TheSunNews.com: Opinion

Playing with House Money

Sat, 26 May 2012 18:56 EDT

The more than 1,800 employees of Horry County should be steamed. As the County Council continues to debate first whether it can afford to give those workers a raise at all this year and next whether that well-deserved raise would be a measly 1 percent (after no raises since 2008) or a just slightly better 2 percent, at least some of the reason for that penny-pinching sits docked up in Little River.

The owners of the SunCruz casino boat, which takes gamblers out to international waters, have refused since last summer to pay the county the $7 per passenger fee they agreed to back in 2010. As the county’s subsequent lawsuit works its way through the courts, the lost revenue continues to add up, to the point the county now estimates they’re owed more than $500,000. With a resolution potentially years down the road, that total continues to grow, and county residents stand to lose a significant amount of money that could be put to use right now.

A hearing had been scheduled in the case for last week, but it was delayed with no word on when it might be rescheduled.

A Solemn Gratitude

Sat, 26 May 2012 19:42 EDT

The Memorial Day observances taking place this weekend stretch back at least to the Civil War, when widows and veterans decorated the graves of the fallen. Shortly after the war, in 1868, Gen. John A. Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, issued a general order calling for flowers to be placed on the graves at Arlington National Cemetery. His eloquent words in honor of the brave troops who died on both sides still stir our hearts today:

“We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. All that the consecrated wealth and taste of the nation can add to their adornment and security is but a fitting tribute to the memory of her slain defenders. Let no wanton foot tread rudely on such hallowed grounds. Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.”

In recent years, we have sent many of our own young men and women off to war in distant lands. Most have returned, but some paid a terrible price in service to our nation. Their sacrifice must not be forgotten. Their honor must be upheld. In that spirit, we remember the 63 service members from South Carolina killed in the Iraq War that thankfully ended last year, and the 30 S.C. sons and daughters killed in the still ongoing conflict in Afghanistan.

Let the Votes Stand in Atlantic Beach

Fri, 25 May 2012 15:45 EDT

Atlantic Beach’s 2003 election was not settled until mid-2005. Its 2007 election was not settled until mid-2009. Its 2009 election wasn’t settled until mid-2011. Now, despite the best efforts of the Supreme Court, Horry County and the State Election Commission, the town’s 2011 election looks to be right on course to follow the same pattern.

It’s unfortunate. It’s frustrating. It’s depressing. It’s unsurprising.

The losers (or purported losers) in the town’s elections have long refused to accept defeat. Instead, post-election hearings have become a grab bag of complaints: a secret conspiracy to undermine the town, incorrect polling procedures or bald-faced ballot stuffing. It hasn’t helped that in a small town with limited resources and oversight (but lots of nosy neighbors), some of the voter fraud allegations could certainly be true.

Teen Pregnancy: Still Too High

Thu, 24 May 2012 16:30 EDT

Forrest Alton thinks we’ve forgotten “the ‘yeah, but’ part” when it comes to teen pregnancy.

The CEO of the S.C. Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy pointed out last week that S.C. residents often have that sort of cynical gut reaction on hearing all sorts of good news from our communities. Teen pregnancy successes, for some reason, often get a pass.

• More S.C. students are taking Advanced Placement tests. Yeah, but those students’ scores are still lower than the national average.

Welcome, Military Visitors

Wed, 23 May 2012 15:49 EDT

Recovering injured combat veterans from Washington area military medical centers arrive today for a six-night visit including participation in several events wrapping up Military Appreciation Days and the Memorial Day weekend.

An estimated 57 visitors will be the largest number thus far on the visits arranged by Scents for Soldiers. “I’m pretty confident we’ll have a bus full – 57 [service veterans wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan] – this time,” says Christina Shealy, founder of Scents for Soldiers. “The most we’ve done on the bus trips is 37.” This is the sixth bus trip, and Scents also has brought injured service people here in small groups.

The visitors this weekend include Marines for the first time, a dozen from the former National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Md., combined in 2011 with the Walter Reed Army Medical Center to form the new tri-service Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Other Scents patients are from Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in Virginia. The latter includes Army, Navy and Air Force medical personnel.

Honoring nation’s military

Wed, 23 May 2012 08:10 EDT

The 90 World War II veterans on today’s Honor Flight Myrtle Beach perhaps are thinking of wartime buddies who did not come home and may have been laid to rest in Normandy, France, or in The Philippines. Today’s Honor Flight, the fourth from Myrtle Beach, is scheduled to take the veterans to Washington to see the WWII Memorial, constructed to honor their service and dedicated in 2004. The Honor Flight should return to Myrtle Beach International Airport at about 7:30 p.m., met by a rousing welcome home reception with a band, honor guard, banners and so forth.

