THE SUMTER ITEM N.G. Osteen 1843-1936 The Watchman and Southron
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 H.G. Osteen 1870-1955 Founder, The Item
H.D. Osteen 1904-1987 The Item
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Margaret W. Osteen 1908-1996 The Item Hubert D. Osteen Jr. Chairman & Editor-in-Chief Graham Osteen Co-President Kyle Osteen Co-President Jack Osteen Editor and Publisher Larry Miller CEO
20 N. Magnolia St., Sumter, South Carolina 29150 • Founded October 15, 1894
COMMENTARY
Favors and loot for sale A
t a July fundraising event in Chicago, Mrs. Michelle Obama remarked, “So, yeah, there’s too much money in politics. There’s (sic) special interests that have too much influence.” Sen. John McCain has been complaining for years that “there is too much money washing around political campaigns today.” According to a 2012 Reuters poll, “Seventy-five percent of Americans feel there is too much money in politics.” Let’s think about money in politics, but first a few facts. During the 2012 presidential campaign, Barack Obama raised a little over $1 billion, while Mitt Romney raised a little under $1 billion. Congressional candidates raised over $3.5 bilWalter lion. In 2013, Williams there were 12,341 registered lobbyists and $3.2 billion was spent on lobbying. During the years the Clintons have been in national politics, they’ve received at least $1.4 billion in contributions, according to Time magazine and the Center for Responsive Politics, making them “The First Family of Fundraising.” Here are my questions to you: Why do people and organizations cough up billions of dollars to line political coffers? One might answer that these groups and individuals are simply extraordinarily civic-minded Americans who have a deep and abiding interest in encouraging elected officials to live up to their oath of office to uphold and defend the U.S. Constitution. Another possible answer is that the people who spend these billions of dollars on politicians just love participating in the political process. If you believe either of these explanations for coughing up billions for politicians, you’re probably a candidate for psychiatric attention, a straitjacket and a padded cell. A far better explanation for the billions going to the campaign coffers of Washington politicians and lobbyists lies in the awesome government power and control over business, property, employment and other areas of our lives. Having such power, Washington politicians are in the position to grant special privileges, extend favors, change laws and do other things that if done by a private person would land him in jail. The major component of congressional power is
the use of the IRS to take the earnings of one American to give to another. The Dow Chemical Co. posted record lobbying expenditures last year, spending over $12 million. Joined by Alcoa, who spent $3.5 million, Dow supports the campaigns of congressmen who support natural gas export restrictions. Natural gas is a raw material for both companies. They fear natural gas prices would rise if export restrictions were lifted. Dow and other big users of natural gas make charitable contributions to environmentalists who seek to limit natural gas exploration. Natural gas export restrictions empower Russia’s Vladimir Putin by making Europeans more dependent on Russian natural gas. General Electric spends tens of millions of dollars lobbying. Part of their agenda was to help get Congress to outlaw incandescent light bulbs so that they could sell their more expensive compact fluorescent bulbs. It should come as no surprise that General Electric is a contributor to global warmers who helped convince Congress that incandescent bulbs were destroying the planet. These are just two examples, among thousands, of the role of money in politics. Most concerns about money in politics tend to focus on relatively trivial matters such as the costs of running for office and interest-group influence on Congress and the White House. The bedrock problem is the awesome power of Congress. We Americans have asked, demanded and allowed congressmen to ignore their oaths of office and ignore the constitutional limitations imposed on them. The greater the congressional power to give handouts and grant favors and make special privileges the greater the value of being able to influence congressional decision-making. There’s no better influence than money. You say, “Williams, you’ve explained the problem. What’s your solution?” Maybe we should think about enacting a law mandating that Congress cannot do for one American what it does not do for all Americans. For example, if Congress creates a monopoly for one American, it should create a monopoly for all Americans. Of course, a better solution is for Congress to obey our Constitution. Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University. © 2014 creators.com
