As a concerned South Carolina resident, taxpayer, and registered voter, I have been reading, listening and watching Gov. Mark Sanford's and Sen. Lindsey Graham's comments trying to gain insights into why they believe the Palmetto State should not accept economic stimulus funding.

For those who are chronically unemployed, I am heartened by the fact that Sanford has agreed to raise unemployment compensation by $25, especially since South Carolina's unemployment rate is the nation's third highest.

Today, I learned about a few cases in my neighborhood which, I believe, shed some light on how dire the situation is becoming here in South Carolina.

* The property manager of the building I live in told me that her children's daycare operator has put her house on the market to try to avoid laying off some of her loyal, albeit underpaid, employees. She said about a dozen children have recently been withdrawn from the daycare center because their parents have been laid off from their jobs and can no longer afford daycare.

* Her property, which houses a number of senior citizens and international students, is also receiving a record number of move-out notifications from residents who can no longer afford to attend college because they, or someone who supports them financially, have lost a full-time or part-time job.

* The boarding house across the street from our building is trying to fill a record number of vacancies because most of the day laborers who live there can no longer find work.

These examples do not include my friends and relatives, some of whom are former business owners and many of whom are currently laid off from the trucking, food service, construction, and communications industries.

Perhaps the governor and the senator should speak to a few of them.

-- Vasilisa C. Hamilton, Columbia

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