It’s time to reform alimony
To the editor:
In the previous legislative session, Governor [Nikki] Haley established a bipartisan House/Senate committee to propose recommendations for alimony reform. Those recommendations have been now been proposed in H 4029 to the current sitting legislature.
H 4029 proposes reform to long-established alimony laws which established permanent alimony. Some issues addressed in the report are co-habitation and changes in circumstances which justify the termination or modification of permanent alimony.
The goal of the South Carolina alimony reform group, which numbers over 650 members and is growing statewide, is, ”Alimony Reform = Fairness for All”.
— Larry C. Davis, North Charleston, S.C.
Raising minimum wage might not help
To the editor:
As a longtime resident and an expatriate loyalist of South Carolina, I read with much interest your recent post, “State needs a $15 per hour minimum wage.”
I would certainly agree that reducing income inequality is a morally and ethically laudable goal, and in fact, ultimately necessary to the survival of our society. Nonetheless, I fail to understand how raising the minimum wage will generally and effectively contribute to that objective.
An increased minimum wage would have no beneficial effect on disadvantaged persons who are currently unemployed, and would most probably make it more difficult for them to obtain employment. Most employers and businesses would have no ability to adjust to the concomitant increase in labor costs other than to limit the number of available jobs and reduce benefits and other employment related costs.
I believe that effect would be most seriously felt in a reduced number of entry-level, training positions, which would decrease opportunities for social and economic mobility, effectively sustaining income inequality.
Mr. [Ted] Pitts’ remarks on the importance of workforce development point to a much more direct and efficacious approach. I would urge readers to consider the widely-recognized success of the S.C. Technical College System in preparing citizens to enter the workforce at wages well above the minimum.
— Dale M. Rhodes, Richmond, Va.
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