Category Archives: Community

Ring the Salvation Army bell…

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I just figured out why I’ve had one line from an old Simon and Garfunkel song running through my head all day:

Hear the Sal-va-tion Ar-my band…

It’s because, in a few minutes, I have to go

Ring the Sal-va-tion Ar-my bell…

This is a major service project of the Columbia Rotary Club. Fellow Rotarian Boyd Summers and I have signed up for the noon-2 p.m. slot today in front of Green’s liquor store over on Assembly. Come on by and see us on your way in to obtain your favorite adult beverages. Or on the way out. Either way, leave money in the bucket.

And while you think about whether you want to do that, listen to The Bangles’ relatively decent cover of the song in question, so that you can have the frightening experience of having your mind on the same wavelength as mine. Or listen to the original. I actually prefer the original, but since it’s a video, I figured The Bangles were easier to look at.

Ironic lyrics to hear on a day like today. But you can pretend there’s a hazy shade of winter out there, to get yourself in the mood for the holidays. Yeah, I know it’s not easy when you’re sweating…

So you don’t have to feel quite SO bad for ordering presents on the Web this year…

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I neglected to take note of this a couple of days back:

Amazon opens Cayce distribution center

Staff Report
Published Nov. 18, 2011

Amazon.com’s new 1-million-square-foot distribution center near Cayce has opened in time for the holiday shopping season.

“There will be products going out of there in time for the holiday,” a company spokesman said today.

Called a fulfillment center, the facility at the Saxe Gothe Industrial Park near the interchange of interstates 26 and 77, has about 1,000 employees. Some work began as early as mid-October, the spokesman said.

Products will be flowing in and out of the center by rail, truck and air, he added.

The low-key opening is a stark contrast to the political battle that erupted shortly after Gov. Nikki Haley took office in January….

A thousand employees, already? Do any of y’all work there, or know someone who does? I had no idea.

I’m still a big believer in supporting local merchants, which provide local jobs, pay local taxes, etc.

But now, in time for Christmas, Amazon sort of is a local merchant.

So it’s now kind of a gray area. Make what you will of this moral ambiguity.

I ripped off the Red Cross, but it was worth it

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I was pleased to see this release this morning:

University of South Carolina Victorious in 27th Annual Blood Drive

Columbia, S.C. — Carolina and Clemson wrapped up their 27th annual blood drive Friday, Nov. 18, resulting in a four-year consecutive win for the University of South Carolina over Clemson University. The 2011 Carolina-Clemson Blood Drive took place on both campuses Nov. 14-18 with students and fans casting votes for their favorite team by donating blood.

This year’s event resulted in 7,120 donors presenting to give blood, with Carolina donors totaling 4,079 and Clemson donors totaling 3,041. The University of South Carolina will be awarded the coveted blood drive trophy at the Carolina-Clemson football game Nov. 26 at Williams-Brice Stadium.

The Carolina-Clemson Blood Drive is held annually the week before the Carolina-Clemson football game. The drive comes at the start of the holiday season when the blood supply typically weakens. Over the past 26 years of competition, the universities have collected more than 90,000 units of blood, potentially saving more than 270,000 lives.

Eligible donors can still show their Gamecock or Tiger spirit and receive a commemorative Carolina-Clemson Blood Drive T-shirt by giving blood now through Nov. 27 at the following blood drives and at the American Red Cross Donation Center, 2751 Bull St., Columbia.

11/23 S.C. Dept. of Vocational Rehabilitation 1410 Boston Ave. 9:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. West Columbia
11/23 Lowman Home 2101 Dutch Fork Road 11:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. White Rock
11/23 Aiken Mall 2441 Whiskey Road South 2:00 PM 7:00 PM Aiken
11/25 Aiken Mall 2441 Whiskey Road South 11:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. Aiken
11/25 Dutch Square Center 421 Bush River Road 1:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. Columbia
11/23 Sumter Masonic Lodge 215 Alice Drive 1:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. Sumter
11/26 Sumter Mall 1057 Broad Street 12:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. Sumter
11/27 Corpus Christi Catholic Church 2350 Augusta Hwy. 9:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m. Lexington

Blood can be safely donated every 56 days. Most healthy people age 17 and older, or 16 with parental consent, who weigh at least 110 pounds, are eligible to donate blood. Donors who are 18 and younger must also meet height and weight requirements. Call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org for more information.

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I was glad to see it because it made me feel a little better about what I did a couple of days ago…

A couple of weeks back, Mason Hardy — who was running the Columbia Rotary Club’s blood drive — gave me a long-sleeved T-shirt in anticipation of my giving blood later. I wasn’t going to be available the day of the actual drive (Nov. 1, the day I was busy with E.J. Dionne being in town), but I promised to do it later and let it count toward Rotary’s total. Mason gave me the shirt because he was worried he’d run out later.

It was a nice shirt — it’s the white one in the picture.

Of course, I promptly forgot to make an appointment to give. This happens, even to bloody Iron Men like me. But they hunted me down and called me to remind me, so I set the appointment, and showed up at 10 a.m. this past Thursday.

