By FITSNews || We have every expectation that South Carolina’s next Treasurer, Republican Curtis Loftis, will be a vast improvement over the current occupant of the office, former RINO Rep. Converse Chellis. Frankly, it would be impossible for him not to be.
And while Loftis obviously ran as a fiscal conservative, he won this office thanks to a clever commercial bashing Chellis for his use of a “taxpayer funded luxury SUV.”
Pledging to forgo such perks once he assumes office next January (Loftis is unopposed in November), the Club for Growth favorite is now challenging other statewide officials to follow his lead.
Good for him … even the lowest-paid statewide officials receive an annual salary that’s twice what the average household makes in a given year, and so expecting us to pick up the tab for their vehicles is ridiculous.
Let them pay for their own cars …
Obviously, taxpayers would only realize a few thousand dollars in savings if every statewide officer adopted Loftis’ recommendation, but every penny counts, right?
Frankly, we hope Loftis doesn’t stop with statewide officers. In fact, tougher standards on the provision of official vehicles (and their use) could yield substantial savings – which of course should go directly to taxpayers, not back in the black hole of government.
Let’s hope Loftis digs deeper on vehicle savings and produces some real results … otherwise, the commercial that elected him will be little more than a clever political gimmick.
Having said that, we certainly hope Chellis won’t let the Tahoe door smack his ass on the way out …
By Winston July 23, 2010 at 4:33 pm
Earl Capps interviewed Loftis and this is the money quote.
“Elected officials should be givers, not takers. They should seek to relieve the taxpayers of burdens, not add to them. Taxpayers provide their own transportation to and from work, to vacations, to political meetings, to lunch and dinner and to other personal events – and so should elected officials.”
These cars are are perks for the elites, and when the true cost of ownership is discovered it will be shown that they are not the deals the elites claim.
By snodgrass July 23, 2010 at 6:16 pm
While I normally echo conservative sentiments such as these, I actually disagree with this particular school of thought.
Rank has its privilege. It’s a time-honored tradition within all organized power structures. Compensation takes many forms and should be commensurate with both position and performance.
Perks are a way of life. From employee discounts to the Officer’s Club to “a little sumpin’ sumpin’ with a client.. ;)
I don’t have a problem with our elected officials enjoying a few extras as long as they’re doing a good enough job that we can afford to add it to our tab.
The Tahoe isn’t what’s bankrupting us, it’s the driver.
By Thinking July 23, 2010 at 7:08 pm
Truth is we don’t know where these guys go and how much of their driving is for business or pleasure. They do not keep logs and if they do they do not make them public.
I suspect the IRS would have a field day with their reports. Common Cause or Loftis or someone should FOI their driving logs and get to the bottom of it.
I don’t trust them a bit and neither do the voters.
PS we still don’t know the true cost because not one of these guys has made their total cost and mileage public.
By Joe July 24, 2010 at 6:46 am
Ya know, for this being a SLED run website by the govs former slinger, its really not bad. Keep up the good work Sic.
By Clint July 24, 2010 at 8:13 am
The taxpayer pays the bills for both sides of the deal as they are the “leasing company” and the “driver”. So we will never know the true cost until both sides publicly account for All of the expense AND an there is an audit of the actual miles driven.
Knowing state government as I do that will not happen because it will show that personal/political miles account for as many miles as state use, and that the cost is far higher that anyone will admit too.
Where is Common Cause or Ned Sloan when you need them?
By Billy July 24, 2010 at 9:38 am
Why shouldn’t Constitutional Officers have taxpayer funded cars 24/7? What would happen if Richard Eckstrom didn’t have a state car available and he had an accounting emergency in the middle of the night?
By Halftime July 24, 2010 at 10:57 am
Everybody always supports cutting when its the other guy getting cut. Tax the smokes b/c I don’t smoke. Tax the “luxury items” b/c I don’t own any and probably never will. Raise the property tax b/c I don’t own any (or own very little). Raise taxes on the wealthy b/c I ain’t wealthy. Cut their salary b/c it’s higher than mine. Eliminate the job b/c it isn’t needed, unless of course its my job in which case it’s intensely important.
Many times perks such as these are given in the place of salary. I know I took a job one time with a significant decrease in salary but they offered a company car which, on an annual basis, more than made up for the pay cut. And, yes, it was a public sector job. How would you feel if you were hired into a position and told what your salary and benefits package would be and, as part of that package, a car would be included. Then, after accepting the position your employer decided they were going to cut your pay, cancel or severely diminish your insurance benefits and take your company car away. I’m guessing most of us would be pretty upset. Maybe even call our previous boss back to see if our old job was still available?
By Tom Stickler July 24, 2010 at 7:16 pm
Mercy! Think of the impact on the Car Dealer Lobby!
By Yon July 25, 2010 at 3:51 am
I suspect the miles driven for personal use is far more than we are being lead to believe.
Bad deal for taxpayer, good deal for big wigs.
By No Name July 25, 2010 at 11:26 am
Loftis
Go to Wasilla and hide until the election….because they need to get rid of one of you and Nuckie is getting a lot of 2012 defence…..so that leaves you……..Lindsey can not lose control of the B and C for leverage.
Watch your friends and enemies……make a list of the Judas because they are offering a lot nore than silver here to take you down.
I hope you stay clean and they do not get you….because this is all about a non butt head….Nuckie …..being able to surrond herself with something other than the shitheads that screwed Mark at every turn and then closing down the B and C the very first day.
Little Diggetr and Lindsey will not give up control of this State easily…..so stay away from this stuff….noble ….but do not loose sight of the big picture……..3rd quarter and we are up by 21….stop throwing the ball.
