Archive By Section - Columnists
Alice Khosravy: State taxes increase: Now what?
As California voters surface from the frenzied atmosphere of the recent election cycle, the ramifications of our choices are already beginning to prove that we will not escape the consequences of ignoring the simple truths of basic economics.
David M. Shribman: Obama win not the same this election
More than a half century ago, after he defeated Richard M. Nixon in one of the closest presidential races of all time, John F. Kennedy was persuaded to fly from his Palm Beach retreat to the vice president's Key Biscayne redoubt as a symbol of national unity. The two men were far closer than Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are, but still there was some awkwardness in the gesture, which had been cooked up by former Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy and former President Herbert Hoover.
Jim Mullen: The first family feud on Thanksgiving Day
Historians agree that the Pilgrims really did celebrate a first Thanksgiving. But it wasn't turned into a regular yearly celebration until Abraham Lincoln made it official during the middle of the Civil War, some 250 years later.
Donna Brazile: What this election shows about the GOP
Election night was a good night for moderates. It was a bad night for conservatives. It was the worst night for partisanship.
Tom Purcell: More dependence? C’est la vie, America!
Bonjour, America! It was a great week last week, no? President Barack Obama won a second term. The transformation into a French-style democratic model shall commence! Comment allez-vous? You are not doing so well? Be happy, my friends! It is true that America was founded on a very simple idea: liberty! Liberal thinkers of that time distrusted government and saw its expansion as an encroachment on freedom. When America's founders declared their independence from Britain, ...
Stop and say ‘thanks’ even after Veterans Day
Citizens of Santa Clarita Valley, "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help ...
Charles Vignola: Republicans and diving off the fiscal cliff
Now that the 2012 election is over, the biggest challenge facing America is the upcoming "fiscal cliff." What this means is that the U.S. is facing three huge fiscal crises before the end of this year: the dreaded sequestration, the need to raise the debt ceiling, and the expiring of the Bush tax cuts.
Steve Lunetta: The music of our heritage
"O thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand Between their loved home and the war's desolation." Last Thursday, I had the immense privilege of attending The Master's College Wind Ensemble Concert held in the Recital Hall on The Master's campus. Dr. Stephen Opfer directed a magnificent concert of patriotic music that lifted the soul. The musical selections included Morton Gould's "American Salute" from 1943, Aaron Copeland's "Fanfare for the Common Man" (1942), and Claude ...
David Hegg: Perseverance results in lasting joy, value
For centuries, societies depended almost entirely on agriculture. The recognition that ground had to be cleared and plowed, seeds sown, and plants tended was part and parcel of daily life.
Tim Myers: Elections, like sports events, are inevitable
On Nov. 2, 2012, the Valencia Vikings football team defeated the Golden Valley Grizzlies 49-0 to secure a Foothill League title. On Nov. 6, 2012, President Barack Obama defeated Mitt Romney to achieve his second term in office.
Bob Kellar: Add “getting a flu shot” to your seasonal list of things to do
The holidays are just around the corner, which means most residents are busy doing everything from decorating, planning events and baking to scheduling vacations and time with family and friends.
Letter: Democrats block jobs bills
Ted Aquaro wrote a spot-on letter as usual in his Oct. 20 "Use your eyes when voting."
Susan Stamper Brown: We reap what we sow in election
So, guess what? I'm disappointed, along with the other 58 million people who voted for Mitt Romney. Even still, disappointment and failure is never an excuse for any of us to give up. From that first big slug in my gut after my husband was killed in 2001 until this day, the one thing that has kept me grounded is my faith in God and the knowledge that things will get better over time.
Letter: First letter very simple
I recently read some kind of a rebuttal to a letter I wrote on Oct. 20, and this letter left me very confused.
Gene Lyons: The lessons of Sandy for Americans
"Experience keeps a dear [i.e. expensive] school, but fools will learn in no other, and scarce in that."
Articles by Section - Columnists
Tom Purcell: How not to celebrate St. Patrick's Day
Ah, St. Patrick's Day is upon us.
Frank Ferry:Live from City Hall
The city of Santa Clarita's annual Teen Scene Unplugged is back, but with a new name and theme for local teens and parents.
Tim Myers: A decline in enrollment hits the SCV
When we moved to the SCV in 1996, the big educational news of that time revolved around over-strained elementary and secondary school facilities.
Danny Tyree: Taking a break from the pollsters
According to a Politico story titled "GOP Looks For Answers," the National Republican Congressional Committee is taking major steps to prevent a repeat of the misleading poll results that embarrassed the party in the 2012 election cycle.
Joe Guzzardi: The Gang of Eight backs off amnesty
The Senate's notorious Gang of Eight, a small cadre of amnesty advocates who hope to pressure Congress into passing disastrous immigration reform legislation, has developed a new game plan.
Alice Khosravy: Signs of life emerge in California GOP
Each year people across the country wait for Groundhog Day and hope that spring will come early.
Steve Lunetta: Dirty deeds done for dirt cheap
One of the strangest songs ever written by the Young brothers and Bonn Scott was a little ditty that talked about a gentleman who was willing to do anything for a small fee.
Gary Horton: Helmets may not be cool but staying alive is
Just put a lid on it!
Kevin Buck: A Whig and a prayer for understanding
From the early 1830s until 1852 - when they refused to re-nominate Millard Filmore, their own incumbent president - the Whig Party was a dominant political force in America.
Steve Lunetta: Obama's new folly
The irony is astounding. The sequestration plan that appears to be a machination by President Obama's White House is now coming back to haunt him big time.
Edward Headington: Last call to release the Kraken!
Apple pie, "Bye Bye Birdie" and Beverly Cleary are all things most Americans would admit to liking. You could also throw in DVRs, shorter commutes and the warm-and-fuzzy title of the proposed "Clean Water, Clean Beaches" measure before county property owners.
David Hegg: Ethically Speaking
For several years between my graduate studies and my first ministry position I was in the corporate world. Providing for my family while serving as a lay minister meant being immersed in the world of business. I owned and ran a small business, transitioned to a home office marketing position in a multi-state financial institution, and ended up as a sales manager for a national company.
Donna Brazile: Demand to know, 'Where's the beef?'
In an iconic commercial, two old ladies, after looking inside a nearly empty hamburger bun, demand of the hapless fast-food clerk, "Where's the beef?" The phrase expresses outrage at false advertising - pretending there's something of substance in the sandwich when there's really nothing there.
Laurene Weste: Live from City Hall
One of the hallmarks of our city is its commitment to sustainability, state-of-the-art recycling and diversion programs, and community support to work together for the environment.
Tim Myers: A lesson in the industry of self preservation
I would commend to anyone with an ironic sense of humor the cable TV series "Portlandia," from the minds of Fred Armisen of Saturday Night Live and Carrie Brownstein of indie music fame.
