Alternative Budget Defeated
With Republicans split right down the middle and Democrats voting in lockstep (what’s new?), an alternative budget plan that increased funding for law enforcement, health care and education – without spending a controversial pot of stimulus money – was rejected by the S.C. Senate today.
The vote assured passage of the Senate Finance Committee’s version of the budget – which does spend those funds.
It was a brutal, five-hour long debate that saw the alternative budget’s proponents – Sen. Tom Davis (R-Beaufort) and Sen. Greg Ryberg (R-Aiken) – trade fire with big government RINOs on a host of technical points.
In the end, thirteen Republicans voted in favor of the budget while thirteen voted against it.
Here are the thirteen who voted the right way …
Lee Bright
Kevin Bryant
Chip Campsen
Ray Cleary
Tom Davis
Larry Grooms
Shane Martin
Shane Massey
Mick Mulvaney
Mike Rose
Greg Ryberg
Phil Shoopman
Danny Verdin
(Hat-tips to Sen. Ray Cleary and Shane Massey, by the way. We’ve always thought those guys were kind of squishy, but they voted the right way on this one).
Now, here are the thirteen “Republican” Senators who voted against the alternative budget:
Thomas Alexander
Paul Campbell
John Courson
Ronnie Cromer
Mike Fair
Wes Hayes
Jake Knotts
Hugh Leatherman
Larry Martin
Glenn McConnell
Harvey Peeler
Luke Rankin
David Thomas
Additionally, Sen. Billy O’Dell was absent but indicated that he would have voted against the alternative budget, as well. No surprise there.
The big disappointments on this list?
Paul Campbell, Harvey Peeler, Mike Fair, Wes Hayes and David Thomas.
We keep hearing from people (including Campbell, Peeler, Fair, Hayes and Thomas) that these five are “strong conservatives.” Well, they had a chance to demonstrate that yesterday and they didn’t.
As noted, all seventeen Democrats present in the chamber voted against the alternative budget.
Talk about a “RINOcrat majority.”
For the record, we still think the alternative budget spends way too much money. Also, it doesn’t insist on the reforms necessary to prevent our state from continuing down its current path of blowing billions without results (or accountability).
Seriously, we’re going to spend over $21 billion on state government this year (a record) either way, so what difference does a couple hundred million make?
But the alternative budget was a step in the right direction, a step the S.C. Senate is sadly incapable of taking.
Conservatives have now negotiated in good faith. They’ve proposed a budget that funded the core functions of government at their highest levels ever – and they’ve been rejected.
It just goes to show, you can’t compromise with the Godfather of Pork and his minions.
Comments
By hammerheadSC on April 29th, 2009 at 8:56 am
What the hell are these guys thinking? I didn’t use to care for Ryberg much, but he is trying extremly hard to lead this state in the right direction. Courson on the other hand, is starting to really bother me and its going to be tough to consider him during re-election.
By Red Bank Bar on April 29th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Just another dumbarse post by Mr. Moral and Intellectual Bankruptcy.
“Technical points” (?) Heck, the “alternative budget” was nothing but an illegal shell game spreading around federal funds into areas the money could not be spent on.
Why don’t you tell us what you’d specifically cut? I know, I know, “waste”, a term Repugnants can never define. Or, we’ll have examples totalling 0.001 of the budget and a loud, “I told you so”
Thank goodness your party’s shrinking tent means you’ll never see a Repugnant controlled Congress in your life-time.
By fitsnews on April 29th, 2009 at 10:46 am
RBB-
Off the top of our heads? We’d close USC-Salk, USC-Union and another ten higher ed campuses.
That’s at least $20 million savings before we moved to cutting higher ed across the board by $50 million, since they’re doing “economic development” work that has nothing to do with their core instructional missions.
That’s $70 million right there.
Next, we’d save $5 million by passing the Education Opportunity Act, and another $20-30 million by school district consolidation and education funding reform.
After that, we’d privatize our bus fleet – saving millions by releasing districts from state-mandated bus size, frame and horsepower requirements and letting districts determine what buses best suited their geography and route requirements.
Also, K-12 funding would be slashed by $800 million using a weighted formula based on the exact amount these districts have sitting in their bank accounts. Local districts would then be instructed to carry-forward no more than 5% of their total budgets moving forward.