As I was signing in, the lady asked, “What size shirt?” I opened my mouth to say no, I already had mine, but then I saw how much nicer these shirts were. They were gray. I can’t explain it, but I have a weakness for gray T-shirts. And this one looked very tasteful.

“Large,” I said.

I clutched the acquisition guiltily to me as I went over to pretend to read that booklet of information I’ve read so many times before. I mean, I sort of read it. I looked to see that none of the headings had changed. I mean, I don’t care that my blood will be used in research. And I still have not spent more than three months in England or the Channel Islands between 1980 and 1996.

And I thought about all the reasons why it would be OK for me to keep this shirt. (It was too late to give the first one back, because I had warned it and washed it, so it was officially mine.) Such as:

I was giving double red cells, so that should be worth two shirts.

I had given many times without getting any kind of shirt.

OK, well, those are the only excuses I could think of.

The next day at lunch, I confessed to Lanier, Brian and Lora what I had done, and they told me it was OK; that I had done nothing wrong. Lanier even thought of another excuse: Every time I give, I write about it, and give the Red Cross all that publicity. So I had earned it.

True. But I couldn’t help thinking that when some addled drug addict commits a crime, his friends probably console him, saying things like, “You were doin’ that ol’ lady a favor, taking that heavy ol’ purse off her shoulder,” and “That liquor store was beggin’ to be robbed!”

I’m Catholic, you see, so you can’t say anything to make me feel totally OK about this. But still — I’m keeping the shirts. After all, a lot of Mafiosos are Catholic, too.

It’s that time again: Gimme some topical jokes

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Folks, I have to do Health and Happiness again at Rotary on Monday. And of course, I have again left it until the last minute to think about what I am going to say.

So give me some good, clean, tasteful, topical jokes to use.

And this time, I promise to put them in a good place, and remember where that good place is — something I have failed to do. I know I’ve saved some good ones y’all gave me in the past, but I can’t find them.

Oh, wait — I have this one from Doug:

In what Nikki Haley is calling the hallmark achievement of her administration so far, she announced that SLED had successfully deported Pedro from South of The Border yesterday. In accordance with her new “friendlier government” initiative, Haley instructed SLED agents to bid Pedro a fond “Vaya con Dios, amigo!”

I plan to change the ending to say, “Es una dia magnifica en Carolina del Sur!”

But that’s as far as I’ve gotten.

Help!

Coble Trek, The Next Generation

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Daniel Coble, son of Bob, has thrown his hat into the ring for the Shandon/5 Points seat that Belinda Gergel plans to vacate after one term:

Dear Friends and Neighbors,
As many of you know, I have been considering running for City Council, District III, and after a lot of thought and conversations I have to decided that I am going to run for City Council, District III.  Bud Ferillo has agreed to be my senior campaign adviser.
I look forward to a positive and issue oriented campaign.  My number one priority is Public Safety and ensuring that we reduce crime throughout our neighborhoods. I also strongly believe that we must protect our environment to ensure the integrity of our neighborhoods.  This means working towards  a long and short term goal of fixing the flooding seen throughout our District, and also in protecting our trees that give our communities such great character.
Please feel free to call or email anytime.  I hope I can count on your support throughout this campaign and look forward to speaking with you all!
Sincerely,

Daniel Coble

I had to hear that from Kathryn Fenner. Daniel, why didn’tcha tell me? I mean, I sort of knew you were running, but anyway… We should get together, talk about this…

Apparently, he’s decided to run now because there will no longer be anyone else on Council named either “Daniel” nor “Coble,” thereby minimizing confusion.

Who’s out there polling about metro issues?

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A friend sent me  this last night:

Interesting note: I just got polled about the following issues: view of city-county council, opinions of USC economic development, Harris Pastides, Innovista and funding the bus system.
Also asked about funding a new baseball stadium, riverfront and Zoo improvements.
Even (da-dum) strong mayor!
You might throw that out there (without my name, please) and see who might be paying for such a poll.

So… any of y’all know who’s doing that polling? I mean, I could call around to the usual suspects, but it’s easier to see if y’all know anything first…

USC connection brings 707 jobs to Midlands

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First, for the overview, I’ll give you the press release from today’s event (provided by the SC Commerce Department):

Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation Announces New Operations in Lexington County

$313 million investment expected to create 707 new jobs

COLUMBIA, S.C. – October 28, 2011 – Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation today announced that the company will locate its new operations in Lexington County. The $313 million investment is expected to generate 707 new jobs.

“We are excited to expand our company by locating our new manufacturing facility in Lexington County. This is a big step for our firm and will help us meet increased demand, expand our market share and develop our pipeline of products. South Carolina has an excellent business environment and we look forward to our expansion into the Palmetto State,” said Lou Kennedy, CEO of Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation.

Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation will establish a new pharmaceutical manufacturing campus and offices in Lexington County. The company is based in Orlando where it currently operates 250,000 square feet of manufacturing, distribution and packaging facilities. Additionally, the company has distribution centers in Kentucky and Arizona.

“It’s another great day in South Carolina with today’s announcement. We celebrate Nephron Pharmaceuticals’ decision to locate its new manufacturing facility in the Midlands and create hundreds of well-paying new jobs. This is a big win for our state,” said Gov. Nikki Haley.

