NAACP, Right Wing foes get friendly

Can prominent right-wingers like Newt Gingrich and Grover Norquist get along with the very liberal NAACP? Yes, they can, at least on the high cost of prisons.

Giving old electronics new life

Unwanted computers, printers, televisions, and other devices comprise one of the nation's fastest-growing waste streams. Inspired by the concerns of several constituents, I advocated and sponsored legislation over the course of several years to address this problem. Through collaboration with other legislators, manufacturers, recyclers, and the environmental community this effort culminated in the passage of legislation in 2010 that makes South Carolina a leader in responsibly managing this waste while protecting our environment and ...

Budget reflects where city is headed

It's budget season at City Hall. This is the time of year that we review our previous budget and formulate a new one. I'm proud to say that our 2010-2011 numbers are projected to come in under budget, and our new budget will pass without requiring any tax increases.

Coffee has come a long way

Someone sent me an Internet video of two soldiers in Afghanistan demonstrating how to make coffee using a device called a heat pack. It was entertaining though the language was pretty salty, as soldiers' language can be.

Reaganomics? Meet 'Ryan-omics'

What would America look like if the Tea Party movement ran it? You can get a good glimpse in Republican Rep. Paul Ryan's budget-balancing plan. Now, I wonder, will Democrats come up with a better plan? Or will they simply wait for Republicans to destroy themselves?

What word defines you?

Can you think of only one word that accurately defines you? That's what I asked my husband as I watched "Eat, Pray, Love" last weekend. John, who at the time was staring at his computer screen after vehemently refusing to watch the "Ultimate Chick Flick of 2010" with me, didn't take more than two seconds to answer. "Unconventional," he said, without even bothering to look up. I guess for some ...

Lend me your tired, your poor, your yuan

NEW YORK -- So why do Republicans hate art, the elderly and children?

School vouchers a "lousy idea'

After having been involved in the political and governmental life in South Carolina since 1963, when I accepted a position on the staff of Gov. Donald Russell, I am still constantly amazed at how long awful ideas persist in our State.

Economic development and school choice

A few weeks back, my wife showed me a newspaper article about a television ad running in North Carolina by a group called "NC Together." In it, the narrator touts the fact that North Carolina has a world class education system that has attracted business and industry to the state and advocates for not making deep cuts to educational and other resources in order to keep the North Carolina's business climate a competitive one. ...

A better way to reform welfare

When President Clinton signed landmark welfare-reform legislation in 1996, he said it would "end welfare as we know it." Wrong verb. More accurately, it changed welfare as we know it.

The first president I voted for

Ronald Reagan was already in office by the time I turned 18 in 1983 and was eligible to vote. The next year, however, I cast my first vote for president: for Reagan to have a second term.

Freedom to snoop

Conservatives express shock and horror over political correctness, which they roughly define as the Orwellian suppression of any frank discussion about issues that liberals hold dear. But conservatives practice their own PC, too. "Freedom fries," anyone?

Making life a little brighter

Gosh, life is good, and it's the people around us who help make it so.

Dealing a blow to drug dealers in Kershaw County

One evening last year when I pulled into my driveway, there was an unfamiliar car parked in front of my house and there was a man wearing a uniform, standing by the car. As I got closer, I recognized the uniform as a Richland County Sheriff's Department uniform. This officer identified himself to me and said that if I was elected sheriff, he and his partner would like to come work for me. He handed me an envelope containing their resumes.

A 'reverse beauty pageant' for tyrants

"What if they gave a war and nobody came? So goes an old Vietnam War era bumper sticker. I've got an update in mind: What if they gave a war and nobody paid attention?

Not such strange bedfellows

WASHINGTON -- Breaking news: Conservative organizations suddenly have found common cause with one of their favorite objects of contempt -- the benighted Mainstream Media.

Seniors reflect

I meet with a lot of groups and committees over the course of the year, and I think it's important for me to do so. One of my favorite groups is Student Cabinet, which is comprised of student government leaders from each of our high schools. We meet four times a year over lunch. What I love and value about students is that they don't hesitate to tell you what's ...

A matter of conscience:

In 1929, my family moved from Chesterfield County to a farm adjoining the farm of Donald Holland's parents in the Cassatt community. I was a year old at the time but before many years passed, Donald and I established a friendship lasting until Donald's passing in 2003.

When DOJ targets press, we all lose

To say I was stunned was putting it mildly. I was shocked to learn about the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) decision to seize phone records belonging to the Associated Press (AP). The C-I does not belong to the AP; I have never written for the service. That doesn't negate my outrage at DOJ's actions.

Fredericksburg Township explored

Our grand city of Camden is a beautifully preserved town laid out in an 18th century plan devised by Joseph Kershaw. We are proud of our historic homes and buildings, carefully placed public parks, wide streets, and beautiful trees. So it is easy to forget that this was not the original plan for the "town" that was to develop in this area of South Carolina. The original plan was a part of the "Township ...

What was the IRS thinking?

Well, this is a fine mess.

Are we willing to pay for increased public safety?

Kershaw County public safety is at a crossroads. The sheriff's office is greatly understaffed and deputies are compensated for their mandatory overtime work by an antiquated and grossly unfair payment system. The solicitor's office is working with half the staff it needs to properly prosecute the cases it receives every month and the jail is barely able to keep sufficient staff to meet state standards. <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: ...

Benghazi redacted

Gatsby? What Gatsby?