MyrtleBeachOnline.com: Opinion

Resounding Municipal Success

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:37 EDT

The city of North Myrtle Beach is only 40 years old, but its distinct communities go back many years.

At a celebration the other day, Mayor Marilyn Hatley made the point that "North Myrtle Beach is not about city limits or ordinances we've passed, but the people here."

The city was formed in 1968 by a vote of the residents of Cherry Grove Beach, Ocean Drive Beach, Crescent Beach and Windy Hill Beach. Atlantic Beach opted out of merging. Putting together the merger was quite a challenge. The new city needed vital infrastructure such as roads, water mains and sewer lines and treatment. "When you talk about growing pains, we were in labor," said the city's first treasurer, James Rabon. All the infrastructure came together as well as other municipal services such as fire and police protection and zoning and planning.

Moving Forward

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:37 EDT

Minnie Kennedy of Georgetown at a young age understood, but certainly did not accept, that her parents were not treated equally. William and Daisy Kennedy were servants at Hobcaw Barony, the estate of the late Bernard Baruch.

For a story in The Sun News on her remarkable life, she recalled her father telling her why blacks had to tolerate substandard treatment: '"That's just the way it is,' he would say, and then I'd say, 'But it doesn't have to be that way.'"

Even so, he helped her obtain an education, moving to a house in Georgetown so the Kennedy sisters could attend Howard High School (all black, through grade 10). She earned a degree at S.C. State College in Orangeburg and became a teacher. She earned a master's in early childhood education and was an adjunct professor at New York University and a regional training officer for Head Start.

Water tower should be accepted, not a surprise

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:37 EDT

Why is it that it always comes down to people saying "not in my backyard"? I live in The Farm and right across from the water tower. Guess what - it does not bother me one bit. Why don't you [other residents] just stop your complaining and saying they were being sneaky? They have been working on the project all year long, and it took you this long to realize it.

They spent several weeks pounding concrete pilings into the ground at the beginning of the year. I went over to the site one day and asked what they were doing, and they said they were putting in the foundation for the water tank. So I found out almost four months ago what was happening, I don't think that is trying to be sneaky. After all, it is there to serve a purpose of providing better water pressure for our community.

Did you complain also when they built the schools for our children in the same location? I would guess not - after all, it was good for the community. So what is your problem now, since it is still for the good of the community? Please show me the study that shows having a water tower in a neighborhood brings down property value. I would love to see you come up with that study.

Letters to the editor

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:37 EDT

ELECTION

Bellamy has right qualities for coroner

As a retired law enforcement administrator, I know the true value of a coroner. When a coroner's services are needed, it is already a very difficult time. There are many concerns (cause of death, crime scene preservation and most important the feelings and needs of the victim's family), all of which must be taken into consideration.

Tourism Funds in Play Again

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:25 EDT

Tourism promotion funding, so vital for the state's economy and not only the Grand Strand, is in the hands of a legislative conference committee.

The S.C. House restored the $10 million 2-for-1 matching funds to the $7 billion state budget, mostly by cutting education programs and borrowing from reserves.

The Senate rejected the restored budget items, even as the House discussion continued. Thus the restored items go to a conference committee of three members from each body.

Letters to the editor

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:25 EDT

ETHANOL

Senators on wrong track for energy

The article "Grocery costs push senators off ethanol" (May 7) just shows our senators as stumbling again. Why pick corn to produce ethanol? Would you believe it probably was politically motivated by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, a corn-producing farmer and a strong supporter of corn-produced ethanol? Why did they not look at the crop that produces the most ethanol: sugar cane? I wrote to Clemson University Extension Service to see whether sugar cane could be grown in South Carolina. The answer was affirmative. I don't think too many people would be concerned about losing tobacco fields to sugar cane. What a boost to our economy. Maybe Henry Brown, Jim Clyburn, Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint could do some research and give those worried about the corn crop an alternative in South Carolina.

U.S. Postal Service outlasts use, good sense

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:25 EDT

Struggling back from our mailboxes on Earth Day, we found ourselves under a heavy load and we contemplated yet another postal rate increase. Today's increase to 42 cents for a stamp is just another little piece of inflation for consumers to contend with, but we are not sure how that penny is going to impact the $5.4 billion deficit the Postal Service ran in fiscal 2007. The sad fact is that this historic enterprise has become a true anachronism; marginalized by new technologies and competitors to the point that its net impact on our nation is now a negative one. The USPS has devolved into a subsidized deliverer of nuisance mail for corporate customers at the expense of taxpayers, consumers and the environment.

