Archive By Section - Columnists
Cher Gilmore: It’s up to us to act on global warming
The failure of the latest Doha climate talks - which our President didn't even attend and whose efforts the U.S. consistently blocked - clearly shows that we cannot count on our government to take the lead in stopping global warming. This, in spite of the fact that the U.S. is second only to China in annual CO2 emissions, and we know without question that global warming is real, deadly, and human-caused.
Byron York: Obama ups bid as GOP looks for way out of crisis
It's possible to have a strong hand and still overplay it. As Republicans see things, that's what President Obama is doing in the "fiscal cliff" negotiations.
Gary Horton: Free speech, free minds
This past Sunday, a stalwart Republican gal from our church stopped by the coffee counter where I was chugging caffeine and inquired, "Where did my Full Speed To Port column go in the Signal?" As a staunch right-winger, she pretty much hates most of it, but nonetheless missed its publication for whatever enjoyable Wednesday frustration it had long been providing.
Jim Mullen: I’ve been dreaming of a lottery windfall
I won! I won! I won the lottery! Seven dollars on a $10 ticket. I'm taking it as a lump sum, not that they even asked my preference. Now I'm cleaning the living room so it won't look like a pigsty when the photographers arrive. I can't tell you how long I've dreamed of this moment. I am the original guy who never wins anything, but finally, all those years of buying lottery tickets each ...
Tom Purcell: Surviving, understanding the fiscal cliff
I'm not sure I have the energy to keep up." "Ah, yes, you speak of the latest self-created crisis in our government, what some refer to as the 'fiscal cliff.' If Congress and the president don't agree to new terms on spending and taxes, the Budget Control Act of 2011 will automatically go into effect." "And then the sky will fall?" "It won't be pretty. A number of tax breaks, such as the Bush tax ...
Kevin Buck: Tax policies should return to Clinton era
The 2012 election is now in the history books, and since history is written by the winners, the reality-based community victories will be recorded in textbooks for generations to come (Texas excepted).
Will Durst: The Top 10 comedic news stories of this year
First a disclaimer: The Top 10 Comedic News Stories of 2012 should not under any circumstances be confused with the Top 10 Legitimate News Stories of 2012.
Michael Reagan: We need to get America back to being No. 1
Help us, we're falling and we can't get up again. Once upon a time - in 1988 and 1998 to be exact - the United States was the best country for a baby to be born and raised in, at least according to The Economist magazine. But the 2013 edition of the magazine's "where-to-be-born" index has us down at No. 16 - tied with Germany and one spot ahead of the United Arab Emirates. Switzerland, ...
Steve Lunetta: Government pensions are slippery slope
Flying into Ronald Reagan International Airport outside Washington, D.C. is always fun. The prevailing winds blowing down the Potomac River collide with the calmer air over Virginia to make an entertaining swirl of choppy air when landing. What joy.
David Hegg: In search of intellectual honesty
While most have never heard of him, Thomas Nagel is at the center of a controversy that threatens to pull the curtain away from the great and terrible Oz of our day. I am speaking about the almost universally accepted belief that all of life - indeed, every element of the universe and all that exists in it - can be reduced to physical particles, themselves the product of physical processes guided by the principle of natural selection.
Frank Ferry: City celebrates this year’s accomplishments
It has been my honor to serve as your mayor for 2012, and as the year comes to a close, I wanted to share some of the city of Santa Clarita's accomplishments with you.
Tim Myers: From one boomburb to the next
The Santa Clarita City Council members - the wise stewards of the city or the puppets of a dictatorial city manager, depending upon one's point of view, if one even thinks about them at all - recently gave a hagiographic send-off to said alleged dictator Ken Pulskamp during his last meeting in the position before going off into the sunset of his retirement/next city manager job in Burbank.
Susan Stamper Brown: Secular humanists bid ‘A merry un-Christmas’
That "most wonderful time of the year" has arrived, and with it, most predictably, another round of attacks (yawn) by Secular Humanists doing their best to destroy the season by removing the Christ child from the creche.
Kevin Korenthal: Tax cuts can help the US economy
A majority of Americans voted to re-elect President Obama despite or maybe because of the economy. Doesn't that mean he should be allowed to put his signature economic policy into practice? Obama has long championed allowing the expiration of the Bush tax cuts on families earning more than $250,000 per year, plus additional tax hikes for that income level. All of this is intended to raise revenue to pay for spending and to reduce the ...
Rachelle Dardeau: Plenty of thanks to go around
The Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center was technically closed on Thanksgiving Day (and the following Friday), but it was abuzz with activity.
Articles by Section - Columnists
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.
Rick Jensen: Obama sequester two-step
Watching from the cheap seats, Obama's "Sequester Two-Step" is quite entertaining. While not nearly as graceful as Charles Durning's classic political footplay in "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," only fellow Democrat Bob Menendez puts in a better performance of the beleaguered innocent these days.
Kevin Korenthal: The politics of pain
I am often stunned when I hear people, some of them friends, confess that they do not follow politics.
Cher Gilmore: Just say no to Keystone XL tar sands pipeline
More than 50,000 people traveled to Washington, D.C., from as far away as California on Feb. 17 to demand that President Obama block the Keystone XL pipeline and move forward on climate action.
Phil Kerpen: Government spending hurts people
We should not accept the statist premise that most government spending helps people.
Tom Purcell: Are humans getting dumber?
The report said people are getting dumber - at least I think that's what it said, but the big words kept throwing me off."
Diana West: Setting the record straight on Joe McCarthy
Freshman Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is just the latest in a long series of public figures to be reviled for "McCarthyism" following his recent questioning of Chuck Hagel, President Obama's nominee for secretary of defense.
Joe Guzzardi: Obama pushes amnesty
After President Obama left for a three-day Florida golf vacation that included a round with Tiger Woods, the White House announced his latest immigration plan.
SCV Voices: From SignalSCV.com
Editor's note: On last Tuesday's Kevin Buck column "Straw men live in glass houses," one poster on SignalSCV.com asked the question, "In your opinion, what are the five biggest problems America faces right now?" Here are some responses from his fellow posters.
David Hegg: What makes right, right?
I recently met a man who was the epitome of post-modern thought in that he did not believe in absolute truth.
Tim Myers: No money, no county
I love history. I plan to purchase the Blu-Ray of the recent film "Lincoln" and rewatch certain key scenes 100 times in a row, unapologetically.
Bob Kellar: Live from City Hall
In Santa Clarita, the arts influence our community's quality of life. Without even realizing it, the arts act as an economic driver - creating and supporting jobs, generating revenue and serving as a cornerstone of the tourism industry.
Steven and Cokie Roberts: Voting reform
"Obama's proposed voting commission under partisan fire from both sides."
