Archive By Section - Editorials
Voting rights act
Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court are considering a challenge to the nation's signature voting rights act, which was passed in 1965, during an era when many states did whatever they could to deny the right to vote to blacks. The issues are complex, but the cogent question is whether or not Congress, in reauthorizing certain provisions of the act in 2006, were correct or incorrect in using a ...
President No
Three years ago, President Obama, freshly ensconced in the White House, appointed Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson to draft a plan to cut the nation's huge deficit. In choosing reasonable men of two parties, Obama left everyone with the impression that he was flexible and ready to deal with fiscal issues in an even-handed way. The men headed a committee that came up with common-sense and workable solutions to ...
Noted and passed - Feb. 25, 2013
• Kudos to the Big Ten conference, which is considering requiring its member schools to stop scheduling "powderpuff" teams; the move comes as resistance increases to the popular practice of schools padding their non-conference schedules with smaller schools which have little football prowess. The practice makes final records look good and it provides a big payday for the small schools, but with ticket prices at high levels, the fans ...
Gun bill
A bill that would allow guns in restaurants and bars is making its way through the S.C. Senate, but the proposal is vague, aimless and filled with potential for trouble. As one senator remarked, "Alcohol and guns don't mix," and the same lawmaker said he hadn't talked to a single law enforcement person who was in favor of it. We doubt he'll find many.
Sequester
The government sequester which is set to take place next week unless Congress can agree on budgetary matters has been a source of countless news reports. In simple terms, it's a way of dealing with government spending cuts, and it's newsworthy -- and imminent -- because of the failure of Congress to come to an agreement on fiscal policy. It's looming now because the "fiscal cliff" agreement made not ...
Noted and passed - Feb. 18, 2013
• Three separate bills have been proposed to the S.C. Senate and House of Representatives education committees that would alter the way high school sports are regulated in the state; all were reported out of committee to be addressed by the General Assembly. Lawmakers have much more important things to do than nitpick with the S.C. High School League, which is the governing body of athletics. These bills should ...
Better cars
Folks with a little age on them in Kershaw County -- and across the country, for that matter -- are often fond of saying, "They don't make things like they used to." There's nothing wrong with a bit of nostalgia, but the real truth, in most instances, is this: no, they don't make things like they used to. They make things much better.
Editorial: FOIA bill
A bill is making its way through the S.C. General Assembly that would allow quicker and less expensive access to public records for all citizens of the Palmetto State. It's a reasonable compromise involving a bit of give-and-take on the parts of both those who proposed it and those who would have to live with its provisions in providing such info, and we hope to see it sail on through the lawmaking ...
Noted and passed - Feb. 11, 2013
• A story detailing the closing of Home Furnishing Co. in Camden appeared in this newspaper last week; the store is shutting down after 93 years in business. Founded by Gus Beleos and run for decades by his son, Likie, and his wife, Connie, the store was for years an anchor in the downtown Camden business community. Such locally owned establishments are falling by the wayside, not only here ...
‘No winners’
"There are no winners in this," a Columbia attorney said last week after his client was sentenced to five years in prison for his part in the death of another man during an altercation following a 2010 University of South Carolina football game against Alabama. Indeed.
Recess appointments
A circuit court of appeals in Washington recently struck down the process of "intra-session recess appointments," which President Obama used last year as an end-run around the Senate confirmation process. Recess appointments were originally intended, back in the days when travel to the capital was long and grueling, and communication was poor, to allow presidents to fill vacancies that occurred while the Senate was not in session, thus avoiding ...
Noted and passed - Feb. 4, 2013
• Diplomatic posts have always been plum political prizes for presidents to hand out to supporters and donors; over the years, about 30 percent of such jobs have been awarded to people who were willing to pay for them. This year, with President Obama having a hefty list of well-to-do supporters, the price is higher than ever, one news outlet reports. Being called "ambassador" and receiving a post to ...
Gun violence
We noted recently that we don't see much reason for people to own assault-type weapons and magazines that hold large amounts of ammunition. And we certainly don't see any harm to the second amendment in requiring background checks for all people who are purchasing guns. But in the ongoing debate about gun violence in this country, which has reached epidemic proportions, we are all being naive if we think ...
Obama appointments
We noted recently that President Obama, during his inaugural speech, outlined a liberal agenda of programs he intends to push during his second term. There wasn't much centrism in it, and those looking for a spirit of bipartisan cooperation were probably disappointed. Those same people will no doubt also not be particularly happy with the staff appointments the president is making for his second term, another sign that he ...
Noted and passed - Jan. 28, 2013
• Kudos to Sen. Vincent Sheheen of Camden, who's been chosen to attend the Rodel Fellowship in Public Leadership program, which is conducted by the Aspen Institute, a public policy think tank based in Washington, D.C., and not in Colorado, as its name might lead some to believe. The program annually brings together 24 elected officials from around the country, and one of the things it encourages is civil ...
Articles by Section - Editorials
Obama scandals
By now you have probably heard on more than one occasion some representative of the Obama administration -- perhaps Jay Carney, the press secretary; or maybe Eric Holder, the attorney general; or maybe the president himself -- repeat words that have become almost a mantra in responding to the multiple issues that are dogging the White House: "It wouldn't be appropriate to comment on an ongoing investigation." <p class="MsoNormal" ...
Road diet
The proposed "road diet" that the city of Camden is contemplating for its downtown area is intended to make the central business district more vibrant, pleasant and inviting. But not everyone agrees that will happen if the plan is effected, and city council is right to proceed slowly with this rather than rushing into something that's going to be met with resistance. The plan is complex but involves, among ...
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