Veterans and others who have gone on previous Honor Flights have been emotionally affected by the experience and by the WWII veterans themselves. The one-day trip includes visits to other memorials on the National Mall and the moving ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. That’s where the first national holiday, now known as Memorial Day, took place on May 30, 1868, when the Grand Army of the Republic, a Union veterans organization, placed flowers on graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers.

Today’s Honor Flight starts a series of events marking Memorial Day and concluding Military Appreciation Days in Myrtle Beach. Many events are scheduled, and any would be well worth your time as we honor those who have sacrificed much to protect our nation. Wounded combat veterans on Thursday begin a six-day visit on the sixth bus trip organized by Scents for Soldiers. Saturday, the town of Surfside Beach is sponsoring the Beauty at the Beach car show at the Surfside Beach Pier. The car show involves Honor Flight veterans, who will select their favorite cars. Organizer Bob Walker expects at least 170 entries – cars, trucks and classic motorcycles (pre-1972). Walker says he expects even more entries than in similar shows in 2009 and 2010. Members of the Myrtle Beach, Chicora and Grand Strand British Car Club are participating.

For Ad Tax? Against It? Vote

Sat, 19 May 2012 17:13 EDT

The axiom has long been true: It’s much easier to pass a tax than to get rid of one.

As an editorial board, we have supported the idea of Myrtle Beach’s sales tax for tourism promotion since its inception. That being said, we had strong misgivings about both the way it was initially passed and the reporting of its collection afterward. The first concern is in the past and we can do nothing about it. The second has largely been laid to rest in recent months, for which we are grateful.

But news last week that Myrtle Beach City Council is considering asking for an extension of the tax has us concerned that yet again this tax that affects so many and which has raised the hackles of many others will once again be passed without the input of local residents.

Don’t Give Up the Race Yet

Sat, 19 May 2012 17:14 EDT

After a couple of turbulent weeks, the ballot for next month’s primary at last seems set in stone. With 17 Horry County candidates kicked off the primary ballot, many races have suddenly become much less competitive than they previously were. Or maybe not.

There’s no reason yet for candidates to give up. Some of those taken off the ballot were good candidates. Some of those left on the ballot still deserve to be opposed. And while winning a race without taking the traditional party route is undoubtedly harder, it is not impossible.

Petition candidates must collect signatures from 5 percent of registered voters in the counties, cities or districts that they are running to represent by noon July 16. Locally, that could vary from around 1,000 names to gather for some county council or school board districts to a few thousand signatures for state House or Senate seats.

Home Run, Step 1: Step Up to Plate

Fri, 18 May 2012 15:51 EDT

Don’t be too surprised if you’re at the House of Blues for the Edwin McCain concert Monday night and you see a few busloads of folks in “business casual attire” wandering in. The concert by McCain (as well as the wonderfully named Mark Bryan and the Occasional Milkshake) was chosen as the entertainment portion of the regional business conference in town for a few days. Hopefully, attendees are impressed.

Since it was announced in 2010, leaders have been touting the 2012 Southeastern U.S. - Canadian Provinces conference as a chance to show ourselves off.

There’s a lot to show off, whether it’s our reviving downtown area, our aviation business park, a pair of growing colleges, our welcoming beaches or even the crowds of bikers that are currently roaring through the area. Each represent an opportunity or a benefit for some type of business, and despite encouraging employment news we could use some new businesses.

Funny Numbers on the Trail

Thu, 17 May 2012 16:46 EDT

Before the 2010 primary election, eventual U.S. Rep. Tim Scott had raised about $416,000 in his bid to represent our district. By the time the general election rolled around five months later, he had nearly tripled that fundraising total, to more than $1.2 million.

As the primary nears this year, some of the local congressional campaigns are already on pace to best those totals. But should we care who has the biggest war chest? And is all of that money even real? The answer to both questions: Perhaps not.

There’s no getting around it; campaigns run on money. You can’t buy mailers and advertising and buttons with just a smile and a slogan. In the absence of poll numbers or votes, campaigns like to tout those fundraising totals as indications of support. And flashing more money can be a good way to intimidate other candidates into dropping out early.

The Right ‘Choice’ on Schools

Thu, 17 May 2012 07:43 EDT

The right school choice bill became law this week.

