SC

No “Lifeboats” For Lawmakers

Reporter Brian Hicks at The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier has an excellent column out this week highlighting the extent to which South Carolina lawmakers wield a frightening degree of control over local government. In case you missed it, click here. The focus of Hicks’ piece? The recent appointment of…

Reporter Brian Hicks at The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier has an excellent column out this week highlighting the extent to which South Carolina lawmakers wield a frightening degree of control over local government.

In case you missed it, click here.

The focus of Hicks’ piece? The recent appointment of S.C. Sen. Paul Campbell (RINO-Berkeley) to run the Charleston International Airport, a $200,000-plus position that’s paid for mostly with taxpayer funds.

Hicks is absolutely correct. State lawmakers in Columbia have way too much control over local government – sort of like federal lawmakers in Washington, D.C. have way too much control over state government.

Of course he ignores a much more fundamental problem: There’s too much government to begin with.

Seriously … an airport? What business does government have running an airport?

Anyway, Hicks’ column also neglects to mention recent efforts by S.C. Lt. Gov. Glenn McConnell – Campbell’s former colleague in the State Senate – to secure his own taxpayer-funded “lifeboat.” With the help of corrupt S.C. Supreme Court chief justice Jean Toal, McConnell is angling to become the next leader of the College of Charleston – despite his utter lack of qualification for the position and several, um, glaring issues.

Enough is enough …

Elected officials focused on securing six-figure taxpayer-funded lifeboats for themselves clearly do not have the best interests of taxpayers at heart. And in addition to the cost of paying them these inflated salaries, we’re also on the hook for whatever government largesse they gave away in the process of securing these positions.

Talk about a corrupt – and costly – process.

Lawmakers should be banned from taking government appointments during – and after – their terms of service. Obviously they are free to run for higher office if they choose, but taxpayers simply cannot afford to continue subsidizing six-figure jobs for members and former members of the S.C. General Assembly.

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29 comments

CNSYD August 19, 2013 at 11:22 am

Whether McConnell or Sic Willie becomes the next Prez of C of C, the salary payment will remain. How did you determine it was “inflated”? As compared to what? What is the norm for salaries for a position of this type?

Reply
Frank Pytel August 19, 2013 at 11:35 am

The position should not exist, I believe is the accurate argument

Reply
CNSYD August 19, 2013 at 11:47 am

C of C should not have a CEO? What are you smoking today?

Reply
Frank Pytel August 19, 2013 at 12:03 pm

Gubmint has no business running airports. Airlines (potentially) and private property owners should be running airports.

Reply
ThreePalms August 19, 2013 at 12:32 pm

What about highways and bridges? Harbors and Shipping Ports? Have you thought it through?

Frank Pytel August 19, 2013 at 12:42 pm

Airports. Airports. Infrastructure for troop movement is probably one of the rare times I would agree with that being a core function of gubmint. I have thought it through. Airports. Airports only.

CNSYD August 19, 2013 at 6:03 pm

Charleston’s airport is dual use. One is commercial. Guess what the other one is.

Frank Pytel August 20, 2013 at 5:16 am

NO

CNSYD August 20, 2013 at 8:37 am

Why? because it destroys your hypothesis?

CNSYD August 19, 2013 at 1:23 pm

You can not use Frank Pytel and think through in the same paragraph.

wanabejedi August 19, 2013 at 11:22 am

but but but Paul Campbell is a Republican and would never take advantage of the taxpayers. Its probably those evil democrats

Reply
CNSYD August 19, 2013 at 11:22 am

Whether McConnell or Sic Willie becomes the next Prez of C of C, the salary payment will remain. How did you determine it was “inflated”? As compared to what? What is the norm for salaries for a position of this type?

Reply
Frank Pytel August 19, 2013 at 11:35 am

The position should not exist, I believe is the accurate argument

Reply
CNSYD August 19, 2013 at 11:47 am

C of C should not have a CEO? What are you smoking today?

Reply
Frank Pytel August 19, 2013 at 12:03 pm

Gubmint has no business running airports. Airlines (potentially) and private property owners should be running airports.

Reply
ThreePalms August 19, 2013 at 12:32 pm

What about highways and bridges? Harbors and Shipping Ports? Have you thought it through?

