for a tax increase for the 10th year in a row. If you want your opinion to be considered,...
Letter to the editor: Zellers for district judge
Time for change in the Valley! Better options cannot be overlooked when opportunity arises. Leslie Uncapher Zellers is that better option for magisterial district judge. When she served the citizens of Westmoreland County as a prosecuting attorney with the district attorney’s office, we prosecuted many cases together. I came to...
Editorial: World Press Freedom Day is a reminder of vital role
May 3 doesn’t really seem like a holiday for most people. It’s after Easter and before Memorial Day. It falls in that middle ground of spring days that just run into one another. But May 3 is a holiday that flies under the radar, although it speaks to something that...
Letter to the editor: We can’t police ourselves out of opioid crisis
The article “Expecting more than $1B in opioid settlement money, Pa. grapples with policing versus treatment” (April 18, TribLIVE) discusses how many counties are planning on using their settlement money to hire more police officers. There is no evidence supporting that more policing decreases overdoses. We must use this settlement...
Jonah Goldberg: How comment section trolls took over the Republican Party
Is the GOP becoming a dysfunctional chatroom? In economics, Gresham’s law on currency markets holds that “bad money drives out good.” That same principle also applies to the comment sections on online sites. In comments sections — including such mega-versions like Twitter — the nastiest commenters post more, and more...
Dr. Anne Marie Fine: Leadership needed on air, water quality in East Palestine
As you step outside this spring, think of the people of East Palestine. A simple pleasure of life in the Northeast — breathing in clean, crisp air after a long winter indoors — now carries significant health risks for East Palestine’s residents. Instead of enjoying this exciting time of year,...
Letter to the editor: ‘Book bans’ are attempts to eliminate pornography
I feel I must take exception to a portion of the editorial “When is free speech not free on college campuses?” (April 25, TribLIVE). I think what you call book bans by conservatives are in reality parents trying to restrict pornographic books from their children’s school libraries. I doubt many...
Letter to the editor: Thoughts on Fetterman and Trump
Some comments on three letters published recently. “Fetterman should resign” (March 7, TribLIVE): I’m sure this letter-writer would feel different if Sen. John Fetterman was a Republican, praising him for his courage in standing up to his detractors. I think Fetterman’s main problem is the way he dresses when he’s...
Letter to the editor: Biden’s video announcement shows he’s unqualified
In making a video to announce that he is running for president again in 2024, President Biden is really telling the American people something. Since he seems to have trouble communicating to the American people live, those around him have stooped so low as to make a video — I...
Editorial: Can Re:Build reimagine manufacturing in Southwestern Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania is built on the brute strength of production. For more than 100 years, the region was where people dug coal from the earth, turned ore into metal, baked bricks and fashioned glass. The creations of Pittsburgh and surrounding areas were the things that built the nation. That was something...
Letter to the editor: Kertes, Chew great county commissioners
On May 16, Westmoreland County Republican voters will select two candidates for county commissioners. Of the five candidates, Sean Kertes and Doug Chew are running for reelection. They have done an excellent job and deserve to be reelected. As a voter, I ask myself whether Westmoreland County has continued to...
Letter to the editor: Disgraceful actions in commissioners’ race
What’s happening in the Westmoreland County commissioners race is absolutely a disgrace (“Appeals court rules Ventre, Kosko to remain on GOP ballot for Westmoreland commissioner,” April 7, TribLIVE). For Bill Bretz, the Westmoreland County Republican Party chairman, and his attorney, Scott Avolio, who is also an assistant solicitor for the...
Peter Morici: Biden administration needs to negotiate a cease-fire to the U.S.-China cold war
America and China have slid into a cold war, and we should be thankful if tensions don’t spill into a full-blown conflict. China boasts the largest navy in the world and hypersonic and carrier-killing missiles that could quickly disable U.S. military assets in the South China Sea and Pacific. Those...
