SC House leaders adopt mushroom strategy on state budget

by: Tim Kelly

Wed Mar 03, 2010 at 09:17:34 AM EST

The Republican "leaders" of the S.C. House of Representatives not only don't believe sunshine is the best disinfectant, they also are adopting practicing a "mushroom" strategy on the 2011 budget: keep us in the dark and feed us bullshit.

The House Ways & Means committee finished up its work on the budget bill last week with next to no debate and little input from committee members.  

The "close to the vest" approach is continuing now as House leaders say they won't release a full copy of the bill until Monday, That bill is now in the hands of a small circle of Republican insiders who are refusing to release the bill to the public, Democrats and even other Republican House members.

The aim is to limit the time members have to study the bill and develop public support for potential changes, keeping floor amendments to an absolute minimum.

SC Democratic Party chair Carol Fowler yesterday called on Republicans to open up the process and release the budget bill to the public.

"South Carolinians deserve to know how our money is being spent," Fowler said. "The Republicans need only to click a mouse on a computer, and they can share the budget with every citizen of this state instantly."

Fowler urged citizens to call House Speaker Bobby Harrell and their own representatives and demand to see the bill. 

"House Democrats are working to find ways to shift funds to critical programs, but that's hard to do without access to the numbers," Fowler said.

Fowler blames Republican decision-making since their takeover in 2000 for today's shortfall in the state budget.

"They spent away surpluses in good times, leaving us with no cushion in these hard times. Now they're talking about cutting programs where the state will lose $4 in federal matching funds for every dollar it cuts, and in the process washing their hands of some children with autism and other special needs," Fowler said. "Democrats won't stand for it."

"A decade of Republican incompetence is tough enough to overcome without having Republicans conceal their draft budget, robbing citizens of time to read it and act on their knowledge." 

Voters can reach the speaker's office by calling (803) 734-3125. 

Watch the Supremes Live

by: Tim Kelly

Wed Jun 03, 2009 at 09:29:40 AM EDT

All eyes will be on the SC Supreme Court beginning at 10 am this morning, as the court hears oral arguments in two lawsuits that are apt to decide once and for all whether the state gets $700 in federal stimulus funds.

You can watch the proceedings live, thanks to SC ETV. View it on the ETV site or on The State.

And I'm telling you, you don't want to miss the cool lawyer representing the SC Department of Education.

Have you no sense of decency, Governor? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?

by: Tim Kelly

Thu May 28, 2009 at 08:45:36 AM EDT

With apologies to Joseph N. Welch, it seems we're justified in asking if the "Governor" of South Carolina has finally lost any sense of propriety in his quest for personal power.

Two days ago, Mark Sanford and his free attorney made a big show out of refusing to respond to a state lawsuit "...originally filed by former S.C. Democratic Party Chairman Dick Harpootlian and former video poker operative Dwight Drake."

Less than 24 hours later - once it became apparent that the state Supreme Court would accept jurisdiction in the case and scheduled oral arguments - Sanford decided he better play ball anyway, and his attorneys asked to be made a party to the case.

The Court consented - with the condition that "...the Governor will continue to meet the requirements of intervention and joinder, including the requirement that his joinder not deprive this Court of jurisdiction over the subject matter of this action [emphasis added].

Just before the deadline of 5 p.m., Sanford broke that agreement and filed to remove the case to federal court.

Sanford spokespup Joel Sawyer told The State, “Our goal is to combine all of these cases into one action so it can be handled as quickly as possible.”

Yeah, right.

For his part, Harpootlian isn't buying it, and took Sanford to task for his deception:

"The Supreme Court allowed Governor Sanford to intervene after the deadline with the condition that he not deny them jurisdiction. He then denied them jurisdiction. This is conduct unbecoming of the Governor or any other elected official. Why is he running the Federal Court from state court when he has made a career out of condemning federal interference in state affairs?"

Another legislator and attorney I spoke with was more adamant.

"Basically, Sanford lied to the Supreme Court - I've never seen anything like it," said the legislator. "He's like a kid who lies, cheats and pitches a fit - anything to get his way. Regardless of what happens with this case, I think it's grounds for impeachment."

Federal Judge Joe Anderson has scheduled a hearing Monday on the Edwards case and a separate state suit filed against Sanford and education superintendent Jim Rex to decide whether to send those cases back to the Supreme Court.

