Opinion category, Page 311
Letter to the editor: Ziccarelli should pay for repair costs
Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli claims her accident was “minor” — $33,000 in damages to a $33,000 vehicle (“Westmoreland DA crash racks up nearly $33,000 in SUV repairs,” Feb. 16, TribLIVE). Boy, I would hate to see her idea of a major accident. I am a former county employee...
Tom Purcell: We’re rooting for you, Senator Fetterman
The day started at 7 a.m. with a breakfast meeting and ended after 11 p.m. — and I was exhausted. It was 1996. I had spent 16 straight hours with Pennsylvania’s freshman senator, Rick Santorum, to report on “A day in the life of a senator.” I realized that same...
Jonathan Bernstein: Republicans aren’t just thinking about Trump and DeSantis
The Republican presidential nomination is up for grabs. Given his enduring popularity with GOP voters, former President Donald Trump remains the front-runner. While he has yet to formally join the race, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been cast as his principal opponent for the Republican nomination. In past elections, the...
Pete Shelly: So-called ‘skill games’ drain millions from senior programs
We all know the phrase from Pennsylvania Lottery commercials: “… benefits older Pennsylvanians.” But many people don’t realize just how important lottery proceeds are to charities and nonprofits across the commonwealth, and how many seniors rely on the services those organizations provide. Our lottery remains the only state lottery that...
Letter to the editor: Pity the fools who support Biden
After watching the State of the Union address, I just couldn’t get an image out of my head. It was Mr. T from “The A-Team” saying, “I pity the fool!” I pity the fool or fools who think we can stand back and let President Biden “finish the job,” as...
Letter to the editor: Reduce drugs, reduce gun violence
If you want to reduce gun violence in America, you have to first reduce the amount of drugs coming over our borders, especially fentanyl. The drugs fuel erratic behavior which leads to the gun violence. Regis Kruth Shaler...
Editorial: Is Pennsylvania a death penalty state or not?
Gov. Josh Shapiro is continuing the pattern Pennsylvania’s executives have perfected over the last 24 years. On Thursday, Shapiro said he will continue following in his predecessors’ footsteps by not permitting executions to move forward. Pennsylvania will continue being a death penalty state that does not put people to death....
Letter to the editor: Has China won already?
With the recent news that our administration allowed a known spy balloon to traverse the United States, allowing it to surveil and gather intelligence on our missile sites and our B-2 bomber airfields, I need to restate the obvious: If President Trump and his supporters lose, China wins. That is,...
Letter to the editor: ‘Sunsetting’ a frightening euphemism
Words can be a cheeky little monkey. During the war in Bosnia, taking place between 1992 and 1995, the term “ethnic cleansing” became a euphemism for racist genocide. At that time our president, politicians and newscasters spoke of it, glibly, using the term with the same normalcy as “cleaning house,”...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Feb. 20
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Feb. 20....
Editorial cartoons for the week of Feb. 20
Editorial cartoons for the week of Feb. 20....
Salewa Ogunmefun: It’s time to fix Pa.’s laws to make voting easier
In Pennsylvania’s first general election held using new legislative maps that are the most fair and inclusive in the history of the commonwealth, we saw historic gains in BIPOC communities statewide having the opportunity to elect the candidates of their choosing. Now this new crop of legislators has the opportunity...
Letter to the editor: Thanks to those revitalizing New Kensington
I would like to thank Michael Malcanas, director of Olde Towne Overhaul, for coming to New Kensington and revitalizing the town. I watched the PBS episode featuring Malcanas and was amazed by his generosity and how he has put his time, energy and money into the town. I have so...
Letter to the editor: Strangers, first responders save another life
Reading the story “Greensburg 1st responders lauded for saving victims of heart attack, house fire” (Feb. 16, TribLIVE), I feel compelled to add my story. I suffered cardiac arrest at Planet Fitness on Sept. 23. I, too, owe my life to the quick response of strangers — the gym’s personnel,...
Letter to the editor: Saving Social Security
If President Biden is serious about preserving Social Security, as he demonstrated with great theatrics at his State of the Union address, he should work with Congress to eliminate the salary cap on the payroll tax. The Social Security payroll tax salary cap is set at $147,000, which means that...
Editorial: Calls for Marc Fogel’s release must continue until Russia sends him home
WNBA star Brittney Griner has been home for 10 weeks. It was Dec. 8 that she was released from a Russian prison after months in custody for possession of a small amount of medically prescribed cannabis. It took a concerted effort from the highest levels of the federal government. A...
Letter to the editor: Dismayed by Bushy Run battle ruling
I would like to express my dismay and utter disappointment with the state’s stoppage of the Battle of Bushy Run reenactments (“Bushy Run Battlefield reenactment canceled amid new state guidelines,” Jan. 28, TribLIVE). It’s inconceivable that some frivolous state “commission,” without actually voting on the issue, can unilaterally stop a...
Letter to the editor: ‘We can’t handle the truth’
“La La Land” was once a reference to Los Angeles and Hollywood because of the frivolous lifestyle and attitudes of those living there. A case can be made that the La La Land mentality has spread across the entirety of America. It’s much easier to keep your head in the...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Armstrong County welcome mat rolled up
When Chuck Pascal and the Armstrong County Democratic Committee decided to place a billboard with a welcoming message along one of the main roads into the county, they chose words that they hoped would reach and comfort as many people as possible. Pascal, the county Democratic chairman and a prominent...
Austin Sarat: Prisoners donating organs to get time off raises thorny ethical questions
In January 2023 two Democratic representatives, Judith Garcia and Carlos Gonzalez, proposed a bill that would offer prisoners in Massachusetts a new way to win reduction in their sentences: by donating their bone marrow or vital organs. The bill stated that the commissioner of the Department of Corrections should establish...
Brian Lawrence: Blight is a wicked problem
Regarding the editorial “Addressing blight requires planning and action” (Feb. 7, TribLIVE): The roots of blight are nuanced, varied and complex. Systemic factors like abuse of the federal tax code and individual factors, like the death of a loved one, contribute to the problem. Compounding the issue, 40,000 fewer people...
Letter to the editor: You still have the right to say what you want
When I was a child, I heard a popular saying: “I may not agree with what you’re saying, but I will fight to the death for your right to say it.” Nowadays, with the prevalence of the woke mob in the Democratic Party, the saying seems to be, “I don’t...
Sounding off: On Trump and Biden, Bushy Run, Giant Eagle, Rozzi, gun violence, bridge safety
Trump, Biden make for poor presidential choices Both the Democratic and Republican parties are presently in a quandary regarding the 2024 president election. The Democrats are saddled with an 80-year-old President Biden, who I believe is mentally and physically feeble. In addition, Kamala Harris has bombed as vice president. No...
Letter to the editor: Great job, Youngwood
I know this letter is a little late, but I still want it to be said that Youngwood Borough’s workers did a great job decorating the borough building and playground for Christmas. It was great seeing the playground being put to good use, and all the lights and reindeer animations,...
Editorial: Was Westmoreland DA Ziccarelli’s crash really minor?
“Minor car accident” is one of those terms everyone has heard and yet is difficult to quantify. The Pennsylvania Insurance Department doesn’t have a measure for what makes a crash minor or major. An insurance company only deals in monetary amounts. There is no sliding scale. And so, when Westmoreland...
