Noted and passed

• Kudos to the Kershaw County Library for joining a network that allows patrons to download audio books and e-books onto their computers and other electronic devices. As trends shift away from the printed page, the library isn't being left behind and is making changes necessary to continue as a relevant entity in a changing world. The local library has always been outstanding, and this is just one more development in a proud history.

bin Laden

A couple weeks after Navy commandoes killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, Kershaw County residents are no doubt still celebrating with their countrymen his demise. Americans are by nature a compassionate people and not attuned to celebrating death; in this instance, it is justified in every way and a cause for joy, for bin Laden will endure in infamy as one of the most cold-hearted murderers the world has ever known.

Issues cloud city rec project

Following the city of Camden's recent purchase of a portion of the former Mather Academy property, we commented that we favored the move and that if the city chose to replace the outdated Rhame Arena, then the Mather property could certainly be a suitable site. Though we didn't say so at the time, we felt all along that the city would be justified in replacing Rhame Arena, perhaps with updated amenities, but that the ...

Noted and passed

• Congratulations to the high school seniors recently recognized as members of the All-County Academic Team. For 16 years Upchurch & Jowers Insurance Agency Inc. has honored a select group of students for their academic achievements. This year, 31 youth from Camden, North Central and Lugoff-Elgin high schools joined this team for excellence. Well done, students!

Dog attacks

We were glad to see recently that a 10-year-old girl from Batesburg-Leesville near Columbia is making progress in recovering from an attack by a vicious pit bull in which the dog almost tore her right arm off. She has undergone a series of operations, according to news reports, and could have been killed on the day of the attack if a deputy had not responded quickly and killed the dog. According to that same ...

The reality of free speech

Newspapers are generally in the forefront of free speech issues; along with trying to keep government meetings open and accessible to the public, first amendment rights usually are pretty sacrosanct in the newspaper business. Yet as the Supreme Court pondered the case of Kansas' Westboro Baptist Church a few weeks ago -- those are the kooks who show up at military funerals with all sorts of distasteful protest signs -- we had settled into ...

Noted and passed

• Anheuser-Busch, from its founding in the mid-19th century, has been an iconic American brand, its primary product being the industry behemoth Budweiser. For many, it was unfortunate when the company was sold in 2008 to Brazilian-Belgian brewing giant Inbev. It was recently revealed that August Busch IV, the last of the founding family to play an active role, is stepping down as a director, leaving a Busch-less company for the first time. In ...

The future of PBS and NPR

We don't always agree with everything that Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina says. We like his conservative principles but sometimes think he's a little dogged, in that compromise is necessary to accomplish much in Washington. But there's one issue on which we're in total agreement with DeMint: it's time for public funding of the Public Broadcasting System and National Public Radio to end.

Budget bust

For decades, presidential administrations have come up with budget figures that don't always jibe with those which are compiled by the Congressional Budget Office, the federal agency that provides budget information to Congress. Not surprisingly, White House spending and deficit figures usually differ on the optimistic side from those of the CBO, which takes a more rational, business-like and non-partisan view of spending in the United States.

Noted and passed -- April 25, 2011

• Southwest Airlines has been flying out of Greenville-Spartanburg and Charleston airports for several weeks now, with good apparent results. Travelers are booking trips for the unique airline's lower fares and lack of add-on fees. It's too bad that Columbia's airport can't attract a quality nationwide low-cost carrier, for as airline prices continue to soar, Kershaw County travelers will be joining others across the country in seeking the lowest fares. • We're glad ...

Unions

The recent furor in Wisconsin over Gov. Scott Walker's decision to eliminate some of the collective bargaining rights of public unions has died down somewhat, but the issue over public unions isn't going to go away anytime soon. Across the country, people are taking a hard look at unions populated by people who are paid with taxpayer dollars. In Wisconsin, as you'll remember, Democratic members of the state Senate fled into neighboring Ohio, thus ...

Harpootlian

Across South Carolina, Democrats have had a tough go of it during the past decade. The party holds only one congressional seat and has no constitutional officers. Republicans control both houses of the General Assembly. It's a different story here in Kershaw County, as Rep. Laurie Slade Funderburk and Sen. Vincent Sheheen have both proven popular with voters though the GOP generally carries the county in other races. Now, former Democratic Party Chairman Dick Harpootlian ...

Noted and passed

• If you listened to President Obama's speech last week, you probably got the idea that the United States imposes an unfairly high tax burden on citizens who make the least money. In reality, the bottom 50 percent of all earners pay only 2.7 percent of all taxes. That's hardly confiscatory.

Local businesses ... always first

The city of Camden's idea to have a free concert April 23 to observe the opening of the new Town Green is a great idea, and it will indeed be a festive event that will show off the new facility and its attractions. Unfortunately, planning for the event didn't go as smoothly as it should have, and local food merchants ended up both hurt and aggrieved over the way things were initially planned. They had a right to be disgruntled.

A gift for Camden

With the city of Camden having such a distinguished historical heritage, and with so many residents acutely and proudly aware of that heritage and the value of keeping it alive, we are delighted to see the news that statues of Bernard Baruch and Larry Doby will be commissioned and will be placed on the grounds of the Camden Archives and Museum. The work comes through the generosity of Camden resident John Rainey, who's funding ...

Primaries

The S.C. Republican Party has withdrawn from a federal lawsuit that would close the GOP's primary only to members of the party. The state organization didn't do that because it opposes the suit but because it doesn't want to spend the money. But in reality, it should oppose the suit as a matter of sound policy; trying to accomplish closed primaries in a state in which voters don't even ...

The U.S. Open

IRS reform

People in this country -- no doubt many right here in Kershaw County -- are angry with the Internal Revenue Service and its heavy-handed methods. Of course, the IRS has never been popular, and probably wouldn't be if the agency did everything by the book. But its recent targeting of conservative groups has spotlighted the venom with which overzealous bureaucrats can operate. Adding to it are recent revelations about ...