Legislative session sweated the small stuff
Gator hunting was in; crime, health care bills left undone
Jeff Blake
AP
Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell is known as the 'Great Facilitator' in the General Assembly, uniting Republican and Democratic interests to get legislation passed.
COLUMBIA — You can get up in the morning, put on your droopy britches, pick up that gun you bought tax-free, load up your pickup truck with the "I Believe" license plate on it and go out huntin' gators.
But only in South Carolina.
The state Legislature has adjourned for the year, finishing up five months' work on bizarre, obscure, even ridiculous legislation, while leaving unresolved important issues in its wake.
Lawmakers left budget shortfalls for major state agencies to deal with themselves, neglected to complete crime legislation requested by Charleston law enforcement officials and didn't attempt to solve the health care crisis.
Instead, they spent five months figuring out ways to skirt judicial rulings on prayer in public meeting, working out how to post the Ten Commandments in public buildings and reminding women they can view ultrasounds before having an abortion.
Meaningful purpose
Much of what did slip through the legislative maze were vanity laws molded to fit various special-interest groups. The average South Carolinian didn't see a whole lot of progress on major issues.
"Sixty-two bills were handed to the governor on the last day of session," said Joel Sawyer, Gov. Mark Sanford's press secretary. "You would be hard-pressed to find half a dozen that the average South Carolinian is going to care a whole lot about.
"This legislative year was not unlike a lot of other years, where we believe too little time was spent on things like restructuring and holding the line on spending,"
That's not to say certain bills don't have a meaningful purpose, or that the Legislature was unproductive this year.
"There were good things done," Sawyer said, two examples being comprehensive illegal-immigration reform and the strengthening of the state's drunken driving laws.
However, only portions of the crimefighting package that North Charleston Police Chief Jon Zumalt and Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen urged the Legislature to pass made it to the governor's desk.
Voters will decide
Throughout the two-year session, lawmakers defended legislation that propelled the state into the national spotlight for concepts people from off viewed as entertaining. From now on, Steve Spurrier won't be the only person in this state allowed to go gator hunting. The new open season on alligators got the state some national news time.
Now it's up to voters to decide whether the Legislature has offered a fair reflection of a socially conservative state this year, or whether the session has been a workshop on pandering to special interests in an election year.
Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, said the legislative year, his 28th, was actually more productive than he had originally imagined it to be. As President Reagan was called "The Great Communicator," McConnell is the General Assembly's "Great Facilitator," bridging the chasm between Republican and Democratic interests.
He says you've got to figure that the process is slow, deliberate.
"I am not going to call it a high-profile session, but we got a lot of work done," said McConnell, who does not face opposition in this election year. "We made progress. ... The Legislature moves incrementally."
'Feel-good' laws
What he means is, when the 118th General Assembly convenes for the 2008-09 session, it will do so with a foundation of groundwork, discussion and compromise already in place for bigger-ticket issues and more controversial subjects, such as how to fund public education, how to fight rising levels of violence and how to legislate the balance between prosperity and conservation.
But you can bet that when lawmakers return there also will be a healthy helping of post-election pandering. It's a lot easier to pass a bill to set up a monument than to fix Medicaid, but some lawmakers say they are supposed to be the ones to fix these problems.
Senate Minority Leader John Land of Manning said the Legislature should probably be spending less time on what he called "feel-good" legislation, such as the bill letting government agencies learn how to post religious documents alongside historic ones in schools and city halls.
"I think it's probably a waste of our time," Land said.
Hear Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell and House Speaker Bobby Harrell talk about the legislative session, check out their latest weekly press conference sponsored by ETV.
McConnell’s guests were Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler of Gaffney and Senate Minority Leader John Land of Manning. Harrell’s guests were House Majority Leader Jim Merrill of Daniel Island and House Minority Leader Harry Ott.
To search for legislation, log on to www.scstatehouse.net and enter keywords in the search box.
Brian Hicks contributed to this report. Reach Yvonne Wenger at 803-799-9051 or ywenger@postandcourier.com.
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Comments
This article has 37 comment(s)
Posted by BillytheKid on June 8, 2008 at 3:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I had a post about how great a job our elected officals have been doing but it is gone. Go figure.
Posted by doozzer on June 8, 2008 at 3:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Wow! Typical South Carolina politics. Pass a bunch of worthless legislation that panders directly to the church crowd while ignoring anything and everything of importance and then let McConnell tell everybody how productive the whole waste of time was. You get the government you demand. South Carolina there is a reason everybody else in the country thinks you are laughing stock, because you are.
