Opinion category, Page 411
Letter to the editor: Putin an antichrist of our time
Completely at sea described my state of mind when in a letter to the editor over a month ago, I wrote that Russia would not attack Ukraine. Russia did with a fury that has resulted in barbaric atrocities to soldiers and civilians alike. Over 4 million Ukrainian women, children, elderly...
Letter to the editor: America is on the right track
It is encouraging to see so many articles in the Trib pointing to our country moving in the right direction. Work is beginning on repairing bridges and roads which provide good paying jobs. Several presidents tried to develop an infrastructure plan but failed. President Biden got it done. Unemployment is...
Letter to the editor: Candidates keep telling us what we want to hear
I will cut taxes. I will raise Social Security. I will win the war on drugs. I will defund the police. I will support the police. I will cut government spending. I will slash gas prices. I will drill for oil and natural gas. I will protect the environment. I...
Editorial: Cold cases like Cassandra Gross’ can’t be forgotten
Where is Cassandra Gross? This is a question that the Unity woman’s family and law enforcement have been asking for four years. On April 7, 2018, she had lunch with a friend at the Parkwood Inn in Southwest Greensburg, called her mom as she was driving home along Route 30...
Letter to the editor: Working together to help Westmoreland thrive
I hope new Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce President Dan Debone’s passion to help the working class is sincere (“New Westmoreland chamber leader seeks to expand outreach efforts,” March 12, TribLIVE). Westmoreland has seen a drop in the labor force since the beginning of covid restrictions in March 2020. And...
Letter to the editor: Fox’s Pizza shooting shows need for stronger gun laws
No community is immune to the gun violence epidemic that is ravaging our commonwealth. Not even quiet Oakmont, which was recently shaken by a shooting at Fox’s Pizza Den (“Police: Fox’s Pizza employee shot during robbery in Oakmont,” March 6, TribLIVE). The shooting left the owner in critical condition and...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: We can’t afford to look away from Putin’s carnage
Do not look away. The evening newscasters warned us that we may not want to see the images of Vladimir Putin’s slaughter of citizens in Ukraine. But we learned a long time ago that we cannot afford to look away from crimes like these. On Tuesday, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy...
Sounding off: We should be giving Ukraine the military help they need
“For God’s sake, this man (Putin) cannot remain in power.” A completely correct and inspiring statement by President Biden, this made me proud to be an American. For God’s sake, let us give Ukraine the military equipment immediately that they are requesting — the fighter jets, the tanks, air defense...
Clara Ferreira Marques: Bucha’s atrocities are not Russia’s first. They must be the last
It’s hard to read the reports emerging from Bucha and other Kyiv suburbs, and nearly impossible to look at the images. Retreating Russian soldiers have left evidence of unthinkable brutality. Ordinary men and women lie dead on the street, in the dark mud and dirt, many shot, some with hands...
Colin McNickle: Keystone Exams an abject failure
The concept of achieving proficiency on Keystone Exams as a high school graduation requirement has been a very costly failure in Pennsylvania, concludes a new analysis by the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy. “Implementation has been continuously postponed while more and more complicated and expensive-to-administer alternatives have been enacted into...
Letter to the editor: Pirates need to focus on team, not amenities
The Pirates’ announced upgrades to PNC Park are the latest smoke-and-mirrors act from the Bob Nutting Bank and Trust (“PNC Park getting enhancements in advance of Pirates’ season opener,” April 4, TribLIVE.) Ooh. Ahh. More barstools. Giant bobbleheads. More overpriced food and drink options. None of these enhancements, while nice,...
Letter to the editor: Commitment to global public health is right move
I applaud President Biden’s budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year (“Biden’s budget plan: Higher taxes on rich, lower deficits,” March 28, TribLIVE), particularly the president’s commitment to global public health initiatives. One aspect of the federal budget that should not be overlooked is our nation’s commitment to The Global...
Editorial: Avian flu precautions protect Pennsylvania economy
There is a pretty good chance that a chicken or egg eaten somewhere in the U.S. came from Pennsylvania. The Keystone State is the fourth largest producer of poultry in America. The U.S. Department of Agriculture puts the number of chickens alone at 201 million, and that doesn’t count other...
