The rubber boots in the closet aren’t put to use too often. The last time I wore them was on Ocracoke Island the week after Hurricane Sandy. We’d gone by boat out to Portsmouth Island, south of Ocracoke, to collect shells dredged up by the hurricane from the bottom of the ocean. We needed the boots because the water closer to the beach was too shallow for the motor to be used and we all had to jump out and pull the boat ashore.

The boots will be in use this week, even though the torrential rain has finally come to an end. We have to go out into the woods and check the pasture fence.

There are lots of pines and other trees in close proximity to the fence line, and periodically after heavy rain and high wind some trees will come down, often atop the top strand of wire. It takes an entire day to cut up an entire pine tree and remove it from the fence, but it has to be done.

It’s also likely that since the ground is so soft some fence posts may not be completely upright, as the weight of the tree may bend them over.

If this event in the pasture on Fowler Farm was being covered by Jim Cantrell, he would say the fence has been compromised by the heavy rainfall.

Although we only have three horses now, and their brains are reported to be the size of a walnut, they clearly believe the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence and will leave their comfy home to find out if this is true.

On the brighter, side it is possible they may not notice the fence has been breached, but you never really know.

So inevitably after a weather event, it’s necessary to do a complete fence surveillance.

Hence the boots.

You may wonder why the boots are necessary after the rain has stopped. Should you care to walk through the soft ground surrounding the hay barn, you would soon have the answer to this question.

It is not unknown to have the shoes sucked off your feet by the heavy gumbo around the barn.

If that happens and balance is lost, it is possible to fall flat on your back in the mud and remain there until a rescue operation can be mounted.

It is not my life’s ambition to list among my achievements that a tractor was used to pull me from a mud bog.

Granted, it would add to the collection of family farm history to be able to include such an incident, but it’s my belief there’s already a pretty complete collection of similar stories.

And so it’s a good thing there are rubber boots in the closet. It’s always better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them.

Saitta talks SDPC audit

Dear Editor

The school district’s 2015 financial audit is complete, and the district’s budget ended the year in surplus of $3.8 million. Unfortunately, $3.3 million of that surplus was spent on building maintenance and equipment. Staggering building costs continue to eat up the budget.

Savings increased $550,000 in 2014-15. It is safe to say the district has built about $4 to $5 million in savings. This is a far contrast to 2010 when the district was facing a $2.75 million deficit and had negative savings, having to borrow money to meet payroll late that year.

Total spending this past fiscal year was $193.4 million — that’s $11,690 per student.

The budget is still generating surpluses and building savings. This is due to five primary reasons:

1. Unlike surrounding school districts and in the face of opposition, our school board bit the bullet and made permanent reductions in spending in 2010 and 2011. As a result the budget deficit that year and for years to come was wiped out.

2. As the economy rebounded and new revenue started to flow-in in 2012, 2013 and 2014, the board limited annual spending growth, and surpluses and savings began to build.

3. A by-product of this fiscal austerity was it altered the culture by making employees more cost conscious. Looking at the details of the audit, actual spending for hundreds of items were below budgeted expenditures. The district leadership and employees have done a good job of keeping actual spending under budgeted spending the past few years.

4. The economy is now in the seventh year of its upswing, so revenue has been growing steadily for years now. The TIF lawsuit help boost revenue too.

5. While I didn’t agree with this, about 55 teaching positions have been eliminated the last two years, and that has created savings, too.

Combing through the 102-page audit, total debt of the district is $303.1 million. That is down from the peak of $382.5 million in 2007.

Under the stress of rising retirement costs, the contribution the district pays into the state pension has risen from 8.05 percent in 2007 to 10.75 percent in 2015. The pension system is woefully under-funded, so taxpayers as well as employees are having to pay more. The district’s portion of the liability is $142.7 million.

By the way, 31 percent of the state’s pension assets are now invested in the stock market. It has another 31 percent invested in even riskier assets like hedge funds, private equity and debt, as well as commodities. It is assuming a 7.5 percent annual return on its investments.

