WTF, Gerald?

SENATOR MALLOY STILL OUR ACE BOOM CUZ, EVEN IF HIS OFFICE IS TAKING CREDIT FOR SPENDING OUR TAX DOLLARS

FITSNews – December 20, 2006 – We love State Sen. Gerald Malloy. And he loves FITSNews. In fact, anytime we are spotted hanging out together in public people have been known to stop and remark how natural it is, kind of like watching a multi-ethnic episode of Friends.

That’s why we had to give our good friend the Senator a little grief for an article that appeared in this morning’s Florence Morning News (a.k.a. the Flo-Mo), or more specifically the picture above that accompanied the article.

Apparently there has been a rash of flooding in Hartsville, and rather than relying on – oh, we don’t know – evaporation, maybe, Malloy and State Rep. Jay Lucas wanted to spend $200,000 in state funds to construct a “retention pond.”

OK, we’re cool with that. But when it came time to perform the political ritual of taking credit for all that money by holding up an oversized check in front of a bunch of television cameras, Malloy’s staff apparently wasn’t content with their boss simply standing behind the big check.

Oh no.

So they printed up the $200,000 check as if it came from Sen. Malloy himself.

We got the chance to raise this issue with the good Senator at lunch earlier today and he was quick to point out to us basically the same thing he told the Slow-Mo:

“This money came from the supplemental budget,” Malloy told FITSNews. “I told them that. I about lost it when I saw that check.”

We’re betting South Carolina Speaker of the House Bobby Harrell and Senate Finance Chairman Hugh Leatherman probably almost “lost it,” too. After all, what is a government expenditure in South Carolina without one of those two big spenders taking credit for it?

Anyway, thanks to Gerald for being such a good sport, as well as our friend $D’Brickashaw for sending us the link.