Commentaries

When humans first came together to live in agricultural communities, the need developed for rules and laws. It became important for those early leaders, just as today, to set good examples to follow for the rest of the community. Those social rules and laws have become the glue that holds modern civilization and societies together. […]

I have a confession to make. A couple of weeks ago, I told Mark van de Kamp, a management analyst for the city, that the Santa Maria Public Library doesn’t need any more money. A week before that, I said the same thing to Phil Alvarado, the new Santa Maria Bonita School District Superintendent and […]

It was August 1963, and I was a college junior. I had a summer job in New York City, and each day I took the commuter train with my father. On one such trip, I looked at the New York Post and was surprised to learn that college students had gone down south to help […]

Six years ago, California voters passed Proposition 49, which created thousands of new after-school programs, invested in public safety, and guaranteed that funding would not be subject to political whims. However, the State Legislature is now attempting to repeal Proposition 49, through another ballot initiative. At risk are more than 3,800 after-school programs that keep […]

I saw this country evolve from (what my grandfather found to be) a place where a person could work hard and become anything they wanted to be, to an entitlement society where people somehow believe they have an absolute right to a high standard of living. We have been lulled into a false sense of […]

It was not unexpected. I always knew it would someday arrive knocking at my door. I asked myself, “How could 61 years have gone by so fast?” Now I hear, not a pleasant tapping, but a clenched fist banging at my door. It’s here. Open the door and face it. You are 62 years old. […]

On June 5 and 6, Santa Barbara County residents may notice an odd though not unknown scene on local roadways—3,000 cyclists and crew pedaling through the wind and fatigue. Hopefully, most will look long enough to realize that this is not just some mega-bike club or century ride. This year, the 545-mile AIDS/LifeCycle is expected […]