By FITSNews || Recovery? What recovery …
That’s what budget writers in South Carolina must be wondering on the heels of yet another disappointing state revenue report.
According to data released on Wednesday by S.C. Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom, state revenues for June 2010 are down by $16 million compared to June 2009. Cumulatively, revenues for the year are down by $340 million compared to this point in time a year ago.
Translation? Expect the $20.8 billion budget passed by lawmakers earlier this year to experience some pruning.
“These revenue shortfalls underscore the continued need for extreme caution on spending, and highlight the importance of having proper controls against wasteful or improper use of public money,” Eckstrom said.
Originally, S.C. lawmakers appropriated a record $21.1 billion for FY 2010-11 – but that was before Gov. Mark Sanford experienced his first marginally successful year wielding the veto pen. Of course, none of the estimated $261 million “saved” by Sanford’s vetoes is heading back to the taxpayers – it will go instead toward addressing next year’s anticipated budget shortfall.
The final budget for the fiscal year beginning on July 1 clocked in at just over $20.8 billion, which is roughly what was appropriated in each of the two preceding years.
In fact, the General Assembly appropriated $20.8 billion two years ago and $20.6 billion last year – although revenue failed to keep up and they were forced to trim back both of those budgets to just over $20 billion apiece. Also, last year’s budget year ended with the state running an unconstitutional $100 million deficit.
Still, those were the largest two budgets in state history at a time when most South Carolina families and small businesses were struggling just to keep their heads above water.
How much pruning will this year’s budget see? That depends on whether state revenues continue to sputter …
By Lot to do about nothing July 14, 2010 at 6:42 pm
The budget was trimmed from a high of 7 billion to 5 billion. That is a 28% cut. The 5 billion included 350 Mil from the feds.
Will, your agenda to make a republican controlled legislature look like pigs at the trough is blatantly dishonest.
The HHS budget is federally mandated at 726 million.If that is removed the legislature controls a little over 4 billion. The other 16 billion are mandated by the feds.
While I feel there was significant fat in the budget, it is gone now.
Here are some agency cuts over the past two years:
Commerce 68%
SLED 51.5%
DJJ 28.
PRT 46
DSS 28.8
HHS 27
DNR 44
PPP 27
If that is not trimming government, what is?
By Florida Watching July 14, 2010 at 8:15 pm
Speaking of trimming……….
How’s Nookie Nikki doing with that………..5PM tax disclosure transparency problem???
By SubZeroIQ July 14, 2010 at 8:30 pm
Here is a post directly on point. But I must first repeat that anything which does not in a maximum of two steps of separation lead to the production of useful goods or to the learning of useful skills or true arts should not be called money or spent anything on.
But one agency that certainly should go altogether is the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission (SCHAC). It is not that discrimination does not exist. It is that, by its very nature, does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for those who suffer discrimination. Its findings are not binding on anybody. If it finds discrimination, it cannot enforce its findings except by suing.
If it finds there is no discrimination, the aggrieved person may still sue but only after having been unnecessarily delayed by the lazy bureaucrats at SCHAC.
Mark Sanford was correct in cutting the budget for it. But he was not correct enough. The whole contraption should be eliminated.
At most, there may a one-person office of civil rights in the Attorney General’s office to issue advisory opinions on compliance with federal and state equal employment, equal education and equal housing laws.
The current SCHAC, under the “leadership” of Jesse Washington is at its worst, not that it was ever any good.
Let the free market of suits not be hindered by a useless bureaucracy.
By Whippersnapper July 14, 2010 at 9:38 pm
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By Florida Watching on July 14th, 2010 at 8:15 pm
Speaking of trimming……….
How’s Nookie Nikki doing with that………..5PM tax disclosure transparency problem???
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Florida Watching, don’t forget to take your adult Attention Deficit Disorder meds. That way you’ll be able to focus more and actually add a comment about the budget or revenue situation. Focus……
By Billy Bob July 14, 2010 at 9:51 pm
Oh, this is hilarious!! Where do you report breaking news on this site??
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100714/ap_on_re_us/us_immigration_states#mwpphu-container
Brief for 9 states backs Arizona immigration law
And SC is on of the nine States!! LMAO!!
We have illegals at the SCE$G nuclear facility, illegals less than a mile from the State House at Columbia Farms. BWAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAHHAHA!!!!
By eggaday July 14, 2010 at 9:55 pm
excuse me sub zero, once your personal rights get taken away as many of us other human beings have already experienced, you won’t feel the same way about removing an office that just really needs ” good help”.
If the government acted like a private employer, many if not all of the sorry lazy slobs running the joint would have already been gone.
Citizens treating other citizens horribly is UnAmerican, unnecessary and should be enforced with the full vigor of US law.
I say beef up the Human Affairs office with competent staff. It is a very necessary office and provides vital services to people undergoing discrimination.
Obviously you have never experienced what it is like to be discriminated against, because if you had, you would not feel this way.
