There are so many things wrong with South Carolina that it’s really hard to know where to start fixing it …
Seriously, people … our state is poor, dumb, fat, sick, unemployed, overtaxed, antiquated, corrupt and (not surprisingly) violent.
Oh, and heavily-medicated.
And all that was before our “Lov Gov,” Mark Sanford, decided to make us the butt of national jokes for (like) the eleventy kabillionth time.
Thanks a lot, Mark.
Anyway, even back when the national economy was humming along (i.e. the 1990′s), South Carolina was still well behind the curve, limping along as it has for centuries with substandard academic achievement, depressed income levels, high unemployment, and an 1895 system of bloated, duplicative, inefficient and/or totally unnecessary government (representing 40.5% of the state’s GDP, people).
Since then, nothing has changed. In fact, things have only gotten worse … and more expensive for the taxpayer.
Governed by anti-competitive tax, legal and regulatory laws, this state is “managed” by a legislative tyranny that dispenses favors to a select, well-connected few through an archaic special interest spoils system – all of which continues to hold us back from competing in a 21st century economy.
Despite clear and compelling evidence in favor of dozens of long overdue reforms, the “Republican” legislative tyrants (namely Senate President Glenn McConnell, House Speaker Bobby Harrell, Senate Finance Chairman Hugh Leatherman, House Ways & Means Chairman Danny Cooper, Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler and House Majority Leader Kenny Bingham) continue to perpetuate and even expand the failed status quo.
Keeping our pockets empty and our children as dumb as they possibly can, these bought-and-paid for big government goons go along as they have for generations, providing their powerful, special interest allies with the choicest cuts from the taxpayers’ hides – and getting pretty plaques on their office walls in honor of their “service” as they slice us up.
Seriously, if you’re not a state lawmaker, bureaucrat, trial lawyer or lobbyist principal, it pretty much sucks to be a South Carolinian these days.
Fortunately, at least one lawmaker is standing up to this self-perpetuating nonsense with a piece of legislation that will enable individual South Carolinians to have a more direct impact on state policy.
Mike Rose, a reform-minded State Senator from the Lowcountry, has sponsored a bill that would all South Carolina citizens to enact new laws directly via the initiative process.
Rose’s bill, S. 1002, provides for the Palmetto State “to enact laws by means of initiative petition.”
An initiative is a signature-driven ballot measure that allows citizens to place a law on the ballot directly. A referendum is a petition-driven ballot measure that allows the public to repeal a law already passed by the legislature.
South Carolina is one of over twenty states – most of which are located either in the Deep South or the liberal Northeast – currently offering voters neither option.
Only Constitutional questions can be addressed at the polls by South Carolina voters, and those only after two-thirds of lawmakers have approved the question.
Has this system worked for our state? Clearly not.
In the coming year, FITS will be offering several specific policy proposals (since none of our gubernatorial candidates seem capable of offering anything), but before we get into the merits or demerits of tax cuts, expanded parental choice, or the appropriate size and scope of government, we will be addressing some of the functional reforms that could make a huge difference in fixing South Carolina’s chronic problems.
Things like Sen. Rose’s bill, for example …
By That's It!!! December 18, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Direct democracy! What a great idea! Never mind the constitution and all that…let’s have majority rule. That is the cure to ALL of our ills!
I mean, look how great it has worked in California.
What could possibly go wrong?
By Catherine December 18, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Sic,
Didn’t you hear? S. Carolinians are happy! According to this: http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20091217/sc_livescience/happieststatesrevealedbynewresearch
we are the 8th happiest state in the nation. Maybe ignorance really is bliss… or maybe its the Cymbalta…
By Gillon December 18, 2009 at 4:34 pm
These Republican “legislative tyrants,” who run the state were democratically chosen by their fellow Republicans in the party primaries and then elected to office by a majority of the voters in the November elections. They did not gain their offices by hereditary succession or a coup d’etat. What makes you think that these same voters would show any better judgment or make any better choices if given the initiative or the referendum? Keep in mind these are the same voters who have given us the likes of Mark Sanford, Thomas Ravenel, Joe Wilson, and Jim DeMint. The biggest change needs to come in the average South Carolinian’s judgment, knowledge-base, values, expectations, and their view of the purpose of government. Then you’ll have better leaders and a better-functioning government.
