How does Texas operate with their legislature in session every other year? We are in session every year and all we do is screw ourselves more and more!

Targeted incentives are not a smart long-term strategy to create a competitive environment for businesses, and while I mean no personal disrespect to Gov. Campbell’s memory, that approach is a mistake. In the long run, you cannot pay a couple of companies to locate and expect others to do the same when they can’t get the same deal. And as you know, we can’t afford to pay everyone to come to SC, right? As for venture capital, that is all well and good, SSHM, but as you know it is a risky investment strategy and elected officials have no right to engage in it with our money. You know very well who pays the cost when the whole thing tanks — look what happened in DC.

You have to offer a good environment for all businesses to succeed. Lower taxes, less regulation, etc. for every business, big and small. The smaller businesses in this state get screwed by this incentive deal, and they hire most of the workers. There is nothing crazy or even really libertarian about believing that private businesses should assume all the risk and costs of their own companies, and then reap the rewards. That is capitalism, SSHM.

What I hear you saying is that lowering the tax burden for all businesses and allowing competition and innovation to drive the economy is a “fringe” approach, but that giving some cash to a couple of big companies at the expense of smaller, home-grown businesses and working class South Carolinians is the “real” Republican strategy. Sorry, but that is just not my cup of Republican tea, and if it is what the Party has decided to become, then you can have it. You can make libertarian a dirty word if you want and decide that’s what anyone who disagrees with you is. I’ll be a libertarian, SSHM, and you can be a socialist and those will just be the labels we apply.

The last time the GOP had an effective governor here in SC was in the early 1990s.

Carroll A. Campbell, anyone?

Speaking of the late and great governor, he believed in venture capital. Thank GOD he did. Without his vision and the efforts of government investing into the private sector (in this case, economic development), we might not have BMW.

In fact, allow me to quote from the following:

Attracting Foreign Direct Investment: German Luxury Cars in the U.S.
by Michael R. Czinkota

“South Carolina Governor Carroll Campbell put up a strong recruiting effort, visiting BMW in Germany and making offers that were hard to refuse. In order to obtain the $640 million plant and the expected 6,000 new state jobs, a bit of southern finesse was used. For instance, the site most desired by BMW had 134 separate landowners. In order to ease land acquisition problems, Governor Campbell secured a $25 million appropriation from the state legislature to buy the property. He personally telephoned reluctant sellers and within 14 weeks, the state and local governments had spent $36.6 million to buy every single property—including a home that one family had just finished building two weeks before they were approached. To sweeten the deal for BMW, new roads and site improvement were included, and the runway at the local airport was extended to accommodate BMW’s cargo planes. The state also offered a $41 million property tax break to BMW. Furthermore, the local airport’s free trade zone status was extended to include the 900-acre plant site, meaning BMW would not have to pay duties on parts imported from Germany or elsewhere until cars actually left the plant for sale in the United States.”

You see Marvin, once upon a time, venture captial and venture capitalism was a key component of “progressive republicans.” Now, the LIARs (Libertarians Imitating Actual Republicans) that run about as members of the GOP treat those of us (Real Republicans that believe in venture capitalism) who believe in venture capital as lepers.

You can’t argue the economic impact of BMW nor can you say the actions of the late governor were not sound. Don’t believe me? Here, look at an authority on this:

http://mooreschool.sc.edu/export/sites/default/moore/research/presentstudy/bmw/bmwmay.pdf

Yeah – I’m a Republican. A Republican in the vein of the late Campbell. An advocate and follower of what David Wilkins called “the master architect” of the SC GOPs quick rise to power. I abhor what you Marvin and other LIARs have done to the GOP. At the same time, I abhor the actions of some of my fellow GOP-ers who spend money like “drunken sailors.”

The solution isn’t wild spending like a liberal democrat. The solution isn’t to cut everything to the bone like a libertarian. There is a happy medium – and we saw that in SC under Campbell’s leadership.

If three out of four fellow Sandlappers liked Campbell, he must have been onto something.

- SSHM

Interesting that you think the Policy Council is fringe. They also support lower taxes, less government, education reform and the free market. Libertarian support those things, too. You know who doesn’t? Socialists and American Democrats. Also, you and your bosses. It is that simple. Seriously, pretend you are smart enough for a minute, or go find someone who can explain it to you, and look at what you guys have done in the legislature. You’ve grown government, invested tax dollars in venture capital funds, picked winners/losers in the economy, given incentives to “special companies,” most of whom have lobbyists in the statehouse and return the favors you ask of them (tax credit contribution to SC Launch, for example?). Oh, and raising taxes to expand social programs. Wow! So, guys? Who does that sound like? That pretty much sounds like the liberal democrats. And socialists who do not support capitalism, but rather support re-distribution of wealth.

So, bombthrower. What do you support? Same with you, SSHM. What do you support that is a GOP platfrom agenda that is not supported by the Policy Council or Mark Sanford or even libertarians, but is supported by your clients like Bobby Harrell and Hugh Leatherman?

BIN, no one gives a crap what you support. You haven’t even read the platforms, so just go hang out in your tree house with Cooter Brown and Phil Branton. You aren’t part of the real GOP, so your opinions on our party don’t matter.

But you others I suspect think you are Republicans (maybe not — if so, just own being a democrat and that will make sense). If you are GOP, tell us what your heroes in the leadership have done to strengthen our core values.

Last bastion of “conservatives?” All that organization is a bastion of is LIARs (Libertarians Imitating Actual Republicans). Go find your own party and stop glomming onto the GOP.

- SSHM

We surveyed the BIN News Staff. Several admit to spit balls in High School, but none admit they ever “flicked boogers.” willie, have you ever flick one?

Ashley is a paid stooge like sic(k) willie and his “bud” at Voice for Voucher Scams. They’re nothing but hollow shells. They’re scams.

Sometimes they’re mildly entertaining and a little bit amusing.

But, they’re still nothing but political scams.

BIN News Editorial Staff
Flair and Balanced

Keep up the good work, Ashley.