In June, William and Lou Kennedy were awarded the Order of the Palmetto for their philanthropy in founding the Kennedy School of Pharmacy at the University of South Carolina. Both are South Carolinians and alumni of the University of South Carolina. Discussions between the Governor and the Kennedys during the Order of the Palmetto visit led the company to consider South Carolina for the new facility.

“I am gratified that Lou and Bill Kennedy, who have already established the Kennedy Pharmacy Innovation Center at Innovista, see the University of South Carolina and our state as locations to further their commitment to pharmaceutical manufacturing with world class quality and efficiency. Their vision and keen business acumen have led to an important second step in increasing innovation and the knowledge economy in South Carolina,” said Dr. Harris Pastides, USC president.

“Nephron Pharmaceuticals’ investment and new jobs will have a huge positive impact on our state. This new facility will be a major boost for our pharmaceutical manufacturing sector. Today’s announcement is the largest one in the state’s life sciences industry this year,” said Bobby Hitt, Secretary of Commerce.

The new facility will be located on a 60-acre parcel of land near the Amazon facility in Lexington. It is expected to be up and running in the next couple of years.

“I would like to take this opportunity to publically recognize and celebrate the remarkable achievements of Nephron Pharmaceuticals and to hail their decision to expand their operations into their ‘home’ state. This expansion will bring over $313 million dollars into our local economy and will generate more than 700 jobs for the citizens of Lexington County, the Midlands and South Carolina. Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation is a

renowned leader in its field, and through the years has grown to manufacture over one billion units of medication. What an accomplishment,” said Lexington County Council Chairman Jim Kinard.

Central SC Alliance Chairman Jim Apple said, “Today’s significant capital investment and high-wage job creation announcement by Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation is a game changer in our quest to recruit international life science/biotechnology industries to the Central South Carolina region. This company is a market leader that produces millions of units of life-saving medications every year right here in the United States and shortly, product will be coming out of Lexington County. We want to recognize and thank the Kennedys for coming back home to South Carolina in making this announcement. The Central SC Alliance is proud to represent a dynamic nine-county region and we value the outstanding working relationship with the University of South Carolina and the S.C. Department of Commerce as we collectively grow our region.”

The S.C. Department of Commerce has committed a set aside grant of $4.5 million for site preparation and infrastructure. The company was also approved for job development credits, which will be available when hiring targets are met. The company will receive training support from the state’s ReadySCprogram.

Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation is a global leader in manufacturing generic respiratory medications. The company’s products are available to retail pharmacies, hospitals, home care companies, long term care facilities, mail order pharmacies, and various other customers. For more information about Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation, please visit www.nephronpharm.com.

About S.C. Department of Commerce

As South Carolina’s leading economic development agency, the Department of Commerce works to recruit new businesses and help existing businesses grow. This year, Commerce won the Gold Shovel Award and the Deal of Year Award from Area Development magazine. Commerce has been part of recruiting world-class companies to South Carolina such as Boeing, Bridgestone, Continental, Monster.com, Heinz, ZF Group, BMW and Google Inc. Commerce also supports small and existing business, rural development initiatives and offers grants for community development. For more information, visit www.SCcommerce.com.

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This was a big day for all concerned, as you can tell from the basic facts, but the pics below will help confirm. Everybody wanted to get in on the act — the governor, Harris Pastides and a large array of USC honchos, Lexington County Council, the Lexington legislative delegation, Steve Benjamin and his folks, and of course the whole economic development community, from Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt (who was sort of the master of ceremonies) through all the local and regional recruiters. Walid Hakim and others from Occupy Columbia were there, which really confirmed what a big deal it was.

There was enough glory to go around for all, especially for USC. Hence the Horseshoe venue. Lou and Bill Kennedy got their start at USC, and they have a child who is a freshman at the university. More to the point, they had already set up the Kennedy Pharmacy Innovation Center as part of Innovista. This is what Innovista is to look like, folks. Not White Elephant parking garages, but industries getting a foothold here through a research relationship with the university, then expanding into good jobs for South Carolinians.

After the formal ceremony, Lou Kennedy said the jobs they’ve produced in Orlando pay an average of about $70,000. And at this point, they don’t plan on bringing any of their Orlando personnel here.

So, very good news. And very little controversy — so far. House Majority Leader Kenny Bingham was given a chance to compare this to the fight Lexington County lawmakers had with the governor over Amazon (which will be this plant’s neighbor), and he declined. This one was nothing but cooperation.

Part of that may be that the industry itself wanted to come here, rather than having to be enticed. (There apparently were incentives, but no one — aside from those involved in the deal — knows what they were yet. I ran into my friend Kevin Dietrich of The Nerve, the scourge of incentives, there, and he didn’t seem on the scent of any yet.) But whatever the reason they’re here. And I don’t feel like I’m going out on a limb when I say that’s a very good thing. Congratulations to all involved, from the governor on down.

Let’s talk downtown Walmart

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Meant to blog about this yesterday. Let’s do it now instead.

I don’t want all our fine downtown merchants to think less of me, or think that I think less of them, but my first thought when I heard we might have a Walmart (although a little one) on Assembly Street was to be very pleased.