The charter school bill that Gov. Nikki Haley signed into law on Monday is good news for parents, students and anyone invested in the future of education in our state, namely, all of us. The next version of school choice coming down the pike (H. 4894), a bill that would in effect pay parents to take their kids out of public schools, should not get the same treatment.

The state’s newest charter school law will make the novel schools more appealing to students, by ensuring that those who enroll are allowed to participate in sports at established public schools. It will also open the door to charter schools authorized by colleges, which could mean a smoother transition for some from high school to higher education. And it seeks to ensure that the state funding for these schools is not held up by district offices, as was happening in some places in the state. All are common-sense and welcome changes to our education system.

Volunteers Build Path to Success

Tue, 15 May 2012 13:31 EDT

The North Strand Housing Shelter in Longs has a new brick walkway thanks to a grant from BB&T and the labor of several generous bankers who worked with shelter guests to construct the walk.

“We’ve been walking on old gravel … and now we have a safe, lighted walkway to the door,” says Dana Black, founder of the all-volunteer shelter with her husband Michael Bolch. The old path was “very insufficient” and Black worried about the uneven surface causing twisted ankles or worse.

In a commendable example of local business improving its community, the crew of mostly women from the BB&T banks “worked from 8 in the morning to almost 5.” It was not the typical bank work. “They shoveled sand, pulled weeds, laid brick, hauled brick in the wheelbarrow – They just did all kinds of stuff.” Shelter guests prepared the walk, removing the old rocks and building a form for the sand and new bricks.

Make Sure the Library Opens

Mon, 14 May 2012 12:20 EDT

After watching their finished library sit empty since December, it would be cruel for Horry County Council to tease Carolina Forest residents any longer. And yet after the council cut the proposed staff in half earlier this year, it looks as though scrapping them altogether could now be discussed. That would be tragic.

As reporter Brad Dickerson wrote last week, council members are pondering whether the county can actually afford to meet all of the staffing requests it has received, including those employees still earmarked for the library. As the members consider which expenses to approve, we sincerely hope the library’s remaining staff makes the cut.

Fiscal responsibility and frugality is commendable, but the library’s proposed staff is not the place to find efficiencies. After spending $4.1 million to build the library, it would be beyond silly to leave it sitting unused any longer. The council’s next meeting is Tuesday. A vote of support for funding the library staff would go a long way toward assuring Carolina Forest residents that the construction costs have not been spent in vain.

Tag Team for the Jobless

Mon, 14 May 2012 12:20 EDT

The good news was easy to spot Friday when Frontier Communications announced an expansion in Horry County that would lead to 110 jobs, 20 of them immediately. As we continue to deal with a double digit unemployment rate, new jobs – even jobs with a less than stellar $26,000 wage –- are extremely welcome.

But the better news was tucked near the bottom of the press releases. That’s where we read that Frontier was nudged to create the jobs not only with $250,000 from Horry County, but also with another $200,000 from the S.C. Commerce Department. That involvement of the state in creating new jobs in our area is a wonderful turnaround. After years of being mostly ignored by economic development staff in Columbia, Horry County leaders managed first to prise $100,000 from the Commerce Department to support an expansion of AvCraft in December, and now another $200,000 will support for Frontier.

Granted, $300,000 from the state is small beans compared with the $31 million the state approved for the massive expansion of Continental Tire in Sumter or the specialized tax break for Amazon that went through the legislature last year. But any attention is much appreciated in the ongoing effort to diversify our corner of the state beyond tourism and hospitality jobs. And $300,000 in the past few months is enormous in comparison to nothing in the few years before that.

Big Decisions Ahead for Georgetown

Sun, 13 May 2012 13:07 EDT

South Carolina has long been a state that values individual responsibility. If you want something done, there’s no one better to do it than yourself; don’t look to others to pave the way for you. That attitude is perhaps one reason the local option sales tax has become a popular idea in recent years.

Governments that have grown tired of sending millions to Columbia only to see it vanish into a maze of state bureaucracy would prefer to keep some of that money at home, to complete local projects. (If Columbia budget writers would fully fund the state’s local government fund, we may not be having this discussion, but that’s a topic for another day.)

In Horry County, the option has been used by Myrtle Beach to find tourism promotion funds and by schools to pay for new construction and renovations. Now Georgetown County is hoping to leverage the same idea to tackle a wish list of capital projects, like expanding its jail, paving roads and building parks and libraries.

