The leadership vacuum

WASHINGTON -- Failure of political leadership knows no party. The past few days have offered an unfortunate demonstration of this sad maxim: House Speaker John Boehner ducking his appropriate role in countering the belief that President Obama is a Muslim, and the president himself, once again ducking a leadership role in dealing with the nation's fiscal crisis.

Mandela's lesson for Egypt

Egypt's latest pharaoh has surrendered his crown. He was booted from his throne not by armies but through a groundswell of Twitter Age popular will. Let Egyptians celebrate. They've earned it. And let tyrants elsewhere tremble. They deserve to. But, even as Egyptians celebrate, they would be wise to remember that their biggest challenges are only beginning. The same holds true for the Obama administration. As the participants in Egypt's remarkably ...

A veteran's story

The grizzled veteran Marine pilot from Cassatt watched as Chinese fishing boat crews fought fiercely with their 18- to 20-foot oars for position to be first in line in order to save the airplane crew which had gone down in the South China Sea. The fishing boat which brought in the U.S. crew received a financial reward. Those who finished second wasted a lot of time and effort.

All facts, no feelings

If you're a fan of the television quiz show "Jeopardy!" you probably already know that a computer named Watson waxed superstar champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter in a three-game competition that ended Wednesday night.

First, they were people like you and me

If someone would have told me 15 years ago that Michael Jordan didn't make the varsity basketball team when he was in high school, I probably would have fallen out of my chair in disbelief.

Take a step in history today

There have been many important days in Camden's history, and today will be another one.

Tanks vs. Twitter

NEW YORK -- It is hard to think largely about the sweep of events when one is reacting instantaneously to breaking ... tweets.

Hoping things turn out right in Middle East

Events in the Middle East, especially Egypt, were so fluid Thursday and Friday that I could barely keep up. As a result, what you're reading today is the fourth version of this column.

How business can do business with Obama

Even for a speaker as famously gifted as President Barack Obama, business executives are a tough crowd.

Fixing a dysfunctional tax structure

When people talk about the tax structure in South Carolina, "dysfunctional" is the word most often used to describe it. This is especially true in terms of the way in which K-12 education is funded in our state. The revenue structure used to fund K-12 education is a morass of provisos, special legislation and conflicting statutes. It is complicated, confusing and arbitrary; it just doesn't work. (A metaphor related to duct tape comes to ...

Back row view to state government's spending problems

We sit on the back row of the state senate with a fairly good view of the good, the bad, and the ugly in our state's government. One of us is a Democrat and one of us is a Republican. But more important than party affiliation is a commitment to responsible and honest government in our state. That's why we have joined together to condemn the recent action of the Budget and Control Board ...

Happy in the Palmetto State

Those of us who are lucky enough to live in South Carolina are accustomed to reading all those quality-of-life surveys that usually place us among the dregs of society.

KCSO: It's time for traffic enforcement

Did you know that last year Kershaw County received a grant and we didn't even ask for it? You might think that was pretty neat until you found out why we received this grant. We were given this grant because Kershaw County has the third highest DUI accident rate per capita of any county in South Carolina.

Watching Egypt through a lens darkly

NEW YORK -- The turmoil in Egypt has been a lesson in the fragility of a right we so often take for granted: To speak.

Minimal me

Minimalism is an essential ingredient in my life. Whether it's because I'm somewhat forced to live within my modest means, or because I can gleefully live my life without much excess, I can't say for certain, but I tend to think even if I was rich in the monetary sense, I'd still focus on the little things in my life that make me smile, laugh, or cry. (Why would I want to cry? ...

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?

Another view of Plan B

In "Getting it wrong about Plan B," Ruth Marcus ends her column by stating that the debate over the proposed Plan B policy "isn't about the government coming between parents and children or society condoning teen sex. It's about preventing teen pregnancy."

Are you (fill in the blank) enough?

WASHINGTON -- Enough with this "enough" business.

Reflecting on 100 years of success

KershawHealth recently completed a week of celebration commemorating the opening of the Camden Hospital in 1913 and a century of outstanding care. One of the things that struck me during those activities was the incredible amount of community support the hospital has always enjoyed, and the amazing things that strategic thinking and teamwork can accomplish.

What Sanford win says about S.C.

Somehow, the man who walked the Appalachian Trail all the way to Argentina to see his mistress got elected to Congress last Tuesday in a voting outcome that almost defies belief.