The Opinion Blog

Litter Trashes Us All

Friday’s editorial is a decent reminder as we get closer to our peak beach/outdoor season:

The phrases should go without saying: The beach is not your ashtray. Litter is everybody’s business. The river is not a garbage disposal. Trash goes in the trash can.

And yet we must say them. And say them again. And apparently say them again. As The Sun News reported on Tuesday, volunteers with the Ocean Conservancy picked up nearly 10 tons of garbage from South Carolina’s beaches back in September. (They picked up more than 200 tons in North Carolina.) Last month, more than 200 big-hearted folks collected more than 4 tons of trash from the waterways around Murrells Inlet.

The All-Purpose, One-Size-Fits-All Atlantic Beach Editorial

Ever want to say something about Atlantic Beach’s latest predicament, but weren’t sure what? Thursday’s editorial offers help:

If Myrtle Beach Mayor John Rhodes were arrested, or Conway Mayor Alys Lawson, or Surfside Beach Mayor Doug Samples, our newsroom would quickly shift into overdrive. Reporters and photographers would be sent to dig up background. Front pages would be redesigned. Sources would be mined for information. Competition would be fierce for every nugget of information. Articles and editorials already in the works would be moved to the back burner to fit in news and commentary on the arrest.

When Atlantic Beach Mayor Retha Pierce was arrested – again – this past week, the reaction around here was a bit more muted. Rather than “Oh my God!” it was more of an “Oh, her again?”

Changing Hearts, Not Guns

Friday’s editorial previews the get-together for peace and gun buy-back coming up Saturday:

If the example of similar local events in the past few years holds true, we can expect a little over 100 guns to be turned in Saturday during the Stop the Violence Peace Festival and gun buy-back in Conway.

Will this make an enormous dent in violence in our communities? We doubt it. Turn in 100 guns and there are thousands upon thousands more left in Horry County. National estimates put the number of guns in the United States around 300 million, or about one for every man, woman and child in the country. Most of those are owned by law-abiding citizens. Some aren’t. But one event in Conway won’t do much to change those numbers.

'The Good Outnumber You'

Wednesday’s editorial, on the horror in Boston:

Confronted with insanity such as Monday’s bombing of the Boston Marathon, our immediate reaction tends to be an initial gut-punching shock followed by a flood of questions. Who would do this? How many people are hurt? Are the people I know safe? Is the danger over now? What went wrong? Was this domestic or international? Sophisticated or amateur? Planned or spur of the moment? And, above all others: Why?

Fake Pot, Real Bans

Should Surfside Beach be spending its time banning synthetic drugs? We take a look in Thursday’s editorial:

We can certainly understand the worries of Surfside Beach leaders, who appear poised to ban a slate of synthetic drugs in the town in the coming weeks. The substances in question can induce vomiting, nausea, hallucinations, paranoid behavior, anxiety and seizures. Why anybody would voluntarily choose such nasty experiences is mystifying. Nevertheless, the town’s proposed action may not be the best solution.

Smart Changes in Horry Police

Friday’s second editorial applauds some common sense changes made to precinct boundaries last week:

Horry County Police Chief Saundra Rhodes, who was just sworn in last September, continues to make an impact on the department she oversees.

In the seven months between when she stepped into the job on an interim basis last February, and in the six months since she dropped the interim from her title, we’ve heard nothing but praise for her efforts at the helm of county law enforcement. Leaders have lauded her efforts to streamline her department and improve efficiency. So it was hardly shocking to read last week that the department has tweaked its organization to provide better service for those in need of the police.

After Tragedy at CCU

Thursday’s first editorial simply adds our voice to those mourning the senseless killing this week at CCU:

Along with everybody connected to Coastal Carolina University, we mourn the senseless death of sophomore Anthony Liddell, shot Tuesday night at a college residence hall.

Police continue to hunt for his killer and we expect more details will emerge in the coming days. In the meantime, we shudder and recoil at the violence that continues to touch our area and take our friends and neighbors from our grasp.

Lives Ruined, Answers Needed

Thursday’s second editorial urges the state Department of Insurance to open a new investigation into the activities of salesman Rick McDavid, whose exploits were chronicled by David Wren this past Sunday:

It was hard to read reporter David Wren’s article this past Sunday, detailing the financial ruin of dozens of local seniors in a complex insurance and mortgage plan, without becoming outraged and angry. Where was the state? Aren’t those selling insurance supposed to be regulated? Why was this allowed to continue for so long?

The state Department of Insurance, in fact, opened two investigations into the actions of salesman Rick McDavid, who it must be said has not been convicted of any wrongdoing and maintains he did nothing illegal. Both of those investigations – one in 2011 and one in 2012 – were dismissed quickly after McDavid said he didn’t do anything wrong.

In closing the second case, the investigator said that the matter was ended at least in part because of a lack of supporting documentation. That’s perhaps understandable, if frustrating. It’s hard to prosecute or investigate wrongdoing if you’re not sure what exactly is being alleged. But some of that blame may lie with the Insurance Department, which it appears never asked for more information beyond the standard complaint form before dismissing the cases. Now that reporter David Wren and attorney Sid Connor have done the hard work of pulling these stories together and illustrating their common threads, we hope the Insurance Department will rethink its former summary dismissals.

Clearly, something went very wrong for the many victims involved in this saga. McDavid’s purported actions were at the very least immoral, financing a lavish lifestyle by taking advantage in many cases of vulnerable seniors willing to trust a person referred to them by a fellow church member or relative. Nevertheless, it may yet turn out that he actually did nothing illegal. If that’s the case, the legislature should get work on laws that would prevent future unscrupulous copycats. The first step, however, should be another probe by the Insurance Department, and soon, this time giving McDavid’s activities more than a cursory glance.

Meanwhile, if nothing else, the story reminds us once more of lessons that are never too old to be learned again: If it sounds too good to be true, it is. Read it before you sign it. Don’t let yourself be bullied into signing anything you don’t understand, especially when it affects your personal finances. And don’t put all your faith in a handshake and a smile.

 

Let's Talk About Violence

Can a conversation between community leaders about violence help cut down on the problem in our area? Well, it sure can’t hurt, and Tuesday’s editorial gets behind one effort to hold talks:

Much attention has been paid since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., to the dual issues of gun violence and mental health.

The Horry County school board has discussed policies and proposals to ensure the safety of our children. Coastal Carolina University just finished hosting a campus safety conference that drew college leaders from across the state. We are all asking how we can keep our communities safer.

But guns and mental health issues are indisputably only two components of a much larger conversation, one that involves everything from socioeconomic status to school bullying to a lack of opportunities for those trying to turn their lives around.

Now local activist Bennie Swans wants to convene a larger meeting of local leaders to develop bigger solutions to community violence.

End the Indecision on Gambling

Tuesday’s editorial calls for some clarity, one way or the other, on gambling in the state:

South Carolina lawmakers seeking to quash the rebirth of video gambling in the state should pay close attention to efforts across the border to the north.

North Carolina’s legislature banned video sweepstakes machines – a thinly disguised version of video poker or other games – in 2010. An appellate court ruling that year declared the law unconstitutional, but the state’s Supreme Court disagreed in December and the ban went into effect Jan. 3, just a couple of weeks ago.

A statewide ban by the legislature coupled with a ruling by the top court in the state? That’ll mean curtains for the sweepstakes business in North Carolina, right? Not even close.