Smokin’ Em Out

By fitsnews • on December 15, 2008

With at least $800 million being shaved off of South Carolina’s budget over the last few months, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that all of our state agencies are about to implode.

Which, of course, is precisely what they want you to think.

Thankfully, we have the S.C. Policy Council crunching the numbers and setting them straight.

According to an economic analysis released over the weekend, South Carolina’s latest boom-to-bust budget roller coaster hasn’t been nearly as bad as some politicians would have you think.

In fact, even when adjusting for inflation, our state’s public schools are still getting more than they were four years ago.

From the report:

In inflation adjusted terms, the Department of Education budget base has grown 8 percent since 2005-2006 even while the overall state budget has declined. Yet teachers are being furloughed, and there is talk of increased classroom sizes and even reducing the number of school days. Clearly, the legislature needs to target cuts and eliminate unnecessary programs it created and funded during surplus years that now threaten core services.

Also, let’s not forget that bureaucratic salaries under current Superintendent of Education Jim Rex obviously haven’t suffered, as Rex has tripled the number of employees making $100,000 at his department and added 65 new names of folks making $50,000 or more since he took office.

Rex has also stonewalled recommendations to consolidate the number of school districts in South Carolina and streamline the education funding formulas going to those districts, two ideas that would save millions of dollars each year.

Lawmakers should bear in mind all of these facts – as well as our state’s total lack of academic progress – when they return to Columbia in January.

Of course, that would presume that our lawmakers have minds in which such things can be borne.

Comments

By Toyota Kawaski on December 15th, 2008 at 10:19 am

OH! I feel better SCux Policy Council is on the scene.

By loulou on December 15th, 2008 at 10:54 am

Many state employees in the NURSING fields, are being asked to work overtime!
How does that square with furlows????

By T4 on December 15th, 2008 at 11:40 am

What you have failed to take into account time and time again, is the massive budget cut that took place before Sanford was governor…Fail. But to hell with it.

We’re pissing in the wind, thinking that cutting budgets is going to lead to more money for the tax payers. The only things we can prevent is a tax invrease, maybe. But, we sure as hell aren’t gonna get anything back, they’ll simply appropriate that money for something else, that’s already in a downward spiral.

By Earl Capps on December 15th, 2008 at 1:32 pm

T4 – the problem I have with the current situation is that there is no control over the state’s budgeting process. It goes up wildly and money that could be banked away for a rainy day is squandered in massive spending increases, followed by massive cuts when the roller coaster hits the bottom.

Such an irrational process does a major disservice to the people of the state. The state should be able to 1) manage it’s budget in a manner relatively consistent from one year to the next and 2) only make budget committments it can afford to keep. Just as we’re not well-served by squandering billions in surpluses, we’re not well-served by drastic emergency cuts and doomsayers.

The Policy Council’s long view of the budget is informative and points out that while the cuts hurt, the sky is not falling. Once we defeat the doomsayers, maybe we can take a more rational look at how we make our state’s budgeting process make sense over the long term.

Which is about as likely as snow in Charleston on Christmas Day.

By Toyota Kawaski on December 15th, 2008 at 6:11 pm

Mr. Capps check this periodical out called the farmers almanac on the snow cituation in the holy city 12/25/08.

By BIN News Editorial Staff on December 15th, 2008 at 9:43 pm

SC Policy Council? Good Allah!

How much carpetbugger money is that “gas roots” organization sucking up every month? Someone is paying them to distort truth, justice and public opinion.

sic(k) willie is the same except he also distorts “pubic opinion.”

SC Policy Council. SCRG. FITS News.

Someone should make a movie.

Call it: Howie and the Carpetbuggers!

Ohhh, they already did make a movie!

http://www.corridorofshame.com/

BIN News Editorial Staff
Flair and Balanced

By Marvin on December 16th, 2008 at 2:26 am

Okay, BIN. We won’t waste our time trying to figure out which corrupt politicians (or government agencies and associations) have you on their payroll. What I am interested in is whatever substance you have to refute the Policy Council’s arguments and numbers on the budget. Don’t trot out that tired anti-semitic spin about the carpetbagger. Try to have a grown-up debate about real policy issues without relying on your moronic skinhead jokes. Real people who don’t work at the Statehouse (in other words, people who pay the bills and actually contribute to our state’s economy) are genuinely worried, and with good reason. And plenty of state government employees who DO actually work are losing their jobs because legislators sold them out and took care of themselves.

So lay it on us, BIN. Facts and figures, bro. You can even get WMD to help you out (of course, he is a bigger idiot than you are. But I suspect that’s because he is an actual legsislative staffer as opposed to a consultant. Those guys couldn’t possibly get a real job. At least you manage to whore yourself out, which takes more work than those guys at the Statehouse are used to). Give us a substantive, smart case for why the conservative economic positions are wrong.