Archive By Section - Columnists
Did the city get a turkey this holiday?
Did our community get a "turkey" of a project this holiday season, or a hospital? That is the question after the Santa Clarita City Council last week approved the hospital and multi-story office expansions.
Striking a balance with nature
Last Saturday, Santa Clarita celebrated yet another successful River Rally. Thousands of people turned out to give the South Fork of the Santa Clara River a loving grooming.
The change we need
For the past two years of the presidential campaign we've been overwhelmed and plastered with calls and slogans for "Change We Can Believe In." As the economy subsequently crashed, and then crashed harder, the "Change We Can Believe In" surged and morphed into a desperate plea for "The Change We Need."
We’re on a slippery slope
Socialism is best described as an economic system in which the basic means of production and finance are primarily owned and controlled collectively, usually by government under some systems.
Voting youth shows maturity
Fox News, conservative radio instigators and the Republican leadership have been scrambling as of late to redefine themselves.
The ‘Catch-22’ of our economy
"The 'Catch-22' is the housing market will not stabilize until the credit market stabilizes, and the credit market will not stabilize until the housing market stabilizes."
We need another way out of this place
How many more wake-up calls do we need? We have had two earthquakes - 1971 and 1994 - shutting down the Interstate 5 and Highway 14 freeways.
Community colleges need your support
Gov. Schwarzenegger projects that by 2010, unemployment will rise to 10 percent in California, adding 400,000 people to the list of unemployed.
Prop. 8 and the ties that bind
Some of my dearest friends are opposed to same-sex marriage. Their "Yes on 8" votes on Nov. 4 reflected that position.
Two steps forward, one step back
"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is still alive in our times, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer." President-elect Barack Obama, Grant Park speech, Nov. 4
Lessons learned on the soccer field
The colorful, hard soccer ball made in China soared toward the netted goal 50 feet away, kicked by a red-shirted player, only to be blocked by the defensive foot of the green-shirted goal guard.
The Pulskamp who stole Christmas
The darndest things oft find their way into my wicked fingers. The other day, a friend mailed me a copy of the Burrtec News.
Wilderness Bill moves forward
The Eastern Sierra and Northern San Gabriel Wild Heritage Act has received wide bipartisan support on Capitol Hill.
Improving academic performance and environment
It was one of those moments we educators thrive upon - receipt of test scores that placed our students at the top of the heap in a state that bears a reputation for underachievement in education.
Credit where credit is due: Hart district compares well
The Signal recently reported on the Academic Performance Index results for the William S. Hart District and elementary school districts in the Santa Clarita Valley, so it's time to once again tear into the numbers to see what really happened and how the Hart district stacks up against other suburban high school districts in Southern California.
Articles by Section - Columnists
Danny Tyree: Candy capitulation: say it ain’t so!
According to ABC News, you should probably get ready for a take-no-prisoners "This is your brain on nougat" campaign.
Byron York: Has Obama overplayed his hand in sequester?
Nine months ago, Barack Obama likened his Republican opposition to an illness. If he could just defeat Mitt Romney, Obama said, then the illness might subside. "I believe that if we're successful in this election - when we're successful in this election - that the fever may break," Obama told a fundraiser in Minneapolis last June.
Tammy Messina: Defending the Second Amendment
Most of us have never had to fight for our freedom. We don't even know what that looks like. In our lifetime, we've always had the right to say what we want and do what we want, as long as we operate inside the law. Many of those who've emigrated from other countries do know what it's like to live without those freedoms and how precious they are once obtained.
Joe Gandelman: Political gridlock
An old vaudeville joke went like this: "Do I look like an idiot? Do I look like a jerk who doesn't know what's going on? Do you think I'm dumb? Don't answer that!"
Kevin Bayona: Is the red menace back?
We don't hear much from Russia these days, but rest assured the Russian Federation is on the move across Eurasia and the world as its pugnacious leader, Vladimir Putin, vies to return Russia to the glory days of the Soviet Union.
Gary Horton: Incompetent staff make it a bad cruise
Cruise ships have become popular vacation scenes over the past decade. A chance to leisurely enjoy freedom of the open seas as ship's staff cater to whims and needs!
Tom Purcell: My parents school the Senate
"All right," said my mother, standing before the members of the U.S. Senate, "it's time for you to get your act together."
Jonathan Kraut: Heroes or vicitms?
I am having a problem with associating the term "hero" with every law-enforcement officer and government employee who has been harmed or died on duty.
Steve Lunetta: Obama's folly
The irony is astounding. The sequestration plan that appears to be a machination by President Obama's White House is now coming back to haunt him big time.
Donna Brazile: Right to vote isn't a racial entitlement
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of Shelby County v. Holder - a challenge to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, specifically Section 5, which requires states and localities with a history of voting discrimination against racial and language minorities to get "pre-approved" by the federal government before changing how elections are conducted or voters are registered.
David Hegg: Choosing Chastity
I may be asked to turn in my man card for this, but here goes. On a getaway for my wife's birthday, I joined her to watch an episode of The Bachelor.
Kathryn Pisaro: Protect music programs in Newhall School District
On Tuesday, the school board for the Newhall School District is going to be asked to cut a music teacher from our already-reduced music program.
Frank Ferry: Live from City Hall
"Government, at its core, is about doing together what we can't do alone. It's why we believe that citizen engagement is vital. ..."
Danny Tyree: Is the free ride over?
es, I dutifully affix my copyright notice to my column each week, and I've been known to notify the syndicate of suspected unauthorized use; but I haven't gotten anywhere near as persnickety (or creepy) as the entertainment industry.