Posted by ForPnC on June 8, 2008 at 5:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"laws molded to fit various special-interest groups."
When they come back from vacation what next? Worthless. Absolutely worthless. Guess what mcconnell - Your name may be the only one on the ballet but it's still not getting my checkmark.
jeez... I hate politicians, they're ass-crack licking scum. All of them.
Posted by UrGatorbait on June 8, 2008 at 6:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Wow more feel good legislation. More useless legislation, great. The most productive session in 28 years says that idiot McConnell. WTF has he been doing for the last 28? Not a whole lot reading his comments. Some here really sit and ponder why this state is laughed at and sits consistently in the bottom of the crap heap in alot of categories.
Yep that "I believe" license and tax free guns are fer me!!, yehaw ya'll, never mind health care, environmental/growth concerns and law enforcement concerns have the "ground work" laid? Translation: "Yep they are problems but the holy roller group that donates to my campaign really wants that license plate". What a bunch of hooey.
Posted by JH09915 on June 8, 2008 at 6:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey, Stand828, why did you not run against McConnell?
Same question to you, UrGatorbait.
You two seem to have the answers to all of our ills in South Carolina, damn shame you did not offer for public office..
One more thing guys, do you bitch with your mouth full or do you wait till after you swallow to do your ignorant whining and bitching?? Just curious..
Posted by watchdog on June 8, 2008 at 7:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)
We are in last place with education in this country, where are we in the world arena. This state is ass backwards. Vote this scum out people. They are making you dumb.....
We deserve the best, and we get tax free guns????? I blame the citizens of SC , for putting these idiots in office.
Posted by karmann on June 8, 2008 at 7:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
So, basically, special interests, special pet projects, and not the real substance was deal with by those whom we elected to office. Who will you vote for next time around?
Posted by Mon_Kie on June 8, 2008 at 7:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This is an excellent article, and a service to the citizens who read the P&C.
Posted by JohnS on June 8, 2008 at 8:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The Chamber of commerce is in charge.
Posted by SCgal on June 8, 2008 at 10:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
And we wonder why South Carolina is the blunt of so many jokes, ranked low, if not last in so many areas~~
Wish we could all get paid what they are paid & the bennies to willy wally around and do a little work here and there~
Posted by drp7773 on June 8, 2008 at 10:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Here we go again, all those years with Hollings and Thurmond and now the same with these folks that are in office and have been for way to many years. Hollings and Thurmond did nothing for the state of SC, 1000's of jobs went to Georgia because their reps went out and fought for them and when the shipyards started closing again our reps did nothing to bring jobs to SC. As long as they give them selves raises and have the best healthcare policies why shouldn't they keep running and what gets me is the folks here keep voting them in. Same ole folks, downtown with the Riley folks, Dorchester with the Meyers, Nash and stuff shirts folks on and on. No Changes,no new ideas, no new jobs, but oh yeah always new taxes.
Posted by carolinadude on June 8, 2008 at 10:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Great comments folks and all true! Please don't forget to VOTE THE RASCALS OUT ON JUNE 10TH. That is, those that have opposition. On June 11th, "we the people" must begin recruiting candidates in our neighborhoods and in our churches etc. to run against these scalawags in 2 years. Far too many of them are unopposed on Tuesday. I'm asking you, my fellow citizens to make it your part time business to be "candidate recruiters" in preparation for the next two year voting cycle. Friends we must rise up and vote them out. TALK IS CHEAP!
Posted by Patrick on June 8, 2008 at 11:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Ideology is not the problem here. Christian values are good values. Even for someone who is not particularly religious, perhaps even an agnostic or atheist, the notion of trying your best to do the right thing is a good one; the world might be a better place. After all, these are the fundamental principles espoused by such organizations. But I digress. I’m not as religious as this post implies, indeed not as much as I ought to be. The real issue here is money. All roads lead to money. Our relegation to the bottom tier is not completely attributable to dopey decisions in the capitol (at least when those decisions aren’t directly in conflict with federal legislation). Generally speaking, it is a lack of resources, in this case, money. Teachers make 28k to start in CCSD. The State Police have been understaffed for many years. Roads are left to degrade for lack of funding to make improvements. Courts are forced to acquiesce in criminal prosecutions because there is a finite amount of time to investigate and appear in court. They are understaffed due to budget constraints. As a result, they must pick the cases with the best chance of success; the others get pleaded, dismissed, or whatever. Lack of funding is the problem and a direct positive correlation exists. The pervasive attitude of “freedom” extends into the arena of tax increases; aint no way we gonna raise taxes. Unfortunately, without the proper funding, driven primarily by tax revenue, resources will continue to be scarce. Our lot in this life will continue to be poor from a national standpoint. They passed seemingly meaningless legislation because they lack the resources to attack the issues that matter. There simply is not enough money to fund meaningful projects. In essence, they worked on stuff that had small price tags. Money, it is an amazing thing. Alex Keaton would scream.