"It's anybody's guess what Judge Anderson will do," said our legislative source. "But Sanford's done two things - he's moved us closer to the July 1 deadline to get the funds, and he's done serious damage to whatever hopes he has for running for President. You don't lie to a court and get away with it."

Stay tuned.

Mark Sanford's Lawsuit: Irony or Hypocrisy?

by: Tim Kelly

Thu May 21, 2009 at 12:19:56 PM EDT

For a guy who's become a diehard teabagger, decrying the encroachment of the federal government on the states and individuals, Mark Sanford sure was quick to see the feds' help in his effort to defy state law.

Sanford's lawsuit on the stimulus is full of references "massive federal funds" and "onerous federal educational mandates." He's been all the country and the airwaves charging the federal government in general - and Congressional Democrats and President Obama in particular - of "fiscal child abuse" and creeping socialism. He's consistently thumbed his nose at federal law on things such as Real ID.

But now, like the petulant little boy he is, Marky has run crying to Mama Fed that the big bullies in the S.C. General Assembly are picking on him.

I promised my wife that I wouldn't cuss anymore on the blog, so in the spirit of Mark Sanford, let me just say that the governor of South Carolina is a pooh-pooh head.

UPDATED: Vetoes Overridden, Lawsuit Filed

by: Tim Kelly

Wed May 20, 2009 at 22:16:36 PM EDT

The SC General Assembly made short work of Ungov. Mark Sanford's stimulus veto this afternoon, easily mustering the two-thirds vote needed in each body to override him.

But Sanford's now made short work of the legislature's action, reportedly already filing a federal lawsuit over a provision compelling him to request the federal funds.

Can't find anyone who's seen the actual filing yet, but stay tuned for some potential info on whether the state constitution actually prevents the governor from suing the General Assembly.

UPDATE:

We were able to get a copy of Sanford's self-serving public statement, though, again, we ain't on the email list over there. To wit:

"We've long said that spending the stimulus money in this fashion is incredibly irresponsible for the way it ignores the impact on future generations, and for the way it puts our state on shaky financial footing with a nearly $1 billion budget hole two years from now," Gov. Sanford said. "To that end, we're incredibly disappointed that the House and Senate would choose to run roughshod over today's and tomorrow's taxpayers by overriding our budget vetoes tied to the stimulus. While we're pleased that a handful of other vetoes have been sustained, what they represent pales in comparison to this larger issue of the stimulus."

"We know that a suit will be filed against us on this issue, and as such we've filed a suit tonight in response. We believe the legislature's end-around move on the stimulus won't pass constitutional muster, and if it were allowed to stand it would have far reaching implications for future governors of this state and for governors of other states as well."

McLeod Calls for Fundamental Change in Response to Sanford Vetoes

by: Tim Kelly

Tue May 19, 2009 at 22:09:23 PM EDT

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mullins McLeod has also responded to Sanford's budget veto, calling for "fundamental change:"

“Years and years of the same old tired politics have reduced us to the point that we’re actually fighting about whether we should accept needed money for schools and law enforcement agencies. Overriding the Governor’s veto just isn’t enough. We need a fundamental change in direction in South Carolina. We can’t change directions until we change the people in charge,” McLeod said.

McLeod has already pledged to forgo any run for future office after serving as Governor and is refusing the accept special interest PAC money.

“Most anyone would be better than Mark Sanford, but more politics as usual won’t work. I’m running for Governor to bring real change to South Carolina,” McLeod added.

Sheheen Criticizes Sanford Veto

by: Tim Kelly

Tue May 19, 2009 at 16:36:33 PM EDT

Sen. Vince Sheheen, who's also a Democratic candidate for governor, issued the following statement in reaction to Ungov. Mark Sanford's veto of the state budget:

“We are facing sky-high unemployment, massive teacher layoffs, and a struggling economy. Yet our governor is obsessed with his continued efforts to turn away our own tax dollars that we will be forced to pay back whether they come here or are sent to California. I’m pleased that the General Assembly included language from my stimulus solution bill in the budget, and I am optimistic that we will successfully keep our own tax dollars within our own state. “

UPDATED: Sanford Throws in the Towel on Stimulus Funds?

by: Tim Kelly

Tue May 19, 2009 at 15:57:35 PM EDT

By vetoing Part IA of the state budget and Section 3 of the state budget, Mark Sanford has essentially thrown in the towel on fighting efforts to use stimulus funds. Even though Sanford vetoed 47 other line items, it's a virtual certainty that legislators will be able to muster the two-thirds of votes needed in each body to override his vetoes.

