Got to Category

Opinion category, Page 66

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Letter to the editor: Bible tells us to love neighbors, foreigners
As a Christian who has studied and taught the Bible most of my life, I’m struck by a regular theme in it. Did you know that the familiar command, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” first appears in Leviticus 19? Then, 15 verses later, the command is, “You shall love the...
Letter to the editor: Harris’ grocery gouging ban makes no sense
So one of the latest big ideas coming from the mind of presidential candidate Kamala Harris is to impose price controls on groceries. Let’s take a closer look: A typical profit margin for a supermarket operator is on the order of 1% to 2% (let’s assume 2% to be extra...
Letter to the editor: Paper ballots best way to vote
Several citizens attended the Aug. 27 Westmoreland County commissioners’ public meeting, requesting expert-recommended paper ballot use instead of voting machines. In March 2024, after studying paper ballot and voting machine security for 20 years, Princeton’s Dr. Andrew Appel and two additional cyber­security experts testified before the Pennsylvania Senate regarding voting...
Editorial: Is Pennsylvania Board of Higher Education a solution to post-secondary problems?
The University of Pittsburgh has 36 trustees. So does Temple University. Penn State has 39 — 40 if you count the governor’s nonvoting representative. Lincoln University has 38. The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education has a 20-member board of governors. The system includes 10 state universities. PennWest, with campuses...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Decency on the ballot
“Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?” That was the question that attorney Joseph Welch asked of Sen. Joe McCarthy in the 1954 U.S. Army hearings after McCarthy took his reckless cruelty a step too far. Decency counted for something then, and we will see if it...
Point: When violent crime was at its worst, congressional action helped get the country back on track
By the early 1990s, the United States had experienced dramatic and unprecedented surges in crime, with the violent crime rate up 470% from 1961 and the murder rate up 92% from that year. Life in American cities was more dangerous than ever, and punishment was not fitting the crimes. While...
Counterpoint: The 1994 crime bill’s legacy — 30 years of failure
The 1994 crime bill, a misguided policy choice rooted in fear and misinformation, has inflicted irreparable harm on communities nationwide. By prioritizing punitive measures over proven prevention strategies, this legislation has fueled mass incarceration, eroded civil liberties and exacerbated systemic inequalities, all without demonstrably improving public safety. The architects and...
Sounding off: Presidential race tops week’s letters
Reenergized by Harris I want to extend a personal thank-you to Donald Trump. For many years, I was very apathetic toward politics … until he entered the fray. But my interest in politics isn’t because I’m pro-DT. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. I can unequivocally say that I haven’t...
Letter to the editor: Zelenak will protect children
Does your child, grandchild or other young person you care about play a school sport? Would you want that athlete to receive the fastest possible medical attention should something happen during an event? If you do, here’s some good news. Representatives in Harrisburg agree with you. In early July, the...
Letter to the editor: Do religious folks see themselves in Trump?
Recently I received a letter from an alleged group of church ladies from Monroeville. While cowering behind guarded anonymity and the church, they stated that they had never encountered so many wicked accusations and hateful, mean references as in my letter “There’s still time to replace Trump” (Aug. 24, TribLive)...
Editorial: Extreme weather shows need to work together
Weather doesn’t care about borders. The lines on a map are drawn by people in response to treaties, negotiations and legislation. The border between Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, for instance, is the result of years of history and decision, carefully surveyed and documented. But when rain falls in Tarentum, it...
Letter to the editor: Why the hatred for Trump?
Why so much hate for a man who has fought to make our country strong and proud, a man who has taken so much crap, hate and lies from both Democrats and the liberal media? Who is Donald Trump? A man who gave us a great economy, low gas and...
Letter to the editor: PBMs cost everyone
