Skeet range by Sun City in Okatie is a terrible idea | Letters
I was very interested in your recent article, “Massive housing project near U.S. 278 to feature park, trails,” since it is up against the north side of Sun City.
Traffic didn’t concern me that much but having a skeet shooting range did. The noise from a skeet range in and among all these housing areas? What a stupid idea.
If Hardeeville allows a skeet range in this highly populated area, they are nuts. People would be complaining every day of the noise.
I get the fact that skeet buck shot doesn’t travel as far as a bullet in a handgun or rifle, but I still feel that is not something we need here.
What also got me ticked about the article was the conceptual map you printed in your newspaper was unreadable. Why print something a reader can’t read? I even went on the computer and it couldn’t be read there either. Can you do a better job?
Dennis Eubanks
Okatie
Local Option Sales Tax plan is greedy politics
A recent front-page article mentions a possible sales tax increase for Beaufort County. Part of this tax would go to offset property taxes. Our neighbors who do not own property will pay this proposed sales tax, without any benefit.
Haven’t the majority of these neighbors suffered enough with COVID-19 layoffs and the stress and worry of no income? Are the property owners so callous as to think their little gain is worth the pain and worry of those striving to pay the monthly bills? These people who drive our economy and ask only our respect should now have to support greedy property owners. A good neighbor would think not.
Here is a proposal to consider:
A sales tax holiday for those who are not property owners, but financially affected by COVID. Let’s do it for four months. I’m sure our excellent county treasurer, assessor and others they will bring to the issue can manage this to the pride of all of us.
As a property owner and year-round Beaufort County resident, I ask that we do the right thing and get away from greedy politics.
Bernard Flanagan
Hilton Head Island
Beaufort County, Hilton Head must think about our future
State officials have estimated that S.C. tourism revenue will be reduced by 50% as compared to $24.5 billion in 2019. Jobs will likely be reduced by a similar percentage.
In 2016, John Salazar from USCB’s Beaufort Lowcountry Institute reported that Hilton Head Island had 2.68 million tourist visitors, but didn’t include the number of local tourism workers involved.
Tourism is responsible for one in 10 jobs worldwide and is the second highest growth industry, which is even more true in South Carolina.
Even though many of us retirees have mixed views on the benefits of tourism, we must admit that our island’s land development and related controlled tourism development has preserved our environment, albeit a continuing challenge for our future. Our leading worldwide ratings have proven this.
Your newspaper, and The State in Columbia, have reported that the governor is working on guidelines for opening businesses that will also be used by our tourists.
Our local lockdowns, together with our state’s coronavirus positives and low death rate, are thankfully a modest fraction of overall USA and New York rates.
While I believe our town and businesses should try to adhere to the forthcoming governor’s guidelines, I hope that our town is similarly working on Hilton Head guidelines. They should recognize the problems that fully open but workably-controlled tourism will bring, and the critical needs of our tourism workers, families and businesses.
Hopefully, we will ignore politics and thoughtfully make sure our actions will preserve our town’s future.
Walt Schymik
Hilton Head Island
Time for nation to stick together
We all know that we have a problem presently in America and should support the people trying to take care of it, from the president to the governors.
Most of what I see is the younger people don’t want to abide by the laws as if they are immune. As I stated, we have a problem and we should stick together on this.
I want to quote President John F. Kennedy: “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.”
I think this says it all for both parties, and quit the lies and backstabbing.
Robert E. Williams
Beaufort
Hilton Head gas costs too much
I recently had a business reason to leave Hilton Head Island for the first time in a couple of weeks. I was shocked to see gas prices in Bluffton were $1.56 per gallon. The closer one gets to the bridge the higher the price gets.
But, when you get onto the island, prices average $1.88 to $1.95 per gallon.
Historically, gas prices off the island are similar to on the island. Why the discrepancy? The owners of the gas stations on the island recognize that they have a “captive audience” due to the mandated work/home situation.
This price gouging is so easy to document, so impossible to rationalize or defend.
Ric Gorman
Hilton Head Island
Thief hits special people: Help the good outshine the bad
While the majority of our community is supportive of each other, there are some that take advantage.
Programs for Exceptional People (PEP) has had the unfortunate problem of theft at our Bluffton location.
A trailer of lawn equipment was stolen last week, totally eliminating the lawn care microbusiness that our members love. All the lawn equipment and a gas grill that were generously donated by Houser Ace Hardware of Bluffton several years ago will now have to be replaced.
It’s sad that we cannot put trust into securing our property without the possibility of theft.
Of course, we appreciate those who support us and we are thankful to know that they outnumber the others.
If there is a possibility that you have equipment or tools in the yard maintenance realm that you are no longer using, we would be grateful and happy to pick it up.
Tim Thayer
Bluffton
Does Democratic agenda show America on borrowed time?
Before the “Current Unpleasantness” kicked all election coverage to the curb, the Democratic presidential hopefuls were campaigning on the “I can give you more free stuff then they can” platform.
In their attempt to win the nomination, nothing seemed off the table. Free medical, housing, college, and more, all because these were now constitutional rights.
Alexis de Tocqueville addressed this when in the mid-1830s he published “Democracy in America.”
In it, he said, “A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largess from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations has been 200 years.”
Tocqueville was a proud left liberal. However, he despised socialism and feared “the tyranny of the majority.”
Now the Republican’s too have adopted the modern monetary theory that deficits don’t matter because the government can print more money.
America was founded as a republic, but that is a subject for another time.
Speaking of time, is America as we knew it living on “borrowed” time?
Lawrence V. Francese
Beaufort
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