Part 1A is the main part of the spending plan, while Section 3 was specifically created using $350 million in stimulus funds.

Had Sanford issued the hundreds of vetoes as he's done in the past, legislators could have been tied up for days and at least some of his vetoes might have been sustained.

In his veto message, Sanford repeated many of the discredited figures he's used before to criticise state spending.

In addition to his blanket vetoes, Sanford struck 47 other line items in the bill, including:

• The newly created Capitol Police Force 
• A grant program for rural hospitals
• Efforts to prevent privatization of state-owned golf courses
• A provision preventing the Department of Public Safety from charging state colleges for traffic control for athletic events
• Funding for guards at Hunley confederate submarine site

Legislators could take up the vetoes as early as today, and a court fight looms if they override the two key vetoes.

UPDATE

SC Democratic Party Chair Carol Fowler released the following statement:

"Gov. Sanford is clearly oblivious to the fact that our state has been hit hard by both the recession and his long-term failure to bring jobs to South Carolina. He needs to allow lawmakers to use these funds for their intended purpose instead of making them the platform for his presidential bid. Although Mark Sanford has successfully shown himself to be a strict Republican ideologist, he has failed to prove himself as a leader. I urge legislators to override the governor's vetoes of the stimulus money; South Carolina's working families are dependent on the General Assembly to pick up the governor's slack."

Education Advocates Praise Fair, Cromer

by: Tim Kelly

Thu Apr 30, 2009 at 14:54:32 PM EDT

When Swine Flew

by: Tim Kelly

Tue Apr 28, 2009 at 08:15:05 AM EDT

The much anticipated Newsweek story on The Tears of A Clown is out, recounting yet again the priceless moment when Mark Sanford brought pig poop to the floor of the Statehouse. But what we're all waiting for, of course, is the sight of how the stress of being an idiot weighs on our Dear Leader:

But even true believers have bad days, and at this particularly stressful hour, it doesn't take much to set Sanford off. In the halls of the State House, legislators accuse the governor of selling out the poorest South Carolinians to feed his own ambition; outside, his approval ratings have fallen to 40 percent. Asked how this makes him feel, Sanford pauses, then admits to experiencing the "occasional lonely moment." But he still believes, he quickly adds, that there's a "silent majority" of voters who support his stimulus stance; it's just that they're "too busy to make their voices heard." Take the Democratic trial lawyer he "completely convinced" in Mt. Pleasant yesterday, or the "70 or so" people who "showed up last week to be counterprotesters to the protesters." What about them? And what about the "black gentleman" this morning? "I was walking out of a local TV studio, and there he was," says Sanford. "He's a security guy for the building, one of these rent-a-cop kind of guys, older guy. And he walks over, and he grabs my arm, and he says, 'You do what you think is right'." Suddenly, Sanford stops. His eyes are red and wet. He lets out a quick, pained laugh, then looks up at the ceiling. "I'm gonna lose it here," he says finally, turning toward his press secretary. "Got to get my head back in the game." A single tear is running down his right cheek.

Oh wait, I'm sorry, it wasn't a tear brought on by stress - it was a tear of joy that "a black gentlemen" admired Sanford's lonely stand against the barbarians at the gate.

We're also treated to another retelling of how young Mark was forced to sleep on his parents' bedroom floor lest he go without air conditioning for a night. No doubt this is why black gentlemen whose ancestors were slaves and white folk sprung from sharecroppers feel such solidarity with Sufferin' Sanford.