The financial condition of the district has improved significantly the past few years due to economic growth and improved budget management. Longer-term, the bond debt is still staggering, more than $300 million. The pension liability is probably $250 million given market returns are likely to fall short of 7.5 percent. The audit doesn’t mention the district’s long-term medical liability is, but it is undoubtedly high (probably north of $200 million) and going higher because ObamaCare continues to ratchet up medical costs.

Many state and local governments look the same way, better in the short-run, but buried in debt and having made too many promises they’ll never be able to afford in the long-run.

Alex Saitta

School board trustee

Pickens

A challenge on fire fee

Dear Editor,

I write this letter to the editor in hopes it will reach each person in Pickens County owning open land. Pickens County Council has applied a “fire fee” on all open land in the county. This will be found on your tax bill for 2015. This fee is applied to all plots; for example, if you own three plots of land 5.1 acres or more, you will pay $80 on each piece, coming to a $240 tax increase. Council passed this scale: 0.1 to 5 acres $20, 5.1 to 20 acres $80, 20.1 to 100 acres $160, 100.1 to 1,000 acres $240, and greater than 1,000 acres $320. So if you own one, acre you pay $20. If you own 1000.1 acres you pay $0.32 per acre, or $320. How can this scale be justified? The population of Pickens County is about 120,000 people in the 2014 census. If 50,000 people pay a one-acre fire fee of $20, this will bring in about $1 million, and of course this is only a small amount to what real income will be from this fee. County fire fees do not go to city fire departments. We now have 13 county fire stations, but more will be added in the future.

I ask you to contact county council members. The six members are listed below, along with their districts and phone numbers.

Ensley Feemster — District 1, Clemson, (864) 654-3862.

Trey Whitehurst — District 2, Six Mile, (864) 639-6035.

Randy Crenshaw — District 3, Pickens, (864) 868-2879.

Neil Smith — District 4, Liberty, (864) 878-6026.

Jennifer Willis — District 5, Easley, (864) 859-6096.

Tom Ponder — District 6, Dacusville, (864) 430-1386.

I challenge you to let your council know your view on the decision council has made. I also ask that each open land owner come to the county council meeting scheduled for Oct. 19 at 6:30 pm. Rules for speaking are that you must sign up before the meeting. Call (864) 898-5856. The location is the Pickens County administration building at 222 McDaniel Ave in Pickens.

Ruth Clark

Pickens

More on fire fee proposed by county

Dear Editor,

An in-depth news reporting of Pickens County Council’s decision to apply a fire fee charge on all unoccupied agricultural property is needed.

The fire fee charges now being added to the existing property owners tax bill for 2015 are:

1. 0 to 5 acres, an additional $20 is applied

2. 5.1 to 20 acres, an additional $80 is applied

3. 20.1 to 100 acres, an additional $120 is applied

4. 100.1 to 1,000 acres, an additional $240 is applied

5. 1,000+, an additional $320 is applied

As a retired senior citizen living on a fixed income, the county council has increased my property tax burden by more than 900 percent.

My property is in various small separate tracts, and as such, I am forced to pay this fire fee on each parcel of land.

My property already has rural fire coverage provided by the S.C. Forestry Department, which is paid through my S.C. state tax. And Pickens County has a tax millage applied to cover fire protection, which I already pay. So why is additional money required of me to pay?

One of my small tracts of mountain forest is land-locked, with no road access. When I asked the rural fire chief how a fire on this would be handled, he said the S.C. Forestry Department would be called in to work it. So why am I charged a fee for non-existent help?

When I spoke with council chairwoman Jennifer Willis concerning these fire fees, I asked what recourse I have as to appealing the extra cost. In a rather callous response, she said there is no recourse, and I quote, “You have to pay it.”

The next Pickens County Council meeting is October 19 at 6:30 p.m. in Pickens. But I’m concerned that many taxpayers will be unaware of the egregious fee and higher tax bills since the mail has not yet delivered these. The county council members must be made to explain and be held accountable to the voters and citizens of Pickens County for this attack on our pocketbooks.

I and other affected agricultural land owners in Pickens County need to know how six individuals can arbitrarily impose the taking of money without clear discussions, notifications or citizens voting approval.

