Politics & Issues

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Burbank banner debate

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove — Banner on Burbank Boulevard in Burbank The colorful street light banners in Burbank got slammed in yesterday’s Burbank Leader newspaper and on its website by columnist Richard Tafilaw who called them, “lame-o.”  I disagree big time for a few reasons. The banners are high above the street and not a real distraction for either motorists or pedestrians. […]
Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Good and bad news for Burbank

Burbank has not escaped the bumps and bruises of the brutal recession, but yesterday it got some good news from one of the top financial agencies. Standard and Poor’s upgraded Burbank’s credit rating to “AAA,” the highest grade possible.   S&P credited the Media City with a strong local economy, steady tax base, low debt, high reserve balance, and attractive location in […]
Sunday, February 21, 2010

President Obama meets the Dalai Lama, Bob Dylan & voters in Nevada

Official White House Photo by Pete Souza — President Barack Obama chats with the Dalai Lama at the White House. The meeting took place in the Map Room instead of the Oval Office, an apparent concession to China, who objected to the president’s meeting with the exiled and highly revered leader.  02/18/10 White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs described the meeting this way: “The President met this morning at […]
Saturday, January 30, 2010

Los Angeles Lakers meet President Obama & go on a winning streak

Photo from http://www.whitehouse.gov Quite a week for the 2009 NBA Champions, the Los Angeles Lakers. Last Monday, they were honored at the White House by President Obama and some local congressional Lakers fans among them, Jane Harmon, Laura Richardson, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Brad Sherman, and Adam Schiff. President Obama belatedly congratulated the Lakers on their 15th NBA title — their fourth in the past ten years.  Here […]
Thursday, January 28, 2010

President Obama’s State of the Union Address:”We don’t quit”

White House photo: Pete Souza — President Obama delivers the State of the Union Address 01/27/10 More jobs and pumping up the weak economy were major themes in President Obama’s first State of the Union speech delivered before a joint session of Congress last night. And that’s the way it should be. The country, and especially the backbone of the our society […]
Monday, January 18, 2010

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: Live The Dream

The Dreamer: Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ( January 15, 1929 — April 4, 1968 ) “… Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its […]
Sunday, January 17, 2010

Ex-Presidents Bill Clinton & George W. Bush join forces for Haiti relief fund

Photo: Pete Souza/White House —  Ex-Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush attend a news conference with President Barack Obama. 01/16/10  Former President Bill Clinton is leaving for quake-ravaged Haiti tomorrow to deliver much needed aid supplies and to meet with local leaders. Clinton is the U.N. special envoy to Haiti. Meanwhile, Haitian officials still fear more than 100,000 people have been killed by last […]
Thursday, January 14, 2010

President Obama tells the big banks: “We want our money back and we’re going to get it!’

White House photo by Samantha Appleton 01/14/10: President Obama calling for new bank fees. Some “fat cats” on Wall Street got a rude whack upside the head from President Obama today. A tough talking Obama put the big banks on notice that he wants them to repay “every dime” of our money they got in that huge financial bailout. The president wants to slap the […]