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Note: Comments posted at the bottom of this page are not submissions for the print version of Tell Willie and are for online readers to discuss today's Tell Willie column in real time. To submit a question or comment to Willie for the print newspaper click here or call 864-882-0903 and leave Willie a message. He checks his voice mail daily.

Willie,

I enjoy your area as usual. I question the sincerity of all the candidates and the gas prices. All three of them are active congressmen right now and they control three seats in Congress and if they were really sincere in helping us poor Americans with the gas problem, then why wouldn’t they have already introduced a bill for a solution or put it on the floor for discussion? Now they are pushing the issue because they are running for president and no one is really doing anything to help.

Willie says:

That’s what politics is about; pushing some paper around, doing a lot of talking, and getting too few results.

Willie,

Frank Ables wants to lessen the security at the courthouse, which history has proven can be volatile. I wonder if Mr. Ables would be willing to hold a zoning hearing, an overlay hearing or land use meeting in chambers without a regiment of sheriff’s officers. I don’t think he would after the uproar several years ago. Without security there, there would have probably been a loss of life. Some of these shenanigans going on now there would definitely be a situation that could be volatile. I don’t think he would want to hold a council meeting without proper security any more than the people want to go to the courthouse without it.

Willie says:

I’d guess that many would feel as you do.

Willie,

I read with interest the article about the two coaches at Clemson who were caught lifting funds and they are paying it back by a reduction in pay. I don’t see how they kept their jobs. If it had been you or me, we would have been locked up and given a little time to think about our sins. I just don’t understand how the system works. It sounds like they have a little clout like Ravenel, doesn’t it?

Willie says:

Sure does.

Willie,

On Friday, April 25, if saw a picture of Gov. Sanford with a plant owner, Frank Matthews looking down on a grinding machine that is obviously running because it showed the sparks. I noticed that neither man had any safety glasses on or protective clothing or gloves. I think that was a very ignorant picture for them to have made because they had no common sense to put on any safety gear. I just wanted to point that out.

Willie says:

I have a feeling the governor was more interested in showing his face than worrying about safety at that time. A photo op is just that — an opportunity for some face time in the newspapers.

Willie,

Clemson’s housing occupancy code is admirable and the fact it is enforced is reassuring to residents. Three cheers for Clemson City Councilman Butch Trent who said complaints from constituents are non-existent since housing codes were tightened.

Willie says:

Mr. Trent will appreciate your thanks.

Willie,

I watch the news daily on TV and read your page daily. It seems there are a lot of unhappy people out there. I just want to say life is like a vapor, it can be gone in a instant. So live today like it is your last.

Willie says:

That’s good advice. We all sweat the small stuff way too much.

Willie,

I have been following the zoning issue. It seems that there is a missing voice in this debate. What about the young people who are looking for jobs and want to stay here and raise their families in this wonderful area? I have some experience in relocating a business. It is a difficult decision and you have to spend at times millions of dollars. A new business looking to relocate wants to know that their investment is protected and supported by the community they move to. They want to come to a community that is a good place for their employees to live and raise their children. They want to move to a community that has pride in itself. They are not going to move next to an uncontrolled piece of property that could become a wastewater spray field. This may not seem right to some, but that is the real world.

Without new business in the community, our kids will have to move away just to find a good job. Without kids and young adults, a community slowly dies and all you end up with are retirees and old red necks with empty stores.

I hope the county council will remember their duty to the entire community and not just listen to a small self-serving group of people who have had their chance. Give our kids a chance and do the right thing for the community.

Willie says:

Thanks for thinking of the future; it is our children and grandchildren who have to live with our decisions.

Willie,

It appears that we finally have a good county administrator. I was impressed with his recent suggestion to council that the taxpayers might be given the chance to decide by referendum on funding for a jail expansion. He also seems to be saying that if we don’t have the money for new projects then we may have to go without. How long will it be before Blanchard and Ables will try to embarrass or belittle him?

Willie says:

Mr. Surrett will appreciate your support. The entire county council seemed committed to passing a budget with no tax increase, something the taxpayers have been asking for for some time.

Willie,

This is in regards to the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. That law is actually not enforced by the Department of Labor. It’s actually enforced by a state and federal agency. The State of South Carolina Department of Human Affairs Commission’s phone number is (800) 521-0725 and closer to home in Greenville is the EEOC and their number is (864) 241-4400.

Willie says:

Thanks for that clarification.

Willie,

This is a comment about the shopping cart that damaged someone’s truck. If their truck is that important and they want to protect it so much, why not just wrap it in bubble wrap and keep it in the garage? A truck is made to haul and get dirty; a truck is not for pleasure riding. I wish people would learn what a truck is truly for.

Willie says:

I guess if somebody buys a truck they can use it for whatever they darn well please! Wanting to keep it in good condition is not a fault. Shopping buggies are supposed to be put back in the lanes designed for them, not left out to wander with the wind.

Willie,

We appreciate your column; it gives us a chance to gripe and someone that will listen. I’d like to say that all these people who want to cover up their taillights and all this crap, I think they need to open their eyes and think about it. It makes it harder for people to see them from behind. I was following an S-10 and I couldn’t even see his signal until I was right up on him. They need to open their eyes and think.

Willie says:

Safety IS more important than looks; they probably haven’t actually looked at the lights in the dark. Keep it in mind, folks; you don’t want to get rear-ended just for looking good!

Willie,

This thing about allowing pregnant teens in school could be used to our children’s advantage. I read a comment by a young lady who was one of those pregnant teens in our schools. She spoke of her experience of attending school while being pregnant and getting her education. At least this young mother was still interested in getting her education instead of worrying about what everyone else was going to think or say. She was putting her unborn child first by finishing her education so she could get a higher education to be self-supporting and not have to live on welfare. I commend this young lady and others like her. She also said she was willing to come into the schools and speak to our children about these issues. Who better to teach our children than the voices of experience? Is that not why we want certified teachers because of their training or experience? I believe, as with any field, sometimes the experiences should outweigh the degrees by a long shot and give these girls (who continued their education) a degree in a lesson well learned.

Willie says:

I’m with you. Experience counts, whether it’s learned the hard way or through the educational system.

Willie,

I’m just curious. Are your responses based on your mood or who is doing the Willie column that day? You gave a nice response to the person who offered Web sites and support about the second chances for jobs for ex-cons, then turn around on May 1 and gave a rude remark about how some people never change no matter how many chances they get.

That sheds light on this column. Just like the person who admitted here in the paper and online in the posts, some people like to stir up the pot just to make it stink. I guess that’s what keeps your paper selling, huh? Well, I guess we’ll see if this one gets printed.

Willie says:

Here it is. Sure my responses are based on my mood; aren’t yours? As you know, there are a lot more negative comments to Willie than there are positive; that wears on me every now and then. Some days I feel like poking fun, some days are more serious; I’m no different than anyone else out there.