Letters to the Editor

Climate change

A recent letter to the editor said that the American people are opposed to climate legislation. This may be the letter writer's opinion, but polls consistently show that people want climate and energy legislation by overwhelming majorities. We need to be good citizens of the planet.

Those of us who live close to the shore are going to lose our place in the sun if we don't turn back the significant predicted sea-level rise caused by polar-region ice melt.

The House has finally passed climate legislation, despite heavy lobbying by the fossil fuel interests. In fact they spent over $79 million in the first three months of this year trying to influence Congress to turn down this legislation. Our children will one day be thankful that they failed.

Climate legislation will create jobs, help wean us from using fossil fuels, begin to overcome the worst effects of climate change and make our nation more secure.

Please contact Sens. Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint and insist that they vote for climate and energy legislation when it comes before them later this fall.

ANNE KNIGHT WATSON

Pinckney Street

McClellanville

Renewable energy

On July 23 I was fortunate to attend the National Security, Energy and Climate Town Hall Meeting at The Citadel. The presenters included: Greg Carbone, Ph.D, from the University of South Carolina; Vice Adm. Dennis McGinn, U.S. Navy (Retired); and former Sen. John Warner, R-Va. I was particularly interested in hearing a military and Republican perspective on climate change. The admiral and the senator were clear on the following points:

• Climate change is real, and the negative consequences of man-made release of CO2 from burning fossil fuels are reaching an "emergency" level.

• The United States cannot drill its way out of this problem. The solution is not more oil or coal because that would create more CO2 in the atmosphere.

• The passage of climate change legislation already completed by the House and headed for the Senate is essential, before the world climate meeting in Copenhagen later this year.

• The United States needs to focus on domestic renewable energy production.

I want to thank the admiral and the senator for their service to our country. This new mission is a wake-up call from two patriots that should be taken very seriously.

PETER ZALKA

Despestre Street

Daniel Island

Simple overhaul

As reported within the context of President Barack Obama's pitch to sell his "Health-care overhaul" (Post and Courier, July 23), he states emphatically, "This isn't about me. I have great health insurance and so does every member of Congress."

As I see it, the overhaul can be simplified by providing to all American citizens the "great health insurance" that is currently available to the president, vice president, members of Congress and perhaps others.

If providing all citizens with the insurance now available only to "royalty" proves to be cost prohibitive, the next logical step would be to craft a plan for all citizens, including the president, vice president, Congress and Joe the Plumber. It would then seem reasonable to expect that our elected public servants would be especially careful to cover all health-care problems, especially the one most prevalent on Capitol Hill —hoof-in-mouth disease.

MELVIN H. EZELL Jr.

Nuffield Road

Charleston

Raises wrong

The July 22 editorial titled "Joining the six-figure club" was right on target. I am disgusted that the Charleston County School District has raised the salaries of Elliott Smalley and Audrey Lane when teachers and other staff are taking furloughs (aka salary cuts).

These two administrators are not the only people to have "a very significant increase in their workload" (Nancy McGinley); teachers and other staff members also have increased workloads, since budget cuts preclude hiring as many people as are needed for these positions.

Who is more important to the educational process: the downtown administrator or the people working directly with the students?

If there's not enough money to pay all CCSD employees what they deserve, or even what their contracts call for, then it's quite insensitive, as well as inequitable, to single out two to receive raises.

CAROL M. PEECKSEN

Retired English teacher

Charleston County School District

Pelzer Drive

Mount Pleasant

Morris Island

I was shocked and dismayed at the way Morris Island is being treated by the local people of Charleston.

As a member of the Civil War Preservation Trust, and donating to the Morris Island historic site, I would think the local government could do better. It certainly makes us leery of donating to preservation of other historic sites in the South.

RICHARD LEHMAN

Belted Kingfisher Road

Kiawah Island

Breakfast issue

Instead of charging students to ride a bus to school, why not eliminate or minimize the breakfast that is served to children? Parents should be responsible for feeding their own children before school every morning.

Breakfast is cheap. A loaf of bread, a carton of eggs, a gallon of milk and Cheerios run about $10 and will feed two children for a week at home.

If money is an issue, there are food stamps. Having to pay people to cook, serve and clean up breakfast has to be expensive. Especially for 48 thousand-plus kids. If breakfast cannot be completely eliminated, then minimize it to only yogurt and fruit. Do not serve french toast and bacon and sausage that have to be cooked. Yogurt and fruit are healthy and easy to clean up and set out.

I have never seen a starving child in Charleston. Instead, I have seen a lot of overweight children, and starting their day off with pop tarts and sausage doesn't help.

Keep it healthy and simple and save money. Don't charge families to take a bus to school.

ELIZABETH MASIOWSKI

Greeley Road

Mount Pleasant

School funding

Education ensures our economic and cultural future, and without proper funding and high standards the current generation will lose out to the detriment of us all.

The recent debate regarding the federal stimulus money was a worthy one; however, education funding should never be relegated to discretionary status behind all the other duties of the S.C. General Assembly. Wise appropriation of those funds is vital to empowering educators, students and parents.

One key principle to improving the state's overall education quality is equal funding throughout the state. One school district offers Smart Boards in every classroom while another district struggles to provide enough updated textbooks.

South Carolina is one unified state in which every child deserves every educational opportunity regardless of school district.

Our impoverished districts will never prosper without proper education. Those impoverished areas will not attract businesses if those residents do not have the skills necessary to be hired. Those residents will not adopt the entrepreneurial spirit without encouragement and a culture bred by a strong educational foundation.

Funding is not the only issue. High standards should be required and, bluntly, too many of our schools at every level have low standards.

Social or administrative promotion is a concept that does not make sense in theory or in practice, and yet it is commonly used to move students through the school system.

Sixteen year-olds who read at a third-grade level cannot positively contribute to society or fulfill their personal potential.

Education is primarily a state and local issue. Therefore, I urge all our state leaders in all areas to firmly support education at all levels. If we do not take the bold initiative to pump energy, ideas, and commitment into our education system, we will continue to flounder with high unemployment, high dropout, teen pregnancy and crime rates.

We can greatly alleviate all these social ills with the proper emphasis on education, beginning with equal statewide funding and high standards.

R. PAIGE LEWIS

Stinson Drive

Charleston

'Step down'

Our governor has asked our forgiveness. I can certainly find it in my heart to overlook bad behavior. But it is not my place to forgive. Only his wife can do that.

But remember it's not enough to say "I'm sorry," and finally forgiveness is not forgetfulness.

The governor should do the right thing and step down.

PATRICK C. LABBE, R.N.

Lebsl Court

Summerville

Wrong focus

I am writing in reference to the reader who asked of Sen. Jim DeMint, "Has he suggested anything that could be useful in the debate? Has he submitted a plan to cover the uninsured and lower health-care costs?" If she would go to his Website, I think she will find the answer to be yes to both of her questions. Unfortunately, the media would rather focus on the "Waterloo" remark instead of the solutions offered by our senator.

CAROL HOLT

Harroway Road

Summerville

Correction

A letter published Tuesday on health-care reform, titled "Correct problems," should have been attributed to Robert L. Fenning, M.D.