The Opinion Blog

Let the Sunshine In

Friday’s editorial takes a look at proposals to allow third-party businesses to lease solar panels to S.C. consumers:

Solar power certainly isn’t perfect. Those pesky clouds, for instance, can be a major problem. But it is one more bullet in the renewable energy gun and one more way to take advantage of a constantly replenished source of energy that will move us closer to the goal of energy independence.

The problem in South Carolina? Solar power has largely remained the province of utilities, large businesses and a few wealthy homeowners. The biggest solar project in the state, at Boeing’s plant in North Charleston, for instance, makes up about 65 percent of the entire state’s solar capacity, which tops out around 4 megawatts. Santee Cooper’s largest solar project, located in Myrtle Beach just south of The Sun News, can generate about a third of a megawatt. Compare that to the 26,000 megawatts produced in the state from all energy sources and it becomes clear that the sun isn’t exactly a major part of South Carolina’s energy solution.

Take Food Limits Off the Table

 Friday’s editorial is on SNAP benefits and restricting unhealthy foods:

We’ve all watched belts loosen over recent decades as America struggles to keep its weight under control. The resulting health issues are quickly becoming a national crisis that threaten to exacerbate already rapidly growing health care costs. But becoming the government food police is not the answer.

Why the Minimum Wage Debate Matters to Myrtle Beach

Friday’s second editorial explains why local folks should be paying attention to the ongoing debate over raising the minimum wage:

When the president unveiled his plan to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 an hour during his State of the Union address earlier this month, we sat up and paid attention. After all, the Myrtle Beach metro area, with its emphasis on tourism and hospitality industries, consistently ranks right at the bottom of the nation when it comes to hourly and annual earnings for local workers.

No to the Georgetown Tax Increase

Tuesday’s second editorial:

It’s tempting to support the Georgetown County referendum to raise the county’s sales tax. The money would pay for long-needed and overdue dredging of the Georgetown port, a project we have long supported. And paving roads, building parks and expanding libraries are all attractive ideas.

But we can’t quite bring ourselves to get behind it. It’s not that we don’t like the projects. But we never managed to get quite comfortable with the reasoning for the tax, the list of projects or its length. And while we won’t think badly of Georgetown County voters if they do approve it – and we’ll enjoy its results as much as anyone else – we can’t bring ourselves to recommend a tax we don’t wholeheartedly support.

Food Pantries in Summer Need



Have some extra peanut butter or tuna around the house? Pantries are running low right now and would appreciate it, as Wednesday’s editorial explains:

If the neighborhood kids need something worthwhile to do while on vacation from attending school, help them organize a summer food drive of canned and boxed goods. Their efforts will be welcomed at any food pantry.

Area food pantries are scrambling for kids food – peanut butter is a prime example – as parents across the Grand Strand look for meals their children have at school during the school year.

Cheaper College? We Dare to Hope



If the price of Big Macs rose at the same rate as tuition at CCU over the past 25 years, you’d be paying about $15 for that sandwich these days. That’s not sustainable, as Sunday’s editorial discusses:

Twenty-six years ago, the median household income in our state was $21,968. Gas cost about 89 cents a gallon in the U.S. And attending Coastal Carolina University would set you back $1,000 a year, about 4.5 percent of that household income.

By 2010, the world was much different. The median household income in the state had nearly doubled, to $41,709. The price of gas, as we all know, shot up far past 89 cents. And tuition and fees at CCU cost students $9,390 a year, or about 22.5 percent of that household income.

Bills for the Scrap Heap



Friday’s editorial is the first of two editorials looking at the profusion of bills that are prefiled before the legislative session starts back up. Today, the bad ideas. Tomorrow, the better ones.

Sometimes, we’re simply baffled by the decision-making processes of our state’s leaders.

It’s not like there aren’t areas where our state could use some improvement. If state legislators need some help as work begins for the next year, there are plenty of issues we could suggest that need addressing.

Fighting Poverty with Asphalt



Friday’s editorial offers our support for the latest group to push for the construction of I-73:

The statistics are difficult to comprehend. Almost 1 in 5 Horry County residents is now living in poverty, according to new numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau. Among children, the percentage is even higher, with almost 1 in 3 in poverty in 2010. The magnitude of what that number represents simply baffles.

The Census Bureau’s definition of poverty changes depending on the size of a family and the age of its members, but rest assured that nobody would want to be in any of the categories. The income threshold for a single adult under age 65, for example, is $11,344 a year. That’s just over $200 a week. For a family of four, with two parents and two children, the threshold is $22,113. Raising a family on that sort of annual income would be inconceivable to many on the Grand Strand.

Help4Kids Expands to 20 Schools



Wednesday’s editorial encourages support for Backpack Buddies and Help4Kids as we enter winter and the holiday season:

A little boy politely informed his after-school caregiver recently that he could not put his backpack with those of the other children. Do you know, he told the caregiver, my breakfast and lunch for the next two days are in the backpack.

The boy’s weekend meals were among 2,159 nutritious, child-friendly, self-serve meals distributed to backpacks of children on Fridays in 20 Horry County schools. The backpacks belong to children from families below the poverty line. Sadly and shockingly, more than 60 percent of students in Horry Scounty Schools are in this number. It goes without saying that 2,159 weekend meals for children every week is much more than a mere statistic.

We Can't Freeze Gas Prices



Friday’s editorial explores the cons and possible pros of trying to cap gas prices:

We all share the frustration with rising gas prices that led to North Myrtle Beach Sen. Dick Elliott’s proposal for a year of statewide price controls on wholesale gas sales. The prices we’re paying at the pump this month are nearly a dollar higher than they were a year ago.

But would Elliott’s suggestion really work? We have major doubts, not least because it would represent a rejection of our state’s free market underpinnings. On Wednesday night, Myrtle Beach resident John Bonsignor thanked Elliott for his work and asked, “What’s going to be the big deal for one year? Let’s see what’s going to happen in one year.”