Letter to the editor: More must be done on dangerous chemicals in our water
I was pleased to see the article “MAWC seeks damages for contamination of water system” (March 16, TribLIVE) about the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County filing a lawsuit against chemical companies for allegedly making toxic substances that contaminate local water systems. Among the chemicals cited as being produced is the...
S.E. Cupp: Will GOP leaders excuse Marjorie Taylor Greene yet again?
How do you solve a problem like Marjorie? Even after Twitter banned Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s personal account for a fifth-strike violation of spreading false covid information in January, the Jewish space laser conspiracy theorist still, inexplicably, has control of her official Twitter account. And boy is she putting...
Gary Franks: Democrat-controlled Congress should do more to help Biden on Ukraine
More than 70% of the country feels we are going in the wrong direction. If Americans did not need another reason to change direction, at least at the congressional level, the massacre at Bucha and horrors seen in Ukraine cry out for change. Where is the Democrat-controlled Congress? It is...
Joseph Wright and Abel Escribà-Folch: Calling Putin a ‘war criminal’ could spark even more atrocities in Ukraine
As the war in Ukraine continues, officials in the U.S. and Europe are sounding alarms about alleged war crimes being committed by Russian troops there. President Joe Biden has called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal,” as has the U.S. Senate, on the grounds that schools, hospitals and civilian...
Tyrone McKinley Freeman: How MacKenzie Scott’s $12 billion in gifts to charity reflect an uncommon trust in the groups she supports
Editor’s note: MacKenzie Scott disclosed on March 23 that she had given $3.9 billion to 465 nonprofits in the previous nine months. These no-strings-attached donations bring the total she has given away in the past two years to at least $12 billion. Philanthropy historian Tyrone Freeman weighs in on Scott’s...
Leonard Pitts Jr.: Call it a stealth coup
What if the coup already came and nobody noticed? It sounds nonsensical, yes. How does a coup go unnoticed? The conventional wisdom, as we learn more about the election of 2020 and the insurrection of 2021, is that by the machinations of Ginni Thomas, Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump and others,...
Letter to the editor: Biden worst president ever
Jimmy Carter can sleep well at night knowing that he’s no longer known as the worst president in American history. Joe Biden claimed that title after only 14 months in office. Biden accomplished this by giving us record high inflation, record high gas prices, record high illegal immigration, record high...
Letter to the editor: GOP looking more like Communist Party
Maybe President Biden could be more successful if he mobilized an angry mob and sent them down to Washington to smash their way into the Capitol, erect a gallows and then chase down the disagreeable legislators. But if he did that, he wouldn’t be Democrat, he’d be a Republican. And...
Letter to the editor: A plan to track immigrants, politicians
President Biden’s gang is releasing illegal aliens into our country by the bus loads. They have reasoned that it is better to give them a government cellphone paid for by us than to put ankle bracelets on them. I have a better, cheaper method. I would insert a chip into...
Lori Falce: Why are we reluctant to tax billionaires?
Who wants to be a billionaire? It’s an aspirational number that most people can’t truly fathom. Oh, they’d like to, but it’s hard to truly appreciate. The median household income in Pennsylvania is around $50,000. If you were able to hold on to every penny — spending nothing on food...
Letter to the editor: County’s mental health needs
The American Rescue Plan allocated $105 million to Westmoreland County. Commissioners Gina Cerilli Thrasher and Sean Kertes, please join with Commissioner Doug Chew and realize the acute need for better mental health care in the county and make funding mental health care a priority. In 1990, I moved to Westmoreland...
Letter to the editor: Time to increase Social Security thresholds
Congressional Gaming Caucus co-chair Guy Reschenthaler recently introduced the Shifting Limits on Thresholds (SLOT) Act, which would raise the tax threshold for slot winnings from $1,200 to $5,000. The current threshold for reporting slot winnings was set in 1977. While this is commendable, it doesn’t adequately address what constituents really...
