American Dream

F or the Klee family, days like Friday are reasons why they said they immigrated to the U.S. from Guatemala. Rafael Klee and his son Miguel came to Glendale Community College early for seats at the 50-yard line of Sartoris Field — prime position to watch the family's matriarch, Dora Klee, graduate with honors. "It's the American dream," Rafael Klee said. "My wife's mother had helped us immigrate. We believe there's a better future here." Dora Klee was one of more than 980 students on Friday to come home with a diploma, certificate or both.

California must change course. In a recent survey of American chief executives, California ranked 50th in providing a business-friendly environment. Their finding: over-taxation and burdensome regulation, evidenced by the double-digit unemployment rate and the thousands of small businesses closing their doors. Instead of reversing the tide, current 43rd District Assembly member Mike Gatto has chosen to put liberal party politics and platforms ahead of the needs of his constituents by introducing AB 2540, which would further boost taxes on thousands of small businesses.

I've been following the Occupy Wall Street movement with real appreciation for those rising up to protest. I've also been hearing critics say the movement lacks focus and a clear message. Personally, I think not having one unifying voice is a good thing. There will come a time when this uprising will need a more honed agenda, but right now should be the time to gather in enormous numbers and throw every issue against the wall and see what sticks and what doesn't. With that in mind, I've got some things to put on the table.

In the middle of a day-long hike in the expansive San Gabriel Mountains last summer, Eric Kleinsasser briefly stumbled. He wasn't sure what the consequences might lead to from his unexpected mishap. While walking on a slight incline on a dirt trail near Claremont, a rock popped out of the ground and bruised Kleinsasser's left ankle. Kleinsasser didn't feel any sharp pain initially, but his ankle eventually swelled and bruised. Stumbling or even taking a spill on a course isn't something that's been customary for Kleinsasser, a former Crescenta Valley High standout cross-country runner now excelling at Occidental College.

Ben Godar Young people have a unique take on the American dream, and several Glendale youths have expressed their views through photographs. Photographs by 14 students are being displayed as part of "Celebrating Community 2002: Still the American Dream" at the Glendale Central Library. The annual competition asked kids from kindergarten through high school to take a photograph that represented the American dream, and write a brief description of why. In past years, students have been asked to design posters on different themes.

A large number of high school seniors who will be graduating from our Glendale high schools this year are heroes, survivors and visionaries. Their parents are also heroes, survivors and visionaries who sacrificed and paid a heavy price to come to America and live in Glendale. The 310 high school seniors who applied for one of more than 100 Glendale Endowment Scholarships this year revealed a view that many of us may not know. When one reads about the lives, hopes, struggles and dreams of these students and their parents, one comes to the realization that Glendale is what the American dream is all about.

I am a property owner in the city of Glendale, and I have skin in this game. I am fascinated by the linguistic gymnastics used by self-proclaimed property-rights advocates to frame the debate about how communities in Glendale should be developed. Homeowners associations have been characterized as meddlesome xenophobes whose only goal is to stifle everyone else’s pursuit of the American dream. This dream, however, has many definitions, and if one were the unalienable right to develop a piece of property for maximum personal financial gain to the economic and social detriment of the surrounding community — well I suppose they may be correct.

The American dream lives. You'll find it at Porto's Bakery. The Porto family has lived that dream, from the days in Mazanillo, Cuba, when Rosa Porto would sell cakes from her home, to more than 30 years later on Brand Boulevard, where the Porto family runs a bustling business that fills each day with thousands of customers with appetites for potato balls and mango mousse, among other things. But behind the savory servings and the Porto success story -- which entered a new chapter Monday with the family's opening of a new bakery and eatery in Burbank -- are the ingredients of the American Dream.

To the City Council, here are some questions regarding fences in the city of Glendale. What is the big deal? Why is it that fences aren't allowed, but hedges 10 feet high are OK? Who ever got the notion that fences cause neighbors to feel unwelcome or make a neighborhood seem divided? Isn't it the American dream to own a home with a white picket fence? Don't you have better, more important things to do (such as fighting crime or helping the homeless)

Ninety-nine percent are rational citizens that welcome Walmart. Ninety-nine percent are logical citizens that welcome a well-run, taxpaying corporate success. Ninety-nine percent are unbiased citizens that welcome nearby value and quality. Ninety-nine percent are clear-thinking citizens who welcome an exponential increase in tax revenues from outside the community. Ninety-nine percent are balanced citizens who welcome countless Walmart-generated jobs throughout the community.

