Archive By Section - Columnists
John Boston's very own $250B bailout
"No satirist shall be left behind." - The Dubyuh In a move characterized as "bizarre" and "startling" by world economic gurus, outgoing Secretary of the Treasury Henry "Pat" Paulson announced yet another bailout yesterday. The Federal government will be earmarking some $250 billion toward bailing out John Boston. This marks the first time a private citizen will be the recipient of funds heretofore reserved for bloated mega multinational corporations and outdated Detroit automakers. "The rules ...
The cleanup plan is a reality
Once upon a time, there was a factory where they made things that explode. It was on a 996-acre piece of property in the center of our valley, and people who lived here became accustomed to the sounds of explosions as factory workers tested their wares - military flares, fireworks, munitions and the like. The Bermite munitions manufacturing plant - later to be known as Whittaker-Bermite - was a key player in the Santa Clarita ...
The pantheon of suburbia: high school football
For the last two weeks I spent some time watching and re-watching YouTube videos of reaction to Barack Obama's presidential victory, particularly international reaction.
New library can invigorate Newhall
Public libraries exemplify all that is good in America. As Walter Cronkite said, "Whatever the cost of funding our libraries, it is cheap compared to the cost of an ignorant nation."
Fixing Newhall: Bigger project than imagined
If there is one blot on the otherwise pristine visage commending Santa Clarita, argument would say that Newhall is it.
Hart district numbers just don’t add up
A small lesson in political code speak: When an elected official states, "We must come together in a bipartisan way to solve this problem rather than dwelling on the causes," that individual really mean, "Please pretend my political party did not screw things up so badly."
America soon may just forget about Sarah Palin
In the romantic comedy "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," Peter, a down-on-his-self-esteem, in-need-of-better-direction musical composer is struggling to get over Sarah, the sexy and exciting actress-girlfriend who dumped him for another guy.
Street art, powwows and alpacas
You don't have to sit home today and wonder what to do. There's the annual Street Art Festival (www.streetartfest.com) in Newhall and a few blocks away at William S. Hart Park the annual Hart of the West Powwow (www.friendsofhartpark.org/powwow.asp.) Those keen on alpacas will find three Agua Dulce alapaca ranches open today for National Alpaca Farm Days (for more information visit www.saddlebackmtnranch.com, www.tanglewoodalpacas.com and <a href="http://www.sweetwateralpacas.com" ...
The truth about charter schools
The recent Signal news article "Change is in the air for probation camps Scudder and Scott" prompted me to think, "Why should the Santa Clarita public give a thought whether these detention-camp schools become pilot-dependent charter schools operated under an umbrella from the Los Angeles County Office of Education, with the approval of Los Angeles County Probation?"
Is paying taxes patriotic?
Is paying taxes patriotic? Joe Biden thinks so. The Democratic vice presidential nominee said so during a recent television interview, responding to criticisms of a proposed tax hike on America's richest earners. They should pay more, Biden said, during a time of national instability. "It's time to be patriotic ... time to jump in, time to be part of the deal, time to help get America out of the rut." The comment drew scorn from ...
Boston: Claremont's 'Jews and Friendly Nazis'
"You don't appreciate a lot of stuff in school until you get older. Little things like being spanked every day by a middle-aged woman: Stuff you pay good money for in later life."
City launches online store
The city of Santa Clarita launched its first online boutique this month, featuring specialty Santa Clarita-branded items designed to help residents and visitors enjoy the good life in Santa Clarita.
GOP hangover: How can we recover from this?
The morning after is never pretty. But after eight years of the George W. Bush administration and the Nov. 4 Election Day drubbing of Republicans, it is a fair question to ask: "What went wrong?"
Jets, hippos & contraband
Jet crashes, one man injured A passenger jet carrying a reported 3,000 people from the moon crashed in my living room yesterday morning. The damages were a nicked ear and a scraped cheek. "Our (5-year-old) son was flying his toy Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 over the Pergo Sea near the Love Seat Mountains when he encountered engine trouble," I told my wife when she asked about my face wounds. "The vessel went down - and ...
Affordable housing vs. inclusionary
While growing up, my family always lived in apartments. Dad had this funny habit of occasionally coming home from work and announcing that he just quit, meaning 3-4 months of unemployment and a possible move while he found a new job. This always made my mom skittish about committing to a mortgage. Later, after dad was gone, mom didn't have the money to buy a house. So, we rented.
Articles by Section - Columnists
Gary Horton: Life can be a sound track by the B-52’s
It's sometime in the late 1980s and our family and friends are piled inside our Ford cruiser van heading off to a family ski trip to Lake Tahoe - or to a Boy Scout boating trip at Lake Mead - or some other fun teen-friendly vacation destination.
Kevin Buck: Straw men live in glass houses
Webster's dictionary has several different definitions for the word socialism. The one conservative fear and loathe the most is:
Tom Purcell: A nail in the coffin of Americans' rights
oy, do I feel sorry for smokers these days.
David Hegg: Ethically Speaking
Sometimes it turns out that famous clichés are just plain wrong, or at least wrong in enough important situations to make them suspect. One with which I particularly disagree is "Familiarity breeds contempt." I know what it is supposed to identify, and I flatly disagree. Familiarity, with the right people, in the right way, and for the right reasons, actually breeds contentment.
Steve and Cokie Roberts: Fixing Fox and the GOP
Roger Ailes, the head of Fox News Channel, is a very smart man. And he knows how to count, a skill that has apparently eluded many of his fellow conservatives.
Edward Headington: In honor of Presidents' Day 2013
Presidents' Day is a time set aside to celebrate the legacies of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and also remember all of the Presidents of the United States (POTUS) that have made our nation great.
Steve Lunetta: The case against Democrats
A friend of mine recently sent me one of those political emails that screams for fact-checking. You know the ones I mean - "Obama is really a space alien and we have proof!" or "Hilary Clinton Smokes Pot with Harry Reid."
Michael Reagan: Making Sense
Our failure in chief gave us his annual blurred vision of America again Tuesday night.
Diana West: Why aren't feathers flying over Brennan nomination?
We all know what happens when the fox guards the chicken coop - or do we?
Marsha McLean: Live from City Hall
One of the comments I often hear from people who visit Santa Clarita for the first time is how beautiful our city looks.
Daryl Cagle: That First Amendment can be soooooo annoying
I syndicate the cartoons of Rick McKee, the brilliant, conservative cartoonist from The Augusta Chronicle, to newspapers around the world.
Tim Myers: Competition is the spice of local life
Our youngest son, a senior at Valencia High School, ain't happy.
