Progressive Thinking

A few weeks ago my family and I took a much-needed vacation down to Hilton Head Island.

While we were there, we enjoyed the sights and sounds of people from Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Canada, and Indiana…we counted license plates from 27 different states as well as Canada of people vacationing.

We also noticed how uniform the signage still is for area businesses -- a result of zoning.

While on vacation I got an email from a friend who asked if I had heard about the latest county council meeting.

After doing some checking and reading three different versions of stories from that meeting, it seems that a member of council made a statement to the effect that his problem was that county council had gotten into economic development and forgotten what they were really there for??????

I know there are a few members of council who think I am not the brightest guy in the world, but it seems to me that it IS their job to be at the forefront of bringing as much economic development to Laurens County as possible!

This same member of council allegedly indicated he’d rather spend the money being proposed to help with the new pharmacy school PC is locating in Clinton on EMS and the sheriff’s department.

While it’s noble for this member to want to “help” those two fine departments he IS the SAME member who back in 2004, when we were being bombarded by rising gas prices, said that if those departments couldn’t stay within their budgets, maybe they needed to park some vehicles!

Laurens County is located near two interstates. You’re able to get to downtown Greenville and Spartanburg in less than 40 minutes. We, in my opinion, are right on the cusp of breaking out of the lull brought about by the closing of Timken.

What Laurens County needs are leaders who are progressive thinking. People who can think outside the box. People who are able to understand the difference between an investment and an expense.

Contributing money that brings high paying pharmacy jobs, or recreation complexes, or tax incentives for large businesses to locate in the county is an investment.

Those expenditures will continually bring residual income back into the county coffers. And, in case some members of council are unaware, when a person sends money in Clinton, that tax money actually does bring benefit to districts in the entire other end of the county!

In short, I think it’s time for we, as a whole in the county to demand that our leaders step up and be progressive as opposed to being stuck in a 1980’s mind set.

Oh, and just in case you didn’t hear, even the county attorney stated that the deal between PC, the City of Clinton, and the County is NOT a separation of Church and State violation! What’s your next argument for opposing progress????

That’s my rant, what’s yours?????