Columns

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama gave Vladimir Putin a “reset button.” That did a lot of good.
Putin invaded Crimea, a Ukrainian territory, and then annexed it. Putin sent military help to Syria to squash an uprising against a dictator – President Bashar al-Assad. Then Russia helped Assad kill thousands of Syrians, some with chemical weapons.
What was President Obama’s response? He drew a red line. He also was caught on an open mic telling the Russians he’d be more flexible with them after the 2012 election.

It’s a given that South Carolina’s State House politics is dysfunctional on a good day and thoroughly corrupt on most days.
There is a big reform idea that has surfaced that may be the single biggest thing we could do to reform this broken system – and it’s getting some traction.
The big reform idea is an independent reapportionment commission that would draw the lines for legislative districts.
OK, I can hear the yawns and the mumbles. “What kind of arcane policy wonk stuff is he talking about now?”

Tuesday night, America saw President Trump give what 76 percent of viewers thought was a great speech to Congress. But the Democrats saw it as only another chance to express their disbelief and demagoguery, which seems to be their only strategy.
Trump’s speech drew much praise for its positive dream of national unity. It offered real hope and promised true change, but if you were watching the Democratic side of the aisle, it looked like a funeral service, with an occasional exception for scattered applause.

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.”