Why can’t we do something about South Carolina’s nasty, filthy roadways?

On hate crime laws

I think that the effort by some South Carolina lawmakers to pass hate crime legislation is unwise.

First of all these lawmakers have yet to make the case that hate crime laws have actually reduced hate crimes. Where is the evidence?

In addition hate crime legislation could conceivably be used to punish churches or religious people; for example, it could be employed against people who simply oppose LGBTQ initiatives. I believe that this would further endanger the First Amendment freedoms that Americans now have.

Finally, I have not heard many law officers or prosecutors in South Carolina say that our state badly needs hate crime laws.

Fred Kerr, West Columbia

On dirty roadways

I listened to Gov. Henry McMaster’s recent State of the State address with interest and optimism about our state’s present and future potential. We have a wonderful state, and I would not want to live anywhere else.

That said, I can hardly bear driving anywhere in South Carolina because of all the trash on our filthy roadways. When I contacted McMaster about this problem, I was told that we do not have the money to clean up our state. But how can we afford not to do so? Why would any major corporation want to move to South Carolina when its citizens are content with having such filthy roads?

The governor says that we don’t have the funds to clean up our roads, yet he is now proposing to spend a huge amount of money to send small rebate checks to taxpayers. Why can’t that money be spent on cleaning up our roads? Would taxpayers really prefer small rebate checks over living in a state that they can be proud to live in?

O. Frank Hart, Columbia

On Sanders, Biden

For Democrats the main issue in the 2020 presidential election is simply getting rid of President Donald Trump. The media keep telling us that Joe Biden is the most electable candidate against Trump, but the media are wrong. The fact is that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is the most electable person in the field of Democratic Party presidential candidates.

Biden’s base is wide but shallow; few people could really tell you what Biden actually stands for these days. On the other hand Sanders has positions that are very clear — and he shows far more passion than Biden (who is already being called “Sleepy Joe” by Trump).

There is no path to victory for Democrats that doesn’t entail winning back the upper-Midwest states, and no Democrat performs better in those states than Sanders. The Democrats also need to bring in new voters and win back some of the millions of Americans who previously voted for former President Barack Obama but later helped to elect Trump. The polls clearly show that it is Sanders, not Biden, who is more likely to help Democrats win back these voters.

And while I feel awkward about saying this, I just don’t feel that Biden is as sharp as he used to be; in fact, I fear that Trump will eat Biden for lunch in a general election.

The South Carolina primary is a critical one, and that’s why I’m urging Democrats in this state to vote for Sanders.

Larry Gates, Pawleys Island

This story was originally published January 30, 2020 at 8:45 AM.