For those of you unfamiliar with Columbia, S.C.’s standards of “fiscal responsibility,” you could basically hand your life savings over to a lunatic crackhead (in cash) and wind up with a better rate of return.
A uniquely inglorious coalescence of greedy politicians, incompetent bureaucrats, and synergy-speaking “economic developers,” Columbia is an ugly, concrete wasteland – one with an itching inferiority complex, incurable identity crisis and complete and total disregard for common sense (and elementary math).
It’s a place where jobs – and prosperity – go to die.
Well, unless of course you’re a City Council member – which has proven to be quite a lucrative proposition.
Or for that matter one of those many new incompetent bureaucrats – which has also proven to be quite lucrative.
Columbia has also been a veritable gold mine for a certain cash-hungry state legislative leader (and) University president, both of whom are desperately seeking a gullible local government that’s willing to dump millions of additional tax dollars into an empty research campus.
Clearly, sound fiscal management is not a strong suit here in the “Face of the Recession,” as Columbia was infamously dubbed by the New York Times last year.
The latest example of its bad judgment?
The city’s pending decision to invest a cool million into the flagging S.C. State Museum, which was first reported on Tuesday by Adam Beam of The State newspaper.
From Beam’s story:
The State Museum wants three Midlands governments to agree to give it $2.5 million over the next five years so it can begin building a planetarium, observatory and 4-D theater.
The museum’s foundation is trying to persuade a bank to loan it $5.5 million so it can begin its Gervais Street expansion.
In order to make the bank comfortable with the loan, the foundation is asking three local governments to commit to between $500,000 and $1 million over the next five years.
Not surprisingly, the City – which is broke as a f*cking joke – is chomping at the bit to pour its reduced hospitality tax revenues into this totally non-essential project. So too, it would appear, are glad-handing politicians in Richland and Lexington Counties.
Meanwhile, a bunch of equally broke state lawmakers have pledged $11.5 million to the museum, assuming that it can get “matching funds” (which is obviously code for the museum pulling down taxpayer funds from another government entity).
Speaking of which, leaving no taxpayer-funded stone unturned, the museum is also awaiting word on whether or not it will receive a $1.6 million federal “stimulus” grant that it applied for.
Sheesh. We’re starting to blush over here … and not just because our founding editor happens to know the museum’s executive director “a little bit,” as he is wont to say.
Anyway, assuming the State Museum even needs all of this new stuff to begin with (the total tab for its proposed expansion is $23.5 million), here are our questions …
First, is now really the time to undertake such a massive expansion?
Second, assuming now is the time, can any of these governments realistically expect to find cuts elsewhere in their budgets to make room for all of these new museum-related expenses?
Finally – and this is the larger point – should government even be in the “museum business” in the first place?
We think not.
Also, we’ve been reading a lot lately in La Socialista about the city having to cut fire department and police department resources … seems like this million dollars should probably go toward some of those things first.
Of course, if the city could learn to distinguish its ass from its elbow with respect to basic accounting principles, that would be a good start …
By Emile DeFelice November 18, 2009 at 5:35 am
Hey FITS — You are on the money on this one. Sickening how much money is wasted, especially considering the things that actually need doing.
Come out and visit the All Local Farmer’ Market sometime — every Saturday year round. Not only is our market self-supporting, none of our farmers accept farm subsidies either. Farming the free market. Bring some champagne or some breakfast beer and stay for awhile.
I read your site every day, keep up the good work.
Emile DeFelice
By Emile DeFelice November 18, 2009 at 5:36 am
please put the ‘s’ on the end of Farmer’
By Ynot November 18, 2009 at 7:26 am
the rich elite need more entertainment. out of your personal pocket, at your personal expense… end of story
By Liberty For Me November 18, 2009 at 7:32 am
..Socialist dicks need to keep their hands off our money.Instead of giving “our”money away.How about doing away with property tax or income tax.Think that might reduce some of that unemploment.??.why are voters so dumb??? They have had no vote choice and or have been trained they need the government to live.Use your brains…they are in your head for a reason
By Elmo November 18, 2009 at 8:12 am
You know over time I have come to realize that a lot of this deficit dumb ass spending is because of our flawed banking system. Of ,politicians are ignorant and have no clue how to perform their jobs. That will always be the case.
But let’s just say there was no fractional reserve banking. Hypothetically, if I deposit 100 k in a bank today, the bank can go out and loan 900K due to fractional reserve banking laws. Worthless projects such as this museum have a much better chance of getting a loan due to the bank’s false sense of lending power. Therefore, debt explodes and bad loans are pushed by greedy bankers.
Let’s focus on eliminating the root cause of this irrational spending spree- and the root cause is always found by following the money.
By How should HAT be spent? November 18, 2009 at 9:14 am
I agree there are a lot of projects that get funds that would be better spent elsewhere or not at all. When it comes to Hospitality and Accommodation Tax funds, where should that money, which is suppose to go to support tourism, be spent?
