Archive By Section - Editorial
Speaking truth to power at Modesto Junior College
On Sept. 17, Army veteran Robert Van Tuinen decided to celebrate U.S. Constitution Day by handing out copies of the Constitution at Modesto Junior College, where he is a student. If he were at the University of California, Berkeley or another politically correct campus, some liberal students probably would have picked an argument with him and maybe even would have accused him of hate speech. But as this was Modesto Junior College, Van ...
Enough with the tantrums; local officials need to focus on bringing more jobs to county
Snide under-the-breath comments, eye rolling, whining and ultimatums – no, this is not the behavior of a 5-year-old throwing a temper tantrum, this is the behavior of your local elected officials. Wednesday evening's monthly Stanislaus Council of Governments policy board meeting seemed more like a scene from a reality TV show than that of a boardroom full of supposed professionals, as the board decided which cities would receive State Transportation Improvement Program funds ...
Responsible management of our federal budget
Many of us are familiar with managing a budget, for our families or for ourselves. We track our spending and expenses, staying within our means when possible, and keeping a line of credit to help us manage unexpected costs. We set aside money to save for our children's college education, we buy a car with manageable payments that we can make and we don't commit to buying things we know we can't afford. When we ...
Green hypocrisy at its best
Next time you drive over the Altamont Pass take note of some of the 4,500 turbines spread across 30,000 acres that are home to the world's largest concentration of wind turbines. The spinning blades at one point were killing 1,300 raptors every year including 70 golden eagles that were federally protected. Some studies put the overall yearly bird kill as high as 4,700. Newer turbines have reduced the kill rate roughly in half since ...
Federal follies: We’re going to pay for bonus vacation time
Federal employees are different from you and I. When the working stiff in the private sector or at the state and local level gets furloughed they do so without pay. That's not how it works in Uncle Sam's world. Not only will the 1.3 million federal workers considered essential and are still reporting to work eventually get paid but apparently so will the 800,000 who were considered non-essential and were sent home Oct. 1. ...
Calling for the death of the 'newspapers are dead' rumor
I know of newspapers that kept their communities informed about clean water and shelter during terrible storms and disasters. I know of newspapers that exposed crooks, lost ...
Elvis is in the building
Over the past week, I've had a lot of fun watching the reaction on people's faces when I tell them the Journal just went up a day in print publication. Many people react as if I told them Elvis Presley is alive and well and will be performing at the Turlock Community Theatre next week. While the extreme surprise is a little offensive, I also understand. The newspaper industry is little more than ...
Will CEOs of today undo what Henry Ford helped create?
Henry Ford is the man. He played a pivotal role in not only making it possible for the working man to become mobile but also for them to be able to afford to buy cars. It was 100 years ago today that the world's first moving assembly line starting producing cars. The mass produced Model T literally sparked an economic, social, and cultural revolution. No longer were the rich the only ones able to ...
Voters tend to 'go cheap' when it comes to election time
"You get what you pay for." Often that's a truism that reflects the reality that if you buy cheap, you end up with cheap. Unfortunately, it's also often a truism for voters as well. Analyze a candidate and where he stands and you weed out the politicians who will do the least amount of damage. Recoil from that duty - of studying a candidate or the issues - and you're apt to get someone ...
Newspapers are still the cornerstone of democracy
We've been calling it the end of an era for a long time now. It's supposed to be the end of newspapers, according to naysayers who have ...
GOP lemmings — in their suicide vests
When you write a column, you hear from people who think they have a clever magic-wand solution to intractable political issues. Washington has run up $17 trillion of debt? Pass term limits. Throw the bums out. Take away their pensions. Sure, these ideas sound as if they might help, and it must feel good to propose something, but they ignore the entrenched forces that created these morasses in the first place. In a ...
New day, new look, same commitment to community
I'd like to apologize to those of you who stepped out of your homes this morning, saw a Turlock Journal on your doorstep, thought it must be Saturday and went back to bed instead of work. Hopefully, your bosses are the understanding sort and will give you a break. Many people have set routines during the week that keep them on track, and one little change can mean the difference between keeping up ...
Biotechnology is friend of humanity, not foe
"It feels like home again" is probably the most accurate statement to describe the sensation of being back in Turlock after a month long departure. From July 7 to Aug. 3, I was experiencing a four-week residential program called COSMOS, the California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science. COSMOS was established in 2000 by the California State Legislature as a means of sparking passion in science, technology, engineering, and mathematic fields in ...
Your paper, now 3 days a week
I am excited to talk about some of the changes we are making here at the Turlock Journal. Beginning this week we will be adding a Friday publication to our printed product. It will be delivered to our home delivery subscribers at no additional charge and available in our current retail outlets and racks. Since joining the Journal 18 months ago, I have constantly been asked the question "Is there any chance that ...
We’re holding ACE in drive for Valley employment
The real game changer for the economically challenged in the San Joaquin Valley won't by California High Speed Rail. It'll be well-run traditional rail modeled after the Altamont Corridor Express service. That's because high speed rail will serve one of three classes: Upper income super-distance commuters, tourists, and Los Angeles to San Francisco business travel. ACE-style service targets traditional commuters, regional entertainment travel, and the poor. That's right. The poor. Riding the ACE in ...
Articles by Section - Editorial
How the Grinch stole prosperity
For years, the folks of Weneedjobsville believed in Santanomics. They waited faithfully every year for jobs to drop out of the sky but none ever did. Then, private sector elves working with public elves started building the framework to help Weneedjobsville grow more than houses. The jobs and shopping opportunities started coming. The folks of Weneedjobsville were joyous. "It may stop us from going overland to Hightechland in a Bonneville in exchange for a ...
Guilt isn't always a bad thing
I'm not usually one to prattle on about the supposed deterioration of society. It's my belief that only those over 40 exhort the "good old days" and they do so in an effort to avoid any change. I don't know if it's because I turned 40 last month, or that society has actually started its downward fall, in either case, I'm going to give my first "good old days" tirade. When I was ...
Environmental perfection claims another 118 jobs
Clean air, or perhaps more precisely, environmental perfection is the killer of blue collar head-of-household jobs in the San Joaquin Valley. The 118 men and women who are about to lose their paychecks at one of Lathrop's most high profile and longest employers - the Pilkington flat glass manufacturing facility - are the latest victims. Sixteen years ago it was 220 workers at Manteca's Spreckels Sugar plant. In both cases, each manufacturer had spent ...
Page 1 of 1
Sections:
- Education
- NEWS |
- SPORTS |
- OPINION |
- ARTS/LEISURE |
- LIVING IN 209 |
- HOME SCENE |
- SPECIAL SECTIONS |
- CELEBRATIONS |
- MOVIES |
- OBITS |
- REGIONAL NEWS |
- CIRCULARS
Services:
Submit News:
Online:
Contents of this site are © Copyright 2011 The Turlock Journal, CA. All rights reserved.
