|
Date Published: May 2, 2004
Running scared a good thing for Sumter
Sometimes “running scared” might not be such a
bad thing. Such is the case as the Sumter community contemplates
BRAC 2005 and the related commentary from our so-called state
leaders.
Whether it’s Gov. Mark Sanford spouting off earlier
this week about the “spotlight” being on Shaw Air Force Base or news
that USC Sumter still has a few hurdles to clear before achieving
4-year status, it is apparent that we cannot afford to rest on our
laurels. We still have our work cut out for us.
Local leaders
are working harder than ever to keep Shaw Air Force Base and make
sure that USC Sumter gets its 4-year status just as the Life
Sciences Bill was intended. Sure, it doesn’t help when our governor
expresses his “concern” about Shaw Air Force Base … over and over
again.
Nevertheless, we still need to follow the suggestions
of those like Air Force Maj. Gen. Tom Olsen, our lead man for the
local base defense committee. Additionally, former Mayor Steve
Creech is playing a large role locally as well. Up in Washington,
D.C., U.S. Rep. John Spratt, our 5th District Congressman and the
Spectrum Group, the Washington based consultant firm hired to help
keep Shaw Air Force Base open, are doing more than their fair share
to keep Shaw Air Force Base here.
When it comes to making our
base stronger and simply better overall, we’ve got the right people
in place to help us do that.
What is positive about all of
this is that it should force us into the habit of staying on the
defensive and working hard all the time for everything we deserve in
this community. That means continuing to make our Air Force base
stronger, even after the dust has settled and we’ve made it through
another round of base closures … which we will.
The same goes
for USC Sumter achieving 4-year status. We must continue to work to
make USC Sumter the best school in the state and prove the naysayers
wrong (i.e. Sanford and University President Dr. Andrew Sorensen).
We all know our professors at the USC Sumter campus are
among the best when it comes to actually teaching somebody something
worthwhile. Students are learning from the actual professors and not
a teacher’s aid in our classrooms here. Research might be important
to some of the elitists in Columbia but we prefer real lesson plans
for students on the Sumter campus.
It’s common knowledge to
most that the Sumter community must fight tooth and nail to get even
the crumbs left behind by the larger cities like Greenville,
Columbia and Charleston. That’s what makes this community and
surrounding areas great. We work for everything we get and actually
deserve it more than many of the others. When we do get dollars for
the cultural arts or any other quality of life project that could
help our community compete with the big boys, you know someone went
to bat for Sumter and our community and spent a lot of time “working
the system.” Not too many legislators from outside our area have
ever thrown dollars our way because they thought we deserved it.
When you live in a city like Charleston, Columbia or Greenville, a
lot of good things come your way for simply living in the right city
at the right time.
In short, Sumterites and our leaders have
overcome many setbacks in the past. Having to deal with the
possibility of our base closing is not necessarily a setback but
rather a way to show the rest of the state how resilient we really
are.
It’s just another challenge for us to conquer.
E-mail
to a friend Previous
Page |
June 9, 2004 
