Reader sounds off on Beaufort County summer camp program for employees’ children

Not a happy camper

I worked for the County of Westchester Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation in New York for many, many years. When my son was young, my department ran a summer camp. I paid the same rate as any other parent.

It’s unconscionable to allow county employees’ children to be considered for a discount to attend camp.

The residents of Beaufort County expect more from their officials. An apology from Beaufort County officials should be forthcoming to taxpayers for giving that perk to their employees.

I’m sure there are many residents who would have loved the opportunity to send their children to camp at a discounted rate.

Dale S. Terwilliger, Bluffton

Opposes funding

I recently read about the $1.5 million state donation to Christian Learning Centers of Greenville. I’m reasonably new to South Carolina (2018) and wondering how best to make my displeasure known.

There are so many dangerous legislative and judicial precedents impacting our lives today. We don’t need more.

A court case will hopefully nip this in the bud, but I feel that constituents should also be loud and clear to thwart anyone else attempting the same.

In South Carolina, and in the Upstate especially, there are so many Christians that many forget they have non-Christian neighbors, and that this is a major point of church and state separation — we don’t have an “official religion” of the State of South Carolina.

Catherine Moore, Greer

Theocracy or democracy?

Nearly 250 years ago, our country was formed, in part, to escape religious persecution. Now we have a Supreme Court composed of six Christian zealots, an S.C. legislature full of religious sycophants hell-bent on forcing anyone who becomes pregnant — rape, incest or otherwise be damned — to carry the baby to birth.

How about the unconstitutional use of public funds for a religious school? That’s OK according to the governor and legislature.

The difference between this and Iran — theirs is a Muslim theocracy, ours is a wannabe Christian theocracy. Both with loonies in charge.

Gary Cadle, St. Helena Island

High cost of higher ed

President Biden’s new plan to relieve some debt incurred by students for attending college is stirring debate about its cost and fairness.

As tuition rises outpacing inflation, students are having to borrow more to finance their education. But why is tuition rising? Should the blame land on a greedy higher education establishment? A major factor often ignored in the debate is the decline in state government support for public colleges and universities over the past 30 years (over 30% in South Carolina alone since 2008).

As state support declines, colleges and universities are forced to raise tuition to cover the actual costs of instruction. Nationally, students once paying a third of the cost of their education are now shouldering half those costs.

Higher education, once a public good for all, is increasingly viewed as only a private good by our legislators. Is that a wise disinvestment in our state’s future and a rising knowledge economy? Ask your representatives and governor.

David Ericson, HHI