Why is Attorney General Alan Wilson obsessed with gun laws in Columbia?
On Alan Wilson
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson is suing the city of Columbia over some gun laws approved by the City Council and backed by Mayor Steve Benjamin.
I believe that if Wilson is successful, he should be required to attend the funerals of all those killed by gunfire during the commission of a crime.
Carl Nandrasy, Elgin
On Bernie Sanders
A recent letter suggested that Sen. Bernie Sanders would be a better choice than former Vice President Joe Biden as the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. A “better choice”? Electing Sanders would take this country down the road to destruction.
Recently Sanders was asked how he would raise the money for the billions of dollars he would devote to programs like free college and health care — not to mention forgiving the cost of student loans. Sanders responded by saying that he’d work out all of the details later. Why should voters elect someone who can’t explain how they would pay for their ideas? That is crazy.
Voters should just look at how good our nation is doing compared to other countries. Instead of voting for Sanders, people should vote out the politicians who have spent years trying to remove President Donald Trump from office rather than working for the American people.
Lee Leslie, Newberry
On empowering girls
In every corner of the world there are girls with the potential to be their nation’s next great leader. They have the intelligence, the talent and the drive to succeed — but they face far too many obstacles in realizing their full potential.
As a young professional woman who is engaged in advocacy, I know firsthand how powerful it is to use my voice. But in so many parts of the world girls and young women don’t have these same opportunities. That’s why we must start to support girls right now to bring future female leadership to fruition.
I encourage Sen. Tim Scott to sign on to the Girls LEAD Act, which would improve U.S. foreign assistance for girls around the world so that they can be equipped to take on leadership roles and drive change in their own lives.
Heather Blackwell, West Columbia
On utility companies
Right-of-way easements allow power companies to construct, operate and maintain electric lines that traverse private property. Typically the maintenance work consists of removing tree limbs, clearing away creeping vines and sometimes removing entire trees.
But what happens when these power companies make mistakes? What if they drop a tree on your roof? Or drive over your sewer line and cause your home to be flooded with raw sewage? Can they be held accountable like any other business that damages your personal property? Apparently not.
My eyes were opened on a rainy day in 2018 when a power company crew drove a bucket truck across my rain-soaked front lawn to access a hard-to-reach distribution line running across my property. Unfortunately, the crew drove the heavy truck directly over my sewer line, breaking off the steel cap and exposing the line to straw, leaves, pine cones and other debris.
Despite the fact that we have taken more than 100 photos that leave no doubt that the utility company is culpable, it has yet to compensate us for the nearly $10,000 it cost to replace the sewer pipe, remove sewage and decontaminate the site.
Based on that experience, deregulation is sounding better to me every day.
Alex Sargeant, Columbia
On election commission
It was reported in a recent edition of The State that the Richland County Election Commission is having difficulty finding enough poll workers. This shouldn’t be a surprise: the people in that office never seem to answer phone calls from citizens, much less return them.
I thought that office was supposed to be making changes to make things better; instead they seem to be worse.
Edward Moore, Columbia
This story was originally published January 30, 2020 at 3:48 PM.