It makes sense that S.C. Treasurer Converse Chellis is a little bit upset today.
After all, the RINO who is currently in the process of reinventing himself as a “real Republican” (while spending all that Bank of America bailout money on his cheesy TV commercials) doesn’t want anybody to remind people of his true love – costly expansions of government that taxpayers’ can’t afford.
Unfortunately for Chellis, S.C. Club for Growth chairman Chad Walldorf did just that yesterday.
From La Socialista:
We need serious debate on such issues as the tens of billions of dollars in retirement benefits for government employees that politicians have guaranteed but not funded. This situation became worse last summer when state Treasurer Converse Chellis led the effort to guarantee billions more in benefits, saying they could be funded through increased stock market returns. His rosy predictions were way off, as our retirement system has lost more than a third of its value —nearly $10 billion — since last year.
The response from the Treasurer’s office is that South Carolina’s retirement investments are faring better than those of any other state in the nation – which is great, until you realize everybody’s investments have tanked.
Chellis’ spin also completely ignores the issue of our system’s $27 billion unfunded liability.
Most importantly, no matter how well or how poorly South Carolina’s investments are doing, we are still paying out too much in benefits due to fiscally irresponsible and short-sighted lawmaking. And Chellis is backing that status quo to the hilt, refusing to support an effort to move the retirement eligibility for new employees back to thirty years, as well as resisting attempts to move our state to a defined contribution system.
Chellis’ spin also included this personal spitball for Walldorf.
“We have a guy who sells ribs for a living telling us how to run the State Retirement System?” Treasurer’s Office spokesman Scott Malyerick told SC Hotline.
ZING!
Walldorf has sold ribs. Millions of them. And they’re pretty good too, particularly Memphis-style wet.
But he’s also served as Gov. Sanford’s Deputy Chief-of-Staff, where he led the governor’s revolutionary, activity-based approach to managing our state’s money – you know, the approach that would have prevented this budget “disaster” had lawmakers followed it.
Walldorf also led the GEAR Committee, which recently proposed half a billion in savings at the S.C. Budget and Control Board.
How many rib salesman do you know with those credentials?
Anyway, SC Club for Growth’s Matt Moore quickly responded to the barb:
“Chellis’ office tries to demean our Chairman by saying he ‘makes a living selling ribs’ but the truth is he sold his company several years ago,” Moore says. “Starting with nothing but an idea, he and two friends created a business that grew to employ over 500 people in our state and over one thousand across the Southeast.”
Moore wasn’t done.
“Real Republicans want to utilize the talents of successful business people and their principles in government. Converse Chellis seems to disagree,” Moore said. “Perhaps he’s more like President Obama, whose cabinet has no representation from successful business owners and whose policies reflect a belief in big government over American entrepreneurs. A real Republican wouldn’t run taxpayer funded re-election ads either, but that’s another story …”
Damn.
Sticky Fingers 1, Converse Chellis 0.
By DozyDeaux March 27, 2009 at 1:46 pm
That’s what Chellis gets for 1. knowing very little about economics and 2. hiring a bunch of political hacks to run his state office.
Good to see people fighting the status quo.
By Bankrupt Grandkid March 27, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Converse Chellis would find his true calling in the Democratic Party.
In fact, he might consider running as one in 2010. No way he survives a Republican primary election against a real fiscal conservative.
By MSHappen March 27, 2009 at 2:29 pm
If Walldorf is just some yahoo selling ribs, why on earth did Chellis take the time and effort to send out a press release to respond to his oped?
Maybe because he’s a douche?
By Tired of the good ole boys March 27, 2009 at 2:58 pm
A theme of Walldorf’s oped was that fiscal issues in these critical times deserve legitimate public debate rather than name-calling.
So how does Converse respond? By calling Walldorf a name.
Seems like Converse and his team read about as well as they do math.
By InstaGator March 27, 2009 at 3:00 pm
MSHappen – it’s because Walldorf’s group (SC Club for Growth) is the proverbial grim reaper in Republican primary elections. If you haven’t walked the line on being a fiscal conservative, they’re not afraid to let people know (and raise serious money to spread the word/support your opponent).
I know it pisses off the “go along to get along” State Republican Party but I for one think it’s necessary. Keep up the good work!
By Mab March 27, 2009 at 4:02 pm
He’s a mobster. Remember the mafioso ‘election’ that railroaded him into being?
Pingback: SC Club for Growth - SC Club for Growth Weekly Press Clips - March 27, 2009
By Mike March 27, 2009 at 10:15 pm
No one should be surprised that another State House hack demonstrates no respect for folks who actually go out in the economy and MAKE something, create jobs, and literally print money into the state coffers in the form of taxes.
