Island leaders should focus on tourists leaving holes, tents instead of sand sculptures

Clarification: The original headline on this file inadvertently included the name of a Hilton Head agency. The letter was directed toward those who enforce beach rules for digging and building sand sculptures.

Protecting the sea turtles

Unless I’m missing something, how does the what looks like a 2-foot-by-2-foot sand sculpture, judging by the photo, created by an Oklahoma visitor evidently obstructing nesting sea turtles warrant such extreme financial punishment? Yes, he was warned to remove it but didn’t. But come on; to pay a fine over $1,000? This sounds like they are picking on an easy target for the wrong reasons.

I have written editorials before to protect sea turtle nests — to no avail — about the extreme tourist activities of leaving tents up and digging deep holes along our beaches resembling mine fields. When you hear that one sculpture is problematic in comparison to the unregulated tourist activities like installing numerous mini condo tents and digging deep trenches/holes down slope from sea turtle nests, it sounds like the enforcement elements of Hilton Head Township and Beaufort County are trying to repair the radio while the plane is crashing.

Dan Shinder, Hilton Head

To Rep. Mace

Congratulations on your astute observation (printed May 9) that should be paraphrased and hung over every Congressional Office doorway: “Spend every dollar wisely, as if it was your own.”

Your statement that understanding national debt doesn’t take a master’s degree was correct. Unfortunately, you didn’t stop there. Using your preference for simple examples: If you give the poor $100 (democrats), they’ll likely spend it for basics such as food, generating income that will percolate through the local economy, producing tax revenues. The debt goes up, but not by $100. Based on recent experience, if you use that same $100 for a tax cut for corporations or the rich (republicans), the likely result is some combination of stock buyback or transfers to overseas accounts.

Now, for a reality check on the above: From 1930-1980, this Nation was governed by a “liberal” spend and tax as necessary philosophy. At the end of that fifty-year period, the Nation’s debt was measured in billions! Since 1980, the “conservative” philosophy of tax breaks for corporations and the rich has overwhelmed any semblance of monetary common sense. To suggest our current debt is the result of too much spending is to defy the reality of history.

Richard Wallace, Hilton Head

Climate change

Many people in America believe that people and industries are complicit in the rise in temperatures of our planet. Even Jeff Besos, Executive Chairman of Amazon, believes that man is partially responsible.

However, a number of scientists do not agree and have other beliefs about the cause of climate change.

We all know that our Earth has an axis with about a 20 degree tilt. Over time, that axis has changed enough to cause the climate to change substantially. Remember: Earth, at one time, was covered with ice only to change back to much warmer climates.

Next, it has been agreed that our atmosphere contains 2% carbon dioxide and most of the rest is water vapor. Also, in the last 10 years there has been an increase in CO2 of about 2%. Meaning, if you multiply 0.02 by 0.02 the result is 0.0004 or 2.04%. Taking this to its logical conclusion means that 100 years from now our atmosphere will still have less than 3% CO2.

Please, someone, prove me wrong, but with facts and not just unproven opinions.

Tom Hatfield, Hilton Head

Fined Out

Your series, Fined Out, makes me sad to think that folks accept the premise that a person’s legal problems in Beaufort County are the result of some insidious racism. Perhaps the result of breaking the law and ignoring the consequences of that behavior are more to blame.

Steve Bock, Bluffton

This story was originally published May 16, 2021 at 1:00 AM.