By Saul July 25, 2010 at 8:27 pm
I like the “accountability” angle:
Reimbursement (say at the Federal rate of $.55 per mile) must be substantiated with documentation.
This means these government officials tooling around at our expense will have to submit (a) date, (b) time, (c) miles driven, (d) purpose, and (e) person(s) visited.
For federal income tax deductions, this is done with IRS Publication (and Form no.) 2106 (see http://search.irs.gov/web/query.html?col=allirs&charset=utf-8&qp=&qs=-Wct%3A%22Internal+Revenue+Manual%22&qc=&qm=0&rf=0&oq=&qt=2106&search.x=0&search.y=0).
If self-employed carpenters, brick masons, and traveling salesmen can fill out these forms honestly, why can’t politicians?
I look forward to reading the documentation showing where these guys go as they “criss cross the state in performance of their duty.”
This will be REAL transparency.
– Saul
By WorkingTommyC July 26, 2010 at 8:20 am
Snodgrass:
Rank? You’ve GOT to be kidding me. They’ve earned NOTHING! They were elected to do a JOB. These offices are not rewards. Elected officials are public servants–NOT our bosses.
If they were in private businesses, perhaps such “perks” would be tolerated by the owners of the company. However, the citizens, the “owners” of South Carolina, have essentially said, “Let them ‘suffer’ not having SUVs or let them not run for office to begin with.”
Complacence regarding taxpayer abuse has led to this messed up situation. It’s time to take measures to correct this and the taxpayers have spoken, have they not? In spades, I’d say. In fact, I think we dug out Chellis’ political grave with those spades. May he rot in it with all the comforts of hell.
Meanwhile, it will be entertaining to hear the whining of the recipients of fascist corporate welfare who were benefiting from selling all those expensive vehicles to the state.
By EasleyJack July 26, 2010 at 9:45 am
Sorry, but if your job calls for you to spend time traveling you get a car. Taking that at away is asking anyone with an office job to give up their desk.
By Fred July 26, 2010 at 10:41 am
These guys do not travel often for business. Mainly politics, to and from work, and rotary club.
Ask to see thier logs, the are required by the IRS, and you will see it is a scam.
The rest of the conversation is just political whitewash
By Analyst July 26, 2010 at 12:34 pm
at .50 cents a mile, the taxpayers would get hosed by doing away with state vehicles. Maybe allow them only to take them home if they have a meeting or event to attend after normal business hours. This is a populist message that Loftis is espousing, and I’ll admit, it sounds good, but the economics of it are much different.
By Common Sense July 26, 2010 at 1:27 pm
I dont see anything wrong with requiring elected officials to check out a car from a pool. This would allow the most accountability. They would have to state a reason, milage, and receipts. This would save money and I am glad to see the Mr. Loftis made promises and is ACTUALLY sticking to them.
If other states have more practical and money saving ways to do it then SC should follow suit. Dont forget WE ARE BROKE people!
By GMan July 26, 2010 at 3:45 pm
Loftis has said he will drive his own car but still claim the $.50 per mile for use. In the end, this will cost much more than providing a state car. There should be more restrictions in place to prevent officials from using these cars in personal situations; however, it is ludicrous to think driving a personal vehicle in all the business travel situations will be cheaper than using a state-owned car. There should be some oversight to catch people like the former commissioners at the Employment Security Commission who claimed mileage to their “homes” in Charleston, Rock Hill and Florence while actually living in downtown Columbia. That is the kind of thing that should be abolished. In fact, those people should be put in jail for abuse of the system. Anyway, back to the topic, we are stuck with Loftis who got elected as our state treasurer based on one commercial but who is not even a CPA. He could not get a job as the treasurer of a decent-sized private company with those credentials. Our voters get what they deserve…
By It's Freakin SC July 26, 2010 at 8:57 pm
“Pay Parity.” Who will be the first one to leverage this “sacrifice?” Time will tell….tick tock, tick tock.
By C4 July 27, 2010 at 11:04 am
FIRST OFF – these people HAVE to travel all over the state – FREQUENTLY. You think BOIENG & BMW came here b/c our elected officials sit on their asses in Columbia?!?! Yall don’t know what the heck you’re talking about… AS USUAL. They RARELY sit behind their desk. Don’t believe me, go to Cola and try to find one of them – GOOD LUCK!
SECOND OFF – If you want QUALIFIED, EDUCATED people serving our state, we have to offer them some form of JUST compensation. IF YOU ASK ME WE SHOULD DOUBLE WHAT WE PAY THEM – THATS HOW YOU ATTRACT TALENT!! These measly salaries and benefits are why all of these LAME DUCK BOZOS are the ones running for these positions in the first place! SAME AS THE BIG LEAGUES, THE BIG BUSINESSES. WE SHOULD BE INVESTING IN OUR PEOPLE – YOU HAVE TO SPEND MONEY TO MAKE MONEY!!!
No well educated, successful businessman/professional is going to leave what they are doing to serve our state if it wont pay their bills! If we dont offer some form of competitive salary/benefit package, you won’t get anyone QUALIFIED to actually run for these positions. HENCE AN EXTERMINATOR W/ AN ASSOCIATE DEGREE TAKING CONTROL OF $60 BILLION OF TAXPAYERS MONEY… awesome.
THIRD – Our elected officials have looked up, down, and sideways to make budget cuts… you think they didnt look at the vehicle situation??? Even knucklehead Sanford knows this is the cheapest way! GIVE THEM 52 CENTS/MILE AND SEE WHAT KIND OF TAB YOU RACK UP!!! It amazes me that people come on here and give their opinion (AND EVEN WORSE – CAST A VOTE) w/out doing the slightest bit of research!!
LIKE GMAN SAID – THE VOTERS WILL GET WHAT THEY DESERVE!!