Opinion category, Page 293
Letter to the editor: Safe travels for motorists, farmers
The Westmoreland County Farm Bureau is recognizing Rural Roads Safety Week this week by encouraging county motorists to be aware of farm vehicles and equipment and travel safely on rural roads. You may have noticed farmers returning to the fields to begin planting crops. Tractors, farm trucks, wagons and other...
Editorial: Fewer employees can add up to high costs
Sometimes having fewer people to do the job might mean more work for the employees but a lower bottom line for the payroll. You have a store to staff, for example. You want 10 people to work from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. You only have five. You shuffle those...
Letter to the editor: Clarence Thomas innocent until proven guilty
The front-page article “Thomas says he didn’t have to disclose luxury trips” (April 8, TribLIVE) calls out Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for possibly omitting required documentation about vacations and gifts received from a friend and his possible conflict of interest. Thomas claims he followed reporting requirements at that time....
Jonah Goldberg: Crime follows national trends in U.S., but it requires local solutions
We live in a moment when everyone seems compelled to talk about national trends and systemic problems. There are plenty of reasons for this. Politicians in Washington, Republicans and Democrats alike, think Washington should call the shots. Presidents and presidential aspirants feel the need to talk about our vast country...
Elwood Watson: We don’t need to mandate ‘trigger warnings’ in college
Amen to Cornell University President Martha Pollack and Provost Michael Kotlikoff for refusing to ratify a proposal introduced by the student senate to mandate trigger warnings into syllabi and course content. In a statement, Pollack and Kotlikoff said such a mandate “would infringe on our core commitment to academic freedom...
Peter Morici: Silicon Valley Bank’s failure is no reason for stricter bank regulation
Silicon Valley Bank’s failure rattled confidence in small- and mid-sized banks across the U.S. and once again ignited cries to more tightly regulate banks. That’s wrong-headed. We need to step back and examine how non-money center banks, which are essentially depositories, get into trouble and better apply the tools we...
Jason Altmire: Pennsylvanians deserve real Medicaid solutions
More than 12 million people live in Pennsylvania, and 3 million of them — nearly one-quarter of the state’s population — depend on Medicaid. That’s why it’s so concerning that the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) recently issued new guidelines that will add an extra burden to Pennsylvania’s...
Letter to the editor: Tiger Woods is responsible for his own actions
Regarding Mark Madden’s column “Tiger Woods is golf’s most popular attraction, so make some exceptions to sacred rules” (April 10, TribLIVE) and his views about Woods not being able to walk the course anymore: Woods is totally responsible for his inability to traverse the golf course. Providing him a cart...
Letter to the editor: Does Catholic Church discriminate, demonize?
Regarding the letter “Pick a side, good or evil” (April 10, TribLIVE): How dare the writer declare “you cannot be Catholic and vote Democrat.” Who made him pope? According to him, you can discriminate against God’s children who he made LBGT, and still be Catholic. According to him, you can...
Letter to the editor: UPMC should better support its workers
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey is right to challenge UPMC’s status as a purely public charity (“Gainey to challenge tax-exempt status of UPMC properties, other nonprofits,” March 28, TribLIVE). It doesn’t matter how much money UPMC “donates to the community” when they’re creating conditions that leave employees like myself struggling to...
Editorial: Frustrating parallels between North Side and Alabama shootings and the agonizing wait for answers
In Alabama, there is mourning for the loss of four people who were attending a 16th birthday party Saturday in Dadeville. There is concern for the health and well-being of 32 more who were injured. But people are frustrated by the lack of answers about what happened and who is...
Letter to the editor: Trump a threat to U.S.
The letter “Bad logic on Trump’s presidency” (March 29, TribLIVE) rebutting the letter “Why Trump was a great president” (March 7, TribLIVE), which was a rebuttal to my letter “No comparison between Trump, Reagan” (Feb. 27, TribLIVE) was excellent. The writer is correct when he says that the covid-19 pandemic...