According to the Center for a New American Dream, a San Diego group that advocates environmentally conscious consumerism, in 2006 the more than 100 billion pieces of junk mail delivered by the USPS required 100 million trees to produce, 28 billion gallons of water to process, and would fill 420,000 garbage trucks with waste. It's clear to anyone that the overwhelming majority of this material goes directly to the circular file, so why does the USPS continue such a wasteful system?

It continues because the Postal Service is a monopoly protected by law and a jobs program protected by its union and Congress. It is, in fact, both impossible to "opt out" of postal delivery and to compete with it in the delivery of 1st-class and 3rd-class mail. At the same time that other countries privatize their post with profit our national service remains a money pit that makes "the bridge to nowhere" look like a smart investment. For instance, TNT, the privatized carrier from the tiny Netherlands had a profit of more than $1 billion last year and is growing international carrier, creating thousands of new jobs. While respecting Ben Franklin's legacy is a fine motivation, letting a money-losing polluter run wild at the public's expense is not. Poor Richard did not picture 200,000 postal trucks driving out every day to deliver unwanted trash to Americans - one fleet of trucks to drop off the mail while behind it follows another fleet of trucks to immediately haul most of it to the landfill. Then consider that both fleets will be constantly stopping and starting - the sort of driving that creates the largest amount of pollution and greenhouse gases. Al Gore should be shuddering.

As oil costs rise, freedom decreases around world

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:15 EDT

There are two important recessions going on in the world today. One has gotten enormous attention. It's the economic recession in America. But it will eventually pass, and the world will not be much worse for the wear. The other has gotten no attention. It's called "the democratic recession," and if it isn't reversed, it will change the world for a long time.

The term "democratic recession" was coined by Larry Diamond, a Stanford University political scientist, in his new book "The Spirit of Democracy." And the numbers tell the story. At the end of last year, Freedom House, which tracks democratic trends and elections around the globe, noted that 2007 was by far the worst year for freedom in the world since the end of the Cold War. Almost four times as many states - 38 - declined in their freedom scores as improved - 10.

What explains this? A big part of this reversal is being driven by the rise of petro-authoritarianism. I've long argued that the price of oil and the pace of freedom operate in an inverse correlation - which I call: "The First Law of Petro-Politics." As the price of oil goes up, the pace of freedom goes down. As the price of oil goes down, the pace of freedom goes up.

Build New Terminal Right Way

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:16 EDT

From fairly recent experience, it should be clear that constructing a new terminal at Myrtle Beach International Airport will be a formidable project without injecting the added issue of governance.

Horry County operates the airport that is in the city of Myrtle Beach. That fact resulted in a city board killing a new terminal on the west side of the airport site last year. This happened deep into the process after millions of dollars were spent for detailed plans.

The Community Appearance Board determined that a west terminal was not compatible with the redevelopment of the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base. That's the short version of the debacle.

Time magazine's list leaves out key people

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:15 EDT

Time magazine has published another one of those silly and meaningless lists some in the media occasionally and irritatingly compile to validate their self-importance. It is the 100 "most influential people in the world." I didn't make it, but then I don't make other lists like People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive," which must be an oversight.

Time never tells us what qualifies these people as influential. Dictionary.com defines influence as "the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others."

Who on Time's list fits the definition of "influential"? Not Tim Russert, who is a terrific interviewer, but how much influence could he have at 11 a.m. on a Sunday morning when millions are in church? "If it's Sunday, it is 'Meet the Press'" he signs off every week. No, if it's Sunday, for more people than watch his program, it is church.

Drug Court improves lives, saves tax money

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:16 EDT

May is National Drug Court Month, and in recognition the Horry County Drug Court is holding a special graduation ceremony. This ceremony will celebrate the hard work of two new graduates, but it is also an opportunity to educate the public about the important mission of Drug Court.