Low payments from pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) have led to the closure of many pharmacies, including Walgreens and Rite Aid. In Pennsylvania, Rite Aid has closed 59 stores. Walgreens plans to shut down 25% of its stores over three years. One Pennsylvania pharmacy has closed every two days since January...
S.E. Cupp: Eric Adams trying out Trump’s playbook
It’s the go-to play nowadays. If you’re a politician collared for alleged crimes, feign indignation, call it a “conspiracy,” blame the “corrupt” Department of Justice and refuse to resign. New York Mayor Eric Adams has been indicted on five federal charges related to 2021 campaign contributions, wire fraud and bribery....
Josh Fleitman: I’m afraid of sending my daughter to school, angry that solutions are being ignored
I’m the proud new dad of a 9-month-old baby girl. Fatherhood has fundamentally changed the way my wife and I think and how we perceive the world. There’s the new levels of joy that we didn’t think possible: our hearts melting at her first giggle, celebrating her first word and...
Letter to the editor: Trump tax cuts
The writer of the letter “Lies about Trump” (Sept. 20, TribLive) feels it’s “hypocrisy” to think Donald Trump only wants to give tax breaks to his rich friends. After signing the $1.5 trillion 2017 GOP tax bill into law, Trump told wealthy friends at Mar-a-Lago, “You all just got a...
Letter to the editor: Tiresome politics
Drained, bored, tired, ingesting NoDoz and energy drinks in pale chance of getting gusto. The drudgery of understanding presidential politics could have a lot of people feeling kinda blue. That’s in the sad, dreary sense. Not the political red or blue. It’s so important to specify details. During the presidential...
Carl P. Leubsdorf: A personal reminiscence of Jimmy Carter
On a December afternoon nearly 50 years ago, I got a phone call from Jody Powell, the press secretary to a little-known former governor of Georgia who had this bizarre notion he would be the country’s next president. After filling me in on his boss’s plans for formally announcing his...
Laurels & lances: Screening, freezing & suing
Laurel: To feeding information. People can get a lot of things at a food bank. You might expect vegetables, canned goods and pasta. But breast cancer screenings are rarely on the menu. That changed this week when state Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, partnered in Allegheny and Westmoreland...
Letter to the editor: Trump is the tough leader we need
Many detest Donald Trump because of his personality, calling him rude and undignified. But Trump’s toughness is the reason to vote for him. Our nation is in danger of extinction because our weak leaders are afraid to make tough decisions. Our elite leadership won’t stand up to the aggressive leaders...
Paul Kengor: Our nonsensical voices of ‘democracy’
One of the most annoying things in our impoverished public discourse — which has been degraded by all sides — are the howls from liberals about “democracy,” and especially that Donald Trump will “destroy democracy.” This battle cry has become a literal yard sign in 2024, with Harris/Walz supporters planting...
Letter to the editor: Don’t Pitt, Penn State have any self-respect?
Pitt 73, Youngstown State 17 ; Penn State 56, Kent State 0. Do these state tax-supported Pennsylvania universities have no self-respect? Who’s next on their schedules — Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Point Park, or some skilled and highly trained girls’ school? Wayne Baughman Salem...
Letter to the editor: Media bias regarding Teamsters endorsement
I try to remain neutral and keep my eyes and ears open to all options. However, last week demonstrated that network news reporting has lost a tenet of journalism — to report the facts and leave options and bias out of a news piece. Walter Cronkite would have reported balance...
Editorial: Betrayal of trust: Upholding dignity in patient care is paramount
There are few places where people are more vulnerable than in a hospital. When reaching out for medical care, patients have to be open about things they would tell no one else. They discuss the most embarrassing things that happen in the bathroom or in the bedroom. They come clean...
Letter to the editor: Stupidity is a problem in our country
This may just be an old man’s rant, but here goes. Never in my life did I think that people in this country who sat at home and watched an attack on our Capitol, live on TV, with lunatics defecating on desks and threatening to hang the vice president, just...


Editor's Picks

Front Porch Theatricals’ musical ‘Baby’ is a labor of love

Washington townhouse on the market for $1,225,000
Folk legend Bruce Cockburn gives uplifting performance at City Winery
‘Champagne & Chapeaux’: Westmoreland Symphony’s annual soiree for a good cause
Jimmy Stewart’s P-51 Mustang stops in hometown for museum anniversary
More Editor's Picks >