Having been American president No. 45, Donald Trump knows the swamp and the federal bureaucracy. He has years of experience as a worldwide businessman and employs thousands of people. He is for the people. As our president, he was and would be the “commander and chief” of the military. The bureaucracy reports to him. He […]
Opinion
Posted inOpinion
Free elections need our protection from Trump
Every citizen of the United States of America has the right to participate in free elections in which they are allowed to vote according to their own beliefs and opinions. That idea is fundamental to our republic, but that right has been challenged all along. Legislation like the Voting Rights Act of 1965 shows that […]
Posted inOpinion
Removal isn’t easy
So far, Santa Barbara County’s spent about $2.3 million cleaning out the Santa Maria Riverbed. It’s only one of the partners involved in the cleanup efforts, and those efforts have only tackled a third to half of what’s there. There was still a lot of work left to do, last I checked, and at least […]
Posted inOpinion
Patrick Wiemiller is the best candidate for Lompoc’s 1st District City Council seat
There are two City Council seats in Lompoc being contested in the upcoming election; one is for mayor and the other for the 1st District, on the north end of the city. The only qualification to run for a City Council seat is to be at least 18 years old and a registered voter. The […]
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Avoid the next catastrophic oil spill
Sable Offshore seeks to reopen the same failed oil pipeline that caused the catastrophic spill of May 2015. Almost 150,000 gallons of toxic and cancer-causing crude flooded our water and beaches, contaminating one of the most biologically diverse areas of the West Coast and leaving taxpayers with the economic consequences. The U.S. remains, by far, […]
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American reality is better than Trump claims
Donald Trump likes to portray the U.S. economy as being on life support as he attempts to claim only he can save us from economic, social, and political calamity. He does the same regarding immigration. He convinced his Republican faithful in Congress to not pass a bipartisan bill, which would have significantly reduced the flow […]
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Who’s got the dough?
Maintaining a city is hard. It costs money. It requires people. They need public safety services, recreation, parking, walkable spaces, city streets, and more—all of which require infrastructure, maintenance, and money. Lots of it. So why would a city willingly agree to reduce the fees it charges housing developers to pay for all of that […]
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Totalitarianism, fascism, and authoritarianism are not games
I don my team’s colors and make sure things are tucked in right. It’s game day. Off to meet with my fellow participants to strategize where to be to watch the game. We all compare our newest gear and are energized by the prospect of the past and future meetups of our team. We all […]
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The Sun’s North County coverage is appreciated
Thanks to the Santa Maria Sun for its continuing coverage of events germane to Lompoc. Your Sept. 19 issue alone has three pieces of import, not to mention the cover. Your reporting that encompasses the entire North Santa Barbara County is much appreciated. Keep it coming! Barry Marks Lompoc
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Déjà vu?
This year feels like a rerun in some parts of Northern Santa Barbara County. In Santa Maria, Will Smith is again running to unseat longtime incumbent Mayor Alice Patino. It’s his third time running for the spot against Patino. With his checkered past, I’m not sure in what world enough people exist to help him […]
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Local minimum wage proposal may kill an industry
Do you think that local politicians should be able to set the minimum wage for workers whose efforts support the nation? And what would happen if they did? Well, some of the more liberal members of the Board of Supervisors are “studying” a proposal to set $26 an hour as the local labor wage rate […]
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Be an advocate for truth
“The content of our consciousness is the product of our conditioning.” What we know is what we learned since we understood the spoken and written word, and from what we were told, experienced, observed at home, at school, at church, wherever we happened to be. This is who we are and how we become who […]
