THEIR VIEWS

Spurrier strayed out of bounds

Last season's strong finish, followed by a highly rated recruiting class, further elevated most University of South Carolina fans' already lofty regard for Gamecock football coach Steve Spurrier. But Mr. Spurrier strayed out of bounds when he blasted the school's refusal to admit two of his recruits.

''The Ol' Ball Coach'' diverted from standard media-day fare by declaring any player who met the NCAA's minimal academic qualifications should get into South Carolina, warning: ''As long as I'm the coach here, we're going to take guys that qualify. If not, then I'm going to have to go somewhere else.'' He added that university President Andrew Sorensen agreed with him on that point.

... Clemson's Tommy Bowden pitched a similar snit six months ago - though, after his team's late-season collapse, not quite as publicly - over a school committee's ruling that he couldn't sign two of his ''committed'' recruits. So predictably, many Gamecock fans who ridiculed Coach Bowden then are backing Coach Spurrier now, just as many Tiger fans who backed Coach Bowden then are ridiculing Coach Spurrier now.

Being true to your school shouldn't require such double standards. But being true to a university's proper mission does require that admissions policies be determined by the proper authorities - not football coaches.

The (Charleston) Post and Courier

Policing scofflaws might be a more prudent action

Local government is justified in banning smoking indoors because workers who want to remain gainfully employed often can't dodge secondhand smoke.

The town of Surfside Beach has taken its no-smoking ban to the extreme, preventing the lighting up in businesses, in parks and on beaches, where secondhand smoke is not confined as it is in a room.

The town has a litter problem that it wants to solve by banning smoking on the beach. Many people agree that inconsiderate smokers create a litter problem when they flick their butts out a car window onto the roadside or in the sand along the beach. And those butts on the ground create a hazard if someone steps on a burning one or children ingest them. ...

Communities are beginning to step up to regulating smoking, but the beach issue remains a litter problem. Surfside Beach needs to hire additional officers to patrol the beach, enforce its litter laws and ticket butt flickers. ...

Smoking is unpopular, but it is still legal according to state and federal law. Surfside Beach and other communities are trying to impose majority will on a group when policing the scofflaws who litter might be the more prudent action.

The Beaufort Gazette

If it isn't profitable, let them go elsewhere

If incentives to lure Hollywood films to South Carolina don't produce significant benefits for the state, then cut back on the incentives.

That's precisely what South Carolina has done after finding out that the films it managed to lure to the state were hiring too many out-of-state residents. Economists told state officials that out-of-state spending creates no economic benefit to justify the incentives.

South Carolina spent about $15 million last year on its biggest film-incentive program ever. The state offered an up-front cash subsidy at 20 percent of wages and 30 percent of purchases.

And Hollywood responded. The state managed to land seven films and a TV series in the past year.

Unfortunately, much of the subsidy went to workers and suppliers from outside the state. ... Some argue that the state benefits because film crews spend money here and share their experience with aspiring South Carolina film workers. And, of course, there are advantages that are harder to measure, such as the cultural benefits of participating in the moviemaking process.

But the purpose of these economic incentives is strictly monetary. If we are going to spend taxpayers' money to lure Hollywood to South Carolina, we want it to be profitable for the state.

If it isn't, then let the moviemakers go somewhere else.

The (Rock Hill) Herald