TheState.com: Editorial

Give cities, counties flexibility on food tax

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:06 EST

A LAWSUIT filed in Camden might help clarify how hospitality taxes can be used, but ultimately the Legislature must make changes to address confusion and, more importantly, give cities and counties what they really need: more flexibility in what they can spend the money on.

Local governments have developed an unfortunate penchant for stretching the law to use the tax on prepared food to fund pet projects and dole out cash to community groups. The stated purpose of the tax is to fund projects that help lure tourists, who will then visit other attractions and patronize restaurants and other businesses. But the law is vague. Those who want to can find ways to fund a wish list, or even bolster the general fund. Practically every government that levies the tax deems it appropriate to use this money to improve parks, which property tax dollars traditionally have paid for.

The project that prompted the lawsuit involves Camden’s plan to build a multimillion-dollar downtown YMCA. Critics say that isn’t a legitimate use of hospitality tax dollars; they want the court to clarify state law on proper uses for the tax. Camden City Manager Kevin Bronson said care was taken to ensure the YMCA would attract visitors for weekend tournaments while being available for use by locals during the week.

We too question this project. Frankly, it’s reminiscent of Richland County’s questionable proposal to build a mega-sports complex in the Northeast, which is expected to cost tens of millions of dollars, using mostly hospitality taxes. In another wasteful move, Richland County Council also agreed to spend $1 million in hospitality taxes to buy 44 acres of land along Garners Ferry Road to develop into a park.

In addition to leaving room for local governments to create their own definitions of “tourism-related,” the law is unclear as to what should be taxed. Richland County and Columbia face separate lawsuits that claim they too broadly interpret “prepared foods and beverages,” a term that is not defined in the 1997 law.

Robinson: Romney’s overriding ambition

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:46 EST

Criticism of Mitt Romney for lacking a coherent message is grossly unfair. He has been forthright, consistent and even eloquent in pressing home his campaign’s central theme: Mitt Romney desperately wants to be president.

Everything else seems mushy or negotiable. Romney is passionate about the need, as he sees it, to defeat President Obama — but vague or self-contradictory as to why. The lyrics of “America the Beautiful,” which Romney has recited as part of his standard campaign speech, don’t solve the mystery; Obama, too, is on record as supporting spacious skies and fruited plains.

Beyond personal ambition, what does Romney stand for? Obviously, judging by Rick Santorum’s clean sweep on Tuesday, I’m not the only one asking the question. I suspect an honest answer would be something like “situational competence” — Romney boasts of having rescued the 2002 Olympics, served as the Republican governor of one of the most Democratic states in the nation and made profitable choices about where to invest his money. But with the economy improving and the stock market soaring, Romney’s president-as-CEO argument loses whatever relevance it might have had.

To conservative groups, Romney can sound like a true believer who never met a tax or a labor union he could abide — and not at all like a “Massachusetts moderate,” which is what Newt Gingrich claims Romney really is.

But Romney will never be able to match Gingrich’s record, for better or worse, as one of the key figures in the development of the modern conservative movement. And Romney — who once was pro-choice — will never be able to get to the right of Santorum on social issues.

Columbia must address health-care costs

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:52 EST

COLUMBIA City Council has little alternative but to make changes to control costs in its health-care program for employees and retirees.

The fact is that the city’s long-term health-care costs, like those for many governments and private companies, are rising rapidly. Allowing the growing liability to continue to balloon only means more of a burden being placed on taxpayers and employees down the road. The only prudent thing for the city to do is explore alternative ways to provide good-quality health-care insurance; the options must include raising employee premiums.

In an effort to do just that, City Council recently adopted a plan that places about 240 Columbia retirees who are 65 and older or disabled into a new health-care pool that city leaders say will help lower burgeoning costs without cutting benefits. The coverage would be provided through a cooperative of insurance carriers that is to be established in January under the new federal health-care law, city manager Steve Gantt said. Because that program will have such a large number of participants, the cost will be lower. Details about how the change will work will be determined in coming months as council develops its 2012-2013 budget.