Actually, it was my second thought. My first was to lament the loss of the ballpark, and to once again feel great regret that when USC was building its superlative venue down by the river, then didn’t do a deal to share it with the AAA team out of Jackson, TN, that really wanted to come here. And then to rend my garments at the thought that there will be NO professional or semipro ball in our capital city for the foreseeable future.

But my second thought was that it would be awesome to be able to get the items that I always save up to buy at Walmart during the working day when I need them. I’m talking little things, like if my allergies act up, I can get some of those little, generic antihistamine/decongestant pills that are so much cheaper there. Now, I have to plan trips to Walmart for weekends or at the end of a long, hard day, on my way home. I therefore loved the idea of the convenience.

But now downtown merchants are up in arms:

Neighbors, environmentalists and owners of small businesses aired their worries Tuesday about the possibility that Capital City Stadium could be converted into downtown Columbia’s first Wal-Mart.

A cadre of detractors complained to a City Council committee Tuesday that allowing the international retail giant into the city would destroy mom-and-pop shops, threaten to increase water pollution in tributaries that feed the already polluted Congaree River and that the project was done in a hush-hush manner by City Council.

“Small business owners are in a panic,” said Leslie Minerd, owner of Five Points retail shop Hip Wa Zee. “A big-box store will help destroy the diversity we have in Columbia. And we don’t have a lot of diversity.”…

And that gets me thinking about the cost of my convenience to friends and neighbors. I haven’t reached any conclusions.

What are y’all’s thoughts?

SC Atty. Gen. Alan Wilson at Rotary today…

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“Ironically, I tend to look left,” said SC Atty. Gen. Alan Wilson at the Columbia Rotary Club today. “That’s a joke.”

He said that because he had already gotten a big laugh, unintentionally. Worried about his time, he had turned to tell our president that he was just going to speak a minute-and-a-half about Yucca Mountain before going to questions. Except that our president, Rodger Stroup, was on his right, and he turned the other way and said it to David Kunz, who was seated up there to do Health and Happiness. The laugh came when David said, very enthusiastically, “All right by me!”

But the rest of his speech went pretty well. Crawford Clarkson turned to me afterward to say it was one of the best speakers he’d heard at Rotary. And Crawford’s been in Rotary approximately forever. I said I didn’t know about that, but I thought he did well.

He did well because he spoke as something other than what detractors of his Dad might expect. Sure, he started out sounding a lot like Joe, looking around the room and recognizing his many friends. But that was cool. I’ve always liked that about Joe. He’s very sincere about it, and so was Alan. Alan was a bit cooler about it, in fact. Joe tends to be rather manic in his extreme excitement to be there as a congressman.

Anyway, as I said, some would like to think that Alan is another Charlie Condon. (Charlie, who is a perfectly reasonable human being in person out of the limelight, turned into a sort of pandering monster as A.G., pursuing one issue after another that seemed fabricated to further his political career.) But I haven’t seen that yet, and there was none of that in the presentation we got today. Charlie would have worked in the “electric couch” somewhere, but not Alan.

Wilson spent a large portion of his time simply talking about the routine work that the A.G.’s office does in the course of meeting its statutory and constitutional obligations — handling civil litigation, criminal prosecution, post-conviction relief, criminal domestic violence, etc. That he chose to do so, to explain his office in such professional terms rather than political ones, is to me worthy of praise. Perhaps because I’m always on the lookout for another Charlie. (Fellow Rotarian Henry McMaster was a welcome change from Charlie — and it should be pointed out, Henry was largely responsible for the emphasis on CDV. I’m glad to see Wilson is continuing to be interested in that.)

Then he got onto the controversial issues — the NLRB/Boeing thing (although in SC, that’s hardly controversial), the health care mandate, Yucca Mountain — and he fought his corner well on these. His point on each was that he approached them according to the law as he read it. Of course, I’m less likely to disbelieve him than some, since I see the first and third ones the way he does. I disagree strongly with him on the middle one (and the idea that he could be successful in pursuing severability appalls me), although I fear he may be right that in the end it will be settled by a 5-4 SCOTUS decision, one way or the other.

In supporting his assertion that for him it’s about the law and not political advantage, he cited the Cornell Arms case, in which a security guard shot and killed an unarmed man who he said he thought was threatening him. Wilson said some told him that “You’ll take heat” from 2nd Amendment advocates for supporting the government’s prosecution of the guard. But in his account, he said, “That’s irrelevant.” The man had served five years, and would have been released by the state Supreme Court had Wilson not filed for a rehearing. As John Monk (happy birthday, John!) reported after the meeting:

“This has nothing to do with the right to carry (guns), nothing to do with the gun issue,” Wilson said. “The defense has the right to appeal at each level of litigation, and the state has a right to ask the court to reconsider their decision.”

A  good example for the point the A.G. was making. But whether you agree that he’s always representing the law rather than serving politics, I was impressed that he took no opportunity to posture before Rotary. There was no ideological cant about “big government” or, to cite something his predecessor sank to in trying to run for governor, about promising to protect us from Obama and his Washington “vultures.” He opposes the mandate and sees it as constitutionally unsound. Fine. I just disagree. At least he expresses himself like someone who respects the law, rather than an ideological ranter.

