Loading ...
THOUSANDS TURN OUT ACROSS STATE TO PROTEST GOVERNMENT SPENDING, WASTE
Thousands of South Carolinians turned out Wednesday to protest massive government spending and waste by holding Tax Day Tea Parties in more than a half-dozen cities and towns across the state.
In Columbia, an estimated 3,000 protesters from all walks of life gathered at the Statehouse to make their voices heard to elected officials.
Joining the Tea Party-goers were Gov. Mark Sanford, Sen. Jim DeMint and a number of state legislators and candidates.
In Charleston, another 1,500 individuals packed the streets surrounding the Old Customs House building Wednesday evening.
Events in Myrtle Beach, Florence, York, Simpsonville and Georgetown also turned out large crowds.
Anderson, and Spartanburg will hold Tea Parties Thursday and Greenville will hold one Friday.
For more information on South Carolina Tea Parties, visit www.SCTeaParty.com.
You can view The Palmetto’ Scoops photos from the Columbia event by clicking here.
Gov. Mark Sanford Up for Sale on Craig’s List
It had to happen. Someone has put Gov. Mark Sanford up for sale on Craig’s List. To see for yourself or maybe to place a bid, go to http://charlotte.craigslist.org/pol/1114593524.html.
Frankly, I’m still in favor or impeaching him first, then selling him. Sure, it would be damaged goods, but at least the buyer would know what he is getting. You can find the impeachment petition and add your name on Facebook.
http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/TheGoodFight/archives/2009/04/16/gov-mark-sanford-up-for-sale-on-craigs-list
*************************************************************
Republican governor for sale (South Carolina)
Here in South Carolina we have a governor who wants to turn down the stimulus funds for education. We are not happy about this, but, heck, apparently there are people out there who admire this guy.
So, if you and your state want this guy, you give us your stimulus money and we’ll give you Mark Sanford.
This deal is contingent on the following:
- A majority of the voters in South Carolina must agree that they’d rather have stimulus funds than Mark Sanford (and that’s practically a given); and
- A majority of the voters in your state must agree that they would rather have Mark Sanford than their stimulus funds. (That one’s up to you.)
Please let us know when you have held a referendum on this matter. The Governor will go to the bidding state with the most stimulus money offered.
Location: South Carolina
http://charlotte.craigslist.org/pol/1114593524.html
***********************************************************
Mark Sanford Cuts threaten SC police, child welfare agencies
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Budget cuts would leave South Carolina’s Highway Patrol able to handle little more than wreck calls, and the agency that looks after endangered kids would have to cut 1,095 jobs, officials said Thursday.
That’s the fallout agency leaders were reeling from as state Senate budget writers told dozens of departments they’d lose 27 percent of their funding as lawmakers struggle to balance a $5.7 billion budget.
Budget writers are trying to comply with federal laws that will let the state tap stimulus cash that South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford won’t request unless it is used to pay state debt. But to keep that option open, they decided to spare public schools, colleges and health care programs from major reductions.
That saddled other agencies that make up only about $700 million of the budget with about $202 million in cuts.
And those reductions come after most agencies have lost a fifth of their state cash since July. About $1.1 billion in cuts spurred by the recession clobbered what started out as a $7 billion budget for the current fiscal year.
It’s all left agencies wondering how they’ll continue to do what’s required.
State Department of Public Safety Director Mark Keel said the Highway Patrol’s ranks of 870 could shrink to 584.
“If we were cut to that level, about all our troopers would be doing is going from accident to accident on accident calls,” Keel said.
That could lead to more deadly accidents if other law enforcement efforts fall, Keel said.
If a hurricane prompted a coastal evacuation, there wouldn’t be enough troopers to monitor anything else in the state. “Every trooper that we have in the state would be assigned to that,” Keel said.
It “will lead to a situation where we are not able to put eyes on the child that we need to put on the child,” Department of Social Services Director Kathleen Hayes said of the prospects of losing 1,095 workers — half her remaining staff. Her agency runs child protective and welfare programs as well as the state’s welfare-to-work and food stamps.
Those federal programs are threatened, too, she said, because the state won’t be putting enough money into running and monitoring them.
They weren’t alone. State Law Enforcement Division Chief Reggie Lloyd said he’d have to drop 120 agents with cuts that sharply reduce everything from crime lab work to arson investigations.
Department of Corrections Director Jon Ozmint said he would have to close at least three prisons and free more than 3,000 inmates early to keep up, even though his agency was mostly spared from the deepest reductions.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Hugh Leatherman feared some agencies would “exist in name only” and be unable to provide any services.
Others that are supposed to be money makers would end up be budget breakers.
For instance, the Department of Revenue would lose $9 million and 160 people enforcing state tax laws. But the agency said that will end up costing about $100 million in tax collections.
http://ap.augustachronicle.com/pstories/state/sc/20090416/429969795.shtml
*************************************************
There were more people than 1500 in Charleston. I was there and I’m bad at guessing numbers just eyballing it, but there was at least double that.
anonymous, AKA “amazing” — you would have sooooooo much AMAZINGLY more credibility if you would at least adopt a screen name, an avatar, a group identity, a deity, a ruler, a slogan…something.
In case some people haven’t noticed, the federal stimulus money is not free. There are strings attached and it will have to be repaid. Why are the liberal Democrats so blind?
No one wants any more people to lose jobs but sometimes you have to make tough decisions. When you are in debt up to your eyeballs you don’t take on more debt in hopes that somehow you will magically be able come out on top. How irresponsible can you be?
The liberal Democrats love using scare tactics to get their points across. They know that they strike a nerve in people when they can manipulate their fears.
What happens in 2 years when the federal stimulus funds run out and once again there is no money left in the budget? The liberal Democrats stance is “we’ll worry about that when we get there”.
The responsible thing to do now is cut back on everything you can. All of the non-essentials first. Get rid of the bloat and payoff debt. No one said this was going to be easy and that people would not have to sacrifice.
JCN- yes, stimulus funds will have to be repaid, in the form of higher future taxes. They will still have to be repaid even if Sanford doesn’t take them. It’s not blind to accept the money you’ll have to pay back anyway.
It’s definitely fair to ask what happens in 2 years when we have these “budget holes”, but it’s also fair to ask what happens now to our “budget holes”. Adam detailed a fairly plausible answer in the above post. We’ll be in bad budget shape 2 years from now no matter what; the question is whether we’ll have inadequate child protection and highway patrol resources until then.
Dear Adam:
Glad to see you at the Tea Party. I was live streaming the event for Breitbart TV B-cast and was hiding behind the statue of Washington. Thanks for the coverage and the excellent video that captured the essence of the event as it occurred. Glad we have such an excellent blog here in SC. I moved to Columbia, SC from Augusta Georgia almost 3 years ago. It is nice to see full coverage of politics from your blog. I use your work often in my blog posts (we source you) so folks can have the opportunity to come read the rest of your posts here at Palmetto Scoop. Again, great work and hope to see you again soon
Albert N. Milliron
Editor, Politisite.com, Iron Mill News
Gov. Sanford refused the stimulus because it is a debt that we have to repay. What happens if we accepted the money so we can hire teachers for only “5 years” just to fire them when the stimulus money runs out? Who is going to repay this money when it runs out? One of the previous post talk about all these agencies being cut, but if we take this money how much state agencies will we have to cut in order to repay this massive debt along with firing all of the teachers the stimulus creates? The only thing thats going to get SC out of debt is to stop/prevent debt and Gov Sanford is trying to do that. We are not in a position to take anymore debt. The stimulus is like any loan, the federal goverment will also add major interest on this loan.