Published Saturday, September 13, 2008
THE TRIBUNE'S VIEW
Public schools
By HENRY J. WATERS III, Publisher, Columbia Daily Tribune
You just have the feeling things are on the mend at Columbia Public Schools.
The school board hired Jim Ritter to serve as interim superintendent, bringing a palpable sense of relief throughout the district, and it is beginning the search for a new permanent person for the job, a process that can allow excellent interaction with the public.
OPEN COLUMN
Take critical look at effect
of Palin’s views on teaching
Editor, the Tribune: As a former teacher, I think people should know about some of Sarah Palin’s views that would likely affect public education across the country if she gained power as vice president.
OPEN COLUMN
Pitts fails to realize
dangers of obscenity
Editor, the Tribune: Well. No less an authority than Leonard Pitts Jr. (2004 Pulitzer Prize winner for commentary) warns of the slippery slope when attempting to distinguish art from obscenity.
OPEN COLUMN
National anthem represents
hope we hold in our survival
Editor, the Tribune: I felt a need to respond to David Shipp’s call for an "alternate" national anthem. I have been to or watched events on TV where "America the Beautiful" or "God Bless America" have been sung instead of the "Star Spangled Banner."
OPEN COLUMN
It is difficult to discern real views of GOP ticket
Editor, the Tribune: Will the real John McCain and Sarah Palin please stand up? How can Palin describe herself as a Washington reformer when as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, she raised local sales taxes to pay for a multiplex sports center while cutting the library’s budget?
‘New’ McCain doesn’t deserve presidency
By E.J. DIONNE JR.
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Once upon a time, John McCain promised to be a different kind of politician and a different kind of Republican. He was about straight talk, reform and nonpartisanship, a resolute foe of the slashing politics of the slaughterhouse.
Pensions will fuel next financial crisis
By GEORGE F. WILL
VALLEJO, Calif. - Mayor Osby Davis, who has lived in this waterfront city across San Pablo Bay from San Francisco for 60 of his 62 years, says: "If you have a can that’s leaking two ounces a minute and you put an ounce a minute in it, it’s going to get empty." He is describing his city’s coffers.
