At the behest of powerful Charleston, S.C. lawmakers Glenn McConnell and Bobby Harrell, South Carolina’s “Republican-controlled” legislature stripped Gov. Mark Sanford of additional power today, swiftly overriding his veto of a flawed ports bill and effectively placing lawmakers in control of the bruised and battered S.C. Ports Authority.
Championed by McConnell, the arch-defender of South Carolina’s failed economic status quo, this bill – as we’ve said all along – is nothing more than a reactionary reshuffling of cargo on a sinking container ship.
Despite all the white-hot rhetoric emanating from both sides of this debate, the outcome of McConnell’s so-called “port management” bill changes absolutely nothing.
Think we’re kidding?
We’re not. This bill changes nothing.
Until South Carolina changes its “total state control” approach to running a port system, it will continue to see its global position decline and strategic assets go untapped – no matter which branch of government is “in charge.”
Truth be told, the woeful mismanagement and archaic structure of what should be South Carolina’s most competitive economic asset is a shared failure – one that both branches of government were explicitly warned would come back and haunt our state years ago.
Gov. Sanford, for his part, failed miserably on repeated occasions to effectively discharge one of the few powers he’s actually granted under our state’s ass-backward government structure – namely, appointing strong free market supporters to a critical economic board.
Instead, Sanford made political appointments based on who gave him the most campaign money – including the disastrous selection of Columbia gadfly Bill Stern, a corrosive, anti-capitalist influence who easily ranks as the worst appointment Sanford ever made to any board or commission.
Despite promises to ditch Stern after the 2006 election, Sanford stuck with him – a decision we’re sure the governor now regrets.
Either way, the fact that lawmakers have now slipped their degenerate tentacles into yet another executive function of state government is indeed a tragedy, but it’s hard to feel sorry for Sanford on this one.
It’s even harder listening to him whine about legislators paying “lip service” to restructuring (which they obviously did) when he could have averted this entire disaster years ago by actually putting principle over politics, instead of the other way around.
By Crush June 16, 2009 at 6:54 pm
Blah, blah, can we just get more pics of Megan Fox please?
By shaggy June 16, 2009 at 8:15 pm
Mcconnell is a fag.
By hardyboys June 16, 2009 at 9:58 pm
Once again, McConnell and Harrell are showing just how much of dumbasses they are! Is it any wonder that South Carolina is getting nowhere FAST! Why don’t they take off their republican outfits permanently and put on what they need to be wearing, is it yellow or orange?
South Carolina continues to be the laughing stock of the country and until so-called leaders such as these two stop covering their asses for others, this state will continue to be what it is recognized as–THE JACKASS STATE–literally.
By Gomer June 16, 2009 at 10:24 pm
You are right on the money- Sanford did nothing but contemplate his navel when he could have restructured the port.
McConnell will find a way for the port to work – for himself and his cronies.
By GnuBerry June 16, 2009 at 10:49 pm
I agree that the gadfly’s corrosive, anti-capitalist influence and the white-hot rhetoric emanating from the arch-defenders of the status quo gave lip service to the degenerate tentacles.
By walter david June 17, 2009 at 12:03 am
That’s deep shaggy. What does his sexual orientation have to do with his ability to legislate?
By lou June 17, 2009 at 7:40 am
Why can’t South Carolina run a successful port as we did in the past?
By Toyota Kawaski June 17, 2009 at 8:23 am
Further proof the Gov along with his staff current and former are all LOUOOOOOOSERS