2011 was a scary year for nuclear reactor sites. As we all learned, a loss of coolant could produce a fuel melt and large radiation releases.
“Everyone is unique and that makes each of us special.”
I suspect most members of Congress will want to forget the year that just ended.
In Pickens County, the local “Meals on Wheels” program announced in early January that it’s teaming up with another organization to prepare emergency food packages for homebound people in case inclement weather creates hazardous driving conditions that prevent Meals on Wheels volunteers from being able to deliver food, according to the Pickens Sentinel.
2011 was a banner year for the South Carolina Senate Republicans. We made monumental strides in our commitment to reforming state government, because we know government itself is the strongest hindrance to economic prosperity. We will continue this work through the 2012 legislative session that begins in Columbia this week.
You’re probably aware the federal government just rejected South Carolina’s recently-passed “Voter ID” law, which would require voters to present photo identification before casting a ballot in an election.
On Dec. 16, 1944, the men of Lt. Lyle Bouck’s platoon had their all-night vigil interrupted by a pre-dawn fusillade of artillery rounds from a hundred German guns, their muzzle flashes punctuating the darkness like a volley of fireballs hurled from the pit of hell. Instead of telling his intelligence and reconnaissance platoon to withdraw against the German onslaught and return to their company, he ordered them to stay and fight. And fight they did. After allowing some 300 German troops to pass close by their foxholes on the road to Lanzerath, Bouck saw his ambush plans foiled by a last-second warning to the German commanders behind them, and the firefight commenced.
For elected office-holders – from local town councils and school boards, to the state legislature and U.S. Congress -the New Year offers a unique time to reflect on how we might better serve the public.
While working families struggle to make ends meet in this sluggish economy, there is a bright spot on the horizon: On Jan. 1, the minimum wage will increase in eight states, raising wages for more than 1.4 million low-wage workers. The increases in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont and Washington are a result of state laws that adjust the minimum wage upward each year to keep pace with the rising cost of living.
The New Year is a time of resolutions. It’s a time when people commit to making a change in their life. Losing weight, changing jobs, saving money, making money, a new relationship, getting in shape, going back to school or giving up smoking are just some of the goals people set for themselves on Jan. 1.