L.A. Times - Commentary

Sheila Schuller Coleman: The reverend daughter

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

She shares the pulpit with her famous dad, the Rev. Robert H. Schuller, at the Crystal Cathedral.

Iwas 7 or 8 years old, reading my way through my kiddie encyclopedias, when I infuriated my Sunday school teacher by suggesting that the miraculous parting of the Red Sea was simply low tide. At that age, Sheila Schuller was working for her father's fledgling church. On Sunday mornings, she thumbtacked the Sunday school lessons to the wooden picnic tables at the Garden Grove drive-in theater where the Rev. Robert H. Schuller preached sermons from atop the snack stand.

Putting California back to work

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

With state unemployment at 12% and even more underemployed, the financial insecurity caused by our economic malaise must be addressed.

The great military historian John Keegan reminds readers of the old axiom that a general's worst fault "is to take counsel of his fears." On the other hand, while politics lends itself to martial metaphor, an elected official can fail when he does not make voters' anxieties his own.

Reagan at the Berlin Wall

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The president is remembered for his impassioned plea for Gorbachev to 'tear down this wall.' But his intention was to improve relations with the Soviet Union so the Cold War could end.

With the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the tape of Ronald Reagan's famous speech at the Brandenburg Gate is likely to be played and replayed. "Mr. Gorbachev," he declared, "tear down this wall!"

The perfect lieutenant governor: me

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

In these tough times, one writer thinks he has what it takes to do a do-nothing job.

Dear Gov. Schwarzenegger, I hear you're searching for a new lieutenant governor. If I may be so bold, I can think of one Californian who is the right fit for the job.

1989 was a very good year

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The end of the Cold War brought change that sent ripples around the world.

It was the biggest year in world history since 1945. In international politics, 1989 changed everything.

Cyclists and motorists on collision course

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

A physician's conviction in a bicycle crash case reveals a noxious form of road rage.

On Monday, Dr. Christopher Thompson, the driver who abruptly stopped his car in front of two cyclists last summer, was found guilty of six felonies and a misdemeanor. The trial, which lasted three weeks and captivated the cycling community, revealed a particularly virulent form of road rage. Christian Stoehr suffered a separated shoulder and Ron Peterson shattered several teeth and broke and nearly severed his nose when the two hit the back of Thompson's Infiniti sedan on Mandeville Canyon Road.

Fixing healthcare: Primary care is job No. 1

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Effective reform requires spending for front-line doctors, those who screen for preventable diseases and are a patient's advocate.

The Senate and House are inching closer to extending health insurance to millions of Americans. Access to insurance, however, does not necessarily mean access to healthcare. What is also needed is a sufficient supply of primary-care doctors. As an internal-medicine physician who works in multiple clinical settings, I repeatedly witness the consequences of patients not having that access.

California's higher-education debacle

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Watching the decline of the California State University system from within its boardroom mirrors the erosion of the California dream.

For nearly six years, I have served on the Board of Trustees of the California State University system -- the last two as its chairman. This experience has been more than just professional; it has been a deeply personal one. With my term ending soon, I need to share my concern -- and personal pain -- that California is on the verge of destroying the very system that once made this state great.

Chief attributes

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The mayor's choice to lead the LAPD, Charlie Beck, is committed to reform and has strong support from civil rights activists and Latino, African American and immigrant leaders in the community.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's selection of Charlie Beck as Los Angeles' new police chief sends a powerful signal that City Hall remains committed to the innovative policing strategies and reform agenda that William J. Bratton so successfully employed during his seven-year tenure.

The GOP should dump the neocons

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Limited-government conservatives have been undermined by big-government neoconservatives.

The founders envisioned a federal government constitutionally limited to defending our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. For that to happen, we must have at least one political party that strongly advocates limiting the power of government. For much of the 19th century, that party was the Democrats. For the early part of the 20th century and from the early 1960s through 1988, that party was the Republicans.