The other lunch bunch

I ended up at lunch recently with Wife Nancy and a few of her friends. I'm still trying to figure out how they found time to take a bite between the non-stop chatter. Words were flying faster than shotgun pellets at a turkey shoot.

Discretion advised

WASHINGTON -- Discretionary spending, the part of the federal budget that is not on autopilot and is subject to annual appropriations, generally constitutes less than 40 percent of federal spending. Take out defense spending and that share drops to well under 20 percent. So if your goal is to slash government spending and your approach is to go after discretionary spending without touching the military, it will require punishing, drastic cuts to make any ...

There's work still to be done

In my column last week, I said that it's not enough to simply honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on his birthday. We should make a conscious effort to also recognize the nameless, faceless and countless numbers of Americans who fought beside King for racial equality.

Obama bounces back

At this midpoint of his first term, it is too early to say what President Barack Obama's legacy will be. We don't even know whether he will get a second term. But we're beginning to see more clearly the outlines of what that legacy might be: In a contentious age of left-versus-right, he's a center-left pragmatist -- and he's beginning to make it pay off.

Parenting: to push or not to push

WASHINGTON -- I come from a family where the "joke," if you came home with a 97 on a math test, was to ask what happened to the other three points. The punch line, if you scored 100, was to ask whether there was any extra credit.

The outrage industry

NEW YORK -- As a longtime champion of greater civility in public discourse and one who has led the charge for dialed-back rhetoric, may I respectfully take most of it back?

Speaking of inspiration

What inspires you? It's an important question -- one that can tell you a lot about yourself.

Reliving old college jazz radio days

I recently posted a blog entry in the C-I website's Community section about the music I was listening to during the winter season. I followed that up with a "Note" connected to my personal Facebook page about music from the 1980s I've downloaded to or copied from my collection in recent years.

TRAC report sidelined

With the passage of Act 81 of 2009, the General Assembly took an important step to confront the antiquated and faulty tax structure that has been cobbled together over the decades, and that is now breaking down in the modern economy. The legislature created the South Carolina Taxation Realignment Commission to conduct a "thorough assessment of the State's current tax structure to determine its 'adequacy, fairness, and efficiency' and to ensure that our State ...

Muslim 'Cosby Show'? Couldn't hurt

CBS anchor Katie Couric startled some listeners when she suggested a Muslim "Cosby Show," but the idea has merit. It's hard for us to be afraid of the people we see on TV sitcoms every week.

Successful 2010 sets Camden on track to bright future

As we move into a new year, I'm proud to reflect back on 2010 as a successful year for the City of Camden despite great and obvious challenges.

Let's carry the dream and make it real

I've never been forced to sit in the back of the bus. I've never been drafted into the military to serve in a war on behalf of my country, only to return home and be denied basic human rights and opportunities in my own hometown. I've never been ridiculed and humiliated on a daily basis, for no reason other than the fact that my skin color is brown. But not too ...

To fight future Glock shock

We tend to respond in one of two ways to the news that a deranged gunman has fatally shot a group of people with an extraordinarily lethal weapon. Some people are simply horrified. Others wonder where they can buy one, too.

From Russia with envy

NEW YORK -- It is bracing, not to mention annoying, laughable and obnoxious, to hear a White House press secretary lectured by a Russian journalist about the parameters of free expression American-style.

Words that don't heal

WASHINGTON -- Sarah Palin feels victimized by critics who accuse her of helping create an angry political climate that led to the Tucson shootings, and she has a point. She chose a truly unfortunate way to make it, using the phrase "blood libel."

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.