The Opinion Blog

The wrong list to top

Thursday’s editorial describes a recent report showing a dramatic plunge in job growth relative to other cities nationwide as an indictment of our economic development efforts.

It would be difficult to conjure a more direct illustration of Myrtle Beach's fragile economy than the sobering recent report that described our area as seeing the fourth-largest reversal in growth in the country.

Raising the Flag Once More

Saturday’s editorial points out that the 2010 elections could respark the state’s perpetual debate over the placement of the Confederate flag.

Whenever a new voice calls attention to the Confederate battle flag flying prominently in front of the S.C. Statehouse, its defenders claim with victorious glee that the matter is settled, that it's in the past, that a deal was done and should be honored.

It can't be settled, because it just keeps coming up. And just because a deal is done doesn't make it right.

New Jobs, Same Worries

Saturday's editorial takes an updated look at Gov. Sanford's hold on his office.

Amid the continuing spectacle of the post-Argentina Mark Sanford administration, a number of interpretations are possible of his role in marketing firm Red Ventures LLC's announcement this week that they will hop over the state line from Charlotte to relocate 1,000 employees in Lancaster County.

Still Waving The Same Flag

Thursday's editorial criticizes the Republican gubernatorial candidates for missing an opportunity to show some leadership on South Carolina's flag issue.

With all that good-neighbor agreement on stage, viewers of Tuesday's gubernatorial debate saw very little with which to differentiate between the five Republican candidates.

All five want to bring the state lower taxes and more jobs. They all want to give tax credits for students who attend private schools, and they're all plumb full of classic South Carolinian disdain for the federal government, with one even giving a nod to the pre-Civil War doctrine of "nullification" of distasteful federal laws.

Of course, playing to the farthest-right-wing voters who cast ballots in Republican primaries, all five said the debate over the Confederate flag on the Statehouse grounds is a done deal - a compromise on the flag has already been struck, they said, so there's no need to reopen the debate. And on this one issue, all five were just wrong.

Downtown + boardwalk = ?

A pretty sizable crowd attended the groundbreaking ceremony this morning for Myrtle Beach's boardwalk, which will be built over the off-season and is planned to open in time for next summer.

The ceremony was brief, but the crowd was enthusiastic. Some were clearly there scoping angles for the upcoming City Council elections, but others appeared genuinely interested in learning about the project's design. A table set up with architect's renderings, for example, drew a long line.

Clearly, tourist attractions around the Grand Strand have become much more geographically diffuse in a relatively short period of time, possibly to the detriment of downtown. Soon after the demolition of the Pavilion, the area saw the rise of the Market Common to the south and the Freestyle Music Park just inland, and plenty more examples abound. 

The mile-long, $6 million boardwalk, then, is hoped to be a major shot in the arm for an area that has otherwise been somewhat neglected in recent years. Will it work? What will downtown look like in years to come?

Home-Court Advantage?

Thursday's editorial notes the strong showing the Grand Strand's tourism industry received during this weekend's Republican Caucus meeting, but laments that the Port of Georgetown was overlooked.

Perhaps it was the venue, but during the S.C. House of Representatives' Republican caucus meeting in Myrtle Beach this weekend, it seemed no regional voice was louder than that of the Grand Strand.

Saving up for a windy day

Wednesday's editorial highlights the many benefits of exploring wind power off the coast of Georgetown.

Economic blows have come in cascades in Georgetown of late, as its port and steel mill have alternated over recent months with ever-worsening news for their employees.

These woes reflect the weakened state of American industry and will thus be difficult for local leaders to counter, though some are valiantly trying. A report this weekend, however, suggested one bright hope on the horizon: the wind-energy industry.

New Lanes in I-73 effort

Sunday's editorial praises yet another idea to hasten the creation of Interstate 73.

Although state ports were the main focus of last week's Regional Growth Summit at Coastal Carolina University, a conversation between state Rep. Alan Clemmons and Horry County Council Chairwoman Liz Gilland revealed another promising strategy to make Interstate 73 a reality.

Steady course in stormy seas

Saturday's editorial suggests that if the port of Georgetown is to recover from its present dire straits, it will require a tremendous local effort to do so.

Circumstances may seem close to engulfing the port of Georgetown, but all hope is not yet lost.

S.C. Ports Seriously Need Help

Wednesday's editorial exhorts the new leadership of the state port system to give Georgetown's troubled port serious attention.

South Carolina has a new law to help the ailing ports at Charleston and Georgetown and a new chief executive for the S.C. State Ports Authority.