Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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-opinion Responsibility vital for drinking drivers Social life at USC has never been boring. Dorm parties, fraternity parties and local bars provide an active social calendar for all interested students. No excuses are needed for Carolina students to have a party. The only requirement is there must be plenty to drink. As with most parties, alcoholic beverages are the drawing card for the event and the highlight of the evening. What drink is being served is often as important as what to wear. Parties are fun, but drinking and then driving ? i- - f A.' i? A J iicivt ueuume aspects 01 parties mat are coo important to ignore. Too many people feel they can't go anywhere without drinking. Alcohol-related traffic accidents are major killers today. Drunk drivers kill themselves. Drunk drivers kill others. The story is sad, but critical. As college students, we must be able to do something to change the statistics. The laws are fairly lenient regarding drunk drivers when one considers the harm these drivers are capable of committing. Laws vary from state to state. Some states suspend the offender's driver's license for six months and charge a minimal fine, while other states immediately throw a drunk driver into jail for months. This is not an area where leniency should be practiced. Anyone caught drunk driving should Ktv n..( r ~ 1: J A uc put ui jaxi. i_juaa ui ci uriver s uceiibtj aues not make up for the loss of a life. Parties will continue to be a major part of student life, as will drinking, but there are several options to the death wish situations frequently experienced in the past. First and foremost, students must learn to drink responsibly. All of us should be mature enough to realize when we've had too much to drink and know how to quit. If not, perhaps we don't need to be drinking in the first place. Breathalizers are adequate tools for determining drunkenness. One would be surprised at the small amount of alcohol in the bloodstream that can make one legally drunk. Although the most tell-tale signs of drunkenness, such as staggering, blurred speech and vision and irrational behavior, may not be recognized, after a few drinks a person's coordination and control arp olparlv altprpri Judgement and alert reaction are affected after one 12-ounce beer. Put someone behind the wheel of a car after a six-pack and he's a killer. Students must look out for each other. There should be enough care and concern to prevent someone from driving if he has had too much to drink. Take the keys away. The drunk person may hate you for it then, but he'll thank you the next morning. Positive peer pressure is the best solution. Giving keys to an intoxicated driver is like giving a gun to a criminal. No party is worth a funeral. Remember that thought the next time you're winning the chugging contest or playing your best game of "quarters." If you drink, don't drive. And don't let your friend drive, either. I ?Gamecock ???> Kdi tor-in-Chief Richard Meyers Copy Desk Chief David DeWitt Opinion Page Kditor . Vicbi Jinnette News Kditor John Braun Wire Kditor Sydne Waller Asst. News Kditor JeffDraine Photo Kditor Mike Fisher Asst. News Kditor. . . Forrest Drown (General Manager Ron Emler Knt. Kditor John Vaughan Adviser Mark F.thridge, Jr. Asst. Knt. Kditor Chris Handal Ad Manager Linda S. Haines Sports Kditor Johnny Hoggs Business Manager .. . Jean Hatchell Asst. Sports Kditor. Dennis Switzer Production Manager Mark McEwan Newsroom 717 1181 Advertising 111 4249 Business Office 111 3888 Production 777-2833 The Gamecock welcomes letters and guest editorials. All letters and guest editorials must be typewritten, triple-spaced on a 65-spacelinc. Letters should be no longer than 300 words and guest editorials should be limited to one newsworthy subject no longer than four typed pages. Letters and guest editorials MUST be signed with the writer's name, telephone number, mailing address, class standing or faculty position and major. Pseudonyms are unacceptable, but the writer's name may be withheld upon request if the circumstances warrant. We reserve the right to edit guest editorials and letters. Address letters and columns to: Opinion Page Editor, Gamecock. Drawer A, USC, Columbia, S C. 29208. ?letters Foreign investrm Rlf Inffrou C A man m y wum vj u. m pail Foreign investment plays an important role in South Carolina's economy. From less than $80 million in 1960, foreign direct investment (FDI) in the state now totals more than $3 billion, and during the 1970s averaged 25 percent of all new industrial investments in the state. Investors from more than 15 countries currently employ 9 percent of the state's manufacturing labor force, and South Carolina ranks second of all 50 states in the amount of foreign direct investment per person, ninth in total value and twelfth in total employment. The significant amount of foreign direct investment in South Carolina occasionally raises several questions related to its desirability from a citizen's viewpoint. Is South Carolina being "sold," constrained, built, or otherwise changed via FDI? Is it worth the money being spent (or the tax revenues foregone) to attract it? In short, is