Posted by jeffyoung007 on June 8, 2008 at 11:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Make a difference! www.voteforjeffyoung.com
Posted by americanheretic on June 8, 2008 at 11:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
What did you expect?
Posted by GG on June 8, 2008 at 11:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This is why I will not vote for any incumbent this year.
If I did such a poor job at my work, I'd be fired. These folks need to be held to the same or higher standard.
Posted by buff_o_rilla on June 8, 2008 at 11:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Definately a good sign for term limits in all politics!!!
Posted by sethook on June 8, 2008 at 12:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Why do they call it the State Legislator and not "The Troth From Which the Pigs Eat". Hmmmmmmm.
Posted by KidYendor on June 8, 2008 at 12:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Yvonne's writing "didn't attempt to solve the health care crisis", translates to did not pass the cigarette tax to put a quarter million more on the Medicaid dole. This was a tax that most of the Charleston.net fans wanted to go to tax relief for all and not to go for more welfare. We are very thankful that the veto on this was upheld. A slow moving legislature is not necessarily a bad thing in that they do less damage to our wallets and remaining freedoms.
Posted by doozzer on June 8, 2008 at 7:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
tripsa
I left South Carolina 2 months after I graduated from high school 18 years ago. Since then I have lived in Alaska (funny Coincidence huh?). Here in Alaska the federal government is in the process of sending multiple legislators to prison as we speak. A bunch of our people sold their offices for a few thousand dollars apiece to an oil field services company and yet we still get better leadership than South Carolina. Our highway patrol does not run wild acting like a bunch of racist thugs, our infrastructure get regular tlc and our education system actually gets funded at appropriate levels rather than having the state try to abandoned its responsibilities to public education in favor of sending our kids through Jesus camps masquerading as Christian academies. In addition to living in AK I also travel extensively in the lower 48 and everywhere I go people say "oh South Carolina, isn't that the place with the confederate flag. No wonder you left."
I'm telling you the truth, everybody else is watching you and they are laughing their butts off.
Posted by goldstarfamilysupport on June 8, 2008 at 7:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
My son like 150 others in the state of SC were killed while fighting in the two wars our country is currently in. In all that time our own state legislators were not focused on the high taxes in our state. They weren't regulating gas stations in our state who are out of control higher their gas prices in some cases two to three times a day. They weren't looking for ways to increase the economy in our state.
I can't understand why we can't have prayer in our schools. It should be a choice. If those who wish not to pray in schools then let them leave the class for the few minutes of those who do wish to thank our God for their day.
When trying to get action for something as simple as a license plate for the Gold Star Families in SC only two of the entire legislature even cared enough to make that contact and help to get it approved so no cost would be incurred by those families.
I'm sorry but I don't see any progress in our state and the economy is so bad that people are having to quit work in order to eat. That's a sad, sad thing. I don't live in Charleston but I can tell you that the current elected officials all need to be replaced with those who really care about the people not their PAYCHECK.
Posted by NativeSC on June 8, 2008 at 7:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Yeah doozzer, Alaska is a real progressive place, isn't your state bird a bounced child support check? I've seen "Deadliest Catch", that's a sharp bunch. I haven't heard about tons of industry moving to Alaska because of that topflight education system? Must be keeping that one a secret. The fact is, SC is pretty ass backwards in a lot of ways, but why do you even bother commenting if you live thousands of miles away? If it is so bad, why has every douche bag from Ohio, NJ, PA, and NY moved down here? As for your discussions when you travel, I'll bet that's a real Algonquin round table you've put together. We could care less that people are laughing, we laugh when they come to Myrtle Beach, eat buffet dinners until they are ready to explode, and then head back sunburned as hell, leaving their hard earned dollars in SC.
Posted by doozzer on June 8, 2008 at 8:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I bother to comment because as the owner of the house my parents live in Irmo I still pay property taxes in South Carolina, so I still have an active stake in your petty madness. Besides its to much fun watching McConnell and his boys run the state off right off the Jesus cliff.
Posted by doozzer on June 8, 2008 at 9:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
P.S. You can't bounce child support checks up here because they take it right out of your permanent fund check. Thats the check we get every October from our state government, thanks to our industry friends at "Big Oil." This year our checks will help nicely to pay for winter heating fuel.
