Ray Rice Domestic Abuse is everyone's concern

I was at mentor group social about a week ago, and over the past week or so, I have had and heard the discussions on ray rice, and other sports figures. sooner or later, i end up hearing words such as" it is no one's business. it is there private life.!!" this bothers me. why? well let me tell you. we see a stranger on the news who is "accused" of spousal abuse, or child abuse, and everyone is ready to say lock him or her up, and throw away the key!" understandably yet, if people see a favorite sports figure (t, ray rice, mike tyson beating actress wife robin givens), etc) and suddenly people are more understanding, and take the" it is is no one's business, it is their private business.PEOPLE THESE ARE PUBLIC FIGURES!!!! ANOTHER REASON I HAVE A A PROBLEM WITH THIS LINE OF THINKING ON SPORTS FIGURES accused of domestic abuseis this!!!. domestic abuse is nothing less than an epidmic in this country. A country that preaches to other countries about how they treat women as far in regards to religous and political equality has a battered women in this country every 14 seconds. That is right according to the /center for Abuse, a woman is battered every 15 seconds in this country. south carolina ranks number one in both domestic violence, and deaths by domestic violence. I imagine that a lot of this is happening because our sports idols and celebrities get away with it, so why shouldn't the average guy/gal. right "WRONG!!" children who are witnesses of domestic abuse either become abused or abusers themselves. This was proven in the 1980s, and has been proven over and over again!!!/ so people who feel ray rice was treated harshly because he lost his job, need to consider, no one would feel sorr forthe if they lsot theri job because of such a job. Also, the majorityof us do not have millions of dollar in savings and investments, due to mulit-million dollar contracts with our companies. it is is our business when these sports stars do this sort of thing, because our young kids look to these people as role models. now i have heard that because these sports stars did not publicly agree to be a role model, they are not role models. when you get in the public eye, and your intent ti to make sure that you profit off the fact you have a talent that people admire you for, especially youth, you are a role model. i am not a big sports fan, but when i was growing up, Billy jean king was a tennis role model, then it was revealed that she lived an amoral life that i disagreed with. I still admire her as historical figure with a sports talent, but morally, she is not someone i would want my nephews and nieces to look up to. when i was teenager, i though john mcenroe wa sos cool a tennis player,nit because he was good at hissport, but because he got away with throwing tantrums and using fowl language at almost everyone of his tennis matches. my mother pointed out how disappointed that she had found out i would look up to someone for acting so disgracefully. that was about 30 years ago now young people have the internet, you tube, 24/7 news casts.However, a sports star caught on a hotel elevator camera beating his wife, is far worse than a tennis star coming out of the closet about her sexual orientation, or a tennis star throwing a temper tantrum. so yes, any football team that would keep this any man that beat his wife should be boycotted. furthermore, i belief the NFL should be investigated for any cover up, and if it is found they knew all along this was going on, i would encourage any decent attorney out there to bring charges gainst the NFl

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Public Transit Important to Economic Development of Local community

Political, Community Leaders Need to Realize Benefits of Encouraging Better Transit System in

Lowering Unemployment, Creating Jobs

By: Keith H. Seymour

Recently, I attended a Columbia City Council Meeting, where the theme of this meeting, and all of the presentations, had to deal with “Columbia's Economic Development.” As I sat there in that meeting for over four hours I heard the City of Columbia praising and encouraging every civic and business leader in the room in the area of bringing various groups to the table to discuss the “Economic Development of this City. Upon being given my chance to speak, I stated my total disgust with City Council for not considering those involved with public transit in Columbia, important enough to be include in any of these discussions. Now, I realize that someone reading this might wonder what having a a viable bus system has to do with the positive development of Columbia's economic development. So, I am going to put it in perspective by pointing out a few facts and some common sense conclusions.

At the this very same meeting, when addressing the economic importance of mentor programs such

as “My Brother's Keeper,” existing in the Columbia Ar Ea, Councilwoman Devine pointed out that

African-American males in Columbia have more than a 20% unemployment rate, which is”higher than the state average of 17%. In addition to this, shortly before Councilwoman Devine made this statement, Councilmen Runyon and Boudouragh, and City Manager Wilson were discussing the possibility of keeping the emergency homeless shelter open for an “additional' forty five days. Several minutes was spent on the increasing homeless problem in our area.

It does not take a genius to figure out that if a better transit existed, therefore allowing more people to be employed, and others to have access to better jobs, in addition to more discretionary income being spent on restaurants and entertainment venue, more people would be employed. Lower unemployment has the potential to lower homelessness in this town. This would make the city more attractive to businesses, tourists, and new residents that the city is trying to bring to this city in the name of economic development. The fact is that when Sunday and later evening routes were cut between 2008and 2009, people began loosing their jobs, while others were turned down for jobs because they could not work on a Sunday, or past 7:30 p.m. The city has even lost prospective businesses and many of its citizens have left Columbia for places such as Charleston, Greenville, Atlanta, and Charlotte, and other communities, whose economic development has coincided with the increase in their transit system. These other transit systems have succeeded and continue to succeed because their communities view the public transit system as “tool of economic development,” rather than a “system to transport the poor and minorities It would there behoove the political and business leaders in this town to change their attitude, and become more “active” in working with those working to enhance and increase our local transit system.

The late Ike McCleese, former president of Columbia Chamber of Commerce, and an avid proponent often pointed this very fact out to several of our political and business leaders. Until this attitude changes,and more people tell our political and business leaders to think more like the late Mr. McCleese, Columbia will be stuck with an inefficient transit system that helps to perpetuate unemployment, homelessness., and tax paying citizens making an exodus from this city, causing a greater economic burden on those who remain. This will remain true regardless of how many new stadiums are built, minor league teams created, how many additions are made to museums, or how much money the city spends on improving storefronts.

Keith H. Seymour is the First Vice President and Communications Chairperson of the Midlands Transit Riders Association, a non-profit organization that advocate for a more efficient Transit system in the Columbia-Midlands Area. He may be reached t keithhseymour@bellsouth.net or at 80-960-8785.

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