The change means the city’s long-term health-care liability will shrink by $120 million, from $204.5 million to $84.5 million, according to Bill Ellis, the city’s chief financial officer. Mr. Ellis, who said the city’s liability has risen by about $109 million since 2006, said that the changes would preserve the system for 22 years.

In addition to changes for retirees 65 and older, the plan would increase health-insurance premiums for the city’s current 2,100 full-time employees and younger retirees.

Abolish Budget and Control Board

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:32 EST

THE BUDGET AND Control Board is a uniquely South Carolina institution built on the assumption that all wisdom resides in the Legislature and designed — like most of the government, only more so — to ensure that governors could not govern.

It is composed of the governor, comptroller general, treasurer and chairmen of the House and Senate budget-writing committees. Together these five oversee a massive agency by the same name that controls large sums of money and handles the central administrative functions of state government — land sales and purchases, the allocation of state office space and vehicles, human resources, procurement, information technology and the employee insurance and retirement systems — as well as such politically sensitive duties as running a Confederate museum and administering a slush fund.

This dilutes accountability and invites timid decision-making by putting a committee instead of an individual in charge. It assaults both the separation of powers and the logic behind the normal distribution of powers under that requirement: It’s best to involve a large number of voices (legislators) in deciding what the law should be but to put one clearly responsible person in charge of carrying out those laws.

The board steals power from the governor, as nearly all of those functions are controlled by governors in the rest of the country. It also steals power from the Legislature, by overriding its spending decisions, among other things.

We’ve had decades of studies recommending that the board should be abolished and most of its duties turned over to the governor, and for years, the House has passed bills that moved in that direction, though not nearly far enough.

DOT should end charade if Jackson doesn’t

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:06 EST

ALTHOUGH Richland County Councilman Norman Jackson insists he hasn’t done anything wrong, a federal administrative law judge rightly determined that Mr. Jackson is in violation of the law that prohibits public employees whose jobs use federal money from seeking office in partisan elections.

The facts are clear: Mr. Jackson is a planner with the S.C. Department of Transportation, which uses and handles federal funds. The Democrat from Lower Richland also is a member of Richland County Council, a body chosen in partisan elections. The Hatch Act of 1939, like it or not, prohibits dual roles such as Mr. Jackson holds.

What the next step should be is also clear: The Department of Transportation must adhere to the judge’s order and remove Mr. Jackson, unless he quits his job or the council by the judge’s Feb. 24 deadline. It’s inconceivable that the state agency would even consider ignoring the judge’s order and choosing instead to pay a fine equal to twice Mr. Jackson’s state salary. That is out of the question. Frankly, it’s astounding that the agency allowed itself to get in this position; it could have — and should have — ended this matter long ago.

It’s also discouraging that Mr. Jackson, who retired two years ago and is now working under the TERI plan, would place the agency in this position. His actions thus far make another thing clear: While we hope he would resolve this matter immediately, we shouldn’t hold our breath. He remains obstinate, saying he will appeal the judge’s ruling.

The Hatch Act was enacted to keep politics and coercion out of the federal workplace. Among other things, the intent of the law is to prevent elected and governmental officials from using their political power to win favor or pressure employees to volunteer for or contribute to a campaign. The law also applies to candidates in state and local races whose personal jobs are tied to a source of federal funds.

Council right to delay sale, study Rocky Branch

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:21 EST

COLUMBIA City Council is wisely taking a responsible, cautious, prudent approach to the question of whether to sell Capital City Stadium to a developer for use as a Walmart.

The council had delayed a vote on the matter late last year in order to talk with developer Bright-Meyers LLC and collect more information following understandable objections from some neighbors and environmentalists. Even with the fact-finding effort, questions still remain about flooding, traffic and city planning.