Posted by doozzer on June 8, 2008 at 10:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
And as for tourism I will gladly compare the numbers from our cruise industry alone (not to mention the RV crowd and every other tourist type there is) against Myrtle Beach (go ahead and throw Charleston and Hilton Head into the pot)any day of the week. And not just in the amount of money that gets spent but also in what gets done with that money, as well as how well regulated the whole darn thing is. I don't mean over regulated either but leadership taking a sensible approach to making sure that environmental concerns are addressed and that the state gets a fair share of the revenue generated by the industry. Plus we have municipal revenue sharing, which means that once the state gets a cut from the tourist, oil & gas, and mining industry they filter large chunks of it directly down to the cities, villages and boroughs to do as they see fit with it locally, in addition to the yearly capital & operating budgets. Alaska government is far from perfect,like I said quite a few of them are currently under investigation by the US Justice Department.(very similar situation to Operation Lost Trust) But somehow while they we're selling their offices and their souls for surprisingly little money, they still found time to take care of the state's business. You get the government you demand and until SC voters demand better government you will always have the three ring circus that is business as usual in Cola.
Posted by doozzer on June 8, 2008 at 11:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Did I forget to mention we don't pay state income tax or sales tax?
Posted by UrGatorbait on June 8, 2008 at 11:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
So JH you are just satisfied with the status quo? You appear to be a big help in facilitating the solving of those important issues.
You can wipe the dribble off your chin first with your autographed McConnell burp rag then let us all know all much you enjoy ineffective politicians.
Don't dare say nothing about SC because that might facilitate thinkin' and then change...spooky. If it sounds like whining TFS dude.
Posted by blues101 on June 9, 2008 at 12:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
wow, i hope nativesc doesn't represent all of the low country. this is for nativesc's viciousness. the majority of that person's posts are vicious, no matter what the subject might be.
I take exception to being compared sight unseen to a less-than-glamourous, albeit sometimes useful, medical apparatus. I haven't met you, and i wouldn't call you a redneck hole or a tool or say you are the epitome of a redneck joke just on the basis of your postings. i don't treat you badly or call you names when you visit me. Yet i let you call me Yankee, Carpetbagger and worse. The redneck jokes told up here are told by self-proclaimed rednecks. No foolin'! I'm not amused by these jokes, most of us find them annoying.
so here's the skinny - you're selling it and we're buying it. if you keep selling and renting us db's from "off" whatever that means... listing your flipped homes and beach properties, erroneously assuming that we get taken (not exactly so, my friend, we're thinking lots of times it's vice versa)- - then you can't bitch about us living in them whenever and however we darn well please. we're not taking anything you're not putting out. and we pay the taxes for that privilege.
We work hard, and proudly earn and the money you laugh derisively at taking us for. Not much of that is spent on postcards, stuffed talking parrots, gaudy souvenirs, golf course fees at predominantly Yankee-owned (oh my yes,it's true!)myrtle beach.
while we save so that we can live in beautiful s.c. permanently, we support your realtors, contractors, lawn care and pesticide companies, the tourism and hospitality industries, local merchants.. when our vacationing db friends come for a visit, they will also feed your economy and will ooh and ah over magnolias, grits and she-crab soup. happy to oblige. they really are wonderful.
Our money is green and you seem to have no trouble taking it from a Yankee, whether visiting or transplanted. Our property taxes send s.c. kids to school. they will hopefully turn out to be more intelligent, non-prejudicial and better human beings than those whose lives are filled with hatred and intolerance.
Posted by JH09915 on June 9, 2008 at 9:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Wow UrGator, guess I must have struck a little nerve. (Sniff-Sniff)
You missed the damn point.
I asked why you did not offer for public office if you are unhappy with things as they are..
I never said that I was totally pleased with McConnell or anyone else for that matter.
I merely said that if you are not happy with things, file for office and try to do something about it.
You seem to have a lot of answers and goodness knows we need some fresh, new thinking.. GOOD LUCK!!
Posted by zoomru on June 9, 2008 at 10:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Early and Coldbeer.....
If it wasn't June you'd think it was time to hibernate!! What a wonderful piece of journalistic revelations??
It sure was HOT....yesterday??...just not where it should have been a blowtorch!!
Well...it is time for our legislative "SUMMER BREAK"!!...will they talk to one voter?...ONE? I suggest they start with you two!!
I WANT A LABOTOMY...!!