Please, I implore you to research these issues and be a part of the upcoming meeting on Oct. 19 at 6: 30 p.m. at 222 McDaniel Ave. in Pickens.

Marie Vaughan

Easley

Last week was occupied by travel and relative visiting in a 1,000-mile
trek. Actually, for the sake of accuracy, it was 958 miles, but 1,000 miles sounds like a lot more.

[cointent_lockedcontent]Due to some identity problems with my laptop (it refuses to operate as a laptop and will only work when physically attached), it was unable to go with me.

This wasn’t a concern on the trip, as my phone accompanied me, so sending and receiving emails was still going to happen.

Surprise, surprise. Disaster struck. Although receiving emails wasn’t a problem, there was no way to send them. This occurred between Charlotte and Fayetteville for absolutely no reason within my ability to comprehend.

Eight days later, upon returning home, I discovered my computer had drastically altered. It had developed an alternate personality during my absence. How can this be? Clearly my computer is suffering from schizophrenia. I checked to see if any of the scuppernong wine was missing, but it was all there. It has to be a chemical imbalance.

And it may not be suffering alone.

It is disturbing to find the search engine that you’re perfectly happy with replaced. Also, my home page has been replaced, and accessing email accounts is a complicated process taking up to five minutes. There are also some password problems.

In addition, my computer tells me I no longer have a printer, and the print icon has disappeared from my desktop.

When an attempt to reload the printer was made, the computer wouldn’t allow it.

When an attempt to replace the new search engine with the old one was made, the computer blocked it. The same thing happened when an attempt was made to restore the home page.

Every morning I fear turning on my computer. What will it do next? If it is capable, as it clearly is, of making decisions without human input, it could take over our home.

We may not be able to choose the programs we want to watch on TV. The car may not want to take me where I want to go.

It may decide to stop going to the grocery store or the post office.

Or maybe the computer will decide we don’t need to drive at all and will lock down the ignition.

What if it blocks our phone calls?

We’ll be isolated from humans and will be completely controlled by a small rectangular piece of equipment holding all the cards.

We’ve heard about how power corrupts and how unlimited power leads to total corruption.

The computer was left alone at home too long and began making decisions on its own. With no supervision, it decided to rule the world, one family at a time.

And before you dismiss this as pure fantasy, give it some thought. How can we keep these things from happening? Stay alert. You could be next.

[/cointent_lockedcontent]

A village can prevail

Dear Editor,

There has been a lot of talk — and some of it has been written — about the senseless killings of two innocent men who were not harming anyone. The men I am speaking of, of course, are Bill Isaacs and Dickie Stewart. I did not know Mr. Stewart, but Bill Isaacs talked with me endlessly with a humble sound in his voice about how to raise my fish.

I read in the newspaper that it is not illegal to discharge a firearm in the county jurisdiction of Pickens. I will ask, why?

Bullets have no eyes, but people have eyes, as well as a voice, but instead of talking about it, do something about it.

There are people to talk to to get laws passed, and a good start is with our elected officials. There is also the voting system. If the elected officials don’t do their jobs, make a change come voting time.

In my criminal justice classes, the instructor talked a lot about probable cause. Believe me, I am not kicking the responding officers, because all of them have a very tough job and a very fine line to walk, but I cannot for the life of me believe that in the technology of today and the sharp eyes of a good officer that the criminal could outsmart any of them. It takes a smart criminal to look a good officer in the eye and be a liar. Surely, there had to be probably cause for an arrest before it came to what happened.

I live in a restricted subdivision in Dacusville, and in March 2009, a new tenant moved into the only rental home and decided he could target practice with a high-powered rifle. He was asked by one person to stop shooting, because there is no way to point a gun without it being pointed toward a home, but he didn’t listen. In April 2009, I was working in my yard when he started shooting, so I yelled at him three times to stop. The third time, he told me to “shut your **** mouth.”

I went into my house and called the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office and told the dispatcher what was going on. Then-Captain Dewey Smith responded to my call, and after listening to the shots being fired, he drove to the man’s yard. I did not hear what the man said to Captain Smith or vice versa, but the man did not spend that night at home. Maybe we were lucky or maybe the time was 2009, but all it took was one call and one good officer.

