THERE IS FEAR AND TREMBLING ON WALL STREET as the ugly phenomenon of class warfare is increasingly fostered by liberals and union bosses! Crippling taxation threatens! Or so one would surely believe if following the latest bulletins from the right-wing front. For a brief connection with reality, however, consider the following as reported in The […]
Matt Talbot: Now is the time to raise the minimum wage
IN A CRITIQUE OF A RECENT COLUMN by New York Times columnist David Brooks, former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich said the following: “(W)hen almost all the gains from growth go to the top, as they have for the last thirty years, the middle class doesn’t have the purchasing power necessary for buoyant growth. “Once […]
Jerome Page: … As we sow, so shall we reap
I WANT TODAY TO CONNECT ONE OF THE MOST MOVING EXPERIENCES OF MY LIFE with one of the grave dangers related to warming that confronts us. Thirty years ago, I was privileged to visit St. Croix in the Virgin Islands and visit the national marine park off St. Thomas. There, at great length, I did […]
Matt Talbot: Betrayed with a kiss
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you […]
‘On the Edge of Beauty’: Baroque in Benicia
❒ Renaissance, Updated: Artist’s work, on display now in downtown gallery, evokes Italian masters By Keri Luiz Assistant Editor Large canvases and a pair of triptych panels line the walls at Gallery 621, vividly evoked images that, while abstract, also have a somehow “familiar” feel. The paintings, a series of richly colored, finely detailed images, seem […]
Living with the Brown Act
By Lawrence Grossman THINK OF THIS AS A (POSSIBLE) CONFESSION. I (may have) committed a crime. But I hope it was just a civics lesson. Here is my story. I joined the city Finance Committee about four years ago and currently serve as chair (there are four other members). In that time I have learned […]
Dennis Lund: Lost dreams and found dreams in America
Take it where you find it, can’t leave it alone You will find a purpose to carry it on Mainly, when you find it, your heart will be strong about it Lost dreams and found dreams In America, in America, in America — Van Morrison, “Take It Where You Find It” AS 2014 GETS UNDER […]
Matt Talbot: Out with the old
MY MIDDLE SCHOOL CLOSED ITS DOORS FOR GOOD three and a half years ago. I discovered this while I was on one of my nostalgia benders (what is middle age for?) and had stopped by to walk the grounds after school hours and savor bittersweet memories of gym class, a girl in eighth grade named […]
Jerome Page: On conflicting values
I WANTED TO REFLECT UPON AN INTERESTING — actually startlingly dramatic — contrast of political and economic views and share that experience with others. First, I refer you to the vision of Dr. Walter E. Williams of George Mason University as drawn from a recent piece published in The Herald, “Parting company” (Jan. 1): “I […]
Dennis Lowry: Priority Development Area in the Industrial Park is a really bad idea
I WROTE THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE BENICIA HERALD early in 2012 opposing the establishment of a Priority Development Area in any part of Benicia, especially the 925 acres in the Industrial Park, but to no avail. My concerns were marginalized by the city manager, who took personal offense (something he unfortunately does often) to […]