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Columns

  • Column: Will S.C. force doctors to join advocacy group?

    Manufacturers such as Boeing are said to be drawn to South Carolina because it’s a right-to-work state, something state political leaders tout.
    It’s spelled out in state law: “The right of persons to work must not be denied or abridged because of membership or non-membership in a labor union or labor organization.”

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  • Column: Innovation essential to our future

    If we as a state make innovation a hallmark of who we are and what we do, we will grow and prosper. If we don’t, we will stagnate and die.
    The choice is that clear and that stark. Am I being overly dramatic? I don’t think so.
    ◆ “Innovate or die.” Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft.
    ◆ “The only way to thrive is to innovate. It’s that simple.” Alex Tabarrok, Canadian economist.
    ◆ “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” Steve Jobs, founder of Apple.

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  • Column: Come join ‘mission trip without a plane ticket’

    Editor’s note: This message is from the chairs of the Lancaster Promise Neighborhood Advisory Team – Bruce Brumfield, chief executive of Founders Federal Credit Union, Lancaster County Council member Charlene McGriff, and Dr. Paul McKenzie, research director for the Lancaster County School District.

    Every day the news carries another story of community strife, violence or discordant protest.  Likewise, we turn on the television and hold our collective breaths, waiting for another turn of bad events. 

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  • Column: Encouraging investments in poorest communities

    Restoring hope and opportunity is critical to lifting up our communities who feel like they have been left behind.
    We have people all across the country living paycheck to paycheck who are forced to make choices no family should, like whether they should pay for heat in the winter or purchase necessary medications. Our country has witnessed under-employment rates soar, high school graduation rates drop, and poverty numbers remain stagnant.

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  • Column: Tommy Pope cares about people, gets my vote for 5th District seat

    Billy Dale McCants, my son, was in a car wreck Nov. 12, 1988. I met the then-16th Circuit Solicitor Tommy Pope in 1995 for the trial of the two men that murdered my other son, Deputy James Brent McCants, killed in the line of duty Sept. 25, 1992.
    Tommy and his wife, Kim, are the best people I know. They really care for people. You become their friends, and they are yours.
    Tommy became speaker pro tem of the S.C. House in 2014. Now he is running for the 5th District congressional seat.

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  • Column: House members: Read resolutions before you vote

    Last week the S.C. House of Representatives adopted, with no objections, a resolution congratulating Gov. Henry McMaster on his ascension to the office – and encouraging him to expand Medicaid in South Carolina. This was unexpected, because the House, at least on paper, has been against expanding Medicaid.
    Clearly, no one other than the House member who introduced it and perhaps a few of the cosponsors had even glanced at the resolution.

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  • Column: Meet GOP candidates at county party meeting

    While Election Day is behind us, there is still a lot going on in local and state politics.
    The upcoming meeting of the Lancaster County Republican Party puts you in the middle of it, giving you a chance to meet the candidates, live and in person. The February meeting will be Thursday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m. at Mike Williams Builders, located at 1351 Charlotte Highway, Lancaster. Here are some great reasons to attend our upcoming meeting.

    District 5 congressional candidates

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  • Column: Honoring Rep. Neal for a life of service

    We were saddened to hear about the passing of state Rep. Joe Neal of Hopkins.
    First elected to the S.C. House in 1992, Rep. Neal represented District 70 in Richland and Sumter counties. He also served as pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Chester.

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  • Column: County tax deadline is almost here

    An important deadline is approaching for Lancaster County taxpayers – the closing of the county’s 2016 tax books, which takes place on March 16.
    This is a key step in the annual budgeting process for our county government, as it allows those who serve on county council, the school board and the town and city councils to determine how much tax revenue they will have to work with as they finish their 2017-18 budgets.

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  • Column: 3 things to fix in S.C. education

    Today I bring you some thoughts from Jon Butzon, who has spent years working to improve and reform education in South Carolina. He believes that not only should we have great schools but we can have great schools for every child in South Carolina. Here is what he thinks we should do.
    There is no waltzing around it. K-12 public education in South Carolina is not working.

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