Archive By Section - Columnists
Tammy Messina: Lack of jobs not state’s only problem
Just a couple of weeks ago, our California state senators and assemblymen were sworn into office for the upcoming year. I doubt many people tuned in to see that event. It happens during the week in the middle of the workday. Our elected representatives take the oath of office, and there a few votes taken to set up the leadership structure. And, of course, there are a few speeches.
Kevin Bayona: Recommit America to Afghan war
Does anyone remember the war in Afghanistan? In October 2001 I was living in Connecticut and I can still remember when President Bush ordered the invasion. I supported the campaign in Afghanistan then, and I still do today. Afghanistan was never just about destroying terrorist camps and killing Osama Bin Laden, but rather the political and economic transformation of a diseased part of world. Sadly, I think many Americans have lost faith in our efforts. ...
Sharon Lajer: Preserving the heart of homeownership
"Home is where the heart is." "A man's home is his castle." "There's no place like home."
Jami Davis: Support the Violence Against Women Act
Unfortunately, with the impending "fiscal cliff" disaster taking front and center on the national media stage, fleeting attention has been paid to the imminent doom of a groundbreaking bipartisan piece of legislation intended to protect victims of intimate partner violence.
Gary Horton: Conservative Congress betrays U.S.
No price is too high to pay to protect our school kids," says Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association. No price of course, except sensible controls limiting unfettered proliferation of semi-automatic weaponry.
Jonathan Kraut: Culture of violence must be changed
I debated whether my Christmas Day message to you should discuss something as terrible as the deaths of the innocent. Today is a day to celebrate our faith, family, the offering and receiving of gifts and of hope for a better tomorrow.
Steve Lunetta: Now we can celebrate Christmas
If you are reading this, the end of the world did not happen last Friday. All the predictions about the end of the world were false and erroneous. All of this happened because of a stone shortage.
Howard ‘Buck’ McKeon: Congrats on city’s 25th
Last week, our hometown celebrated a remarkable milestone, our 25th anniversary. Santa Clarita has grown from a small, unincorporated town into a thriving city and one of the best places to live and do business in California. We have become a place where businesses can grow, families can safely raise their children and all can enjoy an exceptional quality of life.
David Hegg: The measure of success is significance
As the year nears its end, it is valuable to look back across the months and seasons to evaluate just how we have used the time given to us. Since life itself consists of a succession of moments, the most successful lives are those that use as many of those moments to accomplish what is good. But there's the rub. Just what is good? What defines success?
Tim Myers: Shooting sprees are rare but hit hard
"This kind of thing doesn't happen in Newtown." This statement came over and over again from local residents of the site of the elementary school massacre in Connecticut that occurred on Dec. 14, made to the general public much more disturbing because it happened in a "nice" place rather than the hellholes the public associates with violence and crime. I hearken back to a family vacation that we took during the summer of 2000 to ...
Marsha McLean: It’s never worth it to drink and then drive
During the holiday season, it is common to hear reminders about the perils of drinking and driving on the radio, TV or read it in the newspaper. It's a simple message that we all know and it's the message that, if taken to heart, has the power to save lives.
Alice Khosravy: Process still matters to county voters
The latest installment in the local tax debate rages on as the Los Angeles County supervisors attempt to pass the Clean Water, Clean Beaches Measure. The Clean Water, Clean Beaches Measure is described by proponents as "an extensive effort to protect public health, and increase drinking water supplies, by cleaning up our rivers, lakes, bays, beaches and coastal waters. Los Angeles County waterways have been found to be contaminated with toxins, trash and health-threatening pollutants ...
Charlie Vignola: What’s needed to pass gun control laws?
On the morning I learned about the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., I talked about the incident with a colleague of mine at work and actually cried. So did my colleague. We both have children in elementary school, so the very thought that this could easily have happened to our own kids really hit home.
Gary Horton: Reflect on ourselves to solve violence
"The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make his face to shine on you and be gracious to you; The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace." - Numbers 6:24-26 And so ended our Sunday service with the reassurance that God will protect. Pressing toward our sanctuary's exit, an old-timer friend paused to shake my hand. This gentleman has been around a long time and in his long life he's ...
Nat Hentoff: Ron Wyden provides good political example
In my more than 60 years of reporting on Congress, I have always focused on truly independent members who, regardless of party, are faithful to the Constitution. For years, an especially insistent example has been Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon.
Articles by Section - Columnists
Danny Tyree: Cyborg-bugs and robo-rats
Salon.com recently ran excerpts of Emily Anthes's book "Frankenstein's Cat: Cuddling Up To Biotech's Brave New Beasts," and I may never look at national security the same way again.
Jonathan Kraut: Signs of spring
As warmer weather approaches, there are some tips that I might offer to help you save your hard-earned money, precious resources, and make your home and family safer.
Richard Hood: Confession: It was I who cut down the tree
I cannot tell a lie. It was I who chopped down the tree.
Susan Stamper Brown: Camps, clinics and selective ignorance
In a cold and snowy day in January a few years ago, I took a guided tour through the Dachau Concentration Camp in Germany.
Phil Kerpen: Repeal the mandate tax
With more than 2,000 pages of legislative text and more than 20,000 pages of regulations so far, most Americans can't possibly know all the details of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare.
David Hegg: The Value of Valuing Something
About 10 years ago I officiated a wedding for two young people entering into marriage for the first time. It was a big deal, with a proper venue, pictures, and lots of family and friends in attendance. But for me it was very different from any I had done before.
Rick Jensen: Politicians in both parties need some class
Republican Mike Gmoser, the country prosecutor in Butler County, Ohio, wasted taxpayers' time and money by charging Pennsylvania's winter-predicting groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, with "misrepresentation of early spring."
Peter Funt: Taken in by April Fools
he calendar says Monday is April 1, but lately it seems that foolishness occurs year-round.
Tim Myers: Should the Santa Clarita City Council be elected by district?
On Nov. 3, 1987, a now-remarkable 25 percent to 30 percent of eligible voters in the area midwifed the city of Santa Clarita into existence, voting nearly 67 percent to 33 percent in favor of the formation of the city.
Marsha McLean: Live from City Hall
A strong retail environment is one of the foundations of a healthy economy and a strong community.
Scott Wilk: Teacher firing reform needed
As a father of two, I believe no one - particularly a child - should live in fear in his or her school or neighborhood. So one of my top priorities as your assemblyman is public safety.
Joe Gandelman: Sample some popular political whines
The phone rings in a big warehouse in Oriskiny Falls, N.Y.
Jason Stanford: Turning Texas into a battleground state
Those of us who worked for the late Ann Richards used to run our plans by her. The former Texas governor did not suffer fools, gladly or otherwise, and if your plan had flaws, she'd let you know in great detail.
Michael Stafford: The Cult of Self
According to the Bible, the ancient Israelites strayed from worship of God into idolatry. Today, America has done the same - except rather than placing a golden calf upon an altar, we have erected a mirror.
Will Durst: The GOP autopsy
Normally you don't expect to see the words "Republicans" and "introspection" right next to each other. Like "supermodel" and "barbecue." "Physicist" and "polka." "Gazelle" and "ophthalmology." You catch my drift.
