Archive By Section - Columnists
There is no water conservation conundrum
Why conserve? Here at Castaic Lake Water Agency, we believe the answer to that question is simple: We should conserve because it's good stewardship. It's the responsible way to manage a vital resource, and it's in the best interests of our community, our state and the environment. Yet, proving the adage that no good deed goes unpunished, "rumblings of discontent" have been voiced about water conservation efforts, based on the argument that some people - ...
Leaders of Character in our valley
Welcome to August! One month closer to summer being over and temperature sanity returning! I'm really done with the "heat waves."
Let's make the proper comparison
Last month the California Department of Public Instruction released revised numbers revealing the dropout rate of public and charter schools within the state.
Drilling best way out of oil crisis
There is a huge debate over drilling for additional oil right now that is confusing at best. The opposition to this idea seems to say that the additional oil won't meet our entire need quickly enough. Maybe we should think about it like this: Say you have 100 homeless in your town, but you only have shelter for 25. Would you not let any use the shelter because you could not satisfy the total demand? ...
Take a night out of crime Tuesday in Santa Clarita
Imagine a night when the entire nation could come together to stand up against crime. If only for one night out of the year, this united front would cause crime rates to drop, morale and people's sense of security would increase, and the nation as a whole would seem like a safer place.
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
"You wanna go on something really fast and really scary?" I asked my 4-year-old son during a recent trip to Disney's California Adventure Park. He seemed to think that every ride we rode at the park was too slow and too boring. So I wanted to excite him.
NAFTA reform needed to protect environment
Recently SCOPE voted to support Congressman Howard "Buck" McKeon's HR 5887 legislation to buy out the Cemex mine lease. Such an action is certainly no surprise.
Obama: Media idol or inspirational leader?
This past Sunday, budding Signal cartoonist, Ryan Metlen penned a pithy ditty intending to mock the much ballyhooed and bemoaned "press worship" of Democratic candidate Barack Obama.
Proposition 13 needs revision
When Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger replaced Gray Davis after the recall election five years ago, he promised that he would keep his solemn oath to the voters that he would end deficit spending.
On public trust and being involved
A rash of unethical and inappropriate behavior by our elected leaders that has been reported in the national press over the past few years has contributed to an erosion of confidence by the American public in the institution of government.
A matter of minutes is all it takes for a child to die
Residents of our Golden State know that when the summer months arrive, temperatures can easily exceed 100 degrees. The hot summer days can literally bake vehicles sitting in the sun.
Samuel Dixon board installation is good fun
It's been a grand two weeks back as features editor of The Signal and I've loved every minute of it. Thanks to all for your good wishes and kind comments about my new column "glamour" mug shot.
Life truly based in Judeo-Christian ethics works well
"Personal Responsibility": An Excuse to Not Take Personal Responsibility? - The Signal Editorial Section July 27, 2008 Walking down the street, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked, "Rabbi, who sinned: this man or his parents, causing him to be born blind?" Jesus said, "You're asking the wrong question. You're asking for someone to blame. There is no such cause-effect here. Look instead for what God can do. We need to be ...
Ending selfishness really begins with good parenting
Responsibility: A detachable burden easily shifted to the shoulders of God, Fate, Fortune, Luck or one's neighbor
Do you want the good news first, or the bad?
If you wanted to, you could wear out the "bad-news-good-news" cliché while discussing water in the Santa Clarita Valley.
Articles by Section - Columnists
Jason Stanford: Cheating on standardized tests commonplace
Atlanta wasn't an isolated incident. Neither was El Paso, or Washington, D.C., or Columbus. A new General Accounting Office report demonstrates that cheating by school officials on standardized tests has become commonplace, despite the use of security measures the report recommends.
Tina Dupuy: Apple could pay for Moore — and more
Investigators say due to some creative Ireland-based tax gimmicks, Apple has managed to keep $75 billion away from the IRS's reach just in the years 2009-2012.
Tom Purcell: Men, get a wallet
What to get for the contemporary male who has everything? The Man Bag.
Susan Stamper Brown: Truth floats despite tyranny on the Potomac
rogressivism thrives best when truth is suppressed, but suppressed truth is still truth.
Steve Lunetta: Understanding the true cost of freedom
pulled out the paper this bright Monday morning and started reading. Of course, I have my bagel with strawberry cream cheese, oat bran cereal and tall glass of orange juice at the ready. I know how to start my holiday day.
Rick Jensen: Shades of Richard Milhous... Obama
The cover-up is worse than the crime. The crime is so heinous it requires a cover-up.
John Kiernan: What's a real scandal?
I have watched the radical wing of the Republican Party do everything they can to obstruct Obama and his administration.
David Hegg: What's happening to the U.S.?
Increasingly a very simple question is becoming part of our daily conversation. "What's happening to our country?"
Matt Mackowiak: Scandals
When it rains, it pours. The combined weight of the three growing Obama administration scandals is weighing down the White House and overwhelming their ability to control the story or advance their agenda.
Timothy Myers: Manufactured and actual milestones
One thinks about milestones in life, but few can actually point to a day when their life really changed, for good or ill.
Betty Arenson: Where is the outrage?
Perhaps there is hope that change will come sooner rather than later with regard to Americans at last expressing due and civil outrage. "Where is the outrage" is a question that has never been more appropriate than under the administration of President Barack Obama.
Doug Patton: The danger in D.C. is bipartisanship
The growing scandals enveloping the Obama administration are becoming a series of shiny baubles being dangled before the right and the left alike.
Terri Crain: Don’t misuse environmental protection law
In 2008, Santa Clarita was named the most business- friendly city in Los Angeles County by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation.
