The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, April 14, 1995, Page 3, Image 3
The
"ISaffcack
Serving USC Since 1908
Lee Gontz, Editor in Chief Chris Muldrow, Viewpoints Editor
Editorial Board
Erin Galloway, Wendy Hudson, Susan Goodwin, Allison Williams,
Jimmy DeButts, Ryan Wilson, Carson Henderson, Radhika Talwani
. Downtown should be
m -m -m -m ~a a
developed by Columbia
The big city never sleeps. The living, thriving city is a traditional
cornerstone of America, and its buildings and shops have a vitality
and vivacity that draw people from the countryside.
To live in the city historically meant success; it said a person was
cosmopolitan and was ambitious.
After time, however, this image of city dwellers faded. People began
moving to the suburbs to escape the cost of city life, the noise,
trash and presumed danger of dark alleys and crowded streets.
Retail establishments followed the people, and stores in the cities
began to close. This meant there was no longer any reason for people
to go downtown, so downtowns became dilapidated facades, empty
windows and "for sale" signs. People flocked, and continue to flock,
to shopping malls and office buildings far away from traditional
downtowns.
* Columbia is not a huge metropolis like New York, Chicago or Atlanta,
but it is the biggest city in South Carolina. Its downtown holds
quite a bit of history; the State House is marked by Civil War cannon
scars, the University of South Carolina was founded in 1801,
the State Hospital was a model for others in the country. But downtown
is dead.
Most of the stores downtown have closed; a few Army-Navy stores,
a five-and-dime that's closing up and a couple of pawn shops seem
to be all that's there. Office buildings bustle during the day, office
workers visit the Chic-Fil-A, the Adam's Mark seems to draw people,
but Main Street closes up at about 7 each night.
In order to restore dignity and business to the Capital City's
downtown, Columbia needs to make an effort to revive downtown.
So much attention has gone to Congaree Vista development and
Five Points, and downtown has sat quietly, waiting for its share.
The people needed to fuel a more vibrant downtown Columbia
are already here. University students, government workers and
downtown office workers are close to Main Street; it is closer than
* Five Points or the Vista. Restaurants that stay open later will attract
customers; ask the IHOP ladies how many people get pancakes
at night. A grocery store open late would keep students from driving
to the Kroger near Fort Jackson. Bars downtown would prevent
dangerous walks from Five Points. Bookstores would attract
students and professors looking for a good late-night read.
Most of all, however, apartments above the shops downtown
would encourage development. If people lived downtown, the market
for increased retail development is established. Apartments
would allow commuting office workers to stay in town for a week or
students to live close to campus without paying for campus housing.
A residential presence downtown would also create more of a
feeling of safety in the downtown area.
Columbia has one set of apartments on Main Street; it sits above
the Revco. More are supposedly planned in a development move by
Columbia, but that push for opening apartments hasn't been very
enthusiastic or very heavily advertised. Incentives like low-interj
est loans and building assistance are crucial to apartment growth.
It's time to move some people into Columbia's downtown for 24
hours a day and to return life to the Capital City. It might never
bustle all night long like a Chicago or New York, but it will make
the area more than a daytime place that sits wasted at night.
^LOOKS \
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Defense
ITWI^-.Uk L. News: 777-7726 |
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Jim Grttn
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? 4 4
Gamecock VIEWji^
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Quote IIhouote
'it took time for the American people to ac
'Rlnge liberal
The "first 100 days" of the 104th Congress con
eluded last Friday. It was clearly the most sue
cessful and most productive of any Congress ii
my lifetime.
The GOP-led Congress (joined on most issue
by conservative Democrats) was able to pass nin
of the 10 "Contract with America" provisions
When the votes for all 10 provisions are compilei
together, we find that 76 percent of the Repre
sentatives voted "yes." That number pretty mucl
+ c Amari/">a oinfo nrntltlH 7ft nprOPTlt t
I U^/l totliuo X UiJL V? 1 1VW, W111VV - ? J
75 percent of Americans support each "Contract
item. But, there was that 24 percent of the Cor
gress that voted against the "Contract" items
And do you know what we call those individuals
Why, of course, it's our friends the Liberals.
