Archive By Section - Columnists
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.
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.
Articles by Section - Columnists
Byron York: Winning Hispanic vote not enough for GOP
After six months of mulling over November's election results, many Republicans remain convinced that the party's only path to future victory is to improve the GOP's appeal to Hispanic voters.
Michael Berger: Bill helps colleges meet student needs
Higher education is undergoing significant changes such as we've never seen before. And while we're charging forward to integrate technology in the classroom, offer online learning, and enhance the academic support available to students outside of the classroom, we find ourselves being held back by a relic of the past.
David Hegg: We need a society of heroes
The past months have been a constant barrage of stories about tragedy. Horror in Newtown, bombs in Boston, flooding in the Midwest, fires in SoCal … all bringing loss of life, loss of property, and loss of our sense of wellbeing. But in every case there were also stories of exceptional devotion to duty, to courage, and to an essential ingredient in healthy society: sacrificial service.
Tim Myers: A battle in a war already lost
On May 2, 2013, I took the day off from work to watch the Foothill League tennis tournament. (Results of this tournament posted elsewhere in the pages of this newspaper. Just sayin'!)
Peter Funt: The wider our options the more narrow our interests
I've never heard a hotel guest argue that he should pay less if he declines to swim in the pool. And I've yet to encounter a coffee drinker who believes a latte would be cheaper if shops quit providing wi-fi to customers who don't use it.
Marsha McLean: Live from City Hall
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Santa Clarita will be on center stage with an international audience. We are thrilled to have been selected as a host city for the 2013 Amgen Tour of California with both a Start and Finish stage.
Rick Jensen: Do we still need Dept. of Education?
When executives of corporations are caught aiding and abetting criminal behavior of their employees, the executives are prosecuted and the businesses are destroyed.
Tammy Messina: Intolerance fuels hate and bigotry
Hate. It's a strong word. It's a strong emotion. And it's often used to describe Republicans.
Jason Stanford: Will Obama beat the 6-year itch?
If the 2010 elections weren't bad enough for Democrats, here comes the "six-year itch."
Tom Purcell: No-fault Internet addiction
nline chat host: Good morning, cyber pals. As you know, the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the psychiatric "bible," is to be released this month.
Will Durst: To drone or not to drone
Put on your tinfoil hats, everybody. Or didn't you get the memo? It's paranoia time in America again.
Gary Horton: Victimhood: the new secret to success
Picture a modern-day Adonis with flowing, jet-black hair and rugged features for which women swoon. Picture an entrepreneur – a master of his own high-tech business.
Jim Mullen: It’s time for spotty training
My wife and I forgot to have children. We are so busy going to movies, plays and concerts, buying nice things for the house, taking long vacations without looking at a school calendar, reading all the latest best-sellers and going to restaurants with nice white tablecloths that it simply slipped our minds.
Rick Jensen: A slippery slope
Your 9 year-old daughter runs out of a public swimming pool shower, crying because a 45 year-old naked man is lounging in the sauna, "full monty." You call the police. The police arrest you for violating the man's rights and send both you and your daughter to "behavior modification counseling."
David Hegg: Ethics and a quality life
The basic question in the study of ethics has always been that of determining right and wrong, moral and immoral. Some find right to be that which aligns with authoritative truth or standard, while others base morality on the consequences of individual actions. The former - deontologists - and the latter - consequentialists - have argued back and forth for centuries, and the battle rages on today in academia.