And so last month, although a majority of council members reportedly were prepared to vote for the sale, the outstanding questions — particularly about flooding — prompted the council to agree to wait up to three months while a $100,000 study of the entire Rocky Branch Creek watershed is conducted. Governments are prone to spend tens of thousands of dollars on what often prove to be fruitless and unnecessary studies, but this isn’t one of them.

Not only could the study play a pivotal role in what happens with the proposed Walmart, but it could serve as a guide for development throughout the basin. There have been serious concerns about dangerous flooding related to Rocky Branch for years. This assessment should reveal the best way to ease flooding and improve the stream that stretches from Martin Luther King Park to the Congaree River.

Bright-Meyers projects that it will lower the floodplain by up to four feet by improving three choke points downstream of the shopping center. The developer said it would pay for the improvement, which also would save money on site to meet flooding standards. The city’s independent study will put that to the test as well as assessing overall issues of flooding and water quality.

Suspend judgment on dead-voters claims

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:50 EST

FOR TWO weeks, supporters of our state’s new voter identification law crowed that they had been vindicated by the announcement by Gov. Nikki Haley’s Department of Motor Vehicles director that nearly 1,000 dead people had cast ballots. It was an extraordinary, and deeply disturbing, claim that finally seemed to provide the evidence supporters had never bothered to present that we need such a law.

Or not.

It turns out that at least some of those people weren’t really dead, and some of them didn’t vote. We don’t know how many, because Kevin Shwedo hadn’t provided Election Commission Director Marci Andino with his list by the time she took her turn before a House subcommittee last week. But she said that she had found no indications of fraud among the 20 names she received from the attorney general’s office, which appropriately ordered an investigation based on Mr. Shwedo’s claim. What she found instead were stray marks on voter lists that made it look like people voted when they didn’t, people who cast absentee ballots early and then died before Election Day, a Sr. listed as voting when in fact it was a Jr.

Does this mean there was no fraud? Unfortunately not, and Ms. Andino and SLED need to continue their reviews, because with so many DMV records suggesting people died before ballots were cast in their names, it seems quite possible that there’s at least a little fire behind all that smoke.

What it means is that we shouldn’t be so quick to accept those claims that confirm our preconceived notions — particularly when there are so many red flags.

Bus system needs more than Band-Aids

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:02 EST

IT IS CRUCIAL for Richland County to join the city of Columbia and provide the funding needed to stave off deep cuts to public bus service.

Columbia City Council recently approved a $618,000 infusion for the financially struggling bus system in order to avoid a 65 percent cut in service next month that would have left the already-inadequate system a shell of itself. But the bus system was facing a $2.5 million shortfall, and the city’s help will only pay for service through mid-July, when it will cease unless more funding is found.

We commend Columbia for acting; County Council should prove equal to the task and allocate additional funds as well to ensure that this critical basic service doesn’t falter. Central Midlands Transit Authority officials hope County Council will contribute $1.3 million, which would keep service intact through Sept. 30. Some Richland officials say Columbia should give more to the system in general since it gets the bulk of the service; however the two governments divvy things up, the important thing is to keep the buses rolling.

But Columbia and Richland would be derelict if they do nothing but approve this short-term aid. What is to happen once this one-time infusion runs out, whether in mid-July or at the close of September? Will transit officials once again drag the public through meetings foreshadowing cuts to a service that many depend on to get to work, doctor’s offices and other places? That should not be.

Columbia and Richland must devise a realistic plan to sustain the bus system long term and avoid these recurring funding crises.

DJJ effort builds more than Habitat house

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:39 EST

IF ALL THAT comes of the construction of a Habitat for Humanity home by young offenders at the Department of Juvenile Justice is that a family gets a dependable roof over its head, that alone would be priceless.

In this time when many are homeless or losing homes or can’t afford them, yet another of our neighbors has an opportunity to become a homeowner thanks to this wonderful act on the part of DJJ.

But we suspect that much more will come of the juveniles’ labor. These youngsters are incarcerated behind a fence because of transgressions in the outside community. Giving them an opportunity to give back by improving the lives of a family and contributing to building the greater community could go a long way toward helping reconnect them to society and give them a sense of pride, responsibility and worth.

