Letters to the Editor

Skewed priorities

How positively ironic: We have been reading for the past couple of years that Clemson's state-funding cuts are in the double digits and that it has had to reduce staff and teaching positions. Yet it somehow found enough money to increase the football coaching staff salaries a whopping 33 percent.

Far too often we read about the woes of our state-funded universities and colleges, but all of them have spent, and continue to spend, huge sums of money for their respective sports programs while the education side continues to suffer.

Bud Hay

Romney Street

Charleston

Overlooked story

There is a great human interest story brewing in the world of women's college basketball -- the incredible record being posted by the University of Connecticut women's basketball program. UConn has won 72 straight games going into Sunday's first-round game in the NCAA tournament -- the longest winning streak in women's basketball history.

There has to be a great story here about teamwork, momentum, motivation, inspiration, perspiration and coaching. This team characteristically wins by margins of 20 or more points. Yet the story is given scant media coverage.

I hope some aspiring journalist will latch on to this unbelievable story and give it the exposure it deserves.

James T. Fralix Jr.

Harborview Road

James Island

Credit solution

My plastic surgery has served me very well for a very long time. It requires only a pair of scissors, a waste basket and determination.

C.W. Benson

Indian Street

Folly Beach

Shelter pets

As spring approaches, animal shelters will sadly face taking in thousands of kittens, puppies and adult animals, including pure breeds. All are given up by owners or left abandoned, unfixed, breeding more unwanted, homeless animals. To save them, we need you to adopt, spay and neuter.

All shelter adoptable pets are spayed, neutered, vaccinated, tested and treated for parasites and fleas, ID-chipped and more (an average of $400-$600 medical savings value.)

Pet Helpers and Charleston Animal Society have new shelters with caring dedicated staffs who are ready to help you find your new best animal friend. Both are great places to visit and adopt. It's a win-win for you and the animal. We will assist anyone with spaying/neutering their pet through our low cost Spay and Neuter Clinic services. Both shelters have state-of-the art clinics with highly professional veterinarians. Call Pet Helpers Spay Clinic, 843-302-0556 (James Island) (www.pethelpers.org); Charleston Animal Society Spay Clinic, 843-747-4849 (North Charleston) (www.charlestonanimalsociety.org); Doc Williams SPCA Clinic, (Goose Creek), 843-572-2144 and let us help you.

Pet Helpers recently held another "Tom Cat Neuter-thon," altering 130 male cats in one day, for a total of close to 1,000 male cats done in five, one-day neuter-thons since November 2008, preventing thousands more kittens from being born. We plan another "Tom Cat Neuter-thon" in late May. We also offer special reduced spay/neuter rates for feral stray cats. Do your part, take advantage of our programs and fix your pets.

Carol Linville

President/Founder

Pet Helpers Adoption Center

Spay Neuter Clinic

Folly Road

James Island

What's in a name?

I couldn't help but chuckle when I read that The Post and Courier's Preview section was being replaced by a new, expanded color section called "Charleston Scene."

According to Bryce Donovan, the new Charleston Scene is going to be "cool." I'm certain that the logo will be designed in a very "cool" font, and that there will be an abundance of "cool" features.

After all, it's a section ostensibly aimed at attracting the city's elusive "under 30" demographic, the ones who are supposedly no longer buying the newspaper because it isn't "cool." I have no problem with that, and I hope Charleston Scene succeeds beyond the paper's wildest dreams. But with all the resources available couldn't you have come up with a more youthful sounding name for the section? The name sounds to me like a list of Charleston art galleries.

I'll bet a contest at the College of Charleston to name the new section would have produced quite a few clever names.

I'll also bet the final name for the section had to be approved by someone over 50.

Ken Robichaux

Glen Lake

Mount Pleasant

Cigarette taxes

I read with absolute incredulousness the article about the S.C. budget and the state's refusal to raise cigarette taxes. Superintendent Jim Rex is absolutely right that "it is a no-brainer" to raise this tax, as it has not been raised since 1977.

He is also right that half of the income received from this proposed increase should go to the Department of Education for South Carolina. We are one of the lowest ranking states in education.

In another article, titled "Cigarette tax battle renewed," members of the AARP want all revenues from this tax increase to go to Medicaid.

The story says families will be greatly affected because a cut in Medicaid is looming.

I appreciate the predicament but without the proper education to fulfill the duties involved in these Medicaid programs, they will become defunct due to the inability to staff them.

Haven't we watched enough of our children over the years come out of high school with a less than adequate education?

Haven't we seen our teachers and education administrators beaten down because "PASS" scores are so poor?

All of this because of inadequate funds and resources from our state Legislature. When is this state and, quite frankly, the whole country, going to wake up and realize our children are our future?

I hope they do so pretty soon, as the future looks pretty dim.

Barbara L. Reynolds

Oyster Catcher Court

Seabrook Island

'Killing is wrong'

In a recent letter to the editor titled "Scope inscriptions," the writer said that it was entirely appropriate to read a Bible inscription while killing someone: "Reading a Scripture while killing the enemy is good."

I would like to know which Bible verse he thinks is fitting. "Though shalt not kill" perhaps? Or maybe "A man that doeth violence to the blood of any person shall flee to the pit; let no man stay him." Or, "And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand."

Killing is wrong. No matter what. To say that you are doing it in God's name is even more atrocious. History is filled with stories of killing in God's name. Mary "Bloody Mary" Tudor, queen of England in the 1500s killed Protestants. Richard the Lionhearted and numerous others killed "the infidel" during the crusades. Bin Laden killed more than 2,000 innocents on 9/11.

All of these are the same and all of them are horrid blasphemes against God. God is love. Please, love each other.

Katrina Landers

Culver Avenue

Charleston

Lights out

It has now been a while since the I-26 West rest area at marker 204 was closed. I was under the impression this was to cut costs.

Why do they have to leave every light on at night?

The empty snack stand and phone booths are still lit up. Even my kids know to turn off the lights when they leave the room.

I hope the water is turned off to any leaky toilets. I suppose we are just flushing our tax dollars away on this and the other closed rest stops in the state.

Robert Gillespie

Ruffin Road

Summerville