Nazis, Speedos And Your Tax Dollars

By fitsnews • on July 31, 2008

GOD SAVE SOUTH CAROLINA’S BEACHES

FITSNews – July 31, 2008 – Honestly, we had a difficult time selecting the right image to go with this story. It was either pissing off our state’s Jewish Mafia (which we decided to go with) or disgusting you with pictures of men in speedos. Hopefully, we made the right choice.

Anyway … from the Myrtle Beach Sun News:

S.C. taxpayers will pick up the $100,000 tab for a group of German politicians to visit Grand Strand attractions and party at the Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort this fall.

The weeklong visit from Germany’s Partnership of Parliaments is part of a controversial $10 million competitive grant program approved last month by a five-person state committee appointed by the governor and legislators …

Actually, these so-called “competitive grants” are doled out at the whim of House Speaker Bobby Harrell, House Ways & Means Chairman Dan “Egg-tooth” Cooper and Senate Finance Chairman Hugh Leatherman – typically as rewards for legislators who do their bidding. This particular grant was sponsored by one of those legislators, S.C. Rep. Liston Barfield, who may or may not wear speedos while sounding off, “Jawohl, mein Speaker .”

Also – and we know this will come as a great surprise – it appears the General Ass-embly doesn’t know it’s ass from its elbow when it comes to promoting tourism …

A $100,000 grant, for example, could have paid for a three-week radio and television ad campaign in new U.S. markets promoting airline service to Myrtle Beach, according to Brad Dean, president of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

That amount also could have paid for an eight-week series of promotional ads in regional newspapers and magazines, Dean said.

Such promotions would provide a bigger return, Dean said, because international visitors account for just 5 percent of Grand Strand tourists. Most international visitors are Canadians, and while there is no official German headcount, Dean said few people from that country visit this area.

Barfield originally asked the chamber to administer the grant, but the organization declined.

“It just didn’t fit within our guidelines for leisure or group travel promotion,” Dean said. “It also might have hindered our ability to compete for other grants that are intended to fund pure advertising. We didn’t want to jeopardize possible funding for tourism advertising by participating in that endeavor.”

Way to go, guys … and God save our beaches …