A lot of people complain when those funds are spent on one project over another. Having gone after and received funds from HAT grants, I’d like to know where you think that money should be spent?
By What? November 18, 2009 at 9:44 am
A planetarium and observatory? How early 1980s! Seriously, who do they expect to visit these places other than kids on taxpayer-funded school field trips? Oh, and those field trips will probably sihon kids away from the other taxpayer-funded project right down the street–EdVenture. The zoo seems to be the only project in the Milands that can actually pay for itself.
By Todd November 18, 2009 at 9:54 am
Will this take money away from Mayor Bob re-paving Main Street for the 20th time in his 20 years or from adding another fountain and street scaping project at Five Points for the umpteenth time?
By Daniel November 18, 2009 at 10:35 am
“We’re starting to blush over here … and not just because our founding editor happens to know the museum’s executive director ‘a little bit,’ as he is wont to say.”
I assume you mean the executive director of the Museum Foundation, as the executive director of the museum is William Calloway?
By philip branton November 18, 2009 at 10:53 am
Hmm……
My what ties that bind US all together around OUR state…
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/nov/18/johns-is-retail-homes-planneddevelopment-still/
MUTUAL Friends of the Planetarium…..???
By philip branton November 18, 2009 at 10:56 am
….LOL….
“..Regional Dynamics and Economic Modeling Laboratory of Strom Thurmond Institute of Government and Public Affairs at Clemson University…”
Maybe this is MAYOR Bob is holding financial leadership forums..!?!
By philip branton November 18, 2009 at 11:33 am
WOW……
“Bob Becker of the Strom Thurmond Institute for Government and Public Affairs at Clemson, said Greenville is a “linchpin” since it’s situated …”
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20091118/BUSINESS/911180341/Cooperation-on-rail-energy-water-on-table-as-region-s-mayors-gather
“There’s only so much we can widen I-85 between Atlanta and Charlotte for the next 50 years,” McCrory told The Greenville News . “Sooner or later, the congestion will overwhelm us, and we’ve got to have a choice over that congestion, and the choice most likely will be rail.”
LOOK OUT …taxpayers..!! The CSX and Norfolk-Southern SNOOKER Is on..!!
We have the FUTURE here today…. http://www.unimodal.com has their demonstration facility in partnership with NASA at the AMES research facility ALREADY…!!!
Rail WORKERS see no benefit to their PENSIONS from the AIR above the track they work on ….
Electric Utility Workers see no benefit t their pensions from the AIR above their power line easements…..
SC residents will allow MORE land to be confiscated to WIDEN RAIL easements that are NOT needed at all…!?!? To then subsidize AMTRAK…!?!?!
LOL…..LOL..LOL !!!
Talk about rail SLAVERY….!?
Will the VOTERS even know they have a CHOICE…!?!
Will any paper report the CHOICES…!?!
From school system busing to Public transit tax holes….to 12 lane roads….to swathes of easements on serving ONE purpose instead of several….!?!?
All the while our LANDFILLS grow ………..
By movie November 18, 2009 at 1:31 pm
I say we build a drive in and watch night at the Museum and call it a day.
By 2 cents November 18, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Government and the elite aren’t broke. The ordinary citizen, from whom they got their wealth, is broke. The difference in government and the elite they are hand-in-hand with & the ordinary citizen who wants to work and live a decent life is that the former will do anything to get their hands on wealth & keep it.
Doesn’t matter if it’s gold, dollars, weapons, technology, land, people’s homes, whatever, government intends to get the lion’s share & sit on it because that equates to power.
The ordinary citizen is faced with a lose-lose situation. One, stand up to them and refuse to give them anything or try to hold them accountable, which will lead to loss of freedom or everything one has. Two, pick up arms against them, which will certainly lead to loss of freedom or death.
Mix government’s and elite’s willingness to do anything for power & wealth and their spewing of religous & philosophical rhetoric to back it up you have a truly no-win situation.
I wonder how long not just state or local government can pretend that all is well, but nationally government is doing the same. Now all is surely well for them, but they are genuinely concerned, however, that the middle and lower classes are indeed losing everything they have & in return, won’t be able to provide the lap of luxury for government & elite in the future. They can’t tax or take what is not there. Citizens can’t work if there are no jobs or if a great number of people are imprisoned.
Millions on the museum? What is their arguement for it, it’ll create jobs? For how long? What about when the jobs are done? Another bandaid for a gaping economic wound. I believe the real issue is that no country on earth is willing to invest in America. That, and the fact they have no need to with the U.S. employing so many foreign workers. Being at war with or policing a great part of the world doesn’t help either.
By Philip Branton November 18, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Hmm………..
A gag order…..??
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/nov/18/sweeping-gag-order-clouds-waring-case/
…with national ramifications….??
……and negotiations are sill being hammered…..where?
…and no comments in the paper are allowed….~~
….sounds like SANFORD is a timely distraction for…???
….and WHAT property has been
Uh…oh !?