Writing in The State newspaper, former Abbeville County State Representative Harry Stille, himself a former college professor, sounded a call for reforming higher ed in South Carolina, warning that:

For years the Legislature and universities have conned us about the value of a baccalaureate degree, when these students would have been better off in the two-year system. Our technical colleges are where the major job growth potential is.

We need to limit university admissions to students who are in the top 50 percent of each high school class, who don’t need remedial classes and who score at least 910 on the SAT or 19 on the ACT. And we should send the rest of the students to the two-year system, where they, and we, will get their money’s worth.

Recently, we saw an editorial in Public Utilities Fortnightly magazine, a magazine aimed at upper-level utility management (which we happen to get as well). In an op-ed in the latest issue, Editor Michael Burr lays out a strong argument for why Romney's energy policies offer paths forward for greater energy development, as well as opening doors for innovation that will broaden our available energy options:

Just as we were going to press, the Romney-Ryan campaign released an energy plan that sets forth what purports to be a bold policy goal: to achieve North American energy independence in just eight years. That goal is interesting in its own right. But it’s even more interesting against the current backdrop of economic and policy trends affecting energy and utility companies. And make no mistake, energy policy issues are heating up again ... The November elections are set for just two months after this issue of Fortnightly hits readers’ mailboxes. Given the major energy policy issues now in play, Romney’s stated positions merit a closer look.

We elected not to postpone the meeting, and the commission filed the temporary injunction restraining us from offering opinions or voting on any issue dealing with navigation, depth, dredging, wastewater and dredge disposal or other issues related to use of the Savannah River for oceangoing commerce.

"We are not telling Boeing they can't build planes in South Carolina. We are talking about one specific piece of work: three planes a month. If they keep those three planes a month in Washington, there is no problem." Beyond the ten planes, she said, Boeing could build whatever it wants in South Carolina. 

The National Labor Relations Board is seeking a court order that in effect would require Boeing Co. to move its second 787 assembly line to Washington state.

The second line is being built in North Charleston.

• The refusal of labor unions to negotiate
• Boeing's management being "disloyal" to Seattle
• Cheap, lazy and inferior South Carolina labor

Yesterday, FITSNews shared with us this cartoon penned by David Horsey of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Note the inclusion of controversial images, such as the Rebel flag, moonshine still, and a noose.


We're a little surprised he didn't throw in a burning cross and a KKK gnome while he was at it.

This cartoon embodies the sour grapes mindset which many on the left coast have taken towards Boeing's wise choice. In the interests of building a stronger relationship between Boeing management and South Carolina, the Blogland wouldn't mind if Seattle's circular firing squad keeps up the good work.

We invite our readers to email Mr. Horsey and ask him what he was thinking.

... or to tell him "... yeah, and the horse you rode in on".

Gov. Mark Sanford's proposed $5.8 billion state budget includes cuts of $301,000 in the University Center's recurring-funds allocation for the fiscal year beginning in July. Fred Baus, president and chief executive officer of the University Center, said that would put it "in the position of going from $2.25 million to $650,000" in operating funds.

"That is not viable," he said.

Without the University Center, which serves about 2,200 students a year, Greenville would be the only major metropolitan area in the state without a public institution of higher education, he said.

Ben Haskew, chief executive of the Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce, said, "I think closing it would be catastrophic for Greenville. We are on a mission to improve per capita income and transition to a new economy. It's all about education."

Bruce Yandle, dean emeritus of the Clemson University College of Business and Behavioral Science, said the University Center has been important and will continue to be important to the Greenville area because of the students it educates and the businesses it helps attract to the Upstate.

Without the consortium of seven universities that make up the University Center, calls would increase for a public university in Greenville County, costing a minimum of $20 million, said former Lt. Gov. Nick Theodore, member and former chairman of the center's board of visitors.

What's the biggest contributor to South Carolina's economy? Manufacturing? Tourism? Trade and distribution? Nope.

According to a new report out from the friendly folks at the S.C. Agribusiness Council and the S.C. Forestry Association, the state's agri-business sectors farming and forestry is responsible for nearly 200,000 of South Carolina's jobs, with a combined payroll in excess of $7 billion annually, doing well over $30 billion in business:

Farming and forestry constitute the leading economic cluster in South Carolina today, larger than manufacturing and tourism combined, according to a new study released by the S.C. Agribusiness Council and the S.C. Forestry Association.

The study was conducted during nine months by Harry Miley of Miley Gallo & Associates of Columbia. The research indicates that all commodities and services in modern agribusiness, taken together, make a $33.9 billion impact on the state’s economy, larger than any other sector.

As employment in other parts of the economy has declined, agribusiness is growing and now provides jobs for nearly 200,000 South Carolinians.

That means there's more green stuff produced in our state's fields and forests ain't the plants and trees than we thought.

It also means that our state's Commissioner of Agriculture oversees the biggest chunk of South Carolina's economy, making Hugh Weathers a very important guy with a lot of economic power.

Which brings us to our Question of the Day: If Mark Hammond is South Carolina's Dirty Harry, does that make Hugh Weathers our state's Al Capone?

It is the second time the Moore School has done such a study. In 2002, the BMW impact was estimated to be about $4.1 billion, producing 16,691 jobs with wages and salaries of $691 million annually in South Carolina.

Since then, BMW has continued to expand its operations near Greer. Last March, BMW said it would invest an additional $750 million in its Spartanburg County factory to add 1.5 million square feet and 500 new jobs on site to produce three models and to increase production capacity to 240,000 units by 2012.

BMW latest investment would be the largest ever announced for the factory, increasing BMW investments in South Carolina to $4.2 billion, the company said.

• Daniel Pink, best-selling author and expert on innovation, competition and the changing world of work will speak at the Opening Session on Sunday morning.
  
• Newt Gingrich, author, speaker and architect of the "Contract With America" will present at Monday's Keynote Session.
  
• Gene B. Sperling, former National Economic Advisor to President Clinton, consultant and writer, will kick-off the closing session on Tuesday.

Robinson's struggle is mirrored by nearly one out of every three people who call Orangeburg County home. An hour west of Charleston's mushrooming suburbs, the county of 90,000 is 10th in the nation for the percentage of people living in poverty, based on the latest U.S. Census figures for counties 65,000 and larger. Poverty is defined as a family of four having an income of $20,614 or less or individuals making $10,294 or less a year.

Compounding Orangeburg's struggle is a lack of an educated work force — only one out of 7 people have at least a bachelor's degree — and a soaring unemployment rate of 10 percent, a figure higher than Argentina's rate.

• Two members of County Council, including their last Chairman,
• the last Sheriff,
• a municipal Treasurer for Orangeburg, and
• a Police Chief and Town Clerk in Santee.

In "Michigan needs to look south", in the Detroit News, columnist Daniel Howes looks at how the Carolinas are working to partner higher education with cutting-edge manufacturing technology development, and in doing so, is leaving Detroit behind.

The business-and-political establishment of the Carolinas is doing what their counterparts in Michigan and here on Mackinac Island are only beginning to comprehend amid a gloomy fiscal outlook: Leveraging the power of higher education drives economic growth, attracts foreign and domestic investment and improves the caliber of would-be employees.

Now, it's Clemson University in South Carolina -- not the University of Michigan -- that is home to the International Center for Automotive Research, a 200-acre campus that BMW AG built for $100 million and donated to Clemson.