Frank Pytel August 19, 2013 at 12:42 pm

Airports. Airports. Infrastructure for troop movement is probably one of the rare times I would agree with that being a core function of gubmint. I have thought it through. Airports. Airports only.

CNSYD August 19, 2013 at 1:23 pm

You can not use Frank Pytel and think through in the same paragraph.

wanabejedi August 19, 2013 at 11:22 am

but but but Paul Campbell is a Republican and would never take advantage of the taxpayers. Its probably those evil democrats

Reply
Mark Twain August 19, 2013 at 11:56 am

Hicks would NEVER write about McConnell’s “College of Charleston Lifeboat Campaign.”

Hicks is indebted to McConnell for giving Hicks free “scoop” on the Hunley discovery, which Hicks and Kropf turned into a book, Raising the Hunley. Of course none of the facts were vetted — particularly McConnell’s lover, Warren Lasch, donating $1.1 million to Friends of the Hunley, Inc.

Ned Sloan later successfully sued Friends to find out where all the Hunley money went. It paid for expensive McConnell fund-raisers, parties, cocktail parties, $800 bottles of French wine…

Hicks and McConnell — quite a pair.

Reply
CNSYD August 19, 2013 at 1:25 pm

Hicks is another carpetbagger who knows how SC should be run. Just like Sanfraud and Davis.

Reply
nitrat August 20, 2013 at 1:15 pm

Oh, God, don’t leave out Brad Warthen and Cindi Scoppe.
I know Warthen was born here, but he did not grow up here and everything he blindly supports as an improvement is something he learned about elsewhere…and, apparently, didn’t stay long enough to pick up on the corruption in the other places.

Reply
Helen August 19, 2013 at 4:51 pm

Except for Tony Bartelme, any real talent leaves the P/C for real newspapers – sometimes getting the boot like Rene Dudley (now at Bloomberg). It’s third-rate. My neighbor gives me hers and I glance through it in 60 seconds. For real news I read the Washington Post.

Reply
Soft Sigh from Hell August 19, 2013 at 7:44 pm

Except for Tony Bartelme
========
Yep on that.

Reply
nitrat August 20, 2013 at 1:08 pm

The problem is not that it’s third rate, it’s that being so right wing is what makes it so third rate.

Makes you wonder what they were thinking when they hired someone as good as Steve Largen had shown himself to be at the Spartanburg Herald Journal. They should have hired someone off the street.

It’s like someone wanted to do great work. But, when the work started hitting close to home, they just had to choose cronies over journalism.

Reply
Mark Twain August 19, 2013 at 11:56 am

Hicks would NEVER write about McConnell’s “College of Charleston Lifeboat Campaign.”

Hicks is indebted to McConnell for giving Hicks free “scoop” on the Hunley discovery, which Hicks and Kropf turned into a book, Raising the Hunley. Of course none of the facts were vetted — particularly McConnell’s lover, Warren Lasch, donating $1.1 million to Friends of the Hunley, Inc.

Ned Sloan later successfully sued Friends to find out where all the Hunley money went. It paid for expensive McConnell fund-raisers, parties, cocktail parties, $800 bottles of French wine…

Hicks and McConnell — quite a pair.

Reply
CNSYD August 19, 2013 at 1:25 pm

Hicks is another carpetbagger who knows how SC should be run. Just like Sanfraud and Davis.

Reply
Smirks August 19, 2013 at 2:03 pm

Just pass a law that upon leaving office, state legislators must immediately serve time as full-time state-employed janitors, serving an equivalent number of years to their service in the legislature. Once you reach 20-30 years in the legislature you are forced out of office automatically to assume your custodial role. All legislators will receive the title of “Chief Janitorial Officer” to make them feel important and retain a lavish minimum-wage salary and the cheapest benefits the state gives out. We can then let the legislators duke it out over who gets to mop the floors and wipe the piss off of toilet seats at which agencies.

Legislators will still get retirement, but only after they’ve served the full number of years, and their pension will be based on their minimum wage pay as janitors. Quit politics early and you get to collect, be a career politician and have fun scrubbing shit till you drop.

Legislators will be allowed to choose one toilet at the agency they serve at to have named after them in honor of their service. Handicap stalls will be reserved for those who served up until their term limit.

Reply
CorruptionInColumbia August 20, 2013 at 7:33 am

GOD, I LOVE THAT IDEA!!!!!!!!!!!

Reply

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