Opinion category, Page 71
Christine Flowers: Big part of being Catholic is speaking out over injustices
My alma mater was wrong. Villanova should have barred a young man from walking at graduation after filming a young woman being sexually assaulted. Instead, he basically skated. No arrest, no charges, no penalties. It took an intrepid journalist with a solid moral compass to bring the story to the...
Letter to the editor: Pa.’s gas prices due to high taxes
Regarding the letter “Oil prices vs. gas prices” (April 14, TribLive): Pennsylvania has the third highest gasoline taxes in the country. When the federal levies are added to those imposed by the state, Pennsylvania consumers are paying 77 cents per gallon in taxes. I suspect the 77 cents per gallon...
Letter to the editor: Pecarchik’s hard work, results make her best choice for register of wills
As a critical thinker, I found there to be no logic to the letter “Wian right pick for register of wills” (April 11, TribLive). It appears her support of Jon Wian is based solely on the fact that he wasn’t involved in the mess created under the former register. If...
Letter to the editor: Shapiro’s leadership refreshing
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s leadership is a dazzling contrast to the leadership at the federal level. His proposed 2025-26 budget has an emphasis on public service, not aggrandizement. Gratefully, Shapiro is working to counter the mean-spirited approach of the Trump administration that unlawfully terminated the Local Food Purchasing Assistance Program (LFPA),...
Editorial: The financial crisis of 2025? Better to be ready
If there’s one thing investors have learned in recent days, it’s that there’s no way to guess what America will do next. With its on-again, off-again tariffs, the administration has demonstrated a willingness to shock markets. Amid such radical uncertainty, a financial crisis isn’t out of the question. Policymakers need...
Letter to the editor: Why we’re protesting Trump’s actions
I attended the recent “Hands Off” rally in Pittsburgh for many reasons: unreasonable tariffs, attacks on science, education, health and health care, voting rights, free speech and freedom of the press, inhumane deportations. We have been living in chaos and attacks on our democratic way of life ever since the...
Letter to the editor: Making SNAP healthier will save lives
Make America Healthy Again seems to be starting. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is making moves to eliminate sugary foods and soda pop/energy drinks from the SNAP program. Numerous Republican-led states also are taking steps to eliminate unhealthy, sugary items from the program. These are...
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of April 21
Mallard Fillmore cartoons for the week of April 21....
Editorial cartoons for the week of April 21
Editorial cartoons for the week of April 21....
Letter to the editor: Support good work of Greensburg VFD Bloodhound Team
I have noticed a growing number of news alerts asking for the public’s help in finding people who are missing from various institutions, such as nursing homes and senior care facilities, as well as Alzheimer’s patients and children. Recently I learned about the Greensburg Volunteer Fire Department’s Bloodhound Team and...
Letter to the editor: We should be buying American
Hearing the news about the president’s tariffs on other countries, especially for those on China and Japan, got me thinking about growing up in the ’50s and ’60s. My dad was injured while serving during World War II. He never asked for anything from the government after his discharge but...
Editorial: Hunting for joy at Easter
Easter is about a joy that isn’t given. It is sought. On the Fourth of July, joy lights up the sky. On Halloween, we knock on doors and ask for it. On Thanksgiving, it is spread out on the table. On Christmas, it is wrapped up and tagged and placed...
Letter to the editor: Parents deserve a say on kids’ apps
As a former state senator and now a grandfather, I’ve spent years focused on strengthening families and communities. But today’s digital world presents new challenges, especially for parents trying to protect their kids online. Smartphones and tablets give children nearly unlimited access to app stores filled with content that ranges...
Joseph Sabino Mistick: Americans deserve better
Surrounded by coal miners, Donald Trump recently announced that he is going to bring back the flagging coal industry, calling the signing of several executive orders “historic action to help American workers, miners, families and consumers.” “This is a very important day to me because we’re bringing back an industry...
Counterpoint: Conventional wisdom behind birthright citizenship is flat error
Once upon a time, doctors were convinced that using leeches and drawing the blood of patients cured illness. No matter how widely accepted that error was, leeches didn’t cure anything. The same is true for the belief that anyone born in the United States automatically becomes an American citizen. Please...
Point: A defense of birthright citizenship
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump issued an executive order aimed at ending automatic citizenship — known as “birthright citizenship” — for children born in the United States to two noncitizen parents. His argument rests on interpreting the phrase “subject to the jurisdiction thereof,” found in the...
Letter to the editor: SAVE Act is about discrimination, not integrity
The GOP-led Congress has passed a bill called the SAVE Act that purports to safeguard the integrity of future elections. Let’s do the math. Election integrity equals voter suppression equals racial discrimination. Always has, always will. This is a racist bill. If you don’t believe me and think that there...
Letter to the editor: Pecarchik best pick for register of wills
Katie Pecarchik has more of the experience needed for the Office of Register of Wills than the two other candidates. In the past she was deputy clerk, first deputy and acting register of wills. She has 21 years of experience in this office. She came out of retirement to get...
Sounding off: Politics, Pirates among week’s topics
A difficult time for democracy One might argue Karl Marx was mistaken; it’s not, as Marx predicted, oppressed workers who are smashing capitalism, but bored billionaires. “Move fast and break things,” the guiding principle of Facebook, was adopted by billionaires across business and financial sectors. As I see it, an...
Letter to the editor: McCormick helping to keep us safe
It been a little over 100 days since David McCormick became Pennsylvania’s newest U.S. senator. I felt that electing a self-accomplished senator would give us a senator ready and able to take on the challenges of leadership in Washington. Sure enough, he has taken on several Senate leadership responsibilities, including...
Letter to the editor: Appreciate the great theater talent in Pittsburgh
I recently had the honor to attend the world premiere of “Art of Wise” by Mark Clayton Southers at Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater. This is a brilliant play, written at a level of the very best playwrights. This experience reminded me that we have highly talented playwrights, directors, technicians and actors...
Editorial: How did Pittsburgh’s overtime budget go so wrong?
In November, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey proposed a 2025 budget that didn’t just hold the line on 2024’s spending, but it also reeled it in by 3%. In December, Pittsburgh City Council passed that budget with few changes. They did so despite concerns over aspects that felt unrealistic. Specifically, there...
Letter to the editor: Message to Summer Lee — impeach Trump
Earlier this month, Rep. Summer Lee did not directly respond to questions about whether she supports impeaching President Trump from office. This is unacceptable. I am unhappy seeing this lack of foresight and leadership from my district’s representative. It’s obvious to me, a concerned citizen and voter, that Trump is...
Letter to the editor: Republican endorsements cowardly
With the election of RINO Sen. Greg Rothman as Pennsylvania GOP chair, I fully expect the party to endorse its candidate for governor. There were 15 candidates for governor in 2021-22 when I ran. I don’t believe the party will want a repeat of “just anybody” thinking they can run....
Cal Thomas: Time to stamp out the post office
Better buy your “Forever” stamps now, because the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has announced another price increase. On July 13, the cost of a first-class stamp is scheduled to rise from 73 cents to 78 cents. The plan is to raise prices four more times by 2027. Meanwhile, it appears...
