Thankful for wilderness protection

I am very thankful to Congressman Howard "Buck" McKeon for introducing a bill that will protect the most beautiful wild places and rivers in the Eastern Sierra and Santa Clarita. Hiking on our locals trails and enjoying the beautiful scenery around me has made a great impact and difference in my life.

Budget crunch being felt by communities

The governor's proposed cuts in the budget are downright appalling. The cuts are particularly deep in the community colleges which are mandated to provide communities with respectful citizens who are law-abiding, who vote, and who become paramedics, nurses, firemen and policemen, among other professions. These students deserve our help and our communities deserve well-educated people to provide these services. The governor's budget seems determined to increase spending only on unemployment by putting a college education ...

Bush’s ratings reflect our culture

President Bush's dismal approval rating is not so much a commentary on his job performance as it is an accurate commentary on our self-absorbed, spoiled society.

U.S. R&D off the track

With 50 years of experience in the research and development business, I have to disagree with Anne McFeatters' position that the decline in U.S. technological leadership is due to lack of government funding. Except in the military area, U.S. inventiveness has rarely been funded by the government. Think of Edison, Ford, the Wright Brothers and Silicon Valley.

Kudos to new sports editor

I complained mightily about The Signal's Sports pages before. So now I'd like to make amends.

A wish list for the Santa Clarita Valley

Caltrans needs to hire women to repair the potholes and cracks on the 5 freeway because the job the men have been doing is a joke!

Keep development on SCV's west side

I have been a resident of this valley for more than 32 years. We tried to develop the Rivendale/Towsley Canyon at that time, but regional planning - through the county - was less than eager to approve the development as the creek that runs through the canyon drains in excess of 4,000 acres. We were there during an El Nino when the water that rushed through the creek was so strong that it carried heavy ...

How not to choose judges: Steve Lunetta’s method

Steve Lunetta wrote an Op-Ed article on June 2, 2008 on "How to Choose the Local Judges." In that article he states, "Please take the time to read and think about the judges you vote for."

SCV needs to give people reason to come here

More new hotels. Geez. They haven't even gotten around to putting mints on all the new pillows at the corner of the 5 and the 126. I was just wondering who's gonna stay in all these hotel rooms? Has Magic Mountain suddenly gained some new allure that I've missed? I doubt it. There is no other reason to get off the freeway except to get gas.

Gay marriage ban a religious freedom issue

I'm one of the "million fools" that Jonathan Kraut wrote of (June 3) who signed the petition to amend our state constitution so as to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The main reason our constitution must be amended this way is to protect our freedom of religion, which is one of the basic rights supposedly granted by our constitution and the primary reason this country was founded in the first place.

Cacti use in Santa Clarita landscaping

Santa Clarita may not be Phoenix, but it is a desert location ("Is this Phoenix or Santa Clarita?," Letters, May 29). "Cacti" would seem to be a natural choice for landscaping purposes.

Some with biased views wrongly attacked city

Last night I attended a public meeting regarding traffic in our neighborhood. In response to some residents complaints regarding traffic in the area, Santa Clarita city staff had done numerous traffic counts, surveys, license plate checks, etc. In addition, new stop signs and speed signs had been added to mitigate the perceived problems along with an increased law enforcement presence. The meeting was to present the most recent survey data. When city staff presented the ...

Merchants’ credit card policies prohibited

Where I choose to spend my money in Santa Clarita is a big deal to me. With so many places to shop, eat and use services in the SCV, I can go to about 100 different places for the same thing. This letter may seem like more of a rant, but I would also like to provide information to readers. Merchants are not allowed to charge you an extra fee, service charge or set a ...

Playing blame game does disservice to constituents

Our U.S. Representative does not serve his people well when he attacks the Democrats, blaming them for high fuel costs ("McKeon: Blame Dems for high gas," May 29). After all, he does represent all of us, including Democrats.

The facts about SCV's No. 2 junior golfer Max Homa

Although I've contacted The Signal several times regarding misinformation that was printed about my son, the mistakes continue.

Fuel efficiency

Yes, many cars in Europe of the same make and model have higher mpg ratings than their U.S. counterparts. The U.S. and Euro testing standards differ, as do the tuning specifications (such as fuel/air and ignition timing, computer mapping).

Pick a day and stop mail delivery

In my humble opinion, the only way the U.S. Postal Service will survive is to STOP service one day a week. The question we all should be asking is not whether to stop service one day a week, but which day of the week.

Jesus as a Democrat

I would like to respond to Kevin Buck's column "Jesus Would Be a Liberal Democrat" (March 20, 2013).

Too much help through traffic

Can anyone explain to me why it takes a minimum of five sheriff's deputies to greet Lindsay Lohan at curbside and escort her to the courtroom?

Insurance and personal responsbility

Charlie Vignola takes a page from Stephanie Cutter's playbook in blaming Republicans for the bad health and eventual deaths of his parents.

SCV Voices: Tips for avoiding theft

Editor's note: On March 19, The Signal published a story about a woman whose wallet was stolen by someone hiding beneath the racks of a clothing store while another person distracted the victim. Following is an edited version of readers' postings on the online version of the story.

What do you think Jesus would do?

In response to the column "Jesus would be a liberal Democrat" (March 19), it's always easy to use, or misuse, Jesus to make a political point, although good taste dictates against it.

Wake up and see the altering demographic

In Mr. Patton's piece "Red states should be careful what they wish for" (March 22), his conservative critique of liberalism is as fact-free and unsupported as nearly all conservative points seem to be today.

Turn off your light for gun control

After a great many conversations and debates about gun control, there are still a great many members of Congress bowing to the NRA lobby because they want to protect their political futures more than they want to protect us against gun violence.

Driving in Santa Clarita: Some rules of the road

While driving in Santa Clarita I have noticed some techniques that appear to be unique to the culture here.

Some more equal than others

I used to live in Santa Clarita. I moved to the Bay Area about nine years ago but still check in on The Signal occasionally.

Taxes and the Left

Compulsion against peaceful citizens is immoral. Likewise, extracting taxes for activities that benefit some citizens, but not others, is also immoral.

Time to halt smoking on restaurant patios

White House tours

The tours of the White House have been canceled by the President. How dare he do such a thing?

Miles per gallon

There's talk I've heard that Ford, VW & other carmakers make engines for cars in Europe and other countries that make upwards of 60 mpg. They are however not allowed in the U.S. Imagine the benefit to students and low-income families if they were allowed here.