I'm pretty diligent when it comes to my taxes. And by diligent, I mean that in November, I make an appointment for February with my tax guy, which is unlike those co-workers in your office asking around in April if anyone knows a good accountant. That's like trying to get face-value Super Bowl tickets on game day. To coin an overused phrase, a good accountant is like a good pair of shoes: The best ones give you comfort for the long haul and are worth the cash outlay. Bad ones may look nice for the price, but are painful and need replacing too soon.

The family of Franz Weissmuller mourns his passing on March 8, 2013 in Tarzana, California, where his family prayed with him at the time of his death. Franz was born September 18, 1931 in Modosch of the former Yugoslavia to Franz Weissmuller, Sr. and Katharina Rohrbacher Weissmuller. His early years as a teenager, with the Russian invasion and occupation of Yugoslavia, were wrought with much adversity for him and his family. Franz married Veronika Buck, in Graz, Austria. They immigrated to the United States in 1956.

California must change course. In a recent survey of American chief executives, California ranked 50th in providing a business-friendly environment. Their finding: over-taxation and burdensome regulation, evidenced by the double-digit unemployment rate and the thousands of small businesses closing their doors. Instead of reversing the tide, current 43rd District Assembly member Mike Gatto has chosen to put liberal party politics and platforms ahead of the needs of his constituents by introducing AB 2540, which would further boost taxes on thousands of small businesses.

Ninety-nine percent are rational citizens that welcome Walmart. Ninety-nine percent are logical citizens that welcome a well-run, taxpaying corporate success. Ninety-nine percent are unbiased citizens that welcome nearby value and quality. Ninety-nine percent are clear-thinking citizens who welcome an exponential increase in tax revenues from outside the community. Ninety-nine percent are balanced citizens who welcome countless Walmart-generated jobs throughout the community.

If I had my way, Thanksgiving would become a weeklong holiday at least once a decade - a time to take stock of who and where we are, and where we are going. We would take our heads out of the clouds of our self-absorption, including the Internet “cloud.” We would turn off our cell phones and TVs. We'd put away our iPads and Kindles. We'd take a walk around the block and say hello to everyone we came across. We'd volunteer for some kind of community service for a day or two. We'd actually give thanks for what we have and celebrate the good in our lives.

I've been following the Occupy Wall Street movement with real appreciation for those rising up to protest. I've also been hearing critics say the movement lacks focus and a clear message. Personally, I think not having one unifying voice is a good thing. There will come a time when this uprising will need a more honed agenda, but right now should be the time to gather in enormous numbers and throw every issue against the wall and see what sticks and what doesn't. With that in mind, I've got some things to put on the table.

In the middle of a day-long hike in the expansive San Gabriel Mountains last summer, Eric Kleinsasser briefly stumbled. He wasn't sure what the consequences might lead to from his unexpected mishap. While walking on a slight incline on a dirt trail near Claremont, a rock popped out of the ground and bruised Kleinsasser's left ankle. Kleinsasser didn't feel any sharp pain initially, but his ankle eventually swelled and bruised. Stumbling or even taking a spill on a course isn't something that's been customary for Kleinsasser, a former Crescenta Valley High standout cross-country runner now excelling at Occidental College.

F or the Klee family, days like Friday are reasons why they said they immigrated to the U.S. from Guatemala. Rafael Klee and his son Miguel came to Glendale Community College early for seats at the 50-yard line of Sartoris Field — prime position to watch the family's matriarch, Dora Klee, graduate with honors. "It's the American dream," Rafael Klee said. "My wife's mother had helped us immigrate. We believe there's a better future here." Dora Klee was one of more than 980 students on Friday to come home with a diploma, certificate or both.

When Oganes Menedjyan immigrated to the United States from Armenia in 1987, accompanied by 12 of his family members and two dogs, the man did not know a word of English. Today, along with his family, Menedjyan owns Moonlight restaurant, which opened Nov. 21 in Adams Square at 1022 E. Chevy Chase Drive in Glendale. The event was held to give the public a taste of Moonlight’s international cuisine. But it could have easily been a family gathering as evidenced by the number of family and friends that streamed in as the festivities started, hugging and congratulating each other as they looked around the new establishment.

I asked students what scares them these days, and their first thoughts turned to their most frightening moments in a theater. I asked about movies last year in this space and most people, approximately my age, agreed that when we were much younger the things that scared us engaged our imaginations as well as our senses. Things these days are gorier and more brutally graphic, and they tend to gross out audiences more than genuinely scare them. After we finished talking about chain saws and flesh-eating zombies, I asked my students if they had other, perhaps more deep-seated fears.