Tag Archive

Flying Oskar: Making Spartanburg’s Democrats Relevant

By Christopher George

There are basically two types of political opinion writing as far as I can tell. There’s issue writing, where the writer tackles some sort of relevant issue, puts it in some kind of context for the reader, and argues for one side of the issue over the other. Then there’s what I... »

Miss Mom: No help for the helpless?

By Sylvie Galloway

I was asked recently when I was going to write about politics here on The Spark. The answer was when I found the right topic. The other day I read a news article that quite frankly upset me even more highly then the budget woes that our state’s education system is undergoing. Currently under proposal... »

Flying Oskar: Problems of Ignorance and Apathy

By Christopher George

What’s the greatest challenge facing Spartanburg? Ask 100 people that question, and you’re likely to get 100 answers. Some would talk about development issues. Some would talk about education issues. Some would talk about spending priorities and taxes. Every issue under the sun in our little corner of South... »

Flying Oskar: Payday Lending and Spartanburg’s Shame

By Christopher George

Despite what you may have heard before, nobody hates saying “I told you so.” One of the few universal truths about people is that we all love being right. Some of us may love it more than others, but nobody hates it. Needless to say, I’ve never hated being right. In fact,... »

Video: Spartanburg City Council Feb. 22, 2010

By Christopher George

At Monday’s meeting, Spartanburg City Council gave final approval to two rezoning requests. 700 Wofford Street was originally designated B-1 (Neighborhood Shopping District) and will now be designated R-8 (General Residential District) to allow for the construction of new Habitat for Humanity Homes. 778 South Church Street was rezoned from B-1 to... »

Flying Oskar: Stating The Obvious…Or Not

By Christopher George

There are weeks where I’m so anxious to write this column that I can barely contain my excitement (as lame as that sounds). Other weeks, I look at my Monday obligation to the local political blogosphere as a Sisyphean labor, the sort of maddening task that no person of sound mind would ever... »

Flying Oskar: Mark Sanford’s Attitude Adjustment

By Christopher George

The easiest thing to write about in the political world is hypocrisy. It’s an easy topic because usually, you don’t have to look very far for examples of it. It’s everywhere, especially in South Carolina. Every time you turn your head in our great state there’s a politician taking a principled... »

Flying Oskar: Sen. Bright Gives Us What We Deserve

By Christopher George

There’s an old saying—probably mis-attributed to the Chinese—that goes something like, “may you live in interesting times.” It’s meant to be a curse, because as any historian will tell you, the most interesting times are often the most tumultuous. I don’t remember anybody laying any ancient Chinese curse on me, but the... »

HammockCast: Upon Further Consideration

By Christopher George

Writing about South Carolina’s idiotic public officials has become something of a cottage industry for me lately. But what if I told you I didn’t want to do it anymore? Well I don’t, but more than that, I don’t want to have to. Is there hope on the horizon? I... »

Video: Spartanburg City Council, Jan. 25, 2010

By Steve Shanafelt

Video from the Spartanburg City Council meeting on Jan. 25, 2010. »

Video: Spartanburg City Council, Jan. 11, 2010

By Steve Shanafelt

If you’d like to know what happened at the meeting before you commit to watching these videos, the Spark’s coverage (which, unlike the videos, was actually timely) can be found here. In brief: Election of 2010 Mayor Pro Tem; appointments to Appalachian Council of Governments (ACOG) Board; ratification of Neighborhood Stabilization acquisitions; second reading of... »

City Council: Brownfields Grant and a New Mayor Pro Tem

By Christopher George

“I feel like a husband on his honeymoon,” Mayor Junie White said as he presided over his first council meeting. “I know what I’m supposed to do and how to do it, but it’s going to take a little time and practice for me to get used to it.” The meeting was... »

Flying Oskar: District 7 and Problems of Ignorance

By Christopher George

“An enlightened citizenry is indispensable for the proper functioning of a republic. Self-government is not possible unless the citizens are educated sufficiently to enable them to exercise oversight.” -Thomas Jefferson I’ve had that quote, or some version of it, on my mind a lot this past week. I take some pride in the... »

Sparkle City Headlines: The Racial Divide Surfaces In District 7

By Steve Shanafelt

Just in case you haven’t been following it, there’s been considerable controversy over who will helm the Spartanburg District 7 school board. Considering the district has had plenty of headline-grabbing problems in the last year — a religious-education lawsuit, waffling about showing the Presidential address to students, and a failed attempt to spend $325,000... »

Flying Oskar: Imagining Spartanburg’s Next Decade

By Christopher George

Lists are totally lame. Lists that try to predict the future have the interesting twist of being both lame and usually completely wrong. As a rule, I try to avoid both lists and predictions because despite evidence to the contrary, I am deathly afraid of being thought of as lame. Worse... »