Reader warns that Joe Frazier Road is perilous thoroughfare in dire need of sidewalks

Prioritize sidewalks

I have been a full time resident in Habersham for more than 14 years and have been hoping for needed sidewalks along Joe Frazier Road the entire time.

I am a retired RN and have cared for people injured after being hit by cars while walking or riding bikes on Joe Frazier Road. The road offers no safe shoulder or sidewalk.

I have been involved in a trash pickup project on Joe Frazier Road, where cars go by so fast while we’re working, it’s dangerous. There is no safe shoulder or sidewalk to protect us while cleaning up the litter along the roadside.

I am a coordinator of the Little Food Pantry and have met many residents who live along Joe Frazier and the surrounding area. Many of our pantry patrons walk or ride a bike to get food at the pantry. Many have children with them.

Although Habersham is a beautiful place to ride a bike or walk, the Spanish Moss Trail is not safely accessible.

The population is rapidly growing here, resulting in many more cars on the roads. This request for safe travel needs to be a priority.

Linda Morris, Beaufort

Many surprises

I’m surprised on many levels regarding the proposed abandonment of the protective zoning on St Helena Island. Here’s some of what surprises me:

– That County Council didn’t abide by the clear rules and deny the proposal at once.

– That the county staff wants to change the rules for developers.

– That the property is still being surveyed and prepped for development.

– That county staff is pressured by the threat of a lawsuit from a developer when the gutting of the zoning ordinance will result in a multitude of lawsuits from many groups supporting the ordinance.

– That the Planning Commission, made up of citizens, saw through the arguments of the county staff, but the Land Use Committee, made up of council members, claimed not to understand the ordinance.

– That “golf course,” “gated community” and “resort” need defining.

– That the county website talks about preserving local heritage while the Gullah culture is being sold out, island by island.

Jerry Floyd, St. Helena Island

Where’s our poet?

Poet Laureate is an honorary position appointed by the governor to promote poetry projects and deliver poems for special occasions. Marjory Wentworth, our previous S.C. Poet Laureate, resigned in 2020 after serving for 17 years.

In March 2021, the S.C. Arts Commission initiated applications for the vacated position. According to their office, they submitted three finalists to the Governor’s Office in April 2021, meaning it has been almost two years since the process began.

To no avail, I have contacted the Governor’s Office, Congressmen and legislators to inquire about the situation.

In the absence of a response, I will rally city poets laureate, arts organizations and local media. If no progress is made, I will coordinate a rally at the State House in April, National Poetry Month.

It is unfortunate that this literary arts tradition has been left neglected by our state’s officials. Poets reveal and examine the things in our world that we struggle to grasp or understand.

Gov. McMaster, please select the new S.C. Poet Laureate. It matters not who is chosen from the qualified pool of finalists; only that one is finally chosen.

Len Lawson, Irmo

Fiscal medicine

Not so many decades ago, politicians cared about fiscal policy, making tough decisions such as George H. W. Bush’s decision to raise taxes in spite of his promise not to. Clinton, with a Republican congress, went on to erase the deficit with the help of a Social Security surplus. Since then, no president of either party has taken a hard line on the deficit.

Last year, 22% of the money the federal government spent was borrowed. In spite of relatively good economic times and low unemployment, our national debt has risen to over $31 trillion.

The next few years will likely bring higher borrowing costs and a slowing economy, which will only hasten the process. While there are many unknowns, no one can argue that our current path is sustainable.

Many things need to be done. At the top of the list is collecting taxes that are due within our current system. The so-called “tax gap” is huge and now estimated by the IRS to be at least $600 billion.

Simultaneously we absolutely must reduce spending wherever we can. This medicine may be hard to swallow, but doing nothing will only cause worse-tasting medicine later.

William Griffith, Beaufort