Unfurl the Umbrella

Thu, 10 May 2012 15:58 EDT

Fighting homelessness on the Grand Strand is not a glamorous job by any stretch of the imagination. A meeting at City Hall last week of the Myrtle Beach group leading the charge included fairly pedestrian discussions of whom to call, how to organize spreadsheets and what snacks to buy for future meetings.

The job won’t bring fame or fortune. Most involved are volunteers who aren’t interested in recognition.

The effort carries no guarantee of success. Leaders must face opposition not only from some homeless residents who don’t want to be helped, but also from some existing service agencies that don’t like others sticking their nose in.

HGTC: Spreading Smiles

Wed, 09 May 2012 16:13 EDT

Talking with The Sun News’ editorial board in February, HGTC President Neyle Wilson said the local college was having to be “really, really selective” in choosing which programs to pursue, particularly in health care, because of declining state and federal aid. With that in mind, the opening in June of the school’s Robert E. Speir Healthcare Education Center, and particularly the building’s dental center, is a wonderful example of targeted, smart choices by those in charge.

The new health care facility is only one of the exciting changes happening at Horry-Georgetown Technical College, which has long flourished under Wilson’s capable leadership. The culinary arts building also in the works will similarly be a wonderful addition to the region’s education opportunities. But it’s the opening of the Speir building that will most immediately transform lives in the area.

The opening of the $7.4 million health care building, scheduled for June 1, will usher in new opportunities not only for dental students, but also for low-income residents in need, including children, senior citizens and veterans. In one of the best examples of a win-win program, students will receive needed training to become dental hygienists and assistants while at the same time provided much-needed low-cost dental health services. The school plans to set aside two chairs specifically for indigent patients.

Veterans Center Growing

Wed, 09 May 2012 08:23 EDT

Three years ago, the Veterans Welcome Home and Resource Center opened in Little River on a wing and a prayer. Kris Tourtellotte, an Army veteran with three tours in Vietnam, felt there was a need for a nonprofit volunteer organization based on his several years of experience at a veterans help operation in Rochester, N.Y.

That first year, the center had financial help from several individuals and five organizations. This year, Tourtellotte counts 25 organizations that help financially and in other important ways. This year, the center has a sponsor for every month, pledged for $1,000 to cover operating costs. The sponsor for May is the National Army Security Agency Association, the former intelligence apparatus now folded into the Central Intelligence Agency. The association’s sponsorship of the Little River center came about at a reunion here. Tourtellotte served in the ASA during his eight years in the Army.

Tourtellotte’s center quickly established its Soldier Urgent Relief Fund to help with rent or perhaps a car payment. In the first year, about $300 was paid, but that figure grew to $8,600 in 2010 and to nearly $20,000 – $19,970 to be precise – in 2011. At first, “whatever we had left” after the rent and other operating costs went to SURF. At times, Tourtellotte recalled Tuesday, the SURF balance was “down to nothing” and during those low times, requests for assistance dropped accordingly – or providentially.

Grow Up, Atlantic Beach

Sat, 05 May 2012 21:40 EDT

Why should I care what sort of shenanigans are going on up in Atlantic Beach, we’re often asked. The town’s ineptness is amusing at times, but if they want to play those games, what’s it to me?

North Myrtle Beach Mayor Marylin Hatley offered a good answer to those questions last Wednesday at a meeting of local leaders (a meeting that Atlantic Beach Mayor Retha Pierce conspicuously missed). Dealing with the fallout of the town’s annual Bikefest rally cost North Myrtle Beach nearly $100,000 last year for police and public works services, Hatley said. Atlantic Beach’s neighbor to the north dedicated 100 of its own officers to the rally, brought in 15 extra from elsewhere (which they had to feed and house) and never billed Atlantic Beach for any of that expense. Instead, North Myrtle Beach taxpayers picked up that tab.

And that was for the three-day Bikefest the town normally puts on, not the extended, 10-day rally they hope to foist on the area this time around.

Improved Opinion Online

Sat, 05 May 2012 21:30 EDT

In an effort to improve our opinion offerings, The Sun News recently made some changes worth noting to the Opinion page online (MyrtleBeachOnline.com/opinion). Readers will now be able to find weekly compilations of editorial cartoons from all the newspapers in the McClatchy chain. Letters to the editor are now posted singly rather than in bulk, making finding and commenting on the opinions of your fellow readers much easier. Daily videos on the latest political topics are also highlighted.

Perhaps most importantly, letters to the editor can now be submitted straight from our website rather than just by email, fax or postal service. Check out the new look and let us know what you think.