But the most telling feature of the story isn't Sanford's crocodile tears. It's later, discussing the aftermath of the Ungovernor's appearance before the Ft. Mill Rotary Club - you know, that bastion of radicals:

As Sanford holds court at the Fort MillRotary Club—the latest in a series of local events designed, he says, to help determine whether he's "out of touch here"—it's obvious that many rank-and-file South Carolinians remain as resistant to the governor's plan as their representatives. The crowd is hardly liberal; nearly every question is prefaced with the phrase "I voted for you twice." But the attendees repeatedly challenge Sanford's judgment. "I understand what you're saying about paying down debt," says Sam White, a self-described fiscal conservative. "But if we end up not getting that money, it doesn't make any sense." "I'm a little lost on the mathematics," adds Guynn Savage, a former town-council member. "Aren't we cutting off our noses to spite our face?" Local school superintendent Keith Callicutt chimes in as well, telling the governor that he'll face a budget cut of $2.5 million to $5 million without an infusion of stimulus cash. It's hardly the sort of scene Sanford wants to show a national reporter, and he soon gets snappish. "I don't think you heard what I said to the last person," he tells one incredulous Rotarian. After the event, Sanford tries to convince his chronicler that he prefers "environments we don't control" to "fake, canned events," even if they're "more left-leaning" or "education-heavy," like this one. 

Only in the world between Mark Sanford's ears is a Rotary Club in one of the most affluent areas of South Carolina "left-leaning." 

Mark Sanford is so divorced from the reality of the lives of everyday South Carolinians that...no, wait a minute, Mark Sanford is simply divorced from reality.

The Spinnin' GOPhers

by: Tim Kelly

Fri Apr 03, 2009 at 17:19:26 PM EDT

Sanford and his acolytes have been searching all week for a narrative - any narrative - that would get the Ungov out of his box on rejecting stimulus. First, the story was that the money would create a huge hole in the budget two years from now, then it was that this was just a tiny fraction of the overall dollars coming to the state, so why all the fuss.

Later in the week, they suddenly pulled the phantom $578 million something-or-other out of their hindquarters. Now, on video over The State, Hoover-Sanford is saying, with a straight face no less, than using  the money to pay down debt now gives us all this flexibility to borrow more money later.

But for shear comedic value, you can't miss Sam Stein's piece at Huffpo where national GOP bigwigs are defending Sanford and his fellow idiot governors Palin and "Kenneth" Jindal for taking the dough.

More after the break.

Watch South Carolina Bleed Jobs - LIVE!!!

by: Tim Kelly

Tue Mar 31, 2009 at 11:08:28 AM EDT

A Little Perspective on Teacher Salaries

by: Tim Kelly

Wed Jan 07, 2009 at 08:21:42 AM EST

No one has a greater appreciation for public school teachers as I do, both as the son and brother of two elementary school educators and as the beneficiary of some inspiring teachers when I was a kid.  But before the chorus of "they're picking on the teachers" begins, let's have a little perspective.

First, what Dr. Rex is referring to is the state's contribution to teacher salaries.  The bulk of a teacher's pay comes from the local district, and while it's not likely that the local districts are going to be able to make up for any reduction in the state supplement, they do have that option (except, of course, for the irresponsible portions of Act 388 that ties the hands of local government to raise revenue).

Secondly, as my fiscally conservative friends like FITS often point out, when we're talking about government spending, a cut ain't always a cut.  Nobody's going to actually see their paycheck decrease as a result of Rex's proposal - the "cut" in question is actually holding the line on any increase to bring S.C. salaries in line with the Southeastern average.

In reality, too, most teachers will receive pay increases next year because salaries are prominently calculated based on experience. According to the state salary schedule, Teacher X with Y years of experience gets Z in salary. If Teacher X stays in the system next school year, their base salary is going to rise anyway - there just won't be any increase in the current level of pay for Y years.

The other concern raised yesterday was in the state not paying the full $7500 bonus promised years ago to nationally certified teachers.  That program has been a great success and the ultimate beneficiaries are students who get better teachers in the classroom.  But the rising number of nationally certified teachers actually masks the salary paid to the vast majority of educators.

State law requires that the average S.C. teacher salary meet or exceed the Southeastern average.  Having an extra, say, 1000 teachers become nationally certified raises the average salary of all teachers across the state, but it also, in a sense, relieves the state of the burden of paying better salaries to the bulk of teachers.

Things are tough all over (he said, from the comfort of his home office while his four-year-old slept and his wife trudged into work).  But thousands of state employees are being furloughed without pay, and hundreds of thousands of South Carolinians can't find a job anywhere at the moment. Asking teachers to accept a bit of sacrifice in order to keep more teachers overall employed and in the classroom is not unreasonable in this economy.