We would also get rid of our Education Oversight Commission and replace it with an independently-administered diagnostic test. Seriously – they can’t walk and chew gum at the same time over at that worthless agency, so it stands that we shouldn’t be paying them millions to put out report cards three months late.
Oh, we would also immediately get rid of the Sea Grant Consortium, the Minority Affairs Commission, the Secretary of State’s office and any money going to libraries and museums.
Also gone? Any Hunley money or Confederate Relic Room money.
Clemson PSA? Gone. We don’t need to pay to teach people how to plant flowers in any economy.
We would also change the retirement age from 28 to 30 years, and dramatically scale back eligibility (i.e. no more SCASA employees getting state-sponsored health care).
We would immediately fire half of the educrats earning $50,000 or more at the State Department of Education. God knows they won’t be missed.
We would immediately restructure our health care, law enforcement and natural resource agencies for a total annual savings of at least $15-20 million. And we wouldn’t spend new money to create a legislatively-controlled police force.
Taxpayer-funded lobbyists? Gone – that’s another $3 million.
Independent PR consultants and marketing firms (a la Chernoff Silver or Palladian Group)? G-O-N-E. Untold millions saved.
Government-sponsored TV commercials? G-O-N-E. Hundreds of thousands saved.
We would save millions more by reforming Medicaid eligibility and ramping up fraud enforcement.
We would eliminate the $3 million going to senior center renovations – projects that have already been completed and yet the money is still being funneled there so Andre Bauer can run for governor.
Furthermore, we would conduct an audit of the entire $7 billion in “other funds,” which nobody has looked at in decades.
If specific recommendations weren’t provided to us within three months, we would cut $1 billion off the top of ALL of these other funds via a “fee rebate” mechanism.
Long story short, we would fund prisons, cops, roads, bridges and schools/ universities at a responsible level.
Last time we checked, that’s what government is supposed to do.
And seriously dude, that’s just off the top of our heads – without even looking.
If you want us to undertake a more comprehensive review, just say the word.
-FITS
By Service! on April 29th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Holy shit RBB! You got served!!!
By Just Checking on April 29th, 2009 at 11:42 am
Actually RBB didn’t get served as this is nothing more than the washed up Sanford agenda that has been pushed for years….and it appears the Davis Ryberg and the other 11 GOT Served.
By Just another Joe on April 29th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Harsh man. Sic Willie you are one harsh s.o.b. Sea Grant Consortium, the last time I checked, is mostly funded by the Feds. What the matter Sic, you wanna build your den of sexual depravity in a tidal marsh? Why aren’t you getting down on the Space Grant Consortium? I guess you enjoy the symbolism of a rocket blasting off. WTF do you have against libraries and museums? Then again maybe you have something there since most of the people in this state can’t read above the 4th grade level and have no knowledge of our history with the possible exception of the Lost Cause mythology. The rest of your budget cuts are reasonable. Just don’t cut the programs I like or build your prisons in my back yard. BTW I also like clean air and water, garbage and sewage services so leave DHEC alone. Also keep your budget cutting mitts off of DNR as I’m a tree huger and like to fish too.
By ultraconservative on April 29th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Hey Just Another Joe, Why’d you not defend USC-Salk? You ever been there?
By RON PAUL on April 29th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Do away with public education!!!!!…Take bids from private educators and teach our children properly.How dumbed down do our kids have to get before you idiots understand more money has nothing to do with it.Private schools could do it for half as much and increase the grades 35%…
By me on April 29th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
I got to choose between a rino and a gay democrat in my state rep election last time, i hate rinos so much i voted for the gay dem lady. Next time i think maybe ill just write myself in.
Thanks for voting against my wishes and NOT EVEN responding to emails or letters i sent to you mr rankin. your my hero!
By me on April 29th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
fitsnews-
i wouldnt actually mind seeing yall do a more comprehensive budget slashing plan. i like what you have so far :)
By To my thinking on April 29th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
Overall, I like your plan, Fits, too, especially the part about slashing all those SDE people over 50,000. It is a crime that so many of those people are making such exorbitant salaries, and so far, Rex just won’t do a thing about it. But, he will cut teachers! What a farce.