Thumbs up
Promise Zone. Two big wins for the S.C. Lowcountry Promise Zone with news that one business will invest $8 million for a solar farm in poor Allendale County and another will invest $230 million in a forest products expansion in Barnwell. More.
Graham. Kudos to U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R.S.C., for his presidential bid. We wish the remaining candidates had his vision, foresight and common sense.
White. Hats off to House Ways and Means Chairman Brian White (R-Anderson) for trying to figure out ways to help farmers crippled by flooding. More.
Peeler. Thanks to S.C. Sen. Harvey Peeler, R-Cherokee, for voicing what many think — that we don’t need to complete Interstate 73 to connect Myrtle Beach with Interstate 95 until a lot of other road needs are dealt with. More.
In the middle
Not enough. The folks who are working to display the Confederate flag removed from Statehouse grounds have revised downward the cost to $3.6 million from $5.3 million, but critics rightly complain that’s still too much for a memorial paid with taxpayer dollars. Why not latch on to S.C. Rep. Mary Tinkler’s idea of private funding?
Haley. It’s nice that Gov. Nikki Haley is being mentioned by CNN as a politician to watch and possible vice presidential candidate, but as we’ve written before, she really isn’t something the state should unleash on the nation. More.
Pensions. It’s not good news the state is eyeing a $11 billion shortfall in its pension fund, but lawmakers kind of brought all of this on themselves by allowing the state’s investment team to make riskier investments. Right? More.
Thumbs down
Plutonium. Earth to world: South Carolina doesn’t want to store any more of your plutoniuim. More.
We Can Do Better, South Carolina!