And that counts for a lot. Now, to be perfectly frank, his website seems a tad more self-promotional than his speech today (I went there to get y’all a link to look up more about these issues and his involvement with them). But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good speech. That it was, and well received.

Caroline Whitson to retire from Columbia College

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Here’s something for the “this just in” department:

WHITSON TO RETIRE AS PRESIDENT OF COLUMBIA COLLEGE IN 2012

October 11, 2011

Dr. Caroline Whitson, the 17th president of Columbia College, will retire at the end of this academic year – June 30, 2012.

Since coming to the college in 2001, Dr. Whitson has been an energetic advocate for women’s education and forimproving the status of women in South Carolina.

In announcing her retirement on behalf of the Board of Trustees, Chairman Lex Knox said, “Columbia College has been very fortunate and blessed to have someone of Dr. Whitson’s character and talent to lead us for the past decade. She has been an outstanding leader through challenging times, and has steered the college through needed changes. While disappointed at the news, we respect her decision and certainly wish her well.”

Dr. Whitson said, “I am well aware that the successes the college has enjoyed during my time here are a direct result of the work of a talented, committed faculty and staff and the support of an engaged Board of Trustees. I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to work with and learn from them.”

As president, Dr. Whitson championed the establishment of the college’s 4Cs. The unique leadership model combines academic and co-curricular programming to support students in the development of the Courage, Commitment, Confidence, and Competence to lead for change. She guided the expansion of the college’s Leadership Institute, which serves both girls and professional women. Dr. Whitson founded the Alliance for Women, a partnership between Columbia College and the Governor’s Commission on Women, when the commission was targeted for closure in 2004. The Alliance has supported entrepreneurship for women, including bringing both the Women President’s Organization and Make Mine a Million to South Carolina.

During Dr. Whitson’s tenure at the college, annual fund-raising has more than doubled. The college’s endowment has increased by 40%, including the establishment of both the McNair Scholars program and the Reeves Endowed Chair in Leadership Studies.

Facility expansion at the college of 1,269 students includes the addition of a new student union, residential cottages and an athletic complex, as well as renovation of the freshman center, the Goodall Art Gallery, Edens Library and the Cottingham Theatre. The installation of solar panels and a campuswide revision of energy systems have significantly reduced the college’s carbon footprint. A campus beautification program led to implementation of an extensive landscape design.

Recently Dr. Whitson signed agreements for research and for faculty and student exchanges with both the State University of Mongolia and the Hiroshima Jogakuin Women’s University.

Since 2001, Columbia College has received national recognition for teaching and scholarly excellence from the Theodore Hesburgh Foundation, the Carnegie Foundation, the National Collegiate Honors Council, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, the Foundations of Excellence for the First College Year, the NAIA Champions of Character, the National Communication Association, and the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

During her tenure at the college, Dr. Whitson has been a leader in civic affairs. She chaired the Richland County Transportation Commission, the South Carolina ETV Endowment board and the Presidents’ Council of the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities. She has served on many boards, including those of the United Way of the Midlands, New Carolina, and the Midlands Business Leaders Group. Nationally, she has served on the University Senate of the United Methodist Church, as a member of the President’s Circle in the National Council for Research on Women, and on the board of PLEN (Public Leadership Education Network).

Dr. Whitson has been honored with a “Woman of Distinction” award from the Girl Scouts of the Congaree Area, as the “Outstanding Advocate for Women in Business” from the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce, and with the Martha Kime Piper award from the South Carolina Women in Higher Education.

Chairman Knox said Vice Chair of the Board Becky Laffitte will head the search committee to find a new president for Columbia College, with the rest of the committee being named within the next two weeks. The committee will include some board members as well as representatives from the rest of the college community.

Caroline has been a great person to work with in the community. I served with her on a local advisory council for the Knight Foundation years ago, and dealt with her during the effort to pass the sales tax referendum for transportation last year — which, as you’ll recall, I interviewed her about on “The Brad Show.” She had helped lead community conversations about transportation for several years leading up to that.

I understand that she plans to stay in the community. That’s good news.

Bobby Hitt on media, unions and other stuff

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SC Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt speaking to the Columbia Rotary Club on Monday.

Here’s a post I’ve been meaning to get to all week…

Fellow Rotarian Jimmy Covington asked my long-ago managing editor, Bobby Hitt, what he thought of the news media today. Bobby, who is now SC Commerce secretary, said:

I think that it’s as good as it can be.

That was followed by a long pause, with Bobby regarding the crowd with one of those patented Hitt wiseguy grins as they laughed with appreciation, before he added:

… but not as good as it was.

That said more succinctly what I say so often in answer to the same question. My more wordy answer goes something like, “You have to understand that my friends who still have jobs in the MSM are working heroically in the face of a really horrific lack of resources, yadda yadda….” Bobby put it more cleverly.

