Why can’t noxious odor along stretch of I-20 be cleaned up? | Opinion

Clean up stinky smell

The border between Kershaw and Richland Counties along I-20 consistently smells like a porta potty.

In this age of technological water treatment advances – including towns that rely solely on desalinization of ocean water for drinking water or use of treated wastewater to beautify wetlands along receiving waters and other amazing stories of success – why can’t a small town’s wastewater treatment plant effectively filter its off gas?

The wastewater treatment facility I am focusing my ire on is the Spears Creek Water Treatment Plant in Elgin, in sight and smelling distance of I-20.

During my every-day commute to (and from) Columbia along that section of I-20, I smell poo. With all the wastewater technology available to the company that appears to be the source of this smell, one would think they could afford to deal with the noxious (and just gross) odors.

Yuck. Let’s ask that it be fixed.

Matthew H O’Brien, Lugoff

Support equine act

For more than 200 years, horse-related businesses have helped South Carolina grow and conserve culturally significant land. The equine industry remains an important part of agribusiness to this day. Currently, there are 73,000+ horses stabled in South Carolina, creating an annual economic impact of $1.9 billion.

Thanks to our equine community, ideal climate, and booming economy, horse enthusiasts and businesses want to be here. However, many are forced to locate in neighboring states because of outdated laws in the Palmetto State that makes us a less competitive option.

To protect equine jobs and to preserve our horse culture for future generations, I am asking state lawmakers to support the S.C. Equine Advancement Act. This legislation would legalize Advance Deposit Wagering on equine events being held across the U.S., generating new revenue from licensing.

Please consider joining me in helping to keep our centuries-old equine industry alive by notifying your legislators of your support for the S.C. Equine Advancement Act.

Ned Towell, Camden

Licenses needed

Can you believe some folks at the State House want to do away with the licenses that are required for some very important professions? Professions where a client would want to know the practitioner was qualified?

Some of our legislators want to take us back over a century to the time when snake oil salesmen were free to sell their wares. Wanna be a psychologist? Sure, just go hang out a sign. Wanna be a dietician? Just say you’re one after you’ve read a book or two or watched some infomercials. Those licenses are there to reassure those of us who go to these professionals that they have had the proper training for their jobs.

Requiring additional training every so many years keeps these folks up-to-date.

The marketplace already decides which practitioners are the best. But at least for now, our choices are among qualified, licensed professionals.

Let’s keep it that way.

Elizabeth Russell, Columbia

Respect, don’t ban

Why is a medical procedure in the hands of politicians?

Abortion banning is not about unborn babies at all. It is about the domination and control of women.

This is an endeavor men have been trying for thousands of years. They might as well try to nail a chain across the sky to stop the wind from blowing.

The natural wisdom, strength, and intelligence of women cannot be stopped.

Secure and wise men see women as equal companions and co-creators of life and love, family and a sustainable society. Secure men don’t need to prove their worth by dominating and controlling women.

To govern wisely is to govern with kindness and compassion for all with fairness and justice. We are living on one delicate planet.

We all are precious regardless of our skin color, social status, or sexual orientation.

Life on this planet survives through respect for one another and not by baseless domination and control of one another.

Rosellen Aleguire, Fair Play

Legislators and guns

Apparently, our wise legislators are considering making guns more available and less regulated in our state. It appears as if they are again, endangering citizens in order to please their donors.

If they were honest, they would not just make guns more available in public areas, but also where they work, the State House.

Clearly, they do not think that guns pose a danger, do they?

Frankly, if the legislature persists in making public areas, malls, restaurants, shops, bars, Main Street more dangerous, perhaps we need to protect ourselves and avoid those areas.

Warren Hix, Columbia