Letter to the editor: Reverse Biden policies to heal nation
The writer of the letter “Bad logic on Trump’s presidency” (March 29, TribLIVE) dismissed the Trump administration’s contributions to low inflation, gas prices and unemployment and positive growth in the economy and stock markets. His logic is flawed. These things happened as a result of President Donald Trump’s policies and...
Election letters deadline
Note on election-related letters: The Tribune-Review will accept submissions of election-related letters until May 6. Election-related letters will not be published after May 13....
Dr. Andrew Smolar: Medicine and humanity
Doctors have known for some time that we are falling short of our humanistic ideals. It was my turn to learn it firsthand. I had avoided covid until February. Although I had a short course — mitigated by Paxlovid— some weird lab results surfaced after I recovered. My internist wanted...
Sally C. Pipes: Price controls in Medicare will kill new cures
President Biden just released his budget plan for the next fiscal year. It purports to extend Medicare’s solvency by decades and reassure the millions of Americans who rely on the program. But once they realize his approach will grind drug research to a halt, perhaps they’ll come to a different...
Letter to the editor: Bad math on wage taxes
The writer of the letter “Reasons for Pittsburgh population loss” (April 7, TribLIVE) spent 30 years in education, but apparently it wasn’t in math education. A 3% city wage tax doesn’t translate to 6% for two spouses. It’s still 3%. Under his reasoning, a family of 33 would pay 99%...
Letter to the editor: Alcohol Awareness Month — a time to think about your drink
April is Alcohol Awareness Month and a good opportunity for adults to be thinking about their drinking. Enjoying a beer, glass of wine or cocktail can be part of a balanced lifestyle for most adults, but moderation is essential. Moderate drinking is defined as consuming up to one standard drink...
Letter to the editor: Pence’s testimony potentially devastating for Trump
Is anyone surprised that former President Trump is attempting to silence his Vice President Mike Pence, seeking court action to block his testimony regarding Trump’s efforts to overturn the legitimate result of the 2020 presidential election? Trump does not seem to be an intelligent man, but he is smart enough...
Editorial: Taxes add up in Pennsylvania
It’s that time again. If you haven’t filed your federal income tax return, it’s due today. For about half of Americans, it doesn’t matter. They’re the ones who have already filed their taxes by March — 36 percent in February, shortly after their paperwork for 2022 income was in hand,...
Letter to the editor: Climate ‘consensus’
The writer of the letter “Humans have changed the climate cycle” (April 4, TribLIVE) disguises climate dogma as academic rebuttal citing the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) “scientific consensus.” By definition, consensus is nothing more than general agreement, and it’s certainly not scientific. The United Nations IPCC advances “anthropogenic”...
Letter to the editor: Any tool can be used in horrific crime
Regarding the letter “Thoughts and prayers not enough to stop school shootings” (April 4, TribLIVE): The Founding Fathers did not give citizens the right to bear arms. The rights in the Bill of Rights are not given to us by government. Those rights are endowed to us by our creator,...
Tom Purcell: What we need this Earth Day is more green thumbs
Earth Day is coming April 22, and I can’t think of a better opportunity for Americans to get their hands dirty. When Earth Day became an annual event in 1970, its purpose was to demonstrate support for protecting the environment. Today, more than 1 billion people in almost 200 countries...
Letter to the editor: Time for Mark Madden to go
Mark Madden’s caustic insults to Pittsburgh sports teams and fans do not belong in our great city. He has crapped on the city that has allowed his inciting negative comments for too many years. Good or bad, mismanaged, whatever — we are the fans of everything great about Pittsburgh and...
Letter to the editor: Reelect Bethany Hallam
I’m excited to vote for Bethany Hallam for Allegheny County Council At-Large during the May 16 Democratic primary. Hallam brings ambition for what’s possible within Allegheny County government. She advanced bills that protect our environment, create more opportunity for Community College of Allegheny County students, strengthen our elections and improve...
