Never a poor investment

Dear Editor,

Education is never a poor investment.

As a parent, taxpayer, resident of Pickens County, teacher and advocate for our Pickens County students, I am concerned about the opposition toward the proposed tax increase to fund education. One tax increase proposal would require a homeowner to pay $22 more a year on a $100,000 home — an additional $1.83 a month. Some would say the district needs to cut waste — not raise taxes. I assure you, there is no waste to cut, and to make cuts cost our students opportunities.

A public school is meant to serve the community and prepare students to be the next members and leaders of the community. A public school is not the place to withhold funding to protect our pocketbooks. If the community makes the choice to withhold funds from our children, it’s made the choice to not ensure a prosperous future for this county.

The effects of our choices now will not be seen for years to come. Test scores currently reflect the

There have been some startling reports of late from friends who’ve had surprises when returning from the grocery store with food. The friends shall remain nameless to protect their identities from possible irate food mega-giants.

Incident number one was reported and witnessed by at least a dozen people at a Christmas celebration. It was witnessed by all but noticed by just a few as they were, as usual, busy talking and eating,

Here’s what happened. A can of peaches and a jar of mincemeat were brought into a kitchen in a bag from the grocery store. The peaches were labeled as peach halves. There was a picture on

Whether you’re aware of it or not, I’m certain you’ve heard Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumblebee” at some point in your life. There are many days when it feels like my brain operates in perfect synchronicity with the orchestral interlude. My mother always jokes that I have “flight of ideas” but I don’t think it is much of a stretch some days.

I wish I could count the number of ideas that flutter through my mind in any given period of time. And I tell you this only because I have had about 10 different thoughts upon which to base my column this week, and I was thinking it would be neat if I could arrange them all into some type of cohesive, wordsmithed casserole. The busier and more overwhelmed I am, the more the ideas pour forth like a rush of