Archive By Section - Columnists
Comedy writer headline writes itself
HOLLYWOOD - God bless America, and how's everybody? President Obama's speechwriter Jon Lovett resigned to pursue what he called a more fulfilling life in Los Angeles writing comedy. He helped write the stimulus bill, the health care law and the president's jobs plan. His work as a comedy writer in Washington is done. Republicans refused to give a TV response to the president's jobs speech to Congress Thursday. They weren't going to fall for that ...
Ugly isn't everything
If you have the sort of face that only a mother could love, you may not be surprised by the ugly truths documented by Daniel Hamermesh.
Our summer memories are not good
Summer is a time of strong memories. Memories of sunshine, lemonade and bicycles flood our minds. Summertime is the season when our youth is so close we can almost reach out and touch it. This summer we have been extra reflective, the marriage of our first child and the contemplation of our parents mortality have only heightened our introspection. Because it is so integral to our lives, much of our analysis has focused on America ...
Obama ranks with the best cavers
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - As you enter this city of 58,566 two hours from the Colorado-Utah border you can swear you almost see facial images in the red rock and gorges carved and gouged by Mother Nature.
Krazy kostumes komfort kiddies
Perhaps a kindergartner needs to have his dad wait with him and wave bye-bye as he steps onto the school bus in the morning, but Rain Price is a 10th-grader in American Fork, Utah, and his dad, Dale Price, nevertheless waves from the bus stop every morning, right in front of Rain's friends.
It's more like a 'no jobs' speech
HOLLYWOOD - God bless America, and how's everybody? President Obama's jobs speech to Congress Thursday isn't expected to make that big a splash. It could also cause a sensation. If he wants to make an authentic Jobs Speech he should wear a black pullover, introduce a new Apple product and then resign for health reasons. Labor Day weekend was spoiled when the Labor Department reported Friday the U.S. economy added no new jobs last month. ...
Mancession opens some doors wide
It sounds good to me. I speak of an opportunity made possible by the "mancession." You see, the recession that began in December 2007 hit male-dominated industries, such as construction, harder than female-dominated industries. The male unemployment rate hit 10.4 percent in November 2010, whereas the female unemployment rate hovered around 8 percent. This "mancession" has resulted in some interesting domestic changes for some guys, according to a University of Kansas study featured in U.S. ...
No more professors, please!
President Obama has nominated Princeton University Professor Alan Krueger to be chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisors.
Jeb Bush could still run
Is there a President Jeb Bush in the White House's future? Many pundits think he'll run after 2012, and could have a chance of winning despite having the same last name as you-know-who. But a lot will depend on the 2012 race's outcome – whether the Republican Party repudiates the conservatism of his brother, former President George W. Bush, and father, former President George H. W. Bush, espoused. And make no mistake about it: a ...
Little hope for jobs this Labor Day
Three years in, and the Obama administration's attempts to fix unemployment have been about as effective as trying to scratch your ear with your elbow.
Quake closes the Washington Monument
HOLLYWOOD - God bless America, and how's everybody? The Washington Monument was closed due to cracks in the concrete after Tuesday's quake hit the capital. Rumors that the monument was leaning turned out to be false. It's been standing up straight for 100 years and it may be time to consult a physician. Bill Clinton discussed his vegan diet Friday, saying while vegetarians don't eat meat, poultry, fish or seafood, vegans also shun dairy, eggs ...
Let's us get some of that crack
BEVERLY HILLS - God bless America, and how's everybody? Washington D.C. residents were reeling Friday after being hit by an earthquake and a hurricane in the same week. The streets were chaotic. The Washington Monument had to be closed after the earthquake when former Mayor Marion Barry heard it had crack in it. New Yorkers stocked up on water, canned goods and emergency supplies on Friday as Hurricane Irene spun north. They needed to replenish ...
The job, and bills, fall to us -- again
With approximately 135 different tribes within its borders, the hard lifting in Libya now begins. It is incumbent upon the United States to take a lead role in this vital area.
Earthquake is a Great Depression
HOLLYWOOD - God bless America, and how's everybody? Washington D.C. was hit by an earthquake Tuesday, shaking the East Coast. To survive an earthquake you must carry an earthquake preparedness kit with a transistor radio, a flashlight and a can of tuna. If it didn't look like the Great Depression before, it does now. New York's Mayor Michael Bloomberg went on the air Tuesday to calm New Yorkers after they felt their first earthquake. The ...
Here's a suggestion, stop suggesting
This time I was about to get on my plane at San Diego International Airport when I went to the newsstand to buy a copy of the Los Angeles Times. As the clerk rang it up she asked me in a robot-like type tone:
Articles by Section - Columnists
Droning On
Put on your tinfoil hats everybody. Or didn't you get the memo? Its paranoia time in America again. Maybe it's the spring that brings out the crazy in our legislators. Of course, that would assume a semblance of sanity the other three seasons, and nobody wants to bet anything more than lunch money on that proposition.
FCC Must Run Honest Auctions
"America's global leadership in mobile, and the strategic bandwidth advantage so many have worked hard to create, is being threatened by the looming spectrum crunch," recently departed Federal Communications (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski said.
Will George W. Bush and A.J. Clemente Get Mulligans?
When should you give someone a mulligan? Should you give a former President a mulligan for a good chunk of his 8 years in office? Should you give a young broadcaster a mulligan when he doesn't realize his mike is on and he says words more suitable for a Chris Rock routine?
Out of the Closet and into Identity Politics
I've never sought the spotlight.
Come on guys, keep those doors open
Sunshine Week, the national initiative by journalists to assure that sunshine illuminates every crevasse in the halls of officialdom, runs March 10-16. During that week, newspapers traditionally run editorials and columns extolling the importance of open government as it relates to our freedoms as Americans.
