Opinion category, Page 11
Editorial: Why won’t lawmakers consider a gift ban?
Why can’t Pennsylvania just have transparent government? Why is it so hard for the people to know who really is paying for the laws, the lawmakers and the influence? For nine years, March on Harrisburg has been — quite literally — marching on Harrisburg. The organization has returned to the...
Letter to the editor: County council’s leg shackles decision risks public’s safety
Recently Allegheny County Council voted to continue the ban on Allegheny County Jail correctional officers’ use of leg shackles on hospital runs by voting 12-2. One of the council members is in denial and continually cites state escape statistics showing no escapes when she knows there have been three incidents...
Christine Flowers: There’s a wholesale inhumanity happening now in immigration courts
Whenever I post something about a person who has been granted asylum, or who has obtained their green card, or who has become a U.S. citizen, people congratulate that person, and say “welcome to the country.” Many of the comments are incredibly warm, and they make me very proud of...
Cal Thomas: Republicans are failing to communicate
In the 1967 film “Cool Hand Luke,” the “Captain” says to Luke (Paul Newman): “What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” The same could be said of the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress. While they have much to brag about — from a closed border, the deportation of...
Letter to the editor: Do the right thing and help those who need it
We all have a choice to do the right thing or not. All the millionaires, billionaires, trillionaires and zillionaires are very fortunate. Helping those who need help might not get you to heaven, but it’s a good start. Let me end with this: Way to go! Kudos! Don’t let me...
Letter to the editor: Free the Pittsburgh elephants
In April, I visited the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium and recorded hours of footage of the elephant paddock. With a mission for detecting abnormal signs and symptoms, what I found was deeply disturbing. In my opinion, these five intelligent creatures (Angeline, Savannah, Tasha, Victoria and Zuri) are suffering tremendously, driven...
Letter to the editor: Unfair license suspensions
A decade-long breakdown in Allegheny County’s Department of Court Records happened. Over 1,000 local residents are now receiving notices that their licenses will be suspended years after their court cases ended — in some cases, as long as 12 years ago. Here’s why this is a big deal, and what...
Editorial: $1 million stolen, no jail time is a betrayal of justice — and police officers
Sometimes when police officers are accused of misconduct, it can be difficult to break through the wall of support — or at the very least, the wall of silence — that surrounds them. To a degree, that’s understandable. Officers depend on each other. In an emergency, they need to know...
Kyle Bender: More males in early childhood education
Alex, a 5-year-old in my preschool classroom, often exhibited challenging behavior, such as hurting his peers and running away from adults, but I could usually redirect him. He loved putting things together, so I often asked, “Would you like to build a puzzle with me?” We assembled many puzzles together...
Phil Kerpen: Uncapping FDIC insurance is a bipartisan bad idea
It isn’t often that two senators as far apart ideologically as Republican Bill Hagerty of Tennessee and Democrat Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland get together on a piece of legislation. The bill they wrote together — the Main Street Depositor Protection Act — deserves a closer look. The bill would raise...
Editorial: Klan flyers are cry for attention
Hate groups seem like the kind of thing that festers in the shadows. Who would admit to being aligned with an organization dedicated to hatred, committed to pressuring its neighbors and tied to violence? When was the last time you saw an obituary where someone’s long list of associations included...
Letter to the editor: Tracking property in Murrysville
What is going on in Murrysville? The chief administrator, Mchael Nestico, just offered an ordinance proposal to create a “registry for vacant property.” What? He wants to “track” people’s private properties? He states that if a property owner lives more than 25 miles away, they must hire a property manager....
Danny Tyree: Stressing out over Thanksgiving travel?
Don’t hate me because I’m stationary. Yes, the Tyrees are anticipating another laid-back, close-to-home Thanksgiving. Some would envy our “sweet spot,” but it’s more of a bittersweet spot. Our parents and grandparents are deceased, our siblings have their own plans and we don’t have a daughter-in-law or grandchildren yet. Our...
Anita Chabria: Democrats crumble like cookies. Is this really the best they can do?
Democrats crumbled like soft-bake cookies. The so-called resistance party gave up the shutdown fight, ensuring that millions of Americans will face Republican-created skyrocketing health-care costs, and millions more will bury any hope that the minority party will find the substance and leadership to run a viable defense against President Donald...
Letter to the editor: Trump’s business instincts not so great
The writer of the letter “A businessman in the White House” (Nov. 4, TribLive) extols President Trump’s business instincts, but apparently is ignorant of the real effects of tariffs. It’s a hidden tax on Americans, nothing more, nothing less. Why would our president want to raise prices for Americans? Remember...
Editorial: Budget vote doesn’t make funding flow
The state budget is passed. It’s been signed by the governor. Four months of confusion and belt-tightening is over. But does that mean a handle turns and state funding starts to pour toward all of the restricted agencies and programs like water from a faucet? Not at all. Counties and...
Letter to the editor: NY’s future dire with Mamdani
New York City just elected Zohran Mamdani, a 34-year-old, inexperienced socialist/communist with radical Islamist sympathies as its mayor. This will not turn out well. I predict New York police officers will leave the force in large numbers due to past statements by Mamdani denigrating and calling for the defunding of...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Nov. 17
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Nov. 17....
Editorial cartoons for the week of Nov. 17
Editorial cartoons for the week of Nov. 17....
Letter to the editor: Epstein victims deserve justice, no matter who is involved
When we see grown women talking about having been sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein, it’s easy to forget that they were children when trafficked and abused. Think of girls 14 to 17 years old that you know. How would you feel seeing them treated like sexual objects? There are also...
Editorial: What does selling naming rights buy a school?
If there’s one thing public schools understand, it’s how to apply math to a word problem. “Jimmy has five apples” and “a train leaves Philadelphia heading east at 30 miles per hour” are the kind of things that show up in homework, teaching kids that math problems don’t just come...
Letter to the editor: We have too much ‘representation’
If the president, the most important position in the country, can only serve two four-year terms, why should senators, representatives and judges be allowed to serve more? A rogue judge who gets elected to a 10-year term can cause a lot of damage in his decade in office. I believe...
Letter to the editor: Westmoreland elections are secure
If Westmoreland County Commissions Sean Kertes and Doug Chew want to switch to paper ballots to conform to neighboring counties (“Westmoreland voters opt for computers over paper ballots,” Nov. 6, TribLive), why not wait until the 900 touch-screen machines purchased in 2019 for $7 million are no longer operational? It...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Democrats must get back to business
If you grew up in one of the blue-collar towns across America, you are no stranger to disputes being settled by a couple of guys going toe-to-toe. Sometimes it was over something important, sometimes it was over an insult or a slight, and sometimes it just had to be done...
Kevin Frazier: You can’t save the American Dream by freezing it in time
“They gave your job to AI. They picked profit over people. That’s not going to happen when I’m in office. We’re going to tax companies that automate away your livelihood. We’re going to halt excessive use of AI. We’re going to make sure the American Dream isn’t outsourced to AI...