Here are some other things he said to the Columbia Rotary Club Monday…

  • Between the newspaper and Commerce, Bobby spent 18 years at BMW. So it was with some authority that he said that whatever you may think about the government providing economic incentives to attract jobs — however much you may want markets to take care of everything — the truth is that “BMW has never built an Interstate highway, and has no plans to do so in the future.” But without them, no BMWs would get delivered, and there would be no BMW plant in Greer.
  • A core strength of South Carolina in economic development is that “We’re good at making stuff.” When’s the last time, he asked, that a manufacturing company located here and then left? That’s why, aside from the new Bridgestone plant, Michelin has just expanded. Those are jobs that are here to stay, he said: Our grandchildren will be working at those plants. “The world gets us, maybe better sometimes than we get ourselves.”
  • Tensions between one part of the state and another are “foolish.” A great advantage we have is that we are a small state, and it’s possible for us to work together statewide. “I look at South Carolina as one big county” in promoting economic development.
  • “I would like to see a time when South Carolinians are not just on the plant floor; they’re in the front office.”
  • Staying a right-to-work state is key to economic development, and in any event it’s not up to him. He just doesn’t see any political chance of it changing. He said he doesn’t see South Carolinians as interested in third-party representation: “Most people in South Carolina don’t want to be told what to do by anyone other than the one that pays them.”

Scenes from the Walk for Life

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First, my apologies — I didn’t organize a blog team to walk this year, and I’m sorry about that. It got away from me. No excuses.

But I registered at the last minute myself, and walked with my wife (the 10-year breast cancer survivor), the elder of my two sons, and two granddaughters. One thing about having a big family, you can put together a pickup team pretty quickly.

There were about 7,100 others walking with us (it seemed like more). The weather was beautiful — a bit chilly at first, but not once you got started — and the event raised half a million for the Palmetto Health Breast Center, according to The State.

Below are some views of the Walk.

Welcome new advertiser Palmetto Citizens FCU!

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When I first went to work at The State in 1987, I immediately opened an account with the newspaper’s credit union. In our old building there in the shadow of Williams-Brice Stadium (it now houses part of S.C. ETV) it was located in what I remember as practically a closet in the Human Resources department — a cubby behind a sliding glass door and curtain.

Perhaps my memory exaggerates. In any case, it was small. But it wasn’t there for long. The company credit union soon merged with Columbia Teachers Federal Credit Union — which had been formed in 1936 when 10 individuals all chipped in $5 apiece. Columbia Teachers opened a branch just down the street from us near the intersection of Shop and George Rogers (or is it Assembly there? hard to tell), and put an ATM in the basement of our building.

By this time, the credit union had expanded well beyond just Columbia teachers, and in 2001 changed its name to Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union.

They’ve still got my money — what there is of it — including the account where I put revenues from the blog. Which will, for the next year, include payments from the credit union itself, for the ad you see at right. Which has a neat sort of circularity to it…

In any case, I’m pleased and proud to welcome a very fine community organization, Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union, to bradwarthen.com.

Joel Lourie: What we need in SC is jobs

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In a more serious vein, I thought I’d share with you more of what Joel Lourie had to say at Rotary today.

I realize when you read that headline, you’ll think, “So? Everybody knows that, and all politicians say it.”

But Joel said it better than most.

One thing he did was share the numbers above — which I scanned directly from the sheet he shared with me afterward. (To read it better, click on it.) The numbers provide statistical snapshots of South Carolina before and after the Great Recession hit.

What Joel had to say about that was not — as you’d expect in a lesser politician — to complain about those awful Republicans (which in a Democrat in SC these days shows remarkable restraint), and blame it on them. It was more to say look, here’s the situation we have, and this is what we must deal with.

And to him, the way out is not to pass this or that particular piece of legislation (although he did make an able case for comprehensive tax reform), or to embrace this political ideology or reject that one. Nor does he see our state’s salvation in anything that government might do, because government can only do so much. All government can do is pursue whatever policies it can that encourage our economy to come back.

As an example of how lawmakers should work together to allow jobs to emerge in our state, he told the story of how Democrats and Republicans worked together to make sure Amazon didn’t take its 2,000-plus jobs and leave this year, how they worked together to turn a 2-1 “no” vote into a 2-1 “yes” vote for the sake of the Midlands, and of South Carolina. In that ecumenical spirit, he particularly praised his old USC classmate, House Majority Leader Kenny Bingham.

I never was as wholeheartedly for the Amazon deal as Joel was, but I certainly appreciate his point, just as I appreciate the motivation that he and Kenny and so many others had to turn that around for the sake of their community.

For Joel, that sort of service to the whole community is what it’s about, just as it was for his father before him. And because he delivers that service so earnestly and ably, I’m proud to know him. I didn’t tell him that at Rotary today. You don’t want stuff like that to go to people’s heads, you know.

These SC Democrats are just out of control

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You saw my little expose about Vincent Sheheen. His blatant offense occurred just about an hour after I had banished “The definition of insanity is…” from the realm.

Today, Sen. Sheheen’s good friend and ally Sen. Joel Lourie spoke to the Columbia Rotary Club. He gave a fine speech; maybe I’ll tell you something serious about it later.

But at the very end, in answering the very last question, he not only uttered the forbidden aphorism, but attributed it. I didn’t have my recorder going, and I was too shocked to write it down word-for-word, but more or less, this is what he said:

I think it was Einstein who said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result.

