SC HOUSE AKIN TO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PLAYGROUND

For those of you with the misconception that state government is some kind of structured body run by mature, principled individuals, then you’ve never seen the South Carolina House of Representatives in action.

That body in particular has basically become the equivalent of a bunch of 10-year-olds at recess time; devoting hours to menial crap, rather than, umm, legislating. And yesterday they all decided to fight over the monkey bars as the issue of roll-call voting finally hit the floor.

Now, as I always say when writing about this issue, such easy transparency and accountability is a no-brainer that should already be in place. South Carolina has the absolute worst standard for recorded voting in the country and that needs to change. Yet some folks continue to oppose letting their constituents know what they’re doing in Columbia.

The issue finally came to a vote in the House Tuesday and a rules change that expands the range of matters subject to a vote on the record passed 77-34. But of course, it’s not that simple.

The bill that was passed does not require a recorded vote on the state budget, the second or third reading of bills, and conference committee reports, among other things. So basically, as SC Policy Council President Ashley Landess noted, this was little more than phony transparency.

“This rule change did nothing to fix a broken system,” Landess said. “It will not require a recorded vote on every section of the budget, where millions of dollars of pork and waste are hidden. Representatives in South Carolina still won’t have to record their votes when they create expensive new programs, set social policy, regulate business and deliberately kill meaningful reform.”

But all of this nastiness didn’t prevent a number of representatives like Nathan Ballentine — who has billed himself as a leader on the issue — from Twittering about complete nonsense while on the floor.

“The ‘picking of the desks’ begins,” Ballentine wrote yesterday at 1:30 p.m. Then, “a first for us: Richland and Lexington delegations sitting side by side,” with the pivotal follow-up, “well, Bales (D) Harrison (R) Brady (R) for Richland on back row.”

Ballentine did take a moment away from all the excitement of picking desks to make a cryptic comment on what I’m guessing was his getting booted from the ethics committee. “Speaking truth to power can hurt and I guess I’m a glutton for punishment,” Ballentine Twittered.

Shh… hear that? I’m rubbing my index finger against my thumb and saying, “It’s the world’s saddest song being played on the world’s smallest violin for Mr. ‘Glutton for Punishment.’”

Rep. Eric Bedingfield also kept me riveted yesterday with more than 20 updates about everything from, yes, his seat assignment, to the weather outside.

Talk about transparency!