By BIN News Editorial Staff March 27, 2009 at 10:57 pm
Club for Sticky Fingers
Voice for Sticky Fingers
Parents for Sticky Fingers
Sticky Fingers Policy Council
Great Goobers, sic(k) willie.
You guys are full of cr@p.
By Rafe Hollister March 27, 2009 at 11:46 pm
Now that all of the CFG sycophants have spoken let’s look at some other facts.
Mr. Walldorf is a successful food service businessman but that in no way qualifies him to be a government-reform genius. The activity-based budgeting you referred to has been used in several other states before Sanford employed the strategy. It is in no way a financial panacea. Veteran budget developers in Columbia quickly realized that Sanford’s proposals relied on “funny money” and downright bizarre, unrealistic assumptions. After his tenure in the Sanford administration, Mr. Walldorf returned to the lowcountry to a business he actually knew something about. He briefly returned to head the “GEAR” commission. Will, everybody that knows anything about the operation of SC government is aware that the GEAR report overstated savings 20-30 fold—-to the point of being ludicrous. I understand that some of the GEAR commission members actually refused to sign the report. It appeared to have a few good ideas but was discredited by its inflated claims of massive savings. Nice try!!
By For real March 28, 2009 at 6:54 pm
waldorf is nothing more than a Sanford “ass clown” – go figure- they shoot the bullets but offer no counter plans…go back to selling your ribs, which are average at best
By lou March 28, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Real Republicans want you to give your money to AIG.
If you don’t, they will~
By Chad Walldorf March 28, 2009 at 11:11 pm
I felt compelled to respond to a couple of the more recent comments…
“Government reform genius”
I wish…but never claimed to be one. The insinuation made by the Treasurer’s office was that someone who started and ran a restaurant company wasn’t qualified to comment on government policy. That “pay your taxes and keep your mouth shut” mentality sure strikes me as elitist and anti-democratic.
Activity based budgets
Yep, busted. I think borrowing successful ideas from the other 49 states is something we should do more of in South Carolina. We admitted at the time to following the blueprint laid out in the book “The Price of Government: Getting the Results we need in an Age of Permanent Fiscal Crisis.”
The state of Washington – under Democratic Governor (now Commerce Secretary) Gary Locke – did a good job pioneering this approach. However, it was still no easy chore to break agency actions into over 1200 activities, figure out the true cost for each, and assemble and lead a team of over 50 government employees, activists and citizens in prioritizing them. We also made it happen without the benefit of hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on consultants like they did in Washington.
GEAR Commission
Our bipartisan commission worked for six months to come up with 61 specific recommendations for improving the Budget and Control Board. A ten member legislative body listened to over twenty hours of testimony on our suggestions and eventually endorsed a majority of them. The Budget and Control Board has already implemented all or part of many of them. Our state has already saved tens of millions as a result and we have discovered that many of the savings were actually more than we estimated. There are still hundreds of millions in additional savings that I think still should be enacted once the political will is finally there to face our state’s worsening pension crisis.
And yep, two of our nine members didn’t sign the final report – both of them were legislative appointees who were former administrators at the Budget and Control Board. One was a very helpful, participating member who didn’t feel he could sign off on some of the proposed changes to the retirement system. The other wouldn’t do a bit of work, return any phone calls, answer any emails, or attend any meeting.
No counter plans?
You may not like all or any of them but there are plenty. Feel free to start with the hundreds of pages of specific recommendations in the Executive Budget and the GEAR report.
Average ribs?
I may have sold the business but still take pride in Sticky Fingers serving great food. If you want to give them another try, please let me know how to send you a coupon for a free order on me.
Finally
The reason I wrote the original oped was that our state and country are confronting tens of trillions in political promises that politicians have made but not funded. I unfortunately think we are witnessing the greatest generational theft in the world’s history.
My point was that we needed serious discussions about how to pay these bills and at least owe it to our kids to try and stop them from worsening. While calling someone an “ass clown” is certainly more clever than sending out a press release ripping on their former profession, I don’t think either do much to help solve the problem.
The year I worked in the Reagan White House didn’t qualify me to open a restaurant at age 23 but fortunately I didn’t listen to naysayers then either.
By Angelina March 29, 2009 at 2:06 am
Chad, I would put all my tax dollars in your hands gladly before I would let Scott Malyerck be in charge of my penny jar. You are an honest guy and a smart one, and we appreciate your service to our state, especially when you didn’t have to do it. Bless Scott’s heart — he’s never been anything but a mid-level hack in either state government or the Republican Party. He’s a nice enough guy, I guess, but he seems a little bitter these days. Don’t take it pesonally…..you have a normal life outside this craziness. Enjoy it, but don’t check out too much. We need you!