DJJ youth began framing the house inside the fence last month. On Monday, the White Crane Co. of West Columbia lifted the home over the fence and took it to its permanent location in Richland County, where youth and professionals plan to complete the interior trim, painting, landscaping and other work prior to the home’s dedication this spring. A Columbia woman, who will live in the house along with her teenage son, will work with volunteers to finish the home.

Even as the youths built this house, they were helping to rebuild their own lives in anticipation of the time that they will be .

DHEC director needs some expertise

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:16 EST

THE LAST TIME the board of the Department of Health and Environmental Control needed a new director, it knew exactly where to look: in the office of legislative and constituent services, aka, its lobbyist. The board knew to look there because that’s where it found its previous director. And the one before that. For a quarter-century, the primary job requirement for the director of the state’s chief environmental agency has been a good working relationship with and appreciation for the Legislature.

The line of succession demonstrates more than any discrete action by the board or the agency that DHEC considers itself a child of the Legislative State.

This is an extremely unhealthy situation, as we’ve seen from numerous examples of individual legislators working behind the scenes to extract favors from the agency for their friends and patrons, and the agency making policy changes to please legislative leaders. So it is welcome news that the pattern will not repeat itself yet again.

Of the three finalists to replace retiring director Earl Hunter, only one is a DHEC employee, and she is not a lobbyist but a health regulator; that is, someone who has years of experience doing the highly technical work that South Carolinians depend on DHEC to do in order to provide a basic, some would say minimal, level of protection for our environment and the public health.

The bad news is that while another finalist has extensive experience as a health administrator, the third, has no background in health or the environment — and there’s good reason to believe she is the favorite: Catherine Templeton is a close ally of Gov. Nikki Haley, who gets a veto over the board’s choice, and while the governor can’t fire the board, she appointed all of its members last year, which suggests that they would be receptive to her suggestions.

Discuss, approve new fire deal — in the open

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:09 EST

WHILE IT’S a relief that Richland County finally came to its senses and is seeking to continue its long-standing fire agreement with Columbia, it’s also troubling that county officials crafted their proposal in secret.

Instead of discussing this matter publicly, an ad hoc committee of County Council met behind closed doors to draft the proposed agreement, and the full council discussed it in executive session before approving it and sending it to City Council for consideration.

There is absolutely no justification for an elected body to shut the public out of discussions about an agreement outlining the delivery of a service paid for by taxpayers.

As Columbia City and Richland County councils deliberate this matter going forward, they should hold all discussions in public view. Not only do residents need to hear the details first hand, but they should be able to observe how the councils interact as they conduct business on the public’s behalf.

There is enough skepticism and distrust of government as it is. Why create more by trampling upon the spirit of the Freedom of Information Act?

Editorial: Romney has capacity to build bridges

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:11 EST

MITT ROMNEY was not our first choice for the Republican nomination for president of the United States, but he was one of two candidates who stood head and shoulders above the rest of the field as sensible, experienced grownups with a history of making things work rather than pursuing ideological fetishes.

We wish he were not so willing to blend in with the political culture as the Republican Party races further right, from seeming at times to repudiate his signature success as Massachusetts governor to playing footsie with the anti-intellectuals who don’t simply disagree that anything should be done but dismiss the overwhelming scientific consensus that the earth’s climate is changing, and that human beings are playing a role in that change.

But we take comfort in the fact that Mr. Romney always has been less interested in philosophy than in problem-solving. As The Washington Post summarized the views of his friends: “obeisance to ideology would impose a rigidity that would inhibit Romney’s real talent, which is forging new ways to fix old problems.”

He has demonstrated that talent to dramatic effect, from making a fortune rescuing companies (and dismantling others) as a private-equities investor to turning the floundering, scandal-ridden Salt Lake Olympics Games into a financial success. He led Massachusetts out of financial crisis, and pushed through a landmark health reform that was seen as the conservative answer to growing demands for a government-centered program, until it became the model for President Obama’s reform package. If there’s anything we need in Washington, it’s more problem solving and less ideological purity.

