Thumbs up, thumbs down

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Thumbs Up to the Greenville County Museum of Art, which is hosting an extensive show of works by Jasper Johns, one of the nation's great modern painters and a South Carolina native. The 90-piece exhibition includes works created by the 74-year- old Johns since 1983. Johns, often referred to as the father of Pop art and Minimalism, grew up in Allendale County and attended the University of South Carolina briefly before moving to New York in the 1950s. The Greenville exhibition underscores Johns' shift in the past two decades toward more personal works, with allusions to childhood memories. The show, which continues through May 23, is a notable achievement for the museum and an opportunity for Greenvillians to see the works of an influential American painter who also happens to be a native son of the state as well.

Bad timing for hefty pay raises

Thumbs Down to Gov. Mark Sanford for giving sizable pay raises to two communications staff employees who have not seen an increase in responsibility. The communications director got a 14 percent increase and the governor's spokesman got a 41 percent raise. The governor's Washington representative got an 11 percent raise, but his job responsibilities increased. Sanford made a credible argument that his communications staffers are making less than employees with similar responsibilities in other administrations, and that his staffers agreed to work for less in the beginning because his office was absorbing unexpected expenses from the previous administration. That said, the substantial pay raises come at a time of extraordinary state budget cuts, and they seem out of line with the sacrifice being made by other state employees.