Letters to the Editor
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Many pluses to casino being built next door
My wife and I have been in Sun City Hilton Head for 18 months. We came here from Jackson, Calif.
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Rubio's concern missing on other life issues
It's no surprise Sen. Marco Rubio is springing into action against the Health and Human Services mandate, but clearly he is a cafeteria Catholic.
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Good points made about state of GOP
Recently, I read a column in the New York Times by Nicholas D. Kristof and thought at the time that it should be required reading for all Republicans. I also wished that somehow The Island Packet could run it.
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More police on patrol better use of bed taxes
In the late '50s, a "police presence" was used in areas of Brooklyn, N.Y., to try to eliminate crime and gang activity. There were teams of two large officers patrolling on foot, twirling their batons. They were intimidating, to say the least. It worked.
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U.S. can afford, needs cuts in defense spending
A recent letter reminded us of the outstanding work of the Navy SEALs in tracking down Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.
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Lincoln's war legacy not worth celebrating
President Abraham Lincoln hired a "representative recruit," who donned a uniform to serve as his substitute on Sept. 30, 1864, during the Civil War.
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Supply-side economics simply doesn't add up
Let's look at the naivetè of right-wing Republicans.
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Bishops try to ignore actions of lay Catholics
A writer Feb. 2 says there is a conflict between my Catholic Bishop's Conference and the Department of Health and Human Services on requiring Catholic colleges and hospitals to give health coverage that includes contraceptives.
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No value to compromise if you sacrifice principles
Many in today's liberal media would have you believe that compromise is the only way to move the government forward. Liberals believe if you are a principled political candidate of "no compromise," you cannot win. If the New York Giants and the New England Patriots came to the Super Bowl with that attitude, who do you think would prevail? Do you honestly think Coach Bill Belichik and Coach Tom Coughlin focus their practice sessions on compromising with the other team?
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Litterers make a mess of Lowcountry beauty
The Lowcountry, as we know, is a beautiful place to live. However, it is appalling to me that there is so much trash in the ditches along our highways and byways.
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Hypocrisy is astounding in Obama's presidency
President Barack Obama drones on about his concern for the middle class -- the folks needing jobs, whose homes have little value, but who pay his bills.
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Don't let big money destroy democracy
Two years ago, in a case called Citizens United, five justices on the Supreme Court out-voted the other four and overturned a century's worth of laws that had restricted the influence of big money in our elections. Thanks to the Citizens United decision, individuals and corporations can now flood the election process with unlimited amounts of cash.
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Candidates' motives key in picking a president
What causes a man (or woman) to seek the presidency, the highest office in our nation?
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Hopes for the F-35B increasingly desperate
One is not surprised by the hopelessly Pollyannaish content of your Feb. 1 editorial, "It's 'hurry up and wait' for Joint Strike Fighters." You have chosen yet once again to perpetuate the fiction that this obscenely wasteful and unnecessary venture -- described by U.S. Sen. John McCain as "a scandal and a tragedy" and a "train wreck" -- will somehow save our local economy in a "re-up (of) the usefulness of the air station."
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Health coverage rule violates Constitution
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced last month that almost all employers, including Catholic employers, will be forced to offer their employees' health coverage that includes sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs and contraception. Almost all health insurers will be forced to include those "services" in the policies they write. And almost all individuals will be forced to buy that coverage as a part of their policies.
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School district wastes money in boondoggle
As a founder, former board chairman and parent of a Riverview Charter School student, I found the decision in the school's dispute with the Beaufort County district vindicating.
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F-35 news offers area ray of economic hope
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's announcement that the F-35 would be removed from a probationary status should be a slight glimmer of hope for our economy here in the Lowcountry.
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Council aiding, abetting chamber's overspending
What an outrage. Your lead story Feb. 3 reports an additional $240,000 in accommodations tax revenue going to the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, bringing their annual total to approximately $1.3 million, despite the the fact that this rogue organization pays its president nearly $350,000 and has 22 employees. (Allegations of larger salary income for the president have appeared in multiple publications and have never been refuted by the chamber.)
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Contraception decision not attack on religion
I thought my beloved Italian mother could not be outdone in knowing how to use the victim and guilt tactic.
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Self-defense claim raises some questions
At what point do shots in the back go from self-defense to manslaughter? ("Decision on charges against Bluffton tow-truck driver expected soon," Feb. 2) Shot No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, No. 5 or No. 6?
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Junk science threatens our intellectual health
At the risk of being slightly pedantic, I would like to point out the two distinguishing characteristics of good science.
