South Carolina Club for Growth

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

“Some argue that we should not criticize members of either political party – especially Republicans. Fortunately,  there is hope outside of the political parties. S.C. Club for Growth represents a “special interest group” that has too often been taken for granted in Columbia – South Carolina’s taxpayers…” – SC Club for Growth Executive Director’s OpEd in The Sun News

“(Sembler) says he won’t build the project if he doesn’t get incentives. Taxpayers should be wary of an investor who cannot raise his own capital to build his project, and who isn’t willing to address environmental concerns unless he’s plied with public money. Other businesses in the area have invested their hard-earned dollars in their companies, and have abided by state and local environmental standards without public compensation. Now they will be forced to pay the cost of a competing company that has done neither…” – SCPC’s Ashley Landess and CCL’s Dana Beach railing against the Sembler handout

“South Carolina lawmakers have only just begun the work needed to get the state’s unemployment agency on sound financial footing. The state is looking down a $2 billion hole to pay back loans from the federal government and get the unemployment trust fund back to a fiscally responsible level. That’s quite an abyss, but the Senate and House took an important first step this month in passing bills to create a Department of Workforce, a Cabinet-level agency, whose director would report to the governor, to replace the Employment Security Commission. Direct accountability has been sorely missing for this agency…” – The Beaufort Gazette calling for continued diligence at the ESC

FEATURES OF THE WEEK

SC Club for Growth Executive Director’s OpEd in The Sun News – “Hold politicians accountable”:
http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/02/20/1325764/exposing-graft-waste.html

…and SC Club for Growth PAC ad appears in The Aiken Standard – “Fed Up with Out of Touch Politicians?”
http://www.scclubforgrowth.org/files/SCCFG-AikenStandard.pdf

Ill-advised Sembler incentives get special order in Senate
http://www.thestate.com/2010/02/26/1175591/malls-100-million-tax-break-fast.html
http://www.islandpacket.com/2010/02/25/1152281/senate-votes-to-fast-track-bill.html

…as Ashley Landess and Dana Beach rail against the handout
http://www.thestate.com/2010/02/23/1170959/landess-beach-sembler-subsidy.html

State Senate votes for ESC reform, restructuring
http://www.thestate.com/2010/02/25/1173738/senate-passes-esc-overhaul.html
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20100225/BUSINESS/2250316/State-Senate-drops-troubled-jobless-agency-in-governor-s-lap
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/feb/25/esc-reform-pending/

…Beaufort Gazette calls for continued diligence at the ESC

http://www.islandpacket.com/2010/02/28/1153639/agency-reform-one-step-in-sc-unemployment.html

Herald Journal applauds Secretary of State restructuring bill
http://www.goupstate.com/article/20100228/ARTICLES/2281012/1128/OPINION?Title=A-sensible-change

COMMON-SENSE, GOOD GOVERNMENT

Island-Packet says DHEC should be put in governor’s cabinet
http://www.islandpacket.com/opinion/story/1139048.html

…as agency under fire over discarded documents
http://www.thestate.com/2010/02/27/1177305/discarded-dhec-documents-raise.html

SC Dems critical of Ways & Means budget process
http://www.thestate.com/2010/03/01/1180608/democrats-want-new-budget-process.html
http://www.thetandd.com/articles/2010/03/01/news/doc4b8b47e05a25e079226861.txt

EDUCATION REFORM

Post & Courier urges lawmakers to keep up the momentum on charter schools
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/mar/01/maintain-charter-momentum/

Scoppe urges legislators to uphold Governor’s veto of Fairfield schools bill
http://www.thestate.com/2010/02/28/1176875/scoppe-the-wrong-way-to-fix-fairfield.html

OF INTEREST

Anne Peterson Hutto gets a Republican challenger
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/feb/23/mccoy-runs-for-house/

Anti-Reform Annette Young to be challenged in primary
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/feb/22/hargetts-primary-challenge-of-young-drawing/

http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/02/20/1325764/exposing-graft-waste.html

Too often people in power see themselves as above criticism. Perhaps that explains why a recent opinion piece regarding S.C. Club for Growth’s 2009 legislative scorecards struck such a nerve. A few follow-up letters defending the status quo and mischaracterizing our work to defend taxpayers later appeared in these pages. As the group’s executive director, I feel compelled to write and set the record straight.

South Carolina has serious problems that need serious solutions. Unemployment is rampant, special interests have too much influence in Columbia, and our state’s finances are a mess. Who is to blame? Unfortunately, we remain as one of the last legislatively controlled states; therefore legislators deserve much of the “credit” for our current situation.

Click here to read the whole OpEd…