I will say again — people, stop talking and start doing. Sometimes it does take a village.

Genell Stewart-Mull

Dacusville

Recently at the College of Charleston, State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman delivered what was billed as The State of the Schools Speech.

What I heard was the single most encouraging speech I’ve heard about education in South Carolina in a long, long time.

It was not a traditional ‘state of…’ speech — full of facts, figures and overblown political claims and promises. Instead, what I saw was a committed caring school teacher from rural Saluda County (who just happens to be in charge of our state’s public education) talking with folks about our children, what’s good and what’s bad about our schools and what we need to do to fix them.

After listening to her talk about her genuine love for our state and our children, I decided that Molly Spearman may be the distilled essence of positive, traditional South Carolina values.

Her life story sounds like something that would make John Boy Walton jealous: she grew up on a farm in rural Saluda County. In addition to her farm chores, at age 12 she began playing the piano and organ at her small country church. She and her family still go to that same church and she is the music director and organist.

She went to the local college (Lander) where she was student body president (of course) and then went ‘off’ to get an advanced degree at a big time school (George Washington University). On a blind date, she met her future husband, a Clemson student from the next county over.

After her education, she taught music for 18 years and was named Teacher of the Year (naturally) and then became a state legislator where she was known as a fierce advocate for children. She later worked in the Department of Education and then became head of the S.C. Association of School Administrators, a professional organization of over 3,600 principals, superintendents and school leaders.

She is probably the best prepared Superintendent of Education that we have had in generations.

But what was most striking in her speech was not her academic smarts (which she has) or her command of policy issues, fact and figures (which she demonstrated) but the genuine warmth and affection — even love — that she showed for our state and its children.

What did she say was the most important thing for teachers to do? “Love your students.” And she means it; it didn’t come across as hokey or canned. She is genuine.

And after four years of her predecessor, who seemed far more interested in extremist ideology than in education, her reception among classroom teachers and the boost in their morale has been palpable. As one teacher from Summerville told me, “When Molly was elected, teachers thought they had died and gone to heaven.”

Before continuing on with my gushing, it’s time for full disclosure. I did not support Spearman when she ran for State Superintendent. She is a Republican and I’m a Democrat so… And, as of late, I have been working with her and her staff on an innovative education project called World Class Scholars and they have been nothing but terrific. As is obvious, I have what my preacher father called ‘the zeal of a convert.’

What was most exciting to me was her enthusiasm for what might happen with education reform. After a 21-year lawsuit by the 39 poorest school district (the Abbeville Case) the State Supreme Court has mandated that the Legislature seriously do something to fix these schools in the Corridor of Shame. Spearman believes that for the first time in a generation, the stars are aligned to get real reform in education. Let’s all hope so.

Clearly she knows what needs to be done and is not shying away from the tough issues, even the most controversial of issues such as race.

On teacher pay — “It’s ridiculous that an early teacher has to work two to three jobs…Our teacher salary schedule is so messed up, it’s beyond repair.”

On early intervention whatever the cost — “We have to get to children quickly — in year one.”

On going beyond the Three Rs — “The soft skills are just as important to overall success and have been neglected. Children who learn how to solve problems develop grit and a commitment to something that builds character and life skills. They are successful in life, not just successful on test scores.”

On too many school districts — “Consolidation — some don’t want to talk about this, but there are some very small districts that are too small and very inefficient and I think we have to come up with some incentives.”

On segregation — “I think there are some conversations that need to take place in these very, very small (school) districts, which are, quite honestly, still segregated by race and socioeconomics. …It’s time for the adults to do the right thing.”

So, can we all relax now and let Spearman fix education in South Carolina?’ Hardly.

We still have a Legislature that seems more interested in posturing and postponing than in actually doing anything. We still have too many parents that won’t (or don’t know how) to get involved to help their children. And, we still have too many of us who may not have kids in public school so we simply don’t do our part to fix the schools.

But this I do know, we have a terrific Superintendent who says the stars are aligning (Abbeville Case) for a once in a lifetime opportunity to get serious education reform.