By Ron December 18, 2009 at 8:41 pm
The modern U.S. system of initiative and referendum originated in the state of South Dakota. South Dakota adopted initiative and referendum in 1898 by a vote of 23,816 to 16,483. Oregon was the second state to adopt, and did so in 1902, when the state’s legislators adopted it by an overwhelming majority. The “Oregon System”, as it was at first known, subsequently spread to many other states, and became one of the signature reforms of the Progressive Era (1890s-1920s).
By Ron December 18, 2009 at 8:48 pm
South Carolina
South Carolina does not permit statewide initiatives or referendums. The state’s Code of Laws does grant citizens of all municipalities the right to initiate and approve ordinances. The provision for local initiatives was adopted in 1910 during the Progressive movement.
In 1999, the state supreme court ruled (Joytime Distributors v. State of South Carolina) that the state legislature did not have the authority to place statutes on the ballot for approval by the people.
By Ron December 18, 2009 at 8:49 pm
Initiative and Referendum
is not about politics.
It’s about freedom.
“Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone;
the people themselves are its only safe depositories.”
Thomas Jefferson
By Ron December 18, 2009 at 8:53 pm
In the 24 states that have the
Initiative process, citizens have
proposed many things, including:
right to vote for women,
8-hour workday for government,
voter approval of tax increases,
campaign finance reform,
term limits for elected officials,
protections for the environment.
By Ron December 18, 2009 at 8:57 pm
The SC General Assembly in my view enjoys the fact that we’re a “legislatively controlled state”. They don’t want to risk having it any other way as evidenced by the initial postings on this article. In my view what they really fear is in the preceeding post, TERM LIMITS!!! I have believed for years that if SC ever inacted I & R, that the people would approve term limits swiftly. I think the LAWMAKERS KNOW THIS.
By You Make Me FITS December 18, 2009 at 9:53 pm
FITS I don’t know if it would be possible to pack a blog post with more “conservative” platitudes, but kudos on trying. This is a terrible idea, despite the Kangaroo court style gubernatorial recalls in Cali already mentioned above, it is really awesome to think we could have public opinion ruling on a “reality TV show” type scenario for our laws rather than educated individuals in a thoughtful legislative process. I konw you have all of the cookie cutter phrases down pat about ‘conservatism,’ but maybe some actual knowlege of political philosphy might help…just a thought.
By Just the Facts Ma'am December 19, 2009 at 6:12 am
All I’ll say is that Rose is a strange, little man….
By Huhhh??? December 19, 2009 at 11:24 am
Yep, all anyone needs to do is look at the mess California has become since Howard Jarvis came up with Proposition 8 to cap property taxes. THAT’S what has nearly destroyed CA, an out of whack tax system.
We don’t need to follow in California’s footsteps, as much as the wingnuts in Lexington County would like for us to. Our system is messed up enough!!!
By SC Integrity December 19, 2009 at 11:30 am
Thank you for a wonderful, extremely needed Christmas gift. Next best thing to Fits as Guv, seriously!
Sure the “educated individuals in a thoughtful legislative process” has served us “poor, dumb, fat, sick, unemployed, overtaxed, antiquated, corrupt and (not surprisingly) violent” so well but what the hell, let’s switch it up.
Life must really suck to be so downtrodden and brow beaten that a taxpayer doesn’t even feel entitled to an intiative process.
By Joseph Kress December 19, 2009 at 11:43 am
I can’t help thinking that the public mostly pick the wrong choices based on referendums as written, but never do they reveal who actually wrote the text. I refer to the S.C. 15% tax cap so misleading that it obfuscated who benefits most the average home owner or the wealthy developer and mansion owner. The most recent insult to the public’s interest is the gift to developers that they are not required to pay taxes on their speculative developments until the property is sold.
In the matter of schools,the average taxpayer thinks that it’s okay to pay for schools that cost 10 times more than what they are worth because of all the niceties that the bureaucrats want, but adds nothing to make Johnny read better or figure better. The main beneficiaries of Gollaith size schools instead of neighborhood schools with only classrooms, an auditorium and a play yard are the bankers who loan the money, the realtors who may even be on the school board, the material suppliers and of course, always the Chanber of Commerce and the developers. The latter see to it that a school must be a drawung card for new residential development which for each new house built the cost for infrastructure support is $22,000. That’s when the legal profession puts its hand in the cookie jar fighting to limit or abolish impact fees that developers abhor. There is a suit pending that is to abolish the $2,500 impact fee on new housing which is 11.36 percent of the real infrastructure cost.
By Merry Christmas December 19, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Joseph…let’s see, sounds like everybody is getting theirs, except you. How could that be?