We initially endorsed Jon Huntsman in Saturday’s presidential primary because he demonstrates the qualities we need in a president. With Mr. Huntsman’s withdrawal, we are endorsing Mr. Romney, because of our continued belief that he can be what we need in a president: Someone who can work within our poisonous political environment to solve our nation’s problems, not simply score partisan points. Someone who understands that negotiation is essential in a representative democracy, and that there are good ideas across the political spectrum. Someone who has a well-defined set of core values but is not so rigid that he ignores new information and new conditions. Someone who has shown himself to be honest and trustworthy and competent. Someone whose positions are well-reasoned and based on the world as it is rather than as he pretends it to be. Someone with the temperament and judgment and experience to be taken seriously as the commander in chief and leader of the free world.

Others must join mayor in supporting bus system

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:45 EST

COLUMBIA Mayor Steve Benjamin knows that his annual State of the City address, while an appropriate and worthwhile undertaking that allows the city’s top elected leader to celebrate triumphs and lay out his vision and goals for the new year, has limited impact on the direction of the city, regardless of how well it’s delivered.

The fact is that under the city’s council-manager form of government the mayor is simply a glorified council member whose effectiveness is based on his ability to use his limited bully pulpit and, more importantly, cajole fellow council members to embrace his vision. Still, that hasn’t dampened Mr. Benjamin’s enthusiasm. He continues to urge his colleagues, business leaders and the greater community to join him in making Columbia a “great American city.”

Last week, in his second State of the City speech, Mr. Benjamin waxed about the city’s accomplishments in 2011 — from the creation of new jobs to luring new businesses downtown to bolstering the police force to staging a successful New Year’s Eve party that jammed the streets and hotels downtown. In addition, he talked about efforts he will undertake this year, including completing a downtown section of the Three Rivers Greenway and pushing for an employee pay raise for the first time in three years.

But the most important thing Mr. Benjamin did was to seize the opportunity to emphatically declare his support for the Midlands’ public bus system.

“I pledge to you tonight that, come what may, I will not let our bus system fail,” Mr. Benjamin said. “I am committed because our economy depends on it, our future depends on it, the hard working men and women of this city depend on it.

Huntsman could bring us back together

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:41 EST

AFTER MONTHS of flirting with candidates who considered inexperience an asset, obstinance and vitriol a virtue and extremism — even flakiness — a job requirement, Republican voters seem to be settling down. Increasingly, they are rallying around a grownup who has impressive experience as a chief executive, in and out of government, and a history of making things work rather than pursuing ideological fetishes. Yet nearly two-thirds of Republican primary voters still reject Mitt Romney, and his opponents are convinced they can raise that number by screaming: “Moderate! Moderate! Moderate!”

You’d think that even if they don’t like it, those on the extremes would respect the fact that those of us in the sensible center decide general elections — and seek out a candidate who appeals to us. But the unhealthy demand for ideological purity obscures a hopeful fact about the GOP presidential field: There are actually two sensible, experienced grownups. And while Mr. Romney is far more appealing than any of the other choices, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman is more principled, has a far more impressive resume and offers a significantly more important message.

Both men get tagged “moderate,” but for different reasons. Mr. Romney is a technocrat, a business leader who focuses on getting the job done. As governor, that meant governing in a way that suited Massachusetts. Today the job is winning the presidency, and if that means “evolving” in his views as the primary electorate swings further right, and running away from his signature accomplishment as governor, so be it.

Mr. Huntsman is a true conservative, with a record and platform of bold economic reform straight out of the free-market bible, but he’s a realist, whose goal is likewise to get things done. Under his leadership, Utah led the nation in job creation, and the Pew Center on the States ranked it the best-managed state in the nation.