Earlier today, I said things seem to be coming in twos these days. I’m worried that this phenomenon may go beyond that. I fear that next time I run into Rep. James Smith, the first words out of his mouth are going to be, “You know, it’s been said that the definition of insanity is…”

Does everything come in twos now?

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Above you see the rather startling double rainbow over Columbia last evening, shot through one of the front windows of Yesterday’s. Below you see the more earthbound view from several moments earlier.

The gray Jetta across the river — I mean, street — belongs to my daughter-in-law. I had invited her and my son and youngest granddaughter to Five Points for dinner last night. As we were eating, we were aware of how hard the rain was falling outside. Then, we noticed a crowd gathering to look out the the window. Was there a fire?

I went to check, and got the pictures. And yes, their car was flooded. Which makes me feel pretty bad, since if I hadn’t asked them out, their car would have been high and dry in their driveway.

We had to take them home — the parking lot was high enough to be out of the floodwaters, and that’s where my Buick was. Then we had to bring my son back for the bailing. The car started, but it’s saturated.

As you’ll recall, this is the second time in three days that a car belonging to a member of my family has been drenched by the chronic floods of Columbia. (My wife’s car started after the flood receded, but there’s still water squelching under the carpet, and it started to smell over the weekend. We kept trying to sop up the water and air it out, but it kept raining.)

My eldest daughter (unlike me, a Columbia resident) said last night, “I’m not someone who normally says this, but what am I paying taxes for?”

Indeed. I saw Cameron Runyan this morning and advised him, “Here’s a city issue for you.”

This is totally unacceptable. As we were leaving, we saw the business owners fighting the water in their shops. Shoes were floating around in a shoe store. Lights were on everywhere on this Sunday night.

Five Points is a gem for Columbia. But it’s kind of hard to keep a business going when there are whitecaps in the street.

It wasn’t just Five Points last night, of course. I saw someone else stalled in Shandon after the waters receded. And state GOP Executive Director Matt Moore Tweeted this, at about the time I Tweeted out the double rainbow:

Water 6 feet deep on Leesburg Rd, in@columbiasc #sctweetshttp://yfrog.com/h8ba7gcj

That’s no everyday occurrence — or rather, it shouldn’t be. That kind of flooding in Louisiana inspired Randy Newman to write this wonderful song 50 years later:

The river rose all day
The river rose all night
Some people got lost in the flood
Some people got away alright
The river have busted through clear down to Plaquemines
Six feet of water in the streets of Evangeline…

Let me leave you with a theological question: If one rainbow means it’s not going to flood any more, is a double rainbow a double guarantee? Or is it a toggle sort of thing: One the promise is on; two it’s off? Is it like adding positive three to negative three, so you end up at zero?

In Columbia, I fear that may be the case.

USC athletic director’s message to Rotary today

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USC Athletic Director Eric Hyman spoke to the Columbia Rotary Club today. Eric’s a smart guy with a big job, but since I’m not much of a sports fan a lot of what he said went right by me. But this jumped out, and I shared it on Twitter:

Eric Hyman, USC athletic director, tells Columbia Rotary, “We do not get any state money.” He adds, “We. Do. Not. Get. Any. State. Money.”

Yeah, you knew that. I knew it, too. But it’s worth repeating, because a lot of people don’t know it. I’ve already heard from one on Twitter. She was incredulous. (Did I already say “incredulous” once today? Seems like it. Good word; don’t want to overuse it.)

Knowing that is one reason why I don’t write all that much about the Gamecocks here. If I thought it was costing us money, I’d go ahead and fight the tide and say we have better things to spend the money on. But since that’s not the case, since this a case of misplaced public priorities, I have few opinions to express. And since I know Gamecock success actually does boost the local economy, I’ll say “Go Cocks!”

I don’t have to understand why so many people are so football-crazy. I just have to acknowledge the fact.

By the way, there were some other interesting facts that Mr. Hyman threw out: that football generates 70 percent of the athletic revenue, that basketball generates 18 percent, that baseball (while he is deeply, deeply appreciative of our back-to-back national champs) is actually “expensive.”

At least, I think he said those things. The only thing I wrote down (and I had to borrow a pen to do it, having left mine at the office) was the above quote.

Some liberated dogs in need of assistance

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This was sent to me three days ago, but I’m just seeing it, and I figure they could probably still use some help with some of these dogs. It’s from Pawmetto Lifeline (the pictures are sharper at the actual website):

A Midlands shelter has to hold 30 dogs from a dog fighting ring bust that took place last night. That means 30 dogs that are in one of our local shelters must be euthanized to hold the 30 dogs from the bust unless we help. Below are the photos of the dogs we want to pull.

Please consider sponsoring one of them. We have to raise at least $200 for each dog to ensure that we can cover the housing, medical and care cost.  Please, DONATE NOW!

These are the dogs that need YOU:

Don’t wait for the hurricane. Give blood now, and whenever you can, for that matter

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Actually, it’s always a good time to give blood, and one of our problems around here is that we don’t give enough in non-crisis times. But that doesn’t mean the red stuff isn’t urgently needed when things go off the rails.