Drug Court is, first and foremost, a treatment program. Participation in treatment is enforced by a series of sanctions, ranging from reprimands by the judge to public service and short jail sentences. The ultimate sanction for nonparticipation is expulsion from the program and immediate remand to prison. This model has proven very effective in supporting treatment. Studies have found that the long success of treatment is best predicted by the length of participation. In voluntary, non-Drug Court treatment programs, 40 percent to 80 percent of participants drop out before completing 90 days. Only 10 percent to 20 percent of those who enter such programs complete a year of treatment. In Drug Court programs across the nation, on the other hand, about 70 percent of those who enter complete a year of treatment. Whether in Drug Court or out, a participant must have a strong will to change to succeed in treatment. Drug Court was created to use the coercive power of the criminal justice system to help those who choose to change accomplish their goal.

The benefits of completing treatment are obvious for the participants. Treatment can help them control their addictions and lessen the toll of addiction on themselves and their families. It is the benefits of Drug Court to society, though, that have made Drug Court one of the fastest growing and most successful criminal justice programs in history. First, Drug Court is an alternative to incarceration. Treatment is expensive, but it is still 30 percent to 50 percent less expensive than a similar term of incarceration. Further, most Drug Court participants face a term of incarceration that would significantly exceed their time in treatment. Second, unlike incarceration, Drug Court has been shown to decrease the likelihood of future criminal acts. Third, participants in Drug Court enter the program after waiving their trial rights in a guilty plea. This avoids the costs of trials and the extended pretrial detention necessitated by the lengthy rosters in General Sessions Court. Fourth, the emphasis Drug Court places on vocational rehabilitation and mandatory employment takes those who were, at best, sporadically employed and turns them into functioning, tax-paying citizens. Those who were formerly consuming law enforcement and social service expenditures before entering Drug Court are far more likely to help foot the tax bill after. These savings add up rapidly: it has been estimated that every dollar spent on Drug Court saves the taxpayer $6.

Prices may be canary in coal mine

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:15 EDT

It's not every day that you see a Wall Street Journal columnist suggesting that Americans consider stockpiling food. But that's exactly what investment writer Brett Arends did recently, predicting that global food prices are about to take off into the stratosphere.

"Load up the pantry," top Wall Street investor Manu Daftary told the writer. "I think prices are going higher. People are too complacent. They think it isn't going to happen here."

Complacency about the prospect of catastrophe can be a "deadly enemy," warns top investment strategist Barton Biggs in his new book, "Wealth, War & Wisdom." The rich are especially vulnerable, Biggs writes, "because they cherish the illusion that when things start to go bad, they will have time to extricate themselves and their wealth. It never works that way. Events move much faster than anyone expects."

Letters to the editor

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:16 EDT

COMPUTER ISSUE

What will it take for business to close?

I can't tell you how pleased I was to read of the arrest of Robert Hussey, owner of Seaside Computer and Computer Inferno. I had a very unpleasant experience with them four years ago. I had a recurring problem with my PC and took it to Computer Inferno and was given an estimate. I told them if it exceeded their estimate by $30, to call me before any work was performed. They called me the next day and said it was ready, and when I went to pick it up, they charged me almost three times the estimate. I told them I would pay our agreed upon price and they refused to give me the computer. I had no recourse but to pay them.

New Grads Face Tough Job Market

Sat, 10 May 2008 00:40 EDT

Graduates of Coastal Carolina University, Brunswick Community College and Horry-Georgetown Technical College may take pride in their fresh degrees received today at Brooks Stadium and in ceremonies Thursday and Friday.

CCU was to award degrees to 860 students from across the United States and around the world. BCC graduated 338 students Friday evening and HGTC 770 on Thursday.

Classes are dismissed for the last time for many while others simply look forward to a summer break before they start work on advanced degrees or perhaps on a bachelor's if they are holding two-year associate degrees.

Letters to the editor

Sat, 10 May 2008 00:40 EDT

THE REV. WRIGHT

Obama's response to conflict notable

Thoughtful television viewers will notice something special about how Barack Obama reacted to the betrayal by his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Think of it: Wright's ego trip at the expense of Obama's campaign would be enough for Obama to fire off the worst kind of venom at his betrayer.

Medical costs, fees mounting beyond reason

Sat, 10 May 2008 00:40 EDT

Since 1999, we have had a local doctor as our doctor for colonoscopies. He's very good. My husband retired in August, and we are paying $788 per month to have insurance. We paid $671.20 last year out of pocket, plus insurance, for my husband's colonoscopy. The Department of Veterans Affairs asked that my husband bring a copy of the doctor's report to them. The office charged me $5 for a two-page copy.

