Archive By Section - Columnists
Rick Jensen: Obama skeets the shooting truth
"I do skeet shooting." Of course you do, Mr. President. "I do skeet shooting all the time." Which is why skeet shooters (not "doers" of skeet or "skeeters" as you call them) took a quick look at your photo and noted your aim is straight ahead, not upward where the clay target would be. They also noticed you're pictured using a gun designed for trap shooting, wearing ...
Susan Stamper Brown: Yes, God made farmers
What was it about the Dodge' commercial "God Made a Farmer" that stirred the souls of so many Americans during the Super Bowl? Maybe it was the imagery of the dirt and grit of real America, not the white-washed concrete meccas many of us call home. Maybe for just a moment we were unplugged from our instant and superficial world and taken back to a time when we were ...
George Runner: Bullet tax will backfire
If you want to grow government these days, it seems the fashionable thing to do is invent new taxes.
Kevin Bayona: Are we ready for an encore in the Falklands?
When economic times are bad, what better than to reclaim your sovereignty over a small archipelago located in the frigid waters of the South Atlantic Ocean?
Donna Brazile: Immigrants are a blessing for the U.S.
We've known for years that our immigration system is broken, and reform has been near the top of the national agenda since at least 2007. But Congress addressed neither conservative anxieties - unsecured borders, people staying with expired visas - nor liberal concerns, such as treatment of immigrants (legal or not), paths to citizenship, etc. Now, however, we may be reaching consensus.
The Village Idiot: Where’s Gutenberg when you need him?
I've heard for years that "no good deed goes unpunished," but it seemed like a clever phrase being passed off as wisdom, something you might get in a fortune cookie on an off night.
Danny Tyree: Smoking penalties? What other surprises?
According to The Associated Press, many smokers were caught off guard by an obscure provision in The Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. "Obamacare") allowing health insurers to charge smokers buying individual policies up to 50 percent higher premiums starting next Jan. 1.
Tom Purcell: A Joe Biden presidency could be good for comedy
Maybe he's just what America needs. Then again, maybe not. I speak of Vice President Joe Biden - who, according to Politico, is "intoxicated" by thoughts of being inaugurated as president in 2017. He'd be delighted to "finish what Barack Obama started." Well, who better to finish what President Obama started than Uncle Joe? I'll bet he'd be even better at runaway government spending, lack of budget discipline and total disinterest in addressing entitlement growth, ...
Jonathan Kraut: Background checks are not ‘universal’
A lot of politicians are clamoring for mandatory "Universal Background Checks" for all gun buyers nationwide. There is no harm to anyone's privacy if gun buyers are screened for criminal records, a history of domestic violence, mental health risk, or other criteria that indicate having a weapon could put others at risk. After all, past behavior helps predict future conduct. I believe that it is the human mind that is the danger and not the instrument that is used.
Maria Gutzeit and B.J. Atkins: NCWD has success with enterprise model
Newhall County Water District has just closed out 2012, and the year was marked by accomplishments reflecting its enterprise model of operation.
Steve Lunetta: Stopping gun violence at the source
In the first two installments of the series, we examined gun control and the potential impact it would have on school violence. We also looked at President Obama's initiatives and rated each one on effectiveness.
NCWD has success with enterprise model
Newhall County Water District has just closed out 2012, and the year was marked by accomplishments reflecting its enterprise model of operation.
Steve Lunetta: Stopping gun violence at the source
In the first two installments of the series, we examined gun control and the potential impact it would have on school violence. We also looked at President Obama's initiatives and rated each one on effectiveness.
Tina Dupuy: Dear GOP - newflash - Cubans are not Mexican
Due to an act of Congress, Cuban nationals who arrive in the U.S. after 1959 cannot be illegal immigrants. They're automatically refugees. It's amnesty! The federal government has spent billions to assist those who've fled Castro's regime. It was a Cold War policy, signed by President Johnson. If they can get to our shores (many have died in the process), they have an instant pathway to citizenship. They just have to get here. And since ...
David Hegg: Passivity and perseverance
At the end of a long day I can often be found mentally exhausted, lounging on our family room couch with a television remote in my hand. They are wonderful things, these remotes. How did we ever get along without them? Imagine having to actually get up and manually change a channel, or turn up the volume.
Articles by Section - Columnists
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.
Timothy Myers: Let the good times roll again!
One of my coworkers during my time working for Ernst & Young found himself working for KB Homes during the middle of the residential real estate boom, putting together the analyses or so-called "land packages" for the acquisition of property for the building of tract homes.
Peter Funt: Rambunctious raccoons are laughing at me
Our backyard is filled with the pleasing sounds of spring created by birds, frogs, crickets and teens down the street testing their new cars. But lately there are also the haunting sounds of raccoons laughing at me.
Live from City Hall
For the past few months, the city of Santa Clarita has hosted a series of local town hall meetings in Saugus, Canyon Country and Newhall to share important community information and hear from community members regarding issues of importance to them.
Kevin D. Korenthal: Make all marriages civil unions
Rights, as established by the Constitution of the United States of America, are greatly misunderstood.
Leyla Ramos: Veterans deserve more employment
When our veterans come home from war, they are greeted by "welcome home" signs, banners, applause, hugs and cheers. The popular line "Thank you for your service" is heard time and time again.
Tom Purcell: Reverse psychology vs. the Nanny State
Get this: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants to ban the sale of cigarettes - now legal to people at age 18 - to people younger than 21.
George Runner: Obama steals California Gov. Jerry Brown’s playbook
Given California's chronic problems, it's hard to imagine anyone sees our state as a model - but it's clear the Obama administration does.
Kevin Bayona: Bush legacy hinges on his war on terror
The 43rd president of the United States, George W. Bush, was recently honored with the dedication of the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum.
