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by GIL GATCH
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Recently, I was honored and humbled to receive a re-election endorsement from DOGESC and its leader, Rom Reddy. Over the past year, I have come to know and admire Rom and his wife, Renee Reddy, and consider them both to be friends. They are passionate advocates, fearless voices, and tireless in their pursuit of a greater good for our state.
And like all true friendships, ours allows room for disagreement.
After reading Rom’s recent piece on Governor Henry McMaster’s service, I feel compelled, respectfully and in good faith, to offer a different perspective.
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In the past decade, under the steady leadership of Governor McMaster and Lt. Governor Pamela Evette, South Carolina has not merely endured — it has prospered. While other states stumbled through storms of uncertainty, ours found its footing. While others lost their way to division or disorder, we remained anchored in principle.
First, our economy has grown stronger by the year. We’ve seen record-breaking job creation, historic levels of private investment, and a renaissance in manufacturing and innovation. These occurred not through federal bailouts, but through conservative stewardship led by the McMaster administration.
Second, Governor McMaster and Lt. Gov. Evette have governed with a rare mix of restraint and resolve. They resisted the temptation to shut down our economy when fear was fashionable. And thanks to that courage, South Carolina emerged from the pandemic stronger, not shattered.
Third, they have never forgotten the simple dignity of everyday citizens. Teacher pay has been raised, tuition frozen, taxes cut, and surpluses returned to the taxpayers, not the bureaucrats. The result? Our state works for its citizens, not above them.
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RELATED | ROM REDDY: HENRY McMASTER’S ‘LOST DECADE’
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While the list of accomplishments is much, much longer, do we have more to do? Absolutely and without question. And here, I agree with Rom: we must press forward.
That’s why I am proud to be the lead sponsor on two key legislative initiatives that Rom is championing. His voice has brought needed attention to real issues, and I am grateful for it. But progress must be paired with perspective. We must not become so enamored with perfection that we lose sight of what is good.
South Carolina may not be a perfect state, but it is a great one. And much of that greatness is owed to the stable, principled, conservative leadership of Governor McMaster and Lt. Governor Evette. Their vision has given us prosperity. Their wisdom has kept us steady. And their service deserves more than passing praise. It deserves our gratitude.
In the spirit of honest and cordial disagreement, I offer these thoughts not to rebuke but as a differing opinion among friends who share similar conservative values.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Gil Gatch is a lawyer-legislator from Summerville SC. He is entering his sixth year as a member of the General Assembly.
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5 comments
Instead of just a glowing report, I wish Mr. Gatch had added some numbers to support his position.
You don’t have to be nice to this douche bag, nobody knew who he was a few months ago, and when his funding runs out and his seawall is denied, he will go away. Fools names and fools faces are often seen in public places, and as I write this message, I just got a spam text message from DOGE SC. If he is dumb enough to make the points that he made, in that editorial, I submit he cannot be trusted, going to the grocery store much less with any policy decisions.
McBastard has done a lot of dumbass shit in his almost ten undeserved years in the Mansion. His overreaction to the Covid plandemic caused multiple restaurants and other small businesses to be permanently shuttered.
Still trying to play prosti…er prosecutor, he twice killed reasonable and common sense efforts to drop recent charges for unlawful carrying of a handgun after The Legislature passed Constitutional Carry. This act of clemency would have belped citizens wbo were arrested and charged in recent months leading up to the passage of Constitutional Carry with the un-Constitutional and pointless law which prohibited carry without a permit. The only people whose charges would have been dropped were those whose only “crime” was carrying without a permit. Prohibited persons, or those carrying during the commission of a crime would not have benefited from these proposals. Henry had to lick some boots and try to be a hardass though, for no good reason.
Also, Henry signed the unnecessary cell phone bill that The Legislature passed this year. There is already a 56 code book full of statutes that can be used to address any unsafe maneuver a person might make. The beauty of existing laws is that you don’t necessarily have to have a cell phone involved to utilize them. Any distraction, or none at all, are covered under existing laws. Sadly, a lot of State Troopers and other cops can’t be bothered to read and familiarize themselves with these laws, therefor we have a new one you don’t even need to be making a hazardous or discourteous maneuver to get zapped with.
For the icing on the shit cake that has been Henry’s administration, we have his signature on a bill making it even easier than it already was for Electric companies to jack up rates whenever they want to. I wonder if Henry will be making new improvements at his place at Pawley’s Island with his reward for signing that abomination.
Thanks Henry.
McMaster is just another career politician crony that has been instrumental in helping sell out SC to foreign interests and handing out taxpayer corporate welfare. His legacy is and overdeveloped and overrun SC. He is nothing but a pawn for the Commerce dept
This opinion says McTaxter and Evette resisted the temptation to shutdown our economy during the government sponsored Wuhan virus scare! That is a blatant lie. Schools, churches and businesses were shutdown people were forced to wear masks, distance from others, and get shots that have been proven at best, ineffective, and possibly deadly. His initial order for lockdown had a limited time frame, yet he kept renewing it as the legislature sat on their hands.
More recently, Henry could have deputized our local and state law enforcement officers to arrest illegals they encountered in the course of the day. He has so far failed to do that. Furthermore his heir apparant, It. Governor Evette has not publicly pushed for this either.
I don’t know what Mr. Gatch’s record is in the legislature is, but as a lawyer – legislator, I think he should know the office of governor in SC has very little power and is subservient to the legislature