While the hurricane prognosis for SC may be looking better, the Red Cross is about being prepared. (Or is that the Boy Scouts? In any case, it’s a good idea.) Here’s the latest appeal:

Red Cross Urges Blood Donations Prior to Hurricane’s Arrival

COLUMBIA, S.C.—As individuals in the Southeast begin to prepare for the possible impact of Hurricane Irene, the American Red Cross is urging immediate blood donations prior to the storm’s arrival.

“It’s the blood that is already on the shelves that helps save lives before, during and after a disaster,” stated Delisa English, chief executive officer for the South Carolina Blood Services Region. “We are still working to stabilize the blood supply after our summer shortages. If people will donate blood immediately, before the storm, then blood will be available in the aftermath should conditions prohibit people from traveling or coming to blood drives.”

Across the country, blood centers are struggling to keep pace with demand. Nationwide, around 39,000 blood donations are needed each and every day to meet the needs of accident victims, cancer patients, and children with blood disorders. These patients and others rely on blood products during their treatment.  When disaster strikes, this need does not diminish, even though blood donors may find it difficult or impossible to get to a convenient donation opportunity.  Also, if collections are negatively impacted by a disaster, the long-term care needs of these patients could be affected.

“Don’t wait until after the storm to donate,” urged English. “The time to help is now.”

Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental permission), meet weight and height requirements (110 pounds or more, depending on their height) and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood.

To schedule an appointment or locate a nearby blood drive, call 1-800-RED CROSS (733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org.

Donation centers and upcoming blood drives in your area:

Columbia Donation Center

2751 Bull St.

Columbia, S.C. 29201

Blood donation hours:
Monday: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Tuesday: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Wednesday: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Thursday: 7 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Friday: 7 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Saturday: 7 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Platelet donation hours:
Sunday: 6 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Monday: 6 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Tuesday: 6 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Wednesday: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Thursday: 6 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Friday: 6 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Saturday: 6 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Sumter Donation Center

1155 N Guignard Dr.

Sumter, S.C. 29150

Blood donation hours:

Monday: noon-6:30 p.m.
Tuesday: noon-6:30 p.m.
Wednesday: 10:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Thursday: noon-6:30 p.m.
Friday: 7 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

8/24 Aiken Mall 2441 Whiskey Road South Aiken 2:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m.
8/24 Mancor 397A Hwy. 601 South Lugoff 11:00 a.m. 4:30 p.m.
8/26 Swansea High School 500 E. First St. Swansea 8:30 a.m. 2:30 p.m.
8/27 Olive Gove Missionary Baptist Church 305 Old Elloree Road Orangeburg 9:00 a.m. 2:00 p.m.
8/27 Sumter Mall 1057 Broad St. Sumter 12:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m.
8/28 Our Lady Of The Hills Catholic Church 120 Marydale Lane Columbia 8:30 a.m. 1:30 p.m.

# # #

Have done so recently, I can’t give yet. But maybe you can.

“Let them sue.” Amen to that, Warren

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Meant to post this yesterday, before the city council’s action. But I’m going to post it anyway, because I agree so strongly with what Warren Bolton had to say in his column Tuesday morning:

Let them sue

By Warren Bolton – Associate Editor

WHILE SOME Columbia officials understandably are concerned about a possible legal challenge, that’s not reason enough for City Council to shun a permanent teen curfew in Five Points.

There’s too much at stake in terms of controlling violence and ensuring overall community safety, particularly the safety and welfare of our children. It would be disappointing for City Council to allow the temporary curfew that’s been in place for about two months to sunset as if all is well. It is not.

This community needs to make a clear, strong statement that it is not acceptable for youngsters to hang out late at night and into the wee hours in bar districts that cater to adults. Nothing good happens there — or anywhere else — for children out during those hours. Children out late at night are just as likely to be victims as perpetrators…

The NAACP and ACLU have threatened to sue if a curfew is enacted.

Let them sue.

… (A) lawsuit might be the best thing that could happen, because this community needs a curfew, and once and for all, we would get a definitive answer…

Amen to that, Warren. Yes, there are those who may sue. Let them bring it on.

If an elected official or administrator is to refrain from responsible action whenever the ACLU threatens to sue, then he or she should resign and let someone with some sand take over. That’s what the ACLU does (I’m not sure what the NAACP does these does other than pursue a boycott that seems designed to have the opposite of the stated effect). That’s what the ACLU will always do. You have to go ahead and govern responsibly anyway.

To extend this point a bit: I also get frustrated when legislative bodies shrink back from doing the right thing because someone may filibuster. Whenever that happens, I say, “Let them.” Allow the filibustering party to make a spectacle of itself. Allow the issues to be aired completely, openly. Let it become obvious who is obstructing effective action. And then, man up and invoke cloture (something senators tend to have a horror of). But if you can’t get the votes to do that, just let the spectacle continue, until either you eventually prevail or the opposing party has burned up every grain of public goodwill it may once have enjoyed. And then try again.

The obstructionists will always do what they do. When you’re trying to do the right and responsible thing, it is your job, your obligation, to overcome their opposition — not be intimidated by it.