Editorials from around South Carolina: domestic violence, Confederate flag display, the wrong ED

The wrong ED

We agree, ED should be of paramount concern in South Carolina. Only we don’t agree the acronym state Rep. Mia McLeod, D-Richland, has in mind should be a top priority going into this year’s legislative session. McLeod is going after erectile dysfunction, not economic development, according to a story published by The State newspaper. …

McLeod’s legislation is no joke, she told The State. She’s using her pen to draft legislation that makes a fine point, in her estimation. So we will at least give her credit for creativity. The problem, however, is that once again and right out of the gate, lawmakers will be wrangling over legislation that doesn’t stand a chance while other issues will likely languish.

The state’s roads, highways and bridges are in dire need of repairs. Fixing them is directly tied to the other ED — economic development. Our fear is that there will be far too much banter over governing doctors’ prescribing little blue pills that keep men from falling down on the job as bridges continue to fall and highways continue to fall apart.

Confederate flag

The resolution that produced the (Confederate) flag’s removal from the Statehouse calls for more than just display. It mandates that the Confederate Relic Room “establish and maintain an appropriate, permanent, and public display honoring South Carolina soldiers killed during the Civil War to include (the flag removed from Statehouse grounds). This flag must be displayed alongside other distinguished military exhibits covering the Civil War.” …

Confederate Relic Room Director Allen Robertson, also as reported by The State, elaborated by saying that without an expansion, a display meeting the resolution’s criteria would take up the relic room’s only programming space. That would threaten the income and accreditation of the relic room, which has an annual budget of $860,000 and a staff of four full-time employees, Robertson said.

So the plan is to use a vacant 4,600-squre-foot second-story room, an expansion that would increase the size of the Confederate Relic Room by a third.

So the question becomes just what is a reasonable amount to spend on “an adequate and appropriate display” for the flag?

That will be up to lawmakers as they would have to appropriate the money being requested by the commission.

In making the decision, they should weigh the present plan and its projected cost against potential alternatives, realizing that if a truly unique and permanent display for the flag which tells its story and memorializes its place in the state’s political history is the mandate, there is going to a cost.

Domestic violence

It’s going to take more than hand-wringing if South Carolina is going to tackle the scourge of domestic violence. Abusers need to be identified, arrested and convicted.

Gov. Nikki Haley, on Thursday, put the weight of her office behind making that happen. She is calling for the state to spend $19 million to pay for 144 additional prosecutors, three Circuit Court judges and staff members and 88 public defenders. Doing so would relieve police officers of the need to prosecute domestic abuse cases. …

Those police need to be doing what they are trained to do: enforce the law and make arrests where appropriate. They do not have the training or the time to be going up against trained defense lawyers in court.

The roles of both police and prosecutors require special knowledge and skills in dealing with criminal domestic violence. The governor’s plan should allow for them to do what they’re trained to do.

This story was originally published January 11, 2016 at 2:09 PM.