Zoey Mundorff: Conformity culture destroys our personal identity
Our resumes promise perfection. Our “For You” pages guide us. Our ultra-connected generation drowns in a sea of unoriginality as we chase trends to fit in. We sacrifice genuine self-expression for digital status, searching for individuality in a conformed society. When I traveled to Italy last spring, I mapped the...
Letter to the editor: Trump must be removed
Questions are arising about President Trump and his administration’s competency due to several missteps: • His tax cut gift to corporations and the wealthy is squeezing the middle class and worsening economic inequality. • His trade war is a disaster, leading to higher inflation and economic hardship, especially for farmers...
Editorial: Grand juries work but require restraint
More than 30 years ago, an investigating grand jury last sat to hear and deliberate evidence in Westmoreland County. That was in the 1980s when prosecutors were exploring allegations of law enforcement misconduct in North Huntingdon. After careful review, the grand jury recommended charges against the police chief and others...
Letter to the editor: Choosing to believe the Christmas story
In response to the cynical views expressed in the letter “The real Christmas story” (Dec. 3, TribLive): Even if some of the opinions could be proven fact, his conclusion discarding belief does not necessarily follow. An unusual conjunction of planets did shine with amazing brightness in the East, a phenomenon...
Peter Roff: How to save the post office
The more things change at the U.S. Postal Service, the more they stay the same, unfortunately. The volume of mail moving through the system continues to drop, yet the size of the workforce, thanks to a bad decision by former Postmaster General Louis DeJoy to add full-time employees, has ballooned....
Matt Shorraw: Pa. must protect workers from extreme heat
Think about the last time the temperature approached 90 degrees, with oppressive humidity. Now imagine working under those conditions all day — maybe in a warehouse, on a farm, on a roof, inside a sweltering kitchen or factory, or delivering goods. Across Pennsylvania, many essential workers do this every summer,...
Letter to the editor: Lest we forget — honor all who serve
The anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Bulge is this week. I attended the Greensburg Veterans of Foreign Wars ceremony honoring not just those brave men and women but all who serve, especially combat veterans. I wrote this for them. “In the company of warriors Honoring the...
Letter to the editor: What’s the final line for Trump to cross?
Is there a line that President Trump supporters have that finally wakes them up to the abject cruelty and the numerous lies of this administration? Let’s start with the killing of the two survivors of the missile strike on their boat. First, when did we declare war on Venezuela? Second,...
Editorial: Against the dark of violence, candles provide light
There are certain places in the world that will forever be associated with stunning acts of violence. On Sunday, another pin was placed in that map. At least 15 people were killed when gunfire ripped across Australia’s Bondi Beach, where people gathered to celebrate the start of Hanukkah, the Jewish...
Letter to the editor: Let’s change Dems’ name to Communist Party
I see one of the cadre of radical left Trump-hating letter-writers has now suggested changing the name of the White House to something he thinks is more befitting a medieval castle because he thinks the current president is acting like a king (”Let’s rename the White House,” Dec. 5, TribLive)....
Bob Kustra: It’s time to rebuild the Republican Party, not rename it
President Donald Trump’s recent comments about renaming the Republican Party after him raises the question of whether this might be the spark that ignites a serious reconsideration of just what the Republican Party stands for and what the future holds for the party. Some will write off Trump’s ruminations about...
Carl P. Leubsdorf: Some Democrats showed promise in 2025 as future party leaders
Like most parties that lose presidential races, the Democrats have struggled through a difficult aftermath. But the handwringing over their lack of effective leadership failed to temper their strength at the polls. Exacerbating their difficulties has been the fact that neither of their two top congressional leaders — Sen. Chuck...
Letter to the editor: Thanks for nothing, PennDOT
The letter “Littering ruining our roads” (Nov. 26, TribLive) prompted me to add my two cents worth. Let’s start with: PennDOT is a joke! Hard to say it any other way. We have the second highest gas tax in the country at .576 cents/gallon. On top of that they have...
Letter to the editor: Changing Levine’s portrait label an act of hatred
Many of our citizens did not recognize that in Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential election victory, the country had elected not only a commander in chief, but someone who would have the authority to serve as our moral arbiter, even determining our sexual orientation for us. Our powerful leader who told...
Letter to the editor: Our moral collapse started years ago
The letter-writer who wrote “Killing survivors a sign of our moral collapse” (Dec. 7, TribLive) is correct, but where was he for the past 30 years? There were only two boat survivors killed in this recent incident, but in 2003 we illegally invaded Iraq under the false pretense they possessed...
Editorial: High suicide rate among seniors is a tragedy for entire community
While many people will be enjoying the next few weeks surrounded by friends and family, many of our neighbors will be isolated, especially those in their senior years. This isolation can contribute to depression and other disorders, which in turn can contribute to the rising levels of suicide or suicide...
Editorial cartoons for the week of Dec. 15
Editorial cartoons for the week of Dec. 15....
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Dec. 15
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of Dec. 15....
Letter to the editor: Bring back the Pitt-Penn State rivalry
2027 is the time for the return of the annual Pitt-Penn State football game, either the first or last weekend of the season — the best “rivalry weeks”:
Sept. 11, 2027, or Nov. 27, 2027, in State College and Sept. 2, 2028, or Nov. 25, 2038, in Pittsburgh. The players...
Letter to the editor: Why are our roads so dangerous today?
Does anyone else dread to drive anywhere today? I don’t understand it — from the little old ladies to teenagers, it seems like as soon as the car door shuts, the driver turns into a maniac. Got to get to the store as fast as I can because the sale...
Letter to the editor: Book banning harms society
The U.S. Supreme Court recently denied an appeal to hear a case involving a Texas public library banning a collection of books from distribution to the public. According to USA Today, the titles involved controversial topics like slavery and LGBTQ+ issues. It was argued that “if a disappointed patron can’t...
Editorial: Oversight starts with receipts but shouldn’t stop there
When public money is spent, the people deserve to know the ins and outs. It’s encouraging to see Harrisburg lawmakers on this particular bandwagon. The state Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee opted Tuesday to issue subpoenas to detail the full extent of taxpayer money used to cover certain work at Gov....
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Will Pittsburgh welcome the changes it faces?
When the driverless taxi company Waymo recently announced it would be coming to Pittsburgh, the news was met with cautious skepticism by some of my old-timer friends. Pittsburghers are generally slow to embrace change, remaining loyal to the reliable past, and it may take a minute for us to accept...
Counterpoint: We need to cool our political tempers — and we can
Most Americans would be overjoyed if politicians and political activists would cool their rhetoric. Despite the claims of activists on both the left and right, all policy questions aren’t “life or death,” and those on the “other side” aren’t necessarily ignorant and evil. Although political conflict is inevitable, we each...
Point: The increase in polarization mirrors the growth of government
Politicians and policy experts like to talk about the “root causes” of crime, homelessness, poverty, rising prices and other problems. If they want to understand the root cause of political polarization, they might want to consider the whole picture and look in the mirror. In a book published 40 years...