Will it happen? I don’t know, but I’m betting on the country girl from Saluda.

Phil Noble is a businessman in Charleston and president of the S.C. New Democrats, an independent reform group founded by former Gov. Richard Riley to bring change and reform. He can be reached at phil@scnewdemocrats.org.

Everybody needs to have a hobby — something they do just for fun. [cointent_lockedcontent]Uncle Walter and Aunt Annie Bea both believed firmly in the importance of recreational pursuits and practiced what they preached.

Now, Uncle Walter actually had many hobbies and was versatile in his activities. He spent a lot of time coming up with different ways to rig things to make them work. He was a teller of tall tales and had a credulous and captive audience in all of us.

He’d been a medic in World War I and would operate on man or beast, free of charge. He’d won a dance contest in Atlantic City as a young man and loved music.

He’d farmed, run a service station and a cotton gin and knew how to roller skate. I don’t know that he ever officially retired, because he was always busy doing something.

He had a magic way with all animals and once raised a litter of fox cubs with his hound dog as a substitute mother. They moved in with her newborn pups, and they all nursed together.

He told us he’d been a tent mate of Randolph Scott during the war. This was fame indeed. Randolph Scott was a renowned actor who specialized in Westerns, and we were all very impressed.

When Grandmama heard this story one day out on the front porch, she raised her eyebrows and said, “Really?” in a very skeptical way, so I had my doubts about this story.

He kept us all busy constantly running errands. He’d call a child and say, “Run in yonder and get my” glasses or walking stick or teeth. Sometimes he’d forget to put his teeth in but would remember when it was time to eat breakfast.

He was a faithful member of the American Legion and never missed a meeting.

Grandmama had never learned to drive, and he always took her anywhere she wanted to go. Every Friday afternoon, he’d drive her over to Mattie’s Beauty Parlor and wait in the car while Grandmama had her hair done.

His lungs had been damaged during the war, and he always had a slight wheeze, but it never seemed to slow him down.

Now, Aunt Annie Bea was his baby sister. He adored her and called her Bea. Grandmama called her Honey Bea.

Aunt Annie Bea had her own farm closer to town than ours. She and Uncle Walter always raised a field of watermelons together, and every year would load up the farm truck and drive down to the beach to sell them. This was purely recreational, as they usually spent the proceeds on good seafood before coming home. They’d bring a bushel basket of oysters or a bucket of shrimp on ice, and then oh, how we’d feast.

Aunt Annie Bea was a striking old lady. She’d been a great beauty in her day. She had a great sense of humor and a fiery personality. She played bridge, ran her own farm, told great jokes, and in her spare time — of which there was little — she’d be busy with a lawsuit.

It was a hobby of hers. One of her sons was an attorney, and she’d always be involved in some kind of lawsuit. She enjoyed this very much and would talk about new developments over Sunday dinner.

We children were never informed about her lawsuits, because many subjects in our house were deemed unsuitable for the ears of children. So, after we were all excused from the table and after dinner coffee was brought in, the grownups would lower their voices and discuss these weighty subjects.

We always thought we were missing the best part of the meal, because there was never a dull moment when they talked. It was like listening to a very entertaining radio show.

Grandmama would always keep a sharp eye out for any lurking child with flapping ears and would be quick to tell us to go outside and “Run off some of that energy.” And then she’d think to add, “Don’t slam the screen door!”, but those last instructions were always given a second too late, because it was already slammed.[/cointent_lockedcontent]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a timely message for seniors: The use of flu antiviral medications cuts the length of hospital stays for those who are hospitalized with the flu, and reduces the risk of needing care after discharge.

That’s important information. The last thing we seniors need this winter is to come down with the flu. It hits us harder than nearly any other age group, with 80 percent to 90 percent of flu-related deaths being in people age 65 and older.

The study cited by the CDC says that the earlier the antiviral medications are started, the better they work. The key is seeing your doctor right away if you think you have the flu, because the medications are by prescription only — not something you can get over the counter. Antiviral drugs can be taken as liquid, pills, an inhaled powder or intravenously.