I feel we, as a country, are being terrorized by insurance, doctor bills, food and gas prices, etc. America, let's hold our presidential candidates accountable for our future. I feel anger for having to pay new patient fees of over a hundred dollars to a doctor for a first visit, or be charged $20 for a phone call to a doctor. Dentists are just now doing this also.

God bless our soldiers fighting to keep terrorists at bay. Look what they face coming home, especially in health care. Thank you, Conway Library, for only charging 25 cents per page when I print.

McCain could reap Democratic votes

Sat, 10 May 2008 00:17 EDT

John McCain has used these weeks of Republican calm to dive into the Democratic lunch pail. This strategy clearly assumes a Barack Obama candidacy. If demographics are destiny - as the political sages keep telling us - Democratic demographics may offer some choice cuts to the presumed Republican nominee. By dumb luck, Republicans have chosen their one candidate who projects a moderate image, hasn't alienated Latinos and offers an appealing life story to boot.

The core problem for Democrats is that Obama's backers are reliable Democrats, whereas Hillary Clinton's are unreliable Democrats. Less than half of the Clinton voters in Indiana said they would support Obama in a general election, which is a very bad sign. Add these largely blue-collar and rural whites to some swinging independents and you have a potential Big Mac Value Meal for McCain.

As the Democratic rivals continued their Deathmatch, McCain was rippling his compassion muscles before some of the wavering groups. His tour of the civil-rights battlefields and devastated New Orleans neighborhoods had zero to do with courting the black vote, which, with Obama running, would be totally out of play. The visits with poor rural blacks were choreographed to impress comfortable white suburbanites, who demand sensitivity on matters of race.

Clinton reaches her stride too late

Sat, 10 May 2008 00:17 EDT

By the time Hillary Clinton figured out how to beat Barack Obama, it was too late. When she began the race in 2007 thinking she was in for a coronation, she claimed the center in order to position herself for the real fight, the general election. She assumed the party activists and loony left would fall in behind her.

However, as Obama began to rise, powered by the party's Net-roots activists, she scurried left, particularly with her progressively more explicit renunciation of the Iraq war. It was a fool's errand. It took her weeks even to approximate the apology the left was looking for, and by then it was far too late. The party's activist wing was by then betrothed to Obama.

But going left proved disastrous for Clinton. It abolished all significant policy differences between her and Obama, the National Journal's 2007 most liberal senator. On health care, for example, her attempts to turn a minor difference in the definition of universality into a major assault on Obama fell flat. With no important policy differences separating them, the contest became one of character and personality. Matched against this elegant, intellectually nimble, hugely talented newcomer, she had no chance of winning that contest.

National Spotlight on N.C. Voters

Fri, 09 May 2008 00:31 EDT

Across North Carolina, Democratic, Republican and unaffiliated voters have made their choices on candidates for president, governor and U.S. senator as well as local offices such as Brunswick County commissioners.

District 3 Commissioner May Moore and District 4 Commissioner Tom Rabon both won in the Democratic primary. Moore had 42 percent of the 14,464 votes in the District 3 nomination race. In November, Moore will face Republican Charles Warren, who won nomination in a tight race.

District 4 Democratic voters gave Rabon a wider margin of victory, over 50 percent of the votes cast and 20 percent more than the closest of his two primary challengers. Rabon's Republican opponent is Scott Phillips.

THANK YOU

Fri, 09 May 2008 00:31 EDT

Wheelchair Games help appreciated

The North Myrtle Beach Aquatic & Fitness Center hosted the 14th annual Southeastern Regional Wheelchair Games on April 11-12. More than 70 athletes from eight states competed, with many working toward qualifying for the USA Paralympic Team.

Thank you to everyone who donated time, food and facilities to make this event successful, especially Jay Langeneck and staff from Benito's Italian Oven; Patti and Mike Hilton's staff from Wild Wing Cafe; Rick Lundy and Fred from Chick fil-A; Kathy Buschak and staff from Arby's; Bill Shirley of Southeastern Health Plus; Joe Quigley, athletic director for North Myrtle Beach High School; Sandune Archery Club; and the numerous volunteers from Coastal Carolina University, the Aquatic & Fitness Center, North Myrtle Beach schools and chamber of commerce, North Myrtle Beach Parks & Recreation Department, and local home-schooling families.