A. Citizen: Replace Leatherman, Cooper
The silence is deafening.
S.C. House Ways and Means Chairman Dan Cooper and Senate Finance Chairman Hugh Leatherman – the men who fancy themselves as the most powerful leaders in state government – are absolutely silent on their masterful management of our state’s finances.
But while this stands in stark contrast to their usual braggadocio, their sudden disappearance does not absolve them of the disaster that they have wrought with regard to our state’s finances.
For the past four years, these two crowed and spent.
They bullied their peers and ran roughshod over responsible legislators in the House and Senate.
Loudly, they poo-pooed each of Governor Mark Sanford’s executive budgets and ignored all of his suggestions about restraint and saving money for the inevitable rainy day.
They publicly announced their disregard and disdain for the budgets put forth by the elected CEO of our state, as well as the opinions of South Carolina’s elected comptroller general, Richard Eckstrom.
Time and again, they made a point of proving that they have exclusive power over state spending, overriding vetoes with glee and literally gloating over their unsustainable spending increases.
When the governor suggested a more responsible course that included restoring reserve accounts and funding core services like law enforcement, Emperor Leatherman announced, with a smirk and a giggle, that the governor was nothing more than a “chicken little.”
Now, the senator has sky all over his face.
Yet in typical self-serving fashion, the little man ducks and dodges responsibility while the rest of our state suffers.
Year after year, they rejected sound advice and made self-serving decisions.
What we need here is some Enron style accountability.
If these guys were CFO’s of a private business they would be fired. If they were working in corporate America, they would be fired and tarred and feathered in the media. In that context, they would also likely face prosecution. At the very least, the indictment would read something like this:
“… for violating their fiduciary duties to shareholders by ignoring the advice of the CEO and the comptroller, for ignoring all sound and reasonable budgeting practices and for failing to target waste, excess, and carryover funds in education, universities, the Budget and Control Board, and in the legislative branch.”
Federal prosecutors have locked-up corporate leaders for much less.
Our politicians have long insulated themselves from the laws governing financial accountability. They have granted themselves immunity. At the federal level, Congress literally forced banks to make bad loans to people who could not afford them and not a single member of Congress will ever face a judge or jury.
Likewise, these two financial “geniuses” will never face criminal or civil penalties for their mismanagement.
However, the rank and file of the Senate and the House should hold them accountable. They have embarrassed those two bodies and they have embarrassed our great state.
Leatherman, Cooper and Speaker Bobby Harrell have long been in charge of the state budget and for the second time in seven years, they have led this state into a disaster while arrogantly ignoring sound advice and clear signals from their members, from the executive branch and from the economy itself.
Some positions are too important to be chosen based on seniority and politics alone.
And both the House and Senate are replete with members of greater intellectual capacity, and more extensive and proven financial experience and wisdom.
These two financial geniuses had their chance and they failed miserably.
While the recession may have been inevitable, our state will pay a heaver price than most of our neighbors. Once again, our broken system of legislative domination, under the fiscal leadership of Cooper and Leatherman, has pushed us first and deeper into a national recession than most other states.
And, as usual, we will be the last state out.
Citizens are suffering, infrastructure is crumbling, and public safety is at risk as billions are wasted on a failed educational model and unnecessary programs.
Yet, in a House and Senate where the lack of courage often reaches shameful proportions, there will likely be no effort toward accountability.
Ben Tillman is indeed smiling from his grave: his racist, constitutional design of absolute legislative power with no accountability is alive and well in South Carolina.
Editor’s Note: “A. Citizen” is an anonymous column written by FITS readers just like you. We accept submissions from any reader on any topic, and do not disclose anyone’s identity under any circumstances in the event we decide to (or not to) publish them. We reserve the right to edit as we deem necessary. To submit a column, just e-mail Sic Willie at w@fitsnews.com.
Comments
By Jim on March 20th, 2009 at 12:45 am
Cue up Leatherman and Cooper’s status quo defenders in 3,2,1….:
By Clint on March 20th, 2009 at 6:59 am
The largest financial problem SC has is its underfunded pension plan and the unrealistically high 8% assumed rate of return on its investments. If Leatherman and Copper don’t fix these problems soon, general tax dollars will be needed to insure the plans health.
Lets name the hundreds of millions of public tax dollars that will be dumped into the pension system Leatherman Loot, or Cooper Cash. That way, when schools or Medicaid, or other needed programs go wanting people will know who was responsible.
By Clint on March 20th, 2009 at 7:14 am
Leatherman Loot or Cooper Cash! Haha. Don’t forget about Converse Capital!
Would it not be great if that really happened? That these guys were remembered for their BAD DEEDS…not the hollow words or actions that make it into the press.
By JC on March 20th, 2009 at 11:12 am
This article is TOO funny! South Carolinians keep electing the same assinine’s every election year. Yet they expect something different. We all know the saying. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, yet expecting a different result. The legislature needs a big fat enema. Shoved hard and fast. But I’m probably expecting too much. This state will always be last in everything because of it’s too stupid to realize it’s being led around by the nose by a bunch of self-important, self-inflated nobodies. SC will never be more than it is now because its own voters won’t allow it. They’d rather keep what they know and are familiary with than to be innovative and forward thinking. And I would remind A. Citizen that outrage without action is meaningless. Pretty much was SC is these days.
By G.L. on March 20th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
I support getting rid of both of them. I think Cooper might be more feasible to get rid of though. His district is conservative, but his name carries a lot of weight. The biggest challenge to either one of them would be funding. Both have several hundred thousand dollars in their campaign funds from years of no serious challengers.
By liz on March 20th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
The state of South Carolina is paying for fraudulent ghost dual eligible Medicare Part D accounts. Don’t worry, they know it. It’s condoned from the highest sources of power in the state. So when they b*tch and moan about money, just remember it is being stolen right from under our noses and we the people have zero absolutely NO recourse.
Government OF BY and FOR the people…. used to be.
By Statesman on March 21st, 2009 at 12:18 am
G.L. I worked for Dolly back in the eighties. I couldn’t believe his son got elected! With the special interests donating money and the Legislative salary so low, we are guaranteed to have lawyers, insurance agents, bankers, and the wealthy serving in the legislature. The best and brightest can’t afford the pay cut to offer themselves and fund a campaign for the legislature. I don’t think that either my House memeber, or my Senator could manage the budget, processes, or people that I do, but they don’t have to. They are responsible for the entire state!
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