Archive By Section - Columnists
Byron York: Obama ups bid as GOP looks for way out of crisis
It's possible to have a strong hand and still overplay it. As Republicans see things, that's what President Obama is doing in the "fiscal cliff" negotiations.
Gary Horton: Free speech, free minds
This past Sunday, a stalwart Republican gal from our church stopped by the coffee counter where I was chugging caffeine and inquired, "Where did my Full Speed To Port column go in the Signal?" As a staunch right-winger, she pretty much hates most of it, but nonetheless missed its publication for whatever enjoyable Wednesday frustration it had long been providing.
Jim Mullen: I’ve been dreaming of a lottery windfall
I won! I won! I won the lottery! Seven dollars on a $10 ticket. I'm taking it as a lump sum, not that they even asked my preference. Now I'm cleaning the living room so it won't look like a pigsty when the photographers arrive. I can't tell you how long I've dreamed of this moment. I am the original guy who never wins anything, but finally, all those years of buying lottery tickets each ...
Tom Purcell: Surviving, understanding the fiscal cliff
I'm not sure I have the energy to keep up." "Ah, yes, you speak of the latest self-created crisis in our government, what some refer to as the 'fiscal cliff.' If Congress and the president don't agree to new terms on spending and taxes, the Budget Control Act of 2011 will automatically go into effect." "And then the sky will fall?" "It won't be pretty. A number of tax breaks, such as the Bush tax ...
Kevin Buck: Tax policies should return to Clinton era
The 2012 election is now in the history books, and since history is written by the winners, the reality-based community victories will be recorded in textbooks for generations to come (Texas excepted).
Will Durst: The Top 10 comedic news stories of this year
First a disclaimer: The Top 10 Comedic News Stories of 2012 should not under any circumstances be confused with the Top 10 Legitimate News Stories of 2012.
Michael Reagan: We need to get America back to being No. 1
Help us, we're falling and we can't get up again. Once upon a time - in 1988 and 1998 to be exact - the United States was the best country for a baby to be born and raised in, at least according to The Economist magazine. But the 2013 edition of the magazine's "where-to-be-born" index has us down at No. 16 - tied with Germany and one spot ahead of the United Arab Emirates. Switzerland, ...
Steve Lunetta: Government pensions are slippery slope
Flying into Ronald Reagan International Airport outside Washington, D.C. is always fun. The prevailing winds blowing down the Potomac River collide with the calmer air over Virginia to make an entertaining swirl of choppy air when landing. What joy.
David Hegg: In search of intellectual honesty
While most have never heard of him, Thomas Nagel is at the center of a controversy that threatens to pull the curtain away from the great and terrible Oz of our day. I am speaking about the almost universally accepted belief that all of life - indeed, every element of the universe and all that exists in it - can be reduced to physical particles, themselves the product of physical processes guided by the principle of natural selection.
Frank Ferry: City celebrates this year’s accomplishments
It has been my honor to serve as your mayor for 2012, and as the year comes to a close, I wanted to share some of the city of Santa Clarita's accomplishments with you.
Tim Myers: From one boomburb to the next
The Santa Clarita City Council members - the wise stewards of the city or the puppets of a dictatorial city manager, depending upon one's point of view, if one even thinks about them at all - recently gave a hagiographic send-off to said alleged dictator Ken Pulskamp during his last meeting in the position before going off into the sunset of his retirement/next city manager job in Burbank.
Susan Stamper Brown: Secular humanists bid ‘A merry un-Christmas’
That "most wonderful time of the year" has arrived, and with it, most predictably, another round of attacks (yawn) by Secular Humanists doing their best to destroy the season by removing the Christ child from the creche.
Kevin Korenthal: Tax cuts can help the US economy
A majority of Americans voted to re-elect President Obama despite or maybe because of the economy. Doesn't that mean he should be allowed to put his signature economic policy into practice? Obama has long championed allowing the expiration of the Bush tax cuts on families earning more than $250,000 per year, plus additional tax hikes for that income level. All of this is intended to raise revenue to pay for spending and to reduce the ...
Rachelle Dardeau: Plenty of thanks to go around
The Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center was technically closed on Thanksgiving Day (and the following Friday), but it was abuzz with activity.
Jan Uberstine: Insurance freebies not so free
Today I got an E-pamphlet touting all the wonderful new benefits, such as "free" well-woman services, that my insurance now covers.
Articles by Section - Columnists
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.
Jim Mullen: The Museum of Modern Body Art
I was at a doctor's office in a small town recently and overheard one patient in the waiting room talking to another.
Gary Horton: Jesus isn't a Republican or Democrat
Recently, this esteemed journal has spilled much ink debating the withers and thithers as to whether Jesus, should he ever choose to reincarnate himself as an American, would malign himself with the mantle of "conservative Republican" or "liberal Democrat."
Charlie Vignola: Medicare works, no thanks to the GOP
This week I am headed to Florida to deal with a solemn duty that no one looks forward to, but which almost everyone will have to face sooner or later: I am going to deal with the imminent death of my father.
Peter Funt: Injustice in the juvenile justice system
Many of the nation's prosecutors and judges continue to put kids on trial as adults. This, despite declining crime rates among juveniles and growing scientific evidence about the inappropriateness of taking young offenders out of the court system designed specifically to protect them.
Danny Tyree:Why can't every day be like Easter?
Although it usually gets overshadowed by "Blue Christmas" in yuletide radio rotation, I still enjoy the Elvis Presley version of "Why Can't Every Day Be Like Christmas?"
Steve Lunetta: Jesus would be a conservative Christian
"Look at what this feller wrote about Jesus! Its a disgrace!"
Bob Kellar: Live from City Hall
The belief that "what is good for business is good for Santa Clarita" is a mantra that the city of Santa Clarita takes seriously. That's why City Council and staff are dedicated to providing local businesses with the tools and resources necessary to strengthen operations and improve sustainability, especially during difficult economic times.
Tim Myers: City Council candidates declare early
The race for Santa Clarita City Council in 2014 started to clarify over last weekend with two more fully announced candidates, Dante Acosta and Alan Ferdman, joining the four already-announced candidates - Gloria Mercado-Fortine, Maria Gutzeit, and the incumbents Laurene Weste and Marsha McLean - to bring the total fully announced candidates to six with more than one year left until the election.
Jonas Peterson: Environmental reform needed
At a time when California is striving to encourage both sustainable growth and job creation, reforming the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is imperative.
Donna Brazile: Leaned on for leaning in
Cheryl Sandberg's book "Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead," has sparked a debate about the role of women in America - and everywhere else.
