Congressman: Cuts must be made

Barrett says priority should be picking up pieces left by Katrina, with minimal debt

September 18, 2005

By JACKIE R. BROACH
Index-Journal staff writer

There will be plenty of time for finger pointing and doling out blame, Congressman Gresham Barrett, R-S.C., said.
Right now, the main focus of local and national officials should be repairing lives and picking up the pieces left after the devastation wrought in the Gulf by Hurricane Katrina, he said.
“Mistakes were made not only by federal officials, but by state and local officials, as well,” Barrett said Saturday at Greenwood Mall, where he was helping collect items to send to Katrina’s victims in Alabama. “We’ve spent a lot of time placing blame for the response time down there when we need to be doing what we can on the ground. We need to put people first right now and worry about the rest later.”
In Barrett’s mind, there’s no question that the U.S. must rebuild what was wiped out by Hurricane Katrina. The trick will be doing it without accumulating too much national debt, he said, adding that legislators will have to make cuts and seek surplus funds. So far, about $62 billion has been appropriated, which should keep rebuilding efforts funded through the end of October, Barrett said. That money, he added, comes from cuts in projects and programs that are being put on the back burner for the time being.
It is anticipated that the rebuilding effort could swell the national debt by more than $200 billion. The federal deficit was already projected at $333 billion for the current year before the storm hit, destroying homes and livelihoods.
President Bush has said those costs will not be paid by raising taxes.
“This is something that we’ve got to do, but we have to be smart about it,” Barrett said. “We can’t spend any less or any more than has to be spent to get the job done. We’ve got to use good, sound fiscal principals.
“We can’t afford to keep spending money we don’t have,” he continued. “I don’t want to see us putting children in debt who haven’t even been born yet.”
Barrett said a group of conservatives in the House of Representatives have been working together to seek out off-sets.
“If we spend $5 million, we need to cut the budget by that,” Barrett explained. “Cuts are there, we just have to take the time to find them.”

Local charities will continue collecting items to send to victims of Hurricane Katrina in Mobile, Ala. Items can be dropped of at the mobile center in the parking lot of Greenwood Mall, on the corner of Highways 25 and 72 from 12:30-4 p.m. Sunday and from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday.

Wildcats have to wait to begin season

September 18, 2005

By RON COX
Index-Journal sports writer

It was an unfortunate, albeit fitting start to the Greenwood Wildcats’ season.
After several failed attempts to revive this city’s semipro football team, the Wildcats, who are a part of the North and South Carolina Football League (NSFL), were ready to take the field Saturday afternoon for their first football game of the 2005 season.
However, their opponent, the Asheville Bears, weren’t.
Wildcats coach Dylan Bell received a phone call early Saturday morning from team owner John Morrow, letting him know Asheville wasn’t going to make the game, which was scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at the old Brewer Middle School football field.
“Being in minor league football for over 11 years, you realize that sometimes it’s the nature of the beast,” said Bell, who also coaches the Spartanburg-based Carolina Rams, a team out of the United South Carolina Christian Football League.
“The first thing you try to do is call in favors.”
Bell immediately made calls to other semipro teams in Charlotte, Greer and Columbia and got a group from the Charlotte team to agree to come to Greenwood for a scrimmage.
Bell, who travels back and forth from Spartanburg, informed the Greenwood players as they arrived for the game of the change in plans.
Instead of a game, the team would have an hour wait before scrimmaging members of the Charlotte squad.
“My job now is to help keep their hopes up,” Bell said, during the delay.
“I want them to know that no matter what they do, their coach is going to be here.”
The Wildcats, who are joining the NSFL in mid-season, will now have to wait until next week to play their opener. Bell said the opponent, time and place was yet to be determined. However, the coach said that admission to this game would be free.
The Wildcats have had a dubious beginning to this season. For three straight weeks, the team had problems with tryouts in late July: only one person showed up for the first signup and the owner, who lives in Greenville, couldn’t make it to Greenwood for the next two tryouts.
The team has had a rebirth with the introduction of Bell as the coach.
The group has even overcome a scheduled practice where they were locked out of the Brewer football field. “I’ve told Jon that the interest for minor league football here is great,” Bell said.
“No matter the odds, these guys just want to play ball. One time we were locked out and we just drove over to the (Greenwood) Civic Center and had a two-hour practice.
“That showed me that these guys want to play.”
Bell said he is also looking to increase his roster of Greenwood and Lakelands area players.
If interested, the coach said you can contact him at (864) 384-8468 or at dylan3167@yahoo.com.