South Carolina better off with or without it? WHILE THERE is no precise, unassailable method of answering these questions, on balance the evidence suggests that the state is better off because of FDI, and that the related costs are less than the resulting benefits. One way to examine it is economically. Foreign direct investment provides direct employment and income for more than 36,000 South Carolina manufacturing workers, and indirectly for thousands of others who supply material and services to the firms. In addition, the income created directly and indirectly provides jobs and income to thousands of other South Carolinians whose consumer products and services are paid for by the FDI-generated income. Because most of the foreign direct investment has entered by building new plants, the South Carolina construction in dustry also has benefited. In addition, the personal and corporate income created by foreign direct investment adds to the tax collections of the state, and ultimately benefits many statesupported agencies and activities. THE FOREIGN investors tend to pay slightly higher than average wages in their communities, and because of their high levels of technology, usually upgrade skills of the local workforce. Foreign investors Wi HI 7%k r - -:-r-" jnt important to: guest editorial also have helped diversify the state's industrial base, and diversification generally results in greater economic and employment stability for the state (for example, Michelin brought tire manuiaciuring, Miisui Drougni aluminum extrusion and Sony brings TV manufacturing). Other foreign investments have strengthened existing industries in the state. For example, West German investments in man-made fibers and the Europeans' investments in textile machinery have helped the competitiveness of South Carolina's own textile and apparel industries. On the other hand, most foreign investors have received special tax incentives which allow them certain exemptions. In addition, the State Development Board spends a considerable amount of money to promote and attract foreign direct investment to the state. Also, some of the corporate earnings are sent to parent companies out of state, and hence are not spent in South Carolina. FINALLY, THE international competitiveness of the foreign investors may adversely affect some local S.C. firms by bidding up wage rates, land prices, or even putting some competitor firms out of business. However, these results and most of the state expenditures ? as well as the benefits ? would occur from any out-of-state investment coming in, be it f mm .Tannn n*?rnriar??7 -- ? V4VAAIIUIIJ, A sylvania or Ohio. In other words, from a purely economic viewpoint, there is not much difference between out-of-state and out-of-country investment coming in except in a few areas. One of these areas is international business activities and skills. Foreign investors are more actively involved in international transactions ...u:?l 11-- i- -?? - ? wiih.ii generally neips siaoilize tne state's economy. Their international activities also enhance international business skills for the South Carolinians who work for them, and for many of the industries who serve them (accountants, lawyers, bankers, iMiiwwui! imi'ii wmmB&miaMnamKB) r tON'T KNOW, nwv IT WAS MORKIKG FINE , ALLDWYBTWj state's economy etc.). ANOTHER WAY way to look at the desirability of foreign direct investment is its cultural impact, both in the factory and in the community. Most foreign investors bring some foreign employees and their families to South Carolina, particularly during the start-up phase of operations. They often bring with them different experiences, perceptions, attitudes and lifestyles. On the positive side, these differences can enrich a community by exposing South Carolina residents to them, and widening and deepening South Carolinians' knowledge of both themselves and the world outside South Carolina. On the negative side, such cultural differences may not be welcomed, or at least initially cause some anxiety, misunderstanding, confusion or other problems of cross-cultural in teraction. In looking at the S.C. communities that have received the largest concentration of foreign investment (Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Columbia and the Charleston area), it appears that the foreign investors on balance have contributed positively to the communities and have been well received. SOME GROUPS within these communities have developed cultural adjustment assistance programs, and the communities appear to be proud of their foreign investors and continue to seek additional ones. In sum, the state and people of South Carolina are changing. South Carolina is becoming more populated, increasingly industrialized and more connected with the rest of the United States and world economy and populace. Foreign investment has played a major role in bringing about these changes and is projected to continue to do so for at least the rest of the decade, if not the rest of the century. If you like these changes, then you should like and welcome foreign investment in South Carolina. The author is professor of international business and director of the Center for Industrial Policy and Strategy in USC's College of Business Administration.