).
To save you even more time, SCIway has created a simple online tax
resources guide that has direct links to state and federal tax forms,
instructions, mailing addresses, email and telephone help services, and
filing options. You can find it at https://www.sciway.net/gov/taxes.html.
Top of SCIWAY News No. 32
6. Just how do you pronounce SCIway?
I thought of the name "SCIway" in the fall of 1994. It's an acronym for
South Carolina's Information Highway, and I liked it because it was
unique and, to me at least, cheerful sounding.
I knew from the beginning that lots of people would not know how to
pronounce "SCIway" like I hoped they would, and was I ever right!
Many people pronounce SCIway "sigh-way," as in science. Others say
"esse-see-eye-way," as in S C I way. The former I expected. The latter
has been a surprise.
For what it's worth, I say "sky-way" ... and this is why you see blue
sky and white clouds behind the red "SCIway" at the top of most
sciway.net pages.
However, as the old line says, we don't care what you call us, just call
us! And on the Internet, that means come see us at https://www.sciway.net.
Top of SCIWAY News No. 32
7. Upcoming Festivals and Events
For the latest information on upcoming South Carolina events, please
see https://www.sciway.net/calendar.html.
- Clemson Shakespeare Festival - Feb 1-2 and Mar 2-9 - plays, workshops
- Native Islander Gullah Celebration - Hilton Head Island - Feb 3-25
- Learning Holiday at the Beach - Litchfield Beach Resort - Feb 4-9
- Lowcountry Blues Bash - Charleston - Feb 9-18
- Carolina Marathon - Columbia - Feb 10
- Southeastern Wildlife Exposition - Charleston - Feb 16-18
- Myrtle Beach Marathon - Feb 17
- South-Tec - Greenville - machine tool and mfg exhibition - Feb 20-22
- Tidelands Birding Festival - Georgetown County - Feb 22-25
- Horry County Museum Quilt Gala - Myrtle Beach - Feb 24-25
- Reedy River Run - Greenville - Mar 3
- Lowcountry Instructional Technology Conference - Charleston - Mar 7-9
Top of SCIWAY News No. 32
8. Four SC Maps: the Bush Vote, Income, Race, and a Dilemma
UPDATE: The maps noted in this article are no longer available.
Another addition to SCIway this month is a set of four "data maps."
https://www.sciway.net/maps/data/bushpercent-2000.html
https://www.sciway.net/maps/data/medianincome-1997.html
https://www.sciway.net/maps/data/percentwhite-1999.html
https://www.sciway.net/maps/data/biwcomparison-2000.html
The first map shows the percentage of votes Republican presidential
candidate George W. Bush received in South Carolina's 46 counties.
The second map shows county income levels, while the third shows the
percentage of non-Hispanic white people living in each county.
The fourth page presents two smaller maps: one that shows the percentage
of votes President Bush received ... and another that combines county
income rankings and percent white rankings.
These two maps are strikingly similar. They show that wealthier, whiter
counties are much more likely to vote Republican. The only exception to
this pattern is Richland County (Columbia).
This is not news, but it does point to a major dilemma that faces South
Carolina Republican legislators, who now control both houses of our
General Assembly for the first time since Reconstruction.
Should they enact laws that provide immediate benefits to their party's
higher income, white supporters ... or should they try to solve the
problems that cause South Carolina to rank near the bottom on many
important quality of life indicators?
The simple truth is that we rank low on education, health, and crime
measures largely because of conditions in our poorer, blacker counties
... the purple counties on our maps ... the ones where Republicans get
fewer votes.
Unless we are able to improve conditions in these counties, we're going
to be at the bottom of state rankings forever ... and we're going to
find it increasingly difficult to compete in an economy where jobs that
require fewer skills are moving to other countries ... and a larger
portion of American jobs require more advanced knowledge and skills.
This puts Republican legislators in a genuinely tough situation. Do
they make decisions that benefit their supporters now ... or do they try
to solve our state's biggest problems by allocating more resources to
counties where they receive fewer votes?
It will be more than merely interesting to see how the Republican
majorities in the South Carolina House and Senate deal with this
dilemma. All of our futures will be affected by the path they choose.
Next month we'll look at some maps that compare South Carolina school
districts and the funding they receive.
Top of SCIWAY News No. 32
Copyright © 2001 SCIway, LLC. SCIWAY News™ is written by Rod Welch
and Robin Welch of James Island, South Carolina–with a lot of help from people
throughout South Carolina. ISSN: 1527-3903. Direct circulation: 40,000+
To subscribe to SCIWAY News, send a one-word message that says
"subscribe" to news@sciway.net.
To unsubscribe, send an "unsubscribe" message to this same address.
If your email address changes, please send your old and new addresses
to news@sciway.net.
The SCIWAY News mailing list is not loaned or sold to anyone.
News, new Web site addresses, and comments and questions about this newsletter should also be
sent to news@sciway.net.
Back issues of SCIway news can be found at https://www.sciway.net/sn/.
SCIWAY, pronounced "sky-way," is an acronym for South Carolina Information Highway.
