Columns – Page 237

Democracy Tree: State lawmakers allow toy guns to look real

April 22, 2015

by Amy Kerr Hardin Michigan’s legislature is poised to enact a bill that should be of grave concern for parents who, unlike GOP lawmakers, will immediately understand the true danger of this proposed law. Senate Bill 85 will make it difficult, if not impossible, for law enforcement to distinguish between...

Ranger Rick: So who are you gonna trust? The ‘progressives’?

April 21, 2015

If you’ve been reading any of my articles, you’ll notice I don’t try to bamboozle you with difficult language, extravagant sentence structure, or liberal mumbo jumbo (oops, make that “progressive” – I always forget they’re trying to change their original name). Let’s do as my old friend Lynn used to...

Monday Moan: Penmanship, poor roads and just plain poor

April 19, 2015

By Jeff Salisbury jeffsalisbury@charter.net Biological and Psychology Benefits of Learning Cursive Don't let your schools stop teaching cursive Published by William R. Klemm Ph.D., Senior Professor of Neuroscience at Texas A&M University. He is the author of 18 books, including "Science, The Brain, and Our Future." "In response to a...

Yes It Is, It’s True: Steppenwolf nailed free speech in 1968

April 17, 2015

I had mixed emotions about the 1960s rock group Steppenwolf, which made good money on two mediocre songs, “Born to Be Wild” and “Magic Carpet Ride.” But the boys put together two terrific songs on their 1968 album. One was “The Pusher,” which really captured the difference between a pot...

Columns

Army Bob: Agreement with Iran merely delays the inevitable

April 16, 2015

The Iranians will get nuclear weapons if they hold to the agreements worked out with Secretary of State John Kerry and leaders from other nations; it will take them a bit longer but it is inevitable. President Bill Clinton paying North Korea two billion dollars not to develop a nuclear...

Ranger Rick: Chicago – Oh, how the mighty has fallen!

April 14, 2015

Many people from this area love to visit Chicago for shopping, professional sports and cultural events. The tall buildings, O’Hare Airport (where many flights originate to other destinations), Shoreline Drive, Miracle Mile, architecture, all are part of a visit to Chicago. But don’t let the hustle, bustle and vibrancy of...

Monday Moan: STEM and the myth about jobs in the future

April 12, 2015

By Jeff Salisbury jeffsalisbury@charter.net The Paper Chase The Paper Chase was a 1973 film starring Timothy Bottoms, Lindsay Wagner and John Houseman, which was based on John Jay Osborn, Jr.'s 1970 novel. The Paper Chase told the story of James Hart, a first-year law student at Harvard Law School, his...

The Muck Starts Here: Another ‘no’ voter in May 5 election

April 12, 2015

By Barry Hastings As of April 8, polls indicate a "no" vote on the sales tax increase the legislature wants you to vote for next month (so they won't have to wrestle with the pothole problem they've avoided for eight years) is in at least a little bit of trouble....

Changing sub teachers provider won’t really solve problem

April 11, 2015

I hear tell Wayland schools and the other districts in the Allegan Educational Services Agency (AAESA) no longer will hire substitute teachers through Professional Education Services Group of Caledonia. I shed no tears for the demise of PESG, a private firm I have criticized in this space before because of...

Columns

Army Bob: Equal pay for equal work for women a bogus issue?

April 9, 2015

Equal pay for equal work has been the law, some could argue, since 1920. Most would agree that the 1963 Equal Pay Law passed by Congress and then signed by President Kennedy removed any question of gender pay equality in the law. In 2009 President Obama signed a new law...

Category: Columns