Opinion

Passing the buck obvious as Katrina troubles grew

September 18, 2005

Hurricane Katrina and the Big Easy, postmortem.
What a spectacle! No, not the tremendous and destructive force of nature, although its fury was something to behold ….. and fear. Apparently, though, the fear factor was no consideration for local and state officials. Nor was the apparent and pathetic disregard of planning, procedural, and safety applications that left too many in harm’s way.
Many of those officials, particularly the governor of Louisiana and the mayor of New Orleans, have gone out of their way to blame the federal government for their own shortsightedness and inconceivable behavior ….. behavior that was defined by indecisiveness, and in some eyes, downright incompetence and stupidity.

DESPITE YEARS OF WARNINGS that a major hurricane would do irreparable and unimaginable damage, despite advance notice that Katrina was aiming directly at a wide area, with New Orleans directly in the line of fire, despite almost across-the-board failure of local and state officials to follow emergency procedures while they emulated Nero fiddlin’ around while Rome burned, they still had the temerity to blame others. They especially targeted federal authorities and President Bush with a mendacity that would make the boy who cried wolf blush. The vulnerability of New Orleans to such a disaster was no big secret. It is, after all, a city that is many feet below sea level, with water all around it. It has always been an accident waiting to happen ….. or, as we’ve seen, an invitation to natural disaster.
These recalcitrant local/state officials have had much company in their attempts to pin the blame-game tail on the federal donkey. Others, including some celebrities, have added their outrageous rhetoric to the mix, apparently eager to make political capital at the expense of those who view politics from a different perspective.

NONE OF IT WILL WASH, though, contrary to how some high-profile media outlets and analysts would have it. Enough truth has filtered through. The people of America, fortunately, have heard it. Unhappily, they will have to pay for the recovery.
President Bush did act slowly at first. He has accepted that assessment. However, he didn’t build New Orleans below the sea. He didn’t ignore emergency plans that state and local officials should have had in place ….. and used. He didn’t prevent the shoring up of the levees and, to some others’ chagrin, he did not blame anyone else for anything.
There is one question, though. Has anyone heard officials in Mississippi and Alabama complain?

Editorial expression in this feature represents our own views.
Opinions are limited to this page.

Obituaries

Billy Ray Barnes

BRADLEY — Billy Ray Barnes, 55, of 2110 Five Notch Road, widower of Lou Barnes, died Friday, Sept. 16, 2005 at Hospice House.
Born in Greenwood, he was a son of the late Lee and Ruby Gregory Barnes. He attended Grace Community Church.
Survivors include three sisters, Diane Geeter of Bradley, Debra Turner of Greenwood and Joyce Disedare of Bradley; five brothers, Johnny Barnes of Lake Greenwood, Ronnie Barnes, Jerry Barnes and Royce Barnes, all of Greenwood, and Ricky Barnes of Seneca.
Visitation is from 2-5 today at the home of an aunt, Julia Gregory, 85 Third St., Greenwood.
Memorials may be made to Hospice House, 408 W. Alexander Ave., Greenwood, S.C., 29646.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.harleyfuneralhome.com.

