2 weeks Ago
Sumter welcome center hidden The Oct. 27 Post and Courier article, “Tax dollars pay for hunting hideaway ,” provides an informative look into how South Carolina city, county and state tax money is being mishandled. I am grateful that we have a local newspaper like The Post and Courier and its Uncovered investigative series.
It should be clear to everyone, especially Sumter government officials, that the expenditures of tax dollars for this so-called "welcome center” don't pass the common sense test. It seems like some officials were running interference on the newspaper reporters' efforts to understand what is going on at the property. They resisted providing information and were charging exorbitant fees for Freedom of Information Act requests for records.
A simple request for the newspaper reporter to tour this taxpayer-funded facility was turned down because every city and county employee was reportedly too busy. Even the full-time city property manager was too busy to show reporters around. Behavior like this is a red flag that something is wrong.
Someone in government leadership needs to step in to fix what is going on. Since the state government is the primary funder of this facility, Gov. Henry McMaster should be the one to address the situation.
Government is supposed to be transparent and open. This welcome center and associated grounds are taxpayer-owned. The money has been spent.
It should now be open to all state residents. Sumter residents would likely have priority, but all South Carolinians should be able to use this facility. It might make sense to incorporate this facility into the state parks system.
MIKE WEISSKOPF Charleston Processing fees? I am not happy about paying a $3 processing fee for a Sottile Theatre ticket. I recently went to the box office to buy a ticket with cash to avoid paying the fee. But I was told the theater no longer accepts cash.
Isn’t Sottile, located on the College of Charleston campus, state property? Is there a law against cash? The Martin Luther King Jr. pool, which stays open year-round, also no longer accepts cash, but some people have no credit. Harris Teeter now charges 75 cents for cash back under $100; $3 for over $100.
This makes me think that such fees are just another way to make consumers pay operating expenses. These little occurrences can build resentment, reinforce low self-esteem, allow anger to fester, lead to discrimination and are unjust. Computerization was supposed to save trees and curb the overuse of paper.
Computers could eventually take the place of low-wage workers now operating them. I believe customer service has become robotic, absent of care for our neighbors and seems to be measured only by the purse. Greed harms us all.
The more mechanical the age, the more it becomes less human. Can we honestly check the “I’m not a robot” box? CHRISTINE CASTANEDA Charleston SC rail service The Oct. 22 Post and Courier article, " Long road to rail ," addressed much of the historic background underlying the potential reestablishment of passenger rail service in South Carolina.
However, I would like to add more suggestions. Offering sleeping-car service coupled with the availability of dining cars could be economically beneficial to passengers when it saves the expense of paying for nights in a hotel. Also, planners need to recognize that a big attraction of rail travel is the ability to watch the beauty of passing scenery.
That is one reason why they should not add miles of new track adjacent to busy highways, as mentioned in the article. Somewhat offsetting the speed advantage of air travel is the unfortunate delay when Transportation Security Administration agents must screen passengers in advance of departure to deter the potential for on-board disruptions. GORDON GILL Charleston Send us your letters What’s on your mind? Join our community conversations and let your voice be heard by writing a letter to the editor.
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