LETTER TO THE EDITOR YATES WILL BRING ZEALOUS SPIRIT TO CITY COUNCIL To the voters in Sumter’s Ward 4: When Colleen Yates asked me to serve on a domestic violence task force she wanted to establish, I could only say yes to a woman who is so civicminded and committed to making life better for South Carolinians. She was disturbed by the fact that so many women in our state are killed by their husbands or boyfriends. She is passionate in believing she and this task force can make a difference. And she’s inspired sev-
eral of us to work with her. Colleen will take this same zealous spirit to city council, working fervently to improve conditions in her ward. When she sees a need or a condition that needs improving, she steps up. She’s always been that way, and she will continue to be. I only wish I could vote for her, but I live outside the city. The best I can do is to urge those of you who can to vote for this unique woman. You will be glad you did. VIRGINIA KISER RAY Retired education administrator Sumter
COMMENTARY
Elementary teachers deserve your respect I
had a discussion over the weekend with friend who referred to elementary school teachers as people with “Mrs. Degrees,” which somewhat set me off. The women (and relatively few men) who choose to undertake such responsibilities deserve nothing but your utmost respect and admiration. A few years ago, I was asked to substitute a third-grade class at a school back in my hometown of Opelika. I thought to myself that the experience would be a largely easy one, letting the kids work on their worksheets and coloring while I circled the room looking for problems. We’d all have fun, have a few laughs — maybe I’d even lead the children in some sort of joyous song. It could happen, right? No — no, it cannot. I knew I was in trouble when the first kid came in Cliff the room pop-and-lock dancing while making McCollum robot noises. Just so you know, I’ve found, after years of painstaking research, that any child who regularly dances in public on a whim is trouble. The town from “Footloose” had it right: ban dancing. I maintain that the kids themselves weren’t horrible. They were just kids. The problem is that I don’t know how to handle kids well. My patented intimidation method, The Death Stare, doesn’t translate to kids that young. I could furrow my brow and shake my finger in anger all I wanted; they weren’t going to respond to simple non-verbal threats. They would just ask me if my eye was OK. “It’s making a weird twitch,” one of them said. I imagine yelling at them may have worked well, but I was reluctant to resort to such methods. Children are very needy. When they tell you they have to go to the bathroom, let them go immediately or bad things will happen. When they do go to the bathroom, make sure they are actually going to the bathroom. One little friend came back with something sticky in her hair and all over her shirt. I wasn’t entirely sure how it got there
“Just so you know, I’ve found, after years of painstaking research, that any child who regularly dances in public on a whim is trouble. The town from ‘Footloose’ had it right: ban dancing.” or where it came from, and I really didn’t want to ask questions on that one. Children ask an insane amount of questions, often multiple times when not given a satisfactory answer immediately. Giving the answer “I honestly don’t know” to “Where does lightning come from?” will not be taken as a valid answer, no matter how many times you repeat it to them. Were it not for the intervention of the kind teacher next door, I’m almost certain those third graders could have easily risen up against me and de-evolved into some Lord of the Flies type society. Again, I’m not saying these kids were bad. I’m simply saying I’m not meant to supervise small children. I’m still at the point in my life where I think of children as an incurable form of STD. As I left the school that day, I stopped by the office to sign out and many of the teachers gathered there asked what the “newspaper man” thought of teaching at their school. “You ladies are doing the Lord’s work,” I replied. They laughed, but I meant it. I still do. Thank God for elementary teachers and their vast reserves of patience. You are doing the Lord’s work, folks, and we thank you for it. Cliff McCollum is an 80-year-old soul trapped in a 20-something body. He is an ordained minister and former community college professor who enjoys British literature and field herpetology. He spends his spare time trying to show Vegans and vegetarians the error of their ways. As managing editor of the Gulf Coast Newspapers in Baldwin County, Alabama — now part of Osteen Publishing Co. — he can be reached at cmccollum@gulfcoastnewspapers.com.
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