He also is head and shoulders above the field on foreign policy. He served as President George H.W. Bush’s U.S. ambassador to Singapore and President George W. Bush’s deputy U.S. trade representative and U.S. trade ambassador, and the next entry on that resume is even more impressive: He was a popular and successful governor in an extremely conservative state, well positioned to become a leading 2012 presidential contender, when Mr. Obama asked him to serve in arguably our nation’s most important diplomatic post, U.S. ambassador to China. It could be political suicide, but he didn’t hesitate. As he told our editorial board: “When the president asks you to serve, you serve.”

Overhaul spending, taxes, government

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:49 EST

THE 2012 GENERAL Assembly convenes on Tuesday to face the same problems as its predecessors: an unaccountable government whose autonomous and often duplicative parts work at cross-purposes; a special-interest-driven tax policy built around an economy that no longer exists; and a budget-writing process that sets priorities by default and results in underfunding crucial services while continuing to spend money maintaining the skeletons of programs that are useful but not essential.

The solutions are likewise familiar. What is required is the courage to undertake fundamental reforms, the discipline to avoid distractions and the willingness of legislators to engage in honest give-and-take with each other and with the governor, and vice versa, to move our state forward.

Make government work

On paper, the chance of overhauling some of the most dysfunctional parts of our state government has never been better: The first bill on the Senate calendar is a House-passed measure that senators unanimously amended this spring to eliminate the Budget and Control Board and turn many of its duties over to the governor; up for debate is a widely supported amendment to overhaul the Legislature’s internal operating procedure so it can provide an effective check on an empowered governor. And a combination of inept financial management that left the Transportation Department in near default and the demonstrably bad decision-making and world-class arrogance of the Transportation Commission has fueled calls for an overhaul, as lawmakers realize that their last attempt at reform was hollow.

Even if both of these reforms passed, there still would be too many agencies for anyone to manage effectively, and far too many of them still would be run by autonomous boards, making it impossible for voters to hold anyone accountable for problems. But finally reforming two of our largest agencies, over which legislators most jealously guard their prerogatives, could break open the flood gates that have stymied significant restructuring efforts for two decades.

Columbia, Richland must fund bus system

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:38 EST

IT WOULD BE a travesty for Richland County and Columbia officials not to plug a $2.5 million hole — or at least a large part of it — that has the public bus system on the brink of cutting service by two-thirds.

The bus system is a vital public service much like roads and water and sewer. Like most public services, bus systems don’t pay for themselves; the public, which has a shared interest in providing transit that bolsters the economy and helps move people about, must collectively foot the bill.

While blame for the bus system’s woes has often — and understandably — been placed on the Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority board, Columbia and Richland County have played a large role. From practically the day it became public, the system has suffered from a dearth of leadership and support from elected officials, an ineffective governing board and underfunding.

Columbia and Richland officials knew before the buses were transferred from SCE&G into public hands in 2002 that the system could not survive, let alone become the viable entity this community needs, without permanent and adequate funding. That need persists a decade later.

Columbia City and Richland County councils have played a key role in determining the composition and structure of the transit authority governing board, changing it multiple times. The city and county rightly forced another change in its size and makeup near the end of 2011; they also scuttled a plan to bid out bus service and hire a new executive director, opting instead to extend the bus service provider’s contract and allow it to bring in a temporary director of its own. The intent was to allow the new board to get its bearings and begin to rebuild the system.

Vigilance required for regulating sex shops

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:01 EST

WITH YET another resurgence of sexually oriented business activity, perhaps this time Columbia City and Richland County councils will get the message: Don’t let your guard down.

Years ago, the city and county adopted tough zoning laws to regulate these nuisances, which abridge community standards, damage quality of life, curb property values and stifle the business environment. But these businesses find a way to creep back in over time if they aren’t monitored. If the city and county are to effectively regulate them, they must be intentional about updating and enforcing restrictions, using the limited power they have through zoning and business-license regulations.

While Columbia and Richland have spent considerable time, money and effort in crafting regulations, they have failed to update them regularly. That’s easy to understand given the many ordinances and regulations they oversee. But there should be a regular schedule that calls for these measures to be reviewed; when that doesn’t happen, it increases the chances of communities getting unwanted surprise neighbors.