Posted by devilsadvocate77 on June 9, 2008 at 12:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
VOTE THEM OUT! If they do nothing but waste time and cow-tow to some special interest, we have the opportunity to get rid of them. If they are in office now, come Tuesday vote for their opponent. It could not be any worse!
Posted by doozzer on June 9, 2008 at 12:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
tripsa, Ah, another good point. We did have the bridge to nowhere. Millions upon millions of dollars earmarked for a bridge project that was completely unnecessary and desired only by special interest. And because the people spoke, and spoke and spoke and kept speaking. That money was redirected to existing infrastructure projects. We did not build the bridge to nowhere and whats more, it has zero chance of being built. We took the money and used it properly, which included road paving, maintenance on existing bridges, school buildings, etc. But you only heard the headlines about the bridge project,right? Because doing whats right doesn't make for good copy and doesn't sell newspapers. Again I did not say Alaska government was perfect only way more responsive to its constituents than South Carolina's. Before this post started I had no idea it would play out like this. I had only intended to make fun of McConnell. But thinking about it, wow, we really do have it nice up here. We have a government that is as corrupt as any there ever was. And they are still more competent than the idiots that run unopposed in SC.
Posted by doozzer on June 9, 2008 at 1:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
OK so I read the American Thinker article.
"Until recently in our history, a President Barack Obama would have been an impossibility."
Until recently a person like Barack Obama (I mean a person of color) could not vote in this land of liberty of ours. And that was wrong to. So let me get this straight-pinko leftist Dems bad. McConnell and his Klan, good? No wonder you keep getting screwed. I amend my original statement. You don't always get the government you demand. In your case tripsa, obviously you get the government you deserve.
P.S.
We drive on ice six months out of the year.
Posted by doozzer on June 9, 2008 at 6:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
OK tripsa one last shot and then I'll leave you alone. The system can work even with the current crop of crooks in place. It simply takes a lot of hard work on the part of average citizens to stay engaged and hold their feet to the fire. The "bridge to nowhere" is the perfect example. The problem in South Carolina (as sad as it makes me to say this, remember I was born there to) is that your culture is diseased. Everybody spends all their time trying to out "Holly Roll" their neighbors and making sure they have the latest BMW parked in front of their $250,000 house that they don't have anything left over to give to civics. (I mean time, energy and sweat not money)
If the whole place could take even a small step back from the bible thumping and the consumerism, they might see the unique opportunity they have to contribute something to their respective communities and become the next "greatest generation." Unfortunately I hold out very little hope that this will ever happen in a state where a shortsighted, racist, simple minded (let's face it just a bad legislator) like Glen McConnell can get elected over and over and over. But hell this is the same state that so proudly gave us Strom Thurmond.
Posted by doozzer on June 9, 2008 at 7:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Dude we've been drilling Alaska for 50 years and the price of oil keeps going up and up. They are drilling ANWR right now. Using a system called "directional drilling" designed I think by the Soviets during the cold war, Exon is at this moment parked right outside the boundary lines of ANWR sending pipe down to a certain depth (I do not remember how deep) and then essentially bending it to go where they want it (inside ANWR).Do you get any relief from this at the pump? No. Because you let them side track you with discussions of US v THEM. This isn't a football game its life and it is currently controlled by the corporate master. It doesn't matter whether you put a (D) or (R) behind your name (except to the simpletons) only what you do with your responsibility.
You keep making my point for me. Sarah Palin is a prime example of how the church crowd is in way over their heads when it comes to governing a country. We elected Palin because the guy before her, Frank Murkowski (R) was a total crook. He gave cronies jobs, cheated on his taxes, broke election laws etc.etc.etc. So we bounced him. Along comes Palin and flashed her big beautiful browns and tells us all how Christian and ethical she is and whamo she's the new Gov. It took one budget cycle and suddenly everybody realized she did not have even a rudimentary knowledge of economics. She vetoed chalk boards for elementary schools because she thought that education was outside of the state's purview.(it is not read our constitution) The only reason she wants to promote ANWR drilling is because her husband Todd told her she wants to.(remember we are already drilling it) He works for BP.
South Carolina has the perfect example of a worthless (D). Remember Jim Hodges? What a joke!
But remember, when they find oil & gas under your house I'm going to say "Screw tripsa drill it!"
Posted by doozzer on June 9, 2008 at 7:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Also anyone who want's to compare the GOP of the 1960's to the current crop of nutballs needs a history lesson that is to long to go into here.
Posted by doozzer on June 9, 2008 at 8:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
See ya in the funny papers. I really do hope things get better down there soon. But its your responsibility to make it happen.