By Fits Lies July 14, 2010 at 10:02 pm
Trim the stupid idea of making universities prostitute themselves for some BS economic programs (think Innovista, CURI, ICAR, etc.). Get rid of the golden professorships (state endowed chairs) and 1/3 of the academic administrations at the state universities, or directly cut the administrative budgets of the state universities by 1/3 by legislative mandate….or better yet, time to stop funding all of the little USCs…time to go back to the basics, since if we keep cutting like we have been, all of the state schools will be worthless…
By Florida Watching July 14, 2010 at 10:12 pm
Snapperhead – Budgets…..Tax Disclosure Failure….Lack of Transparency of any kind……..talk about focus.
Sic….Shower photos please……..bending down to get the soap.
By snodgrass July 14, 2010 at 10:16 pm
Let’s see a giant yard sale at the governor’s mansion. Let’s see every legislator selling plates of chicken bog. Let’s see the state agency heads carry on an all day car wash in their local Walmart parking lots.
That’s how the taxpayers and their kids raise extra money. Surely our budget-busting bureaucrats don’t think they’re better than the rank and file peons who actually work for a living.
By Florida Watching July 14, 2010 at 10:23 pm
Madam Haley could run something special out of the governor’s mansion….. no need to worry about stains or anything.
By No Name July 15, 2010 at 9:15 am
Nuckie + Echstrom + Loftis = oh shit for the lackey motherfuckers that hung around Mark’s neck…..so the BEA and Mr. Seersucker have to either stop Nuckie…..getting more difficult everyday nationally in the 2012 focus….or begin to come clean with the two faced nonsence of projecting this bull shit.
Still waiting for the exposure of Little Diggers proxy and the bull shit that is our State Pension fund.
Haters…..here is your worse nightmare…..a reform agenda …..three person rule on the B and C….. from a person who is not convinced she is Jesus or some other embodiment of the founding fathers.
And oh yeah….she already fucked around and got that out of the way…so she is ready to rock and rule.
By Catherine July 15, 2010 at 10:12 am
Duh…think that record unemployment and companies shutting down and leaving this state in droves might have anything to do with the feeding trough in the Columbia statehouse getting a bit scant?
Since SC ranks at the bottom in education it will probably take a while for the concept of less proceeds (translate that into taxes) coming in = less money to fatten the hogs on.
Since the majority of the state legislature operates on a third-grade brain level, most will probably never “get it”.
By CNChapin July 15, 2010 at 2:15 pm
It’s time to turn the gluttonous hogs in the halls of government out to pasture. Maybe the sale of the resulting bacon could stimulate the economy of SC. Two birds, one stone.
By ceilidh10 July 15, 2010 at 3:44 pm
hey, where is all that “trickle down” theory at work?? GOP has been in power for 8 years and 8 before 98-02, so show me the beef, Republicans. Truth is, it is all a mirage. GOP does not lead and it clearly has no advantage being “fiscally conservative.” GOP is running this state into the ground. And a 3rd rate mophead from India is supposed to be our great Savior???!!!
I am sooooooo ready for Sheheen !
By SubZeroIQ July 15, 2010 at 5:22 pm
Eggaday:
I have been subject to discrimination all my life.
I am a Christian minority in my native country and a foreigner everywhere else.
I do know, however, that in my native country the answer of the Christian minority is, was, and will be: EXCELLENCE.
Excellence in the arts and sciences and excellence in personal conduct.
Now, for SCHAC, what does it really do? It takes complaints, writes reports and then pretends that there was no discrimination.
Its findings are not binding either way. And its staff want to appear to have handled many cases; so, they rush everything.
In a recent rental discrimination case, they could not even figure out that if an identical apartment is rented to an immigrant for $550/month but to a native born for $325/month, FOR THE SAME PERIOD OF TIME, then that is discrimination.
Mark Sanford is correct: it is duplicative. It is even triplicative. There is a federal agency for that (which is also useless).
South Carolina is the only state which also has a state agency.
Jesse Washington himself told me it was created “to get the feds off businesses’ backs.”
There you have it.
By Lot to do about nothing July 15, 2010 at 6:39 pm
This is the worst highjacking of a thread I have seen.
Looks like nothing but dems on this site. Jealous ones at that. What’s wrong, She heen didn’t make the cover of GQ?
By Huhhh??? July 17, 2010 at 11:38 am
COLUMBIA — South Carolina is collecting more taxes than expected.
The State newspaper reported that economists said South Carolina collected nearly $140 million more than expected from April through June.
Economists said the increased collections are a sign the economy is improving.
But Board of Economic Advisors’ chairman John Rainey said it’s too early to raise official estimates that would give lawmakers more to spend in the coming year.
Corporate income taxes are up for a third-straight month, compared to the same period last year. It’s the first three-month increase since the recession began in 2008.
The unemployment rate dropped to 10.5 percent in May, but many of the new jobs were temporary positions with the U.S. Census.
Do you think “lets-take-the-office-van, my darling hot pants Kelly Payne” Eckstrom knows what he’s talking about?
By Jordan June 17, 2011 at 3:50 pm
Subzero you are absolutely incorrect about the SC Human Affairs Commission and Jesse Washington. Get your facts straight!!