That’s what happened in the Devine Street area, where residents and businesses objected to the planned opening of Taboo Adult Superstore, which reportedly intends to be a 24-hour operation. In response, Columbia City Council gave final approval Thursday to changes in city business-license regulations that would deny a license to any sexually oriented business within 700 feet of churches, schools, public parks and homes.

The new regulations are crafted not simply to respond to Taboo but to regulate any sex businesses that choose to encroach on the city. While Taboo received a license in early December under the city’s zoning laws that set general rules for commercial establishments, all city business licenses expired Dec. 31. Taboo will have to reapply for a license and likely will be forced to close as a result of the new 700-foot restriction.

Gamecocks, Tigers had banner years

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 17:46 EST

IT’S BEEN a while since South Carolina’s Gamecocks and Clemson’s Tigers both were headed to significant bowl games with hopes of ending highly ranked nationally and setting a foundation for greater success the next season.

But that’s exactly where the Palmetto State’s two major college football programs find themselves. The Gamecocks, ranked No. 10 in The Associated Press poll at season’s end, are preparing to play Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando on Monday. No. 14 Clemson will square off with West Virginia in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 4.

These teams both had amazing seasons — one expected and one unexpected — that thrilled the faithful and brought a much-welcomed positive spotlight on our state.

USC came into the year with a Heisman trophy candidate at running back, an all-world receiver, a fifth-year senior quarterback and a stout defense. Injuries to Marcus Lattimore and others as well as poor play and the eventual dismissal of signal-caller Stephen Garcia pressed coach Steve Spurrier and his staff to adjust and play to the strength of the players they had; they did so ably, ending the season with 10 wins for only the second time in school history. A triumph in the Capital One Bowl would produce an 11-win season for the first time in school history and would have the Gamecocks poised for even more success entering next season.

This is the kind of year that’s been anticipated ever since Mr. Spurrier arrived. It has taken time, but he has built a solid foundation that should make the Gamecocks SEC East contenders for the foreseeable future. He has done it by keeping the best talent in state. For four consecutive years, the Gamecocks have landed many of the state’s top recruits, including the past four Mr. Footballs. Next year’s squad will include Lexington wide receiver Shaq Roland, who was recently named South Carolina’s Mr. Football for 2011. The other Mr. Footballs on the roster are Stephon Gilmore (2008), Marcus Lattimore (2009) and Jadeveon Clowney (2010).

For unto you is born … a Saviour

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 17:08 EST

TODAY, WE turn our space over to St. Luke, whose glorious tale of the nativity has inspired Christians for nearly two millennia:

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

Richland should nix land deal permanently

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:43 EST

IF IT WASN’T clear enough before that Richland County Council should walk away from a plan to spend $1 million on land for an unneeded park in Lower Richland, it is extremely apparent now.

A week ago, an engineer told the council that a dam on the site doesn’t meet state regulations and needs $1.8 million in repairs — nearly twice what the property would cost. Due to the capacity of the spillway, the dam could fail during a heavy rain.

You’d think that the cost of fixing the dam or possible liability and damage should it fail would cause the county to nix this deal and not look back. But Richland County Council doesn’t seem interested in taking that simple and obvious route. Even after hearing what should be a deal-killing revelation, the council stepped only halfway back.

While the 11-member body wisely decided to void the contract to purchase the property and spare the public from making expensive dam repairs, it stopped short of abandoning the notion of purchasing any of this superfluous property. Council members agreed, via a unanimous voice vote, to try to strike a new deal to buy the 44-acre site, minus the dam. The property owner will have the opportunity to submit a new proposal.

Why even leave the door open to making a purchase that the county could come to regret miserably? Are we to assume that if Richland purchases this land and the dam never gets repaired, the county’s property would never be in peril? Are we also to assume that any runoff from the county’s property would not be considered as contributing to any damage that it might cause to other property?