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Fire-rescue boat call short-sighted for island
Shame on me for "missing the boat" on the decision made by the Hilton Head Island Town Council last fall to forego the federal grant that would have provided a fire-rescue boat for the Town of Hilton Head Island Fire & Rescue Division.
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Haley's tough stance on unions appreciated
I was so glad to hear Gov. Nikki Haley mention unions in her State of the State address.
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There's no better way to start every day
Every morning when my sweet husband hands me orange juice and coffee, I get a kiss as he says, "I love you and another day in paradise." Wow, what a way to start my day.
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Gingrich determined to conquer Washington
I watched Newt Gingrich's stirring speech after his huge defeat in the Florida Republican primary. I expected him to appear wearing a laurel wreath and toga. Nevertheless, his speech contained bold plans to take the city of Washington.
Elected Representatives
South Carolina
| Nikki Haley, Governor | 803.734.2100 |
| Jim DeMint, Senator | 843.727.4525 |
| Lindsey Graham, Senator | 803.933.0112 |
| Tim Scott, Congressman | 843.852.2222 |
| Alan Wilson, Attorney General | 803.734.3970 |
| Joe Wilson, Congressman | 843.521.2530 |
Beaufort County
| Ed Allen, Coroner | 843.255.5150 |
| Sharon Burris, Auditor | 843.255.2500 |
| Doug Henderson, Treasurer | 843.255.2600 |
| Jerri Ann Roseneau, Clerk of Court | 843.255.5050 |
| Frank Simon, Probate Judge | 843.255.5850 |
| Duffie Stone, 14th Jud. Circ. Solicitor | 843.255.5880 |
| P.J. Tanner, Sheriff | 843.255.3200 |
| Weston J. Newton, Council Chairman | 843.706.6111 |
| Paul Sommerville, Vice Chairman | 843.379.7114 |
| Steven Baer, County Council | 843.689.3570 |
| Rick Caporale, County Council | 843.689.9999 |
| Gerald Dawson, County Council | 843.846.4830 |
| Brian Flewelling, County Council | 843.379.9805 |
| Herbert Glaze, County Council | 843.846.2845 |
| William McBride, County Council | 843.838.2264 |
| Stewart Rodman, County Council | 843.363.6470 |
| Gerald Stewart, County Council | 843.705.4753 |
| Laura Von Harten, County Council | 843.868.1062 |
City of Beaufort
| Billy Keyserling, Mayor | 843.521.2600 |
| Donnie Ann Beer, City Council | 843.379.6099 |
| Mike McFee, City Council | 843.522.1528 |
| George O'Kelley, Jr., City Council | 843.522.2043 |
| Mike Sutton, City Council | 843.252.5687 |
Town of Bluffton
| Lisa Sulka, Mayor | 843.540.1579 |
| Oliver Brown, Town Council | 843.757.3690 |
| Karen Lavery, Town Council | 843.384.1442 |
| Ted Huffman, Town Council | 843.247.8337 |
| Mike Raymond, Town Council | 843.540.9471 |
Town of Hilton Head
| Drew Laughlin, Mayor | 843.689.5700 |
| Ken Heitzke, Mayor Pro Tempore | 843.681.8182 |
| Wm. Lee Edwards, Town Council | 843.686.9020 |
| Willie Ferguson, Town Council | 843.686.2863 |
| William D. Harkins, Town Council | 843.263.3261 |
| Kim Likins, Town Council | 843.785.4909 |
| George W. Williams, Jr., Town Council | 843.363.6601 |
Town of Port Royal
| Samuel Murray, Mayor | 843.524.4890 |
| Vernon DeLoach, Town Council | 843.524.4655 |
| Mary Beth Grey-Heyward, Town Council | 843.524.4561 |
| Thomas Klein, Town Council | 843.522.0068 |
| Joe Lee, Town Council | 843.522.9867 |
Letters to the Editor
Letters to the editor are welcome. Letters must be 250 words or less and signed with your first and last names. Include your street address and daytime telephone number so we can verify the letter before publication. You are limited to one letter per 30 days. Letters may be edited for length, style, grammar, taste and libel. All letters submitted become the property of The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette and may be republished in any format. The Packet and the Gazette do not publish endorsement letters on the editorial page. Thank you letters are published in the Monday Lowcountry Life section.
How to reach us
Mail: P.O. Box 5727, Hilton Head Island, SC 29938
Fax: 843-706-3070
Hand-delivered: 10 Buck Island Road, Bluffton or 1556 Salem Road, Beaufort
E-mail: letters@islandpacket.com or letters@beaufortgazette.com.
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