Opinion category, Page 691
Letter to the editor: Criticism of Obama well deserved
Criticism of President Obama isn’t racist, just well-deserved. His signature accomplishment was a cleverly named tax that didn’t save Americans $2,500 a year as promised and didn’t allow everyone to keep their health care providers or even always retain preferred doctors. Worse yet, rather than maximize a historic chance to...
Letter to the editor: Making Trump a 1-term president
President Trump’s critics consider him to be crude, self-centered, pathologically dishonest and childishly vindictive. Of course he is, but for some reason nearly half of the country doesn’t care. And I don’t believe there is any way to make those folks care. So how do we make Trump a one-term...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Feb. 17
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Feb. 17....
Editorial cartoons for the week of Feb. 17
Editorial cartoons for the week of Feb. 17....
Gary Smith: Character & convictions of Washington & Lincoln
In the aftermath of President Trump’s impeachment trial and in light of the scathing attacks on both Trump and potential Democratic candidates as the 2020 election approaches, the celebration of Presidents Day is a good time to rise above the current political recriminations and rancor by reviewing the character and...
S.E. Cupp: Never-Trumper’s message to Never-Sanders crowd
Tuesday night’s victory in New Hampshire gives Sen. Bernie Sanders unequivocal frontrunner status, and anyone trying to couch his win as less than significant is trying to sell you something likely named Buttigieg, Klobuchar or Bloomberg. This will terrify the members of the anti-Sanders wing of the Democratic Party —...
Editorial: Home prices up, inventory down
People love to see a great house. HGTV is popular for a reason. People want to see what other people’s houses look like, and what their houses could look like, and whether they should think about buying another house or remodeling the house they already have. That old adage is...
Letter to the editor: Impeachment & incumbents
Both political parties showed the worst of already loathed politicians during the impeachment debacle. It never had a chance of succeeding. It really boiled down to Nancy Pelosi running out of options. It then became a Mitch McConnell show. Thus we saw the absolute worst of both Pelosi and McConnell....
Letter to the editor: Bicycle takeover in Pittsburgh
Regarding Bob Bauder’s article “Draft plan calls for more bike lanes in Pittsburgh” (Feb. 11 TribLIVE): Dogs pee on trees and those alert bicycle enthusiasts and their clever strategists here in Pittsburgh have copied this primal territorial approach. They got hold of some white paint and cute abstract stencils of...
Letter to the editor: No ‘gray area’ on guns
Lori Falce’s column “The black and white of guns” starts out lumping seven hot topics with gun rights/control as having “gray area” that must be understood before both sides of any issue are settled. When it comes to gun rights/gun control, it is black and white. Because the “gray area”...
Rich Askey: Let’s talk about fixing Pa.’s educator shortage
Do you like living in a world with doctors, engineers, entrepreneurs and artists? We wouldn’t have any of these professionals — or countless others — without educators. Education is the career that makes every other career possible. So it should trouble all of us that Pennsylvania, like much of the...
Nathan Benefield: A responsible state budget? Only in your dreams
In his sixth budget address, Gov. Tom Wolf asked us to “imagine” what Pennsylvania would look like if he could purchase everything on his wish list. To cover the costs, he wants to raise overall spending a massive 6.1%. He also wants to borrow $5.5 billion — a loan that...
Antony Davies & James Harrigan: Compelled pledge is unconstitutional
A 16-year-old junior at Lebanon High School in Eastern Pennsylvania is suing his school district in federal court claiming his civil rights have been violated. As is the case across much of the country, everything at Lebanon High comes to a standstill for a minute or so every day as...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: A history lesson from Kirk Douglas & ‘Spartacus’
Any time a movie star dies, we tend to remember them for the fictional roles they played, with little time spent on their real lives. When Kirk Douglas died last week at 103, it was easy enough to think of him as he was in the movies. But Douglas did...
Editorial: Pitt virus collaboration is healthy
COVID-19 is coming to town. You are forgiven if you don’t immediately place the name. It’s gone through a number of changes in recent weeks. It’s the new official designation for the disease you are more likely to know as coronavirus. The problem is that coronavirus isn’t a virus. It’s...
Letter to the editor: Impeachment a historic cover-up
The impeachment “trial” in the Senate was always a foregone conclusion based on the numbers. In my opinion, the reason Republicans didn’t want to hear new witnesses was because it would have been harder for them to justify an acquittal. I believe this will go down in history as the...
Letter to the editor: What God would say about Trump, Dems
Regarding Oren Spiegler’s letter “Jesus, Democrats & Republicans” (Jan. 25, TribLIVE): I just returned from heaven and a long talk with God. He informed me that he recently formed a new neutral destination for Democrats in the next life. It is called Demotory, i.e., a somewhat serene place where Democrats...
Letter to the editor: Nancy Pelosi’s poisonous action
Dear Nancy, I served this country for over 20 years in uniform under both Republican and Democratic leaders. Many presidents and speakers have come and gone. In my 65 years, I have never been as disgusted as I was by your contemptuous and childish display during the State of the...
Walter Williams: A more or less perfect union
“A More or Less Perfect Union” is a three-part series, produced by Free to Choose Network, that is airing on PBS stations across the nation. The documentary is a personal exploration of the U.S. Constitution by Justice Douglas Ginsburg, who served on the U.S. Court of Appeals D.C. Circuit and...
John Stossel: Trump’s good, bad & ugly
President Trump “saved the United States,” says former Trump adviser Steve Bannon. He’s one of the “smartest, most clever and successful” presidents, says Fox’s Jeanine Pirro. No, he’s “dumb and racist,” says comedian Seth Meyers, and guilty of “rampant corruption,” say commentators on MSNBC. The man divides opinion like no...
Editorial: Brain drain requires smart solutions
They call it brain drain. It’s the harsh truth that Pennsylvania kids can’t afford to stay in Pennsylvania when they get higher education, and it dances around the edges of a lot of the problems with the state’s colleges and universities. While the Keystone State boasts plenty of opportunities —...
Thomas Kubica: A letter to Sen. Rand Paul
The following is a letter to Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul: Dear Sen. Paul, I read a recent Washington Examiner editorial which included comments you made regarding the impeachment trial, former ambassador and national security advisor John Bolton, and the political future of other Republican senators. You disparaged Bolton, who I...
Letter to the editor: Shame on Pat Toomey
A letter to U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey: It is obvious to me and many of your constituents why the Republican Senate voted against having additional witnesses in President Trump’s impeachment trial. I think you know that having John Bolton testify would confirm beyond any doubt that Trump conspired to rig...
Laurels & lances: Transparency, therapy, reflection
Lance: To keeping secrets. Every day, there are lawsuits that are sealed for a variety of reasons. On Tuesday, sealed paperwork was filed in Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas containing the details of the settlement between UPMC and Paris Cleaners Inc. on one side and, on the other, the...
Letter to the editor: Trump, bribery & heresy
On the same day the letter “Trump haters should be mindful of facts” (Jan. 17, TribLIVE) appeared, there was an article headlined “White House considers changes to law banning overseas bribes” (Jan. 17, TribLIVE). So what if bribery is unethical and illegal (not to mention impeachable)? The president is quoted...
