Opinion category, Page 682
Tom Purcell: Family landlines better than smartphones for teens
When my childhood home got a phone call, it was an event. That was partly because my father, a longtime phone company employee, installed four brass-belled phones throughout our home. The phones rang so loudly it sounded like crooks were breaking into Fort Knox. It was also because we were...
Jonah Goldberg: Inconvenient evidence puts GOP senators on spot
President Donald J. Trump was impeached on Thursday. I know that he was technically impeached when the House voted to do so in December. But the truth is, as a political and historical matter, Thursday was the day. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s strategy — brilliant to fans, incomprehensible to foes...
Editorial: FDA should scrub in on recall
There are things that are done with an abundance of trust — things done with the belief that they are safe. Like surgery. When going into an operating room, people are vulnerable. They know things can go wrong, but they also trust everything that can be done to ensure it...
Letter to the editor: Where does Buttigieg stand?
Pete Buttigieg recently slammed Joe Biden, his current competition for the Democratic presidential nomination, over his vote to authorize use of military force in Iraq. Given the subsequent state of affairs with Iran, the judgment behind this support is certainly worthy of consideration. However, Buttigieg should then be supporting Bernie...
Letter to the editor: Obama had hand in our economic recovery
Rather than using monetary amounts, a letter-writer recently tried comparing increases in our national debt by using percentages (“National debt under Trump, Obama”). He stated that during the Obama years, the compounded rate of increase of the national debt was 8.72% compared to 5.09% under President Trump. Not mentioned was...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Jan. 20
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Jan. 20....
Editorial cartoons for the week of Jan. 20
Editorial cartoons for the week of Jan. 20....
S.E. Cupp: Sanders & Warren splitting up a good thing
In the hours before Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders were set to take the final debate stage before the February Iowa caucuses, what began as a mutual protection pact between the two progressive candidates for president devolved into a he-said, she-said war of the far-left worlds. To which I...
Mark Compton: Safety drives every decision at turnpike commission
Despite the best efforts of the transportation industry nationally working together to reduce fatal and serious-injury crashes, nearly 40,000 people die each year in highway-related incidents; on average, 15 of those occur on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Every year, dozens of roadway workers, first responders and tow-truck operators are killed; we...
Earl Tilford: How Martin Luther King Jr. changed hearts
My father was a Presbyterian minister in rural northwest Alabama from 1961 to 1965. I came of age there, then left the University of Alabama with an M.A. in history in 1969. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Gov. George C. Wallace framed the historical context of a changing...
Editorial: Reaching for the dream
There once was a man who had a dream. He stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial during the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. He looked back 100 years to a great day in American history and spoke about how far we have come, but he also...
Letter to the editor: Disappointed in Arnold’s council pick
I was discouraged by the decision by Arnold’s mayor and council in filling the empty seat left open by the election of Joe Bia as mayor (“Arnold fills vacant city council seat, creates redevelopment vacancy,” Jan. 14, TribLIVE). The two candidates both had extensive resumes. However, one has been a...
Letter to the editor: Organ donation needs more awareness
Thank you for your recent editorial concerning the need for registration of organ donors (“Donation is a gift of Life.” ) This is such an important topic, one that is rarely covered by most of the local media. The news outlets are obsessed with politics, sports and celebrities and not...
Letter to the editor: Affordable Care Act saves lives
I am the mother of two children with special needs, one much more significant than the other. My daughter has multiple disabilities that will be lifelong and are life-threatening. Her care is costly. Her needs are great. She will need care all of her life, and her medical expenses will...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Pittsburgh’s pollution-industry balance
When Dennis Towne, a Google engineer from Pittsburgh’s East End, publicly proclaimed this month that he was leaving Pittsburgh because the air sometimes smelled bad in his neighborhood, he quickly caught the attention of politicians, bureaucrats and average Pittsburghers. A Pittsburgh resident since 2017, Towne acknowledged that Pittsburgh “has made...
Joseph Horton: The Methodist Church is coming apart
The initial reports read to me a bit like the losers won, but the church of my upbringing is on the verge of coming apart after decades of internal turmoil. The details of the deal will be important, but leaders of the United Methodist Church have agreed in principle to...
Antony Davies & James Harrigan: Congress has no constitutional authority on alcohol, drugs
One hundred years ago, on Jan. 17, 1920, when the 18th Amendment came into force, it became illegal to manufacture, transport or sell alcohol within the United States. Prohibition was a profoundly bad idea, but even had it been worthwhile, it was nearly impossible to enforce. People wanted alcohol regardless...
Editorial: Is gambling too convenient?
Legal online poker made $2.5 million in its first full month of being legal in Pennsylvania. That’s not a lot in the great scheme of things. It’s less than 1% of the state’s December gambling revenue. But it’s a start. The question isn’t how much will it grow from there....
Sounding off: Addressing speed on highways
Whenever there is a crash and/or traffic fatalities, the blame is always put on anything and everything other than “driving too fast for conditions” or increased speed limits. People will blame the weather, the road or a mistake a driver made, but speed is one sacred demon you don’t dare...
Letter to the editor: Information needed on Westmoreland County’s finances
Regarding the article “March 17 special election set to fill Justin Walsh’s former state House seat” (Jan. 7, TribLIVE): If this great county cannot afford a measly $200,000 for the referenced special election, then the county’s finances are in a far more precarious condition that we Trib readers might be...
Letter to the editor: Trump, Senate actions will take high toll
“Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing” is a frequently quoted sports statement that, if applied to all actions, would be the end of caring, love, honesty, appreciation of beauty and all morality. Sadly, it seems to be the main motivation of our president and the Republican Party leadership. Senate...
Letter to the editor: Trump haters should be mindful of facts
The writer of the recent letter “Trump supporters should see writing on wall” (Dec. 20, TribLIVE) is like the guy who buys the snake oil at the carnival and then calls everyone who doesn’t buy it stupid. He seems to think that all the testimony against President Trump proves that...
John Stossel: State’s byzantine laws licensed good people to fail
People who want to work should be allowed to work. That includes people who once went to jail. With President Trump’s support, Congress spends your money giving ex-cons “employment assistance.” Why bother? State laws often make such employment impossible. Courtney Haveman had an alcohol problem. When she was 19, she...
Walter Williams: High costs of crime on blacks in low-income areas
Criminal activity imposes huge costs on black residents in low-income neighborhoods of cities such as Chicago, Baltimore, Detroit, St. Louis, Philadelphia and many others. Thousands of black Americans were murdered in 2019. Over 90% of the time, the perpetrator was also black. Leftists and social justice warriors charge that what...
Editorial: Bus routes are connections, not prizes
One of the hallmarks of a how well a community works is always transportation. Are the roads paved? Are they plowed? How bad is the traffic? And how good is the public transit? According to a report from trip-planning app Moovit, the people of Pittsburgh have it pretty good compared...