There are two important conclusions that nee
to be drawn at this point. First, we can truly sa
that the House of Representatives is functionin
correctly.
It is representing the American people almos
to near-perfection. Remember this if you are polle
in the near future in regards to your feeling
about Congress. Second, this truly defines th
difference between mainstream America and lef
wing extremists. Also, it is important to remen
ber that Bill Clinton is a left-winger himself.
He is a part of the radical religious left, an
he is opposed to mainstream Americans like yo
and me. In 1996,1 will be checking the box ne:
to the candidate with the big "R" for president;
hope you will, too.
While I am both happy and optimistic aboi
the future now, I am also growing tired of ar
frustrated with the fear-mongenng, hate speec
lies and deceit of the radical religious left. (In(
dentally, radical religious left is my new term f
left-wingers who are on a crusade against Arae
ican families, American culture and God.)
These liars have had the nerve to say wha
After finishing ser
I'm a happy camper right now.
I turned in my senior thesis to the Honors Co
lege today, thus releasing from my hands th
booklet of terror that has ruled my life for montl
now. People who aren't finished with their pi
pers have stopped talking to me, granted, an
people who haven't started are chasing me, as]
ing for suggestions. But it's done.
This means I've got time for various and sundi
projects that I've put off for the year, projects thi
mean a lot to me.
First, I'm gonna work on my car. As I prob;
bly already told you roughly 104,335 times, I'>
got a 1967,Mustang that constantly demands ir
mechanical attention. I've rebuilt the engine, I'>
stripped the paint off, I've taken off my steerir
wheel to put in new turn signals. My current cs
problems include a taillight that shorts out evei
third left turn I make, a starter motor that mak
a sound like a hamster with a jackhammer caug
in his throat, a shimmy (that's a special mechani<
term for...well...a shimmy) in the front suspe:
sion and a missing hubcap, courtesy of me di
ving my car up onto the curb across from Duti
Square Mall. I'm not really sure why I drove i
on the curb, but I did, so there.
The starter is worrying me, mainly because
don't have one of those little cranks on the fro
of my car that Model T's had. If my starter die
my car becomes little more than a very hea'
blue paperweight. Without one hubcap.
Second, I'm gonna clean up my room. My roc
0
ITS Friday, April 14, 1995
?AST^t C L BM-n
TION or F)
it OviFfi- THE" l^O/2-Lp..
flt/Cffl?L jomt
ON
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t
r~^>>
Ijf^i
cept the sacrificed of Vietnam. The media focus
heroes of the war."
Bob Dole,
U.S. Senator from Kansas
Is' go to the ex
- i MM
i t?mmy t?uchberry
' ever they want without any consequence to th<
d truth. The fact is this: The GOP has kept its cam
!- paign promises and has enacted legislation th<
h American people support,
o The radical religious left has lied and whinec
" and cried and pouted and made total fools of them
i- selves by voting against the will of the Americai
3. people.
i? These "holier than-thou" elitists believe the;
they know better than you and I what is good fo
d our communities.
y They know socialism is unpopular in this coun
g try, so they hide behind cliches and personal at
tacks on the GOP.
st Consider the issues liberals opposed that
id broad majority of Americans support. The put
rS lie opinion numbers were compiled by USA Tc
!e dayt
The issues are as follows: (1) the balanced buc
j_ get amendment, line-item veto and term limit
bill, favored by 72 percent, (2) the GOP welfar
d reform, Family Reinforcement Act, the GOP ta
cut nlan and regulatory reform, favored by 7
'U * percent
and (3) the Common Sense Legal Refori
j Act, favored by 61 percent.
The difference between mainstream Americ
^ and the radical religious left can be further demoi
l(j strated by the rally that took place in Washing
^ ton last Sunday. (I find it ironic that liberal group
always march on Sunday, an obvious "slap in tin
face" to Christians.)
