Don’t make the Island causeways commercial

corridors

When the Planning Commission and Georgetown County Council adopted zoning for the coastal section of the County in the early 1970s careful consideration was given to the commercial designations at intersections.

The Three Island Girls application for a change in their lot to commercial is the first on the North Causeway in 40 years (38 years from the same request two years ago) since the adoption of zoning.. This could cause applicants for commercial extending to the creek and the boundary of the Town of Pawleys Island. This could apply to both sides of the road.

The applicant’s lot location is directly opposite the entrance to a high density residential subdivision. Traffic condition would become a problem.

The North Causeway Road is a scenic access to the Island that was recently named by National Geographic as one of “the best family trips (internationally) for 2012.” Each year there are families vacationing on Pawleys Island from every state and a number of foreign countries.

Converting this road to a commercial strip would surely destroy the canopy of trees that is a part of the appeal to those who vacation here. Commercial signs would replace the present tranquility of the area. The pedestrian traffic would be prohibitive.

Pawleys Island is a valuable economic asset for Georgetown County and all should be done to improve

the ambiance that attracts vacationers. Many small businesses and restaurants on Highway 17 depend on the families that visit here.

The Pawleys Island Civic Association board of directors voted unanimously to oppose any type of commercial on the lot submitted for the reasons stated above and request that the Commission deny this request. (Commissioner Henry exempted.)

We will appreciate your consideration and vote for denial.

Linwood Altman, president

Pawleys Island

Civic Association

Cut everything now

Note: This letter was sent to President Barack Obama and to the members of the South Carolina Congressional Delegation who serve Georgetown County.

Dear Gentlemen:

Please vote to cut all federal spending now; military, social security, Medicare, Medicaid, student loans, everything.

Please do not say what you are going to cut over 10 years, or over 100 years, or over 1 million years. For that and you are not true when you say that. Please say only what you have cut now. That is the truth.

My parents are age 90 and age 78. Please cut their social security and Medicare first.

I was a USMC veteran after high school, and a USAF JAG after law school; please cut the defense budget second.

I am age 62. Please increase the social security retirement age to 70 now. Increase my age requirement to 70 third.

Please quit talking about whether Obamacare is good or bad. Please quit talking about free Medicare and Medicaid. Please quit talking about free health care for active government workers, federal, state, schools, and local. Please quit talking about free health care for retired government workers, federal, state, schools, and local. Please quit talking about free military health care for active duty military. Please quit talking about free health care for military retirees.

Please quit talking about how we do not have socialized medicine in the USA. All that health care we already have now for all these people, including all of you politicians, is already free socialized medicine now, that someone else is paying the bill for your health care.

Please pass universal health care now for everyone that is a legal citizen in the USA, from birth to death. Then the few citizens paying the bill for everyone else's already free, socialized Medicare, Medicaid, active and retired government workers healthcare, active and retired military healthcare, will also get free socialized medicine. Of course, probably unless the doctors want to work for free, someone will have to pay a few dollars in taxes to pay for the free socialized universal health care.

Please send not one more penny to Afghanistan, to Iraq, to Syria, to Egypt. The sands of those countries have soaked up blood from the Greeks, the Romans, the Mongols, the Turks, the English, the French, and us Americans for thousands of years.

Our efforts in those countries are not doing anything to help ourselves. They are not one more degree closer to democracy that they were 5,000 years ago.

Their idea of democracy is to murder who ever does not agree with you, then you elect yourself prime minister for life, steal everything in the country, and rule until some of the people get so disgusted with you that they kill you. Then they elect themselves prime minister for life, kill everyone who does not agree with them, steal everything in the country, and the cycle goes on for thousands of years.

Not one American dead marine, not one blown off leg, not one dollar of the trillions we are pouring into those countries, will help us or them one iota.

Best regards,

Reuben Goude

Georgetown

Fulfilling one’s dream

As I sat and looked at many of the sports on the Olympic games played by the various countries, I thought about how much time and dedication these athletes have invested into the games to get them there. I am sure they have encountered some heartaches and disappointment along the way.

But, they stayed the course and it paid off for them. For you see the parents along with them cheering them on. We know as parents that we sacrifice for our children to succeed in life. It was a blessing just to see how the athletes enjoy winning in their fields that they have chosen.

I enjoyed watching the success for them. And those who did not win are still winners for just trying to win.

We have to keep remembering the saying: “Winners never quit and quitters never win.”

God bless them.

Mary S. Sargent

Georgetown