Copyright Charleston Post and Courier
Improve park safety As a resident of Harleston Village, I was thrilled to attend the fall festival, Bloom Charleston, organized by the Charleston Parks Conservancy. The revitalization of Colonial Lake is a marvel and a treasure for our community. It is wonderful to see people of all ages embrace this lovely space. Unfortunately, irresponsible cyclists have made the pathways dangerous for those strolling through the park. Despite posted signs, cyclists continue to use the pathways in growing numbers, putting small children and seniors at risk. However, even if cyclists opt to responsibly use the streets, it's still dangerous due to the absence of safe bike lanes. City officials should enforce existing ordinances and add bike lanes to the surrounding roads. Failure to do so will inevitably result in a tragic yet preventable accident. Let’s make our parks safe for everyone. In the meantime, I would hope that cyclists park their bikes and join those who call Colonial Lake their backyard. RICHARD MAY Charleston Rein in DOGE A whistleblower from the Social Security Administration filed a complaint alleging that Department of Government Efficiency workers transferred the sensitive personal information of millions of Americans to a server that was not properly protected from security breaches. If correct, this means that our names, addresses and bank information are vulnerable. When asked by the Senate Finance Committee if our information is safe, Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Bisignano dismissed the complaints in a letter, saying the data had not been "accessed, leaked or shared in any unauthorized fashion." So far, so good — right? I think not. Former acting Commissioner Leland Dudek said in an interview that the whistleblower’s warnings are appropriate and accurate, noting that the cloud server DOGE used is not sufficiently protected for such personal information. The whistleblower has since resigned amid workplace pressure. I think we need better answers about what DOGE is doing with our personal information. HEATHER BONEPARTH Johns Island Classroom not for beliefs I write in response to the front-page news story in Sunday’s edition of The Post and Courier, "Professors see threats to academic freedom." Why should there be any mention of politics in our colleges? Professors and teachers should not bring up or teach their political beliefs in the classroom. If they didn't, they wouldn't need to fear for their academic freedom. The classroom is not the place for teachers to push their beliefs on anyone. Stick to teaching the facts, and let students think for themselves. CONNIE UNTHANK Mount Pleasant Don't gerrymander U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman's recent commentary argues for a gerrymander to remove Rep. Jim Clyburn from Congress. His principal argument is that South Carolina is a "heavily Republican state," so all representatives should be Republican. Our Constitution provides for U.S. senators to be elected by a statewide vote, which reflects the statewide majority. In contrast, the House of Representatives is to reflect and be responsive to the diversity of perspectives and voices within a state. His second argument seems to be that if we can step away from "divisive racial preferences" by removing Clyburn, African Americans would gain an enhanced voice in other congressional districts and mitigate major damage to the African American population. I am having difficulty in understanding how African Americans in South Carolina will have a greater voice in Congress by losing Clyburn as their representative. Instead of providing evidence and an understanding of our Constitution, Norman resorts to name-calling and divisive slogans to instigate emotional support for his proposal. We are not served well by people who replace knowledge and reason with disparaging emotionalism. This is not the leadership we deserve. CHARLES RAPP Mount Pleasant Send us your letters What’s on your mind? Join our community conversations and let your voice be heard by writing a letter to the editor. Letters can be a maximum of 250 words, and are subject to editing for clarity, tone and libel. They must include the writer’s name and city for publication, and a daytime telephone number for verification. Email your submissions to letters@postandcourier.com or fill out the form on our online portal.