This gathering was organized by NOW an
included abortion rights groups, homosexuc
^ groups, environmentalists, socialists and welfai
dor honors thesis, s
"BSP? CHRIS MULDROW
is n' | I Viewpoints Editor
is designated a landfill by Richland County righ
now, which is fine except for the rats, the tras
y and the big trucks that back up to my door at
at every morning. I can't find my clothes, my bee
my window, my radio, my computer, my legs. I'v
a- considered dynamiting the room, but I didn't war
re. to disturb my neighbors. They're still recoverin
ly from a 7:30 a.m. fire alarm triggered by a tragi
/e toast fire in a neighbor's apartment,
ig I think I'll get the city to bulldoze the rooi
ar and make it into a park,
ry Third, I'm going to learn a trade. This joui
es nalism stuff is nice and all, but I've always wan
ht ed to be...a lumberjack. No, sorry, that's anotl
j's er humor group, one considerably funnier tha
n- anything I've ever done, except for that litt]
-i- Dutch Square curb incident. Actually, I was thin]
-h ing about being a policeman...or a fireman...<
jp Superman. I wonder if there'd be enough call fi
Superman around Columbia. I can see it no\
; I Police: Oh my gosh! The traffic on Harbison
nt backed up onto the Interstate all the way to Aike
;s People are getting grumpy. That little blue G<
vy Metro driver is getting ticked off. What ever wi
we do?
m Me: I hear a call for help. This sounds like
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>ed more attention on the demonstrator than the
treme at rally
recipients (sounds like the Democratic Party to
me). Their so-called purpose was to protest "violence
against women," which is an admirable
cause.
J Unfortunately, their definition of "violence
against women" is quite different from most Amer'
icans'. I would define "violence against women"
~ as rape, battering and murder. They include conservative
political positions on welfare spending,
j abortion and affirmative action in their definition,
which is ridiculous and extremist,
i This group also held up signs that read the
following: "Neuter Newt," "Lorena Bobbitt for
y surgeon general," "traditional values suck," "hetr
erosexuality destroys women," "Newt is a Nazi,"
"Gay is the only way," "A homemaker is not a re
al woman" and, to top it off, "conservatives need
a big d? stuck up their a??C-Span and
Rush Limbaugh can offer some very insightful
video sometimes! Additionally, the speakers told
>_ the rally goers to "petition radio stations to quit
carrying the Rush Limbaugh show" and to "go to
I- college campuses and put a stop to the right-wing
s campus newspapers."
e I guess I should watch out for the radical rex
ligious leftists ? they're coming to get me! Ob4
viously, these socialists have never heard of free
speech! As usual, free speech only applies to them,
a not the rest of us Americans.
v I hope this will open your eyes and help you
7. realize the radical elements of the "fringe" left.
)s These are the same people who accuse Christians
ie of being "extremists" and the GOP as being the
"party of hate." These extremists are the real
^ "party of hate." They do pose a threat to the institution
of democracy and must be exposed as
exactly that!
uiything is possible
job for Superbeardman!!
Police: What's that in the sky? It's a duck...it's
a Nerf arrow...it's an Air South jet getting ready
to break down...no! It's Superbeardman!! He's go-1
ing to the mall. What's with that?
Me: I didn't have any tights. Sorry.
Fourth, I want to do some fishing. It's been a
^ while since I've been fishing, and if you're a true
^ South Carolinian, a long hiatus from fishing is
' akin to months without food and water. There's
'6
)t nothin' like sticking a hook in a worm and sitting
out in the sun in eager anticipation of a fishy
ic treat and a stinging lobster-red sunburn. I've
been buying seafood from Kroger, but it's silly to
n pay 5 bucks for fish when you could sit at the lake
and wish you could catch fish.
Finally, I want to study for the classes I'm takt
in? from all of the Drofessors who are now read
1" ing this column and wondering why I'm not spend^
ing this time studying for their classes. I assure
^ you, sirs and madams, I am, in fact, sitting at
3r this computer writing this column with one hand
3r while turning the pages of your favorite book with
v; another hand. I'm using 2 percent of my brain
's for the column (obviously) and the entire rest for
n. YOUR class.
jo Well, kids, if I'm gonna get all of this stuff done
ill (particularly the studying, though, of course, I'm
doing it right now) I better get started. But first,
a I think I'll drive up on that curb again.