How to make a city special

Asheville, N.C. – I dig red leather chairs. You know what else I dig? Of course you do -- I dig champagne. Now, granted, after a glass or two of bubbles, my eyes stray to the reds list, my real poison of choice, but there is still an unparalleled sensation to taking in some champagne. You can't be in a bad mood with champagne in hand. Then there are books. I especially ...

Restructuring efforts moving in the House

Accomplishing more with less is a critical challenge facing the state in 2011. In order to help meet this challenge, lawmakers are considering a variety of government restructuring proposals. Restructuring government is a positive investment in the future of South Carolina.

Regretting the errors with a smile

Today, you'll find a correction and clarification to a story I wrote recently about a pair of neighboring home invasions.

A star blogger's hard-learned lessons

If a courtroom trial is a contest between dueling narratives, Shirley Sherrod's lawsuit against Andrew Breitbart reads like Little Nell taking on Snidely Whiplash.

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 ...

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?