Frank Hines

SUMMERVILLE — Frank Hines, 86, formerly of Callison Highway, Greenwood, widower of Dorothy Merritt Hines, died Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2005 at Trident Medical Center in Charleston.
Born in Tarboro, N.C., he was a son of the late Frank Grainger and Sally King Hines. He was a graduate of Mt. Olive High School in Mt. Olive, N.C., a veteran of World War II and president of Hines-Rush Company Inc. He was a member of Bold Springs Baptist Church.
He was twice married, first to the late Rose Lang Hines.
Survivors include two daughters, Margaret H. Lynch of Woodenville, Wash., and Catherine H. Shealy of Ninety Six; three sons, Grainger Hines of Los Angeles, Robert Bruce Hines of Pulyallup, Wash., and Eugene Harvey Hines of Vienna, Va.; a step-daughter, Joyce Bell Rush of Summerville; two stepsons, Doug Bell of Callison and George Bell of Greenville; a sister, Eyssel H. Franklin of Goldsboro, N.C.; six grandchildren; and five step-grandchildren.
A memorial service is at 4 Monday at Blyth Funeral Home in Greenwood, conducted by the Rev. Bennie Ridlehoover. A private inurnment is in Oakbrook Memorial Park.
Visitation is from 3-4 Monday at Blyth Funeral Home.
The family is at the home of a daughter, Catherine Shealy, 225 W. Main Street, Ninety Six.
Memorials may be made In Memory of Frank Hines to the Sarah Kate “Sally” Lang Blaese Scholarship Fund, c/o Lander Foundation, 320 Stanley Ave., Greenwood, S.C., 29649.
Blyth Funeral Home & Cremation Services is in charge.
For additional information please visit www.blythfuneralhome.com.

Heaven Lagroon

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — Heaven Angel Zula Lagroon, infant daughter of Efrien and Tongela Lagroon, died Thursday, Sept. 15, 2005 at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center.
Survivors include her parents of the home; two sisters, Tongelayah Lagroon of the home and Cornesha Lagroon of Greenville, S.C.; a brother, Jaloveon Lagroon of Greenville; maternal grandparents Samuel and Linda Lyons of Mt. Carmel, S.C.; paternal grandparents, John and Sandra Lagroon Bennett of Greenville and Devon Brock of Greenville; maternal great-grandmother, Bessie Lee Schuler of Abbeville, S.C.; paternal great-grandmother Lillie Ruth Sullivan of New York; and paternal great-great grandmother Georgia Fleming of Laurens, S.C.
Services are at 3 Monday at Walnut Grove Baptist Church in Abbeville, S.C.
Brown and Walker Funeral Home, Abbeville, S.C., is in charge.

Pauline Landreth

Pauline Hughes Landreth, 77, of 2009 Airport Road, widow of Grady Landreth, died Saturday, September 17, 2005 at her home.
Born in Anderson County; a daughter of the late James and Minnie Poore Hughes. She was retired from Fabriart and was a member of Emerald Baptist Church, where she was a member of the Helen Bridges Sunday School Class.
Surviving are a son and daughter in law, Ronnie and Lisa Landreth of Greenwood; a daughter and son in law Charlotte and James Alexander of Greenwood; a sister Mary Barnes of Anderson; two brothers James Hughes of Georgia and Haynie Hughes of Anderson; five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Services will be 4:00 P.M. Monday at Emerald Baptist Church with the Rev. Curt Edison and Rev. J.B. Abercrombie officiating. Burial will follow in Greenwood Memorial Gardens.
Pallbearers will be Alvin Allison, Tunny Blackmon, Russell Hughes, Troy Sowell, Roy Ferqueron, and Jim Symmes.
Honorary escorts will be former and present members of Emerald Baptist Church Sunday School Class and other close friends.
The body is at Harley Funeral Home where the family will receive friends Sunday night from 7:00 until 9:00 P.M. and will be placed in the church at 3:00 P.M. Monday.
Memorials may be made to the Hospice House, 408 W. Alexander Ave. Greenwood SC 29646.
The family is at the home.
Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.harleyfuneralhome.com.
PAID OBITUARY

Patricia K. West

McCORMICK — Patricia Kessick West, 82, of 198 Tara Drive, Savannah Lakes Village, died Saturday, Sept. 17, 2005 at University Hospital.
Services will be announced by Rees Funeral Home, Lincolnton, Ga.