Seeing a doctor within two days of getting sick and starting the medication within four days substantially reduced the length of illness or hospital stay, the study indicated. Even those who started the medication more than two days later saw some benefit, although not as much. Those who were hospitalized and released were 25 percent to 60 percent less likely to need extended care.

The CDC says even with antiviral medications, it’s still important to get our annual flu shots. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth. And stay away from those who are sick.

More tips: Carry a packet of sanitizer wipes and use them everywhere — grocery cart handles, library book covers, door handles, etc. Eat healthy food, drink plenty of water and get enough sleep.

(c) 2015 King Features Synd., Inc.

Clearing up petroglyph story facts

Dear Editor,

Last week’s article on the Hagood Creek Petroglyph Site said the Hagood Mill was built in 1826 and moved and rebuilt on the site. The cabins at the site were built in Pickens County, disassembled and rebuilt on site, but the mill has always been there. Bailey Anderson built the first mill around 1790. The Jennings family bought it from him in about 1793. The Hagoods bought it from the Jenningses in about 1825. The mill standing today was built in 1845 on the same site as the old Anderson mill.

Also, the petroglyphs were made by Native Americans. To many, that probably implies Cherokee, but these are not Cherokee. Most scholars make a distinction between the Moundbuilders and the Cherokee around 1400 A.D. Obviously, there is no definite time when the people decided they were Cherokee, but the point is these petroglyphs are not Cherokee culture in nature and predate them as an identified people. So, you could say the Mississippian or Moundbuilder cultures probably made them.

When did they arrive? Who knows? Everyone used to say about 13,000 years ago North America was peopled, but now evidence suggests the first humans came 18,000 years ago from Asia across a frozen Bering Sea. When did a person first step foot on that rock or drink from the creek or whatever water was nearby? We’ll never know.

But we do know that since the petroglyphs are there made by human hands, it was a place to be and to stay and to enjoy. It still is today.

Reed Severance

Miller, Hagood Mill

Pickens

GOP getting past issues at convention

Dear Editor,

In April, the Pickens County GOP held its convention, where officers of the party were elected to two-year terms by the seated delegates at the convention. State Rep. Neal Collins protested the results of the convention to the State Party because he brought 48 people with him that night, tried to seat them as delegates, and they were not seated.

Collins’ hope was that by adding these additional delegates that night at the last-minute, he would then have enough votes to be elected county GOP chairman, along with State Rep. Gary Clary as first vice-chairman and State Rep. Davey Hiott as second vice-chairman.

The rules, which are clearly written in the State GOP handbook, state the process of verifying the eligibility of delegates must be completed by county GOP officials no less than five days before the convention. County party officials were completely unaware of these additional people until they arrived at the convention with Collins. In apparent disregard of the rules, Collins took to the floor of the convention, making arguments and motions to have his 48 people seated as voting delegates.

The local party officials and 155 properly seated delegates listened to his arguments and twice voted down adding Collins’ last-minute delegates. Collins then filed a protest with the State GOP, asking the state to overturn the convention and schedule a second convention with his 48 delegates seated.

On Saturday, Aug. 22, the State GOP heard the protest in Columbia, which was conducted like a courtroom trial. State GOP chairman Matt Moore acted as judge, and 36 members of the State GOP Executive Committee acted as the jury.

Collins and Clary were the plaintiffs and argued their case. The Pickens County GOP was the defendant, represented by chairman Phillip Bowers, Pickens County State Executive Committee Rep. Sylvia Bass and me, Rick Tate, first vice-chairman.

There were more than two hours of testimony and questioning. Both sides were heard.

You’d never know it by reading some of the local newspaper articles, but the State Party Executive Committee voted 34-2 to deny the protest of the Collins and Clary coalition, and the results of the 2015 Pickens County Republican Party Convention were upheld. Bowers was clearly vindicated in the decisions he made on the night of the convention.

Collins tried to “game” the system. This would be like walking into a polling place on Election Day and saying to the precinct manager, “You must register these people to vote, let them vote today, and by the way, they are all going to vote for me.”

It is my hope we can now put this behind us and work toward implementing our party platform.

Rick Tate

First vice-chairman

Pickens County Republican Party