By GreenvilleGirl December 19, 2009 at 6:14 pm
You Make Me FITS,
There’s a slight problem with your sentence which includes the phrase ‘educated individuals in a thoughtful legislative process’. From my experience with legislators from all over the state, e-d-u-c-a-t-e-d is a stretch in some cases.
Take some time and read the bills and public “thank you” notes that are filed each year. While serving on a committee of a trade organization which was trying to get members of the judiciary committee to consider a bill requiring licensing for mortgage brokers (who at the time were virtually unregulated), I got a good view of the idiots we have in Columbia. Keep in mind, this was YEARS before the mortgage debacle. I tried to meet every one on the committee who attended the function, and rather than discuss our concerns, many talked about anything OTHER than the reason they were invited. Here are a few paraphrased comments I heard:
Yeah, I missed the most important vote regarding education in SC cause I to DJ an event(play records) that day. I probably could have been at both, but I would have been tired.
I don’t know enough about mortgages, cause I don’t have one; let me tell you the story about my new recliner!
I’m new; I don’t much about how any of this works yet.
You’ll need to talk to —- —— about your bill. This isn’t really in my area. (But this person was a member of the Judiciary Committee).
I don’t know how I would be able to help you. I’m just here for the dinner and drinks.
I came away from this meeting having classified our legislators into several categories:
They’re just in Columbia for the parties, free food and booze.
They new, and they don’t know sh*t about politics. Their friends just suggested they run, and they never thought they’d get elected.
They’re actually trying to improve our state.
They’re well connected, members of the good ol’ boys club, and it’s all about what I can do for them, not what they can do for me.
They make a lot of money, but they inherited it from their Daddy, so they’ve never really worked or run a business. They just needed something to do and they thought politics might be interesting.
Most are narcissistic (sic) morons, not educated individuals in a thoughtful legislative process.
Go online to http://www.sc.gov, find your legislator, and look at what they’ve been doing with your/my tax dollars. If it’s not a waste of money, it is a waste of time. And time is money.
By Lowcountry Swamp Fox December 19, 2009 at 8:39 pm
Check out Rose’s twitter.com/senatormikerose
By MyNoseKnowsRose December 20, 2009 at 1:47 am
Perhaps someone should look into Rose’s past, or just ask anyone around Summerville for that matter. Other than Sanford, Mike Rose is the last thing the reform movement needs. Hope he enjoys his last term of having pages carry his briefcase and making secretaries cry… Let me guess, he tries to keep his legislative license plate this time too. What a joke.
By YouMakeMeFITS December 20, 2009 at 2:49 am
G-villeGirl,
I am sorry your time with some of the legislator’s made you so jaded. There are plenty of characters up there in the state house, some good, some bad. However, many of them are community leaders above an beyond their position in the legislature – often sacraficing time/money and other things to be in the legislature. I know many legislators, have sat in on many committee meetings. Most tend to be reasonably well educated and informed – to a larger degree than the average S.C. resident (and they should be, that is their job). If a legislator told you to talk to “so and so” they may have been talking about the sub-committee handling your bill. In the Senate for instance, half of the senate sits on the Judiciary Committee and the other half all sit on finance, the person could have actually been directing you in the proper place. Government and government officials can be like a car sometimes – when you get in your car/truck for 500 days and drive to/from work with no issues you really don’t think about it much, but on those two days of five hundred that it breaks down or doesn’t start et cetera, you most certainly remeber it and your car is the most worthless $%^& #$%^ ever, and “why didn’t I trade this $%^&^ !@#$# two years ago!?!”
Furthermore, an initiative process like this would allow for persons to put things on the ballot of the state in confusing terms that would solely benefit their own interests but would be unitelligble to the average voter – such intiatives would never pass the legislature – but may easily be passes when the group that wants it passed has not organized oposition (like the general public), and then it just comes down to an adverstising campain – “Prop 27 will save your pets, make your children healthier, and whiten your teeth!”
This is particularly so on environmental legislation where the incentive to pollute is great (it’s expensive to clean up your own mess) and organized (it is usually a specific company or group of companies in a single trade), but the incentive to fight against lax regulations is disperse (every memeber of the general public who wants clean water, air et cetera) and therefore often not well funded.
By Karen December 20, 2009 at 9:23 am
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By CNSYD December 20, 2009 at 11:57 am
Ron, all your quotes from Jefferson. Is this before or after Sally Hemmings?