The Opinion Blog

Real trouble awaits those who harass bicyclists

Sunday's editorial welcomes the S.C. legislature's crackdown on motorists who abuse bicyclists:

Perhaps without thinking of it in this fashion, S.C. legislators passed visionary legislation, signed into law last month by Gov. Mark Sanford, with huge potential to take the sting out of high energy prices. The new law makes crystal clear that motorists must -- must -- share the road with bicyclists and provides harsh penalties for motorists who fail to comply.

It is hard to imagine a more timely piece of legislation. Thanks to gas prices above $4 per gallon and diesel prices flirting with $5 per gallon, residents and visitors across our communities find themselves hard-pressed to meet their daily transportation needs.

'Romeo' clause remains in the S.C. Code of Laws

Ripped from the wires ... Cindi Ross Scoppe of The (Columbia) State explains why S.C. legislators just can't bring themselves to re-criminalize sex between minors:

By Cindi Ross Scoppe

The good news is that the Legislature has finally eliminated the "mistake of age'' defense for men who have sex with underage girls -- a blame-the-victim provision that lawmakers swear they had no idea they passed, but that it took them two full years to repeal.

H.3623, which became law when the governor signed it on June 16, restores to state law the age-old concept that a minor is off-limits to adults and it is the duty of the grown-up to know how old she is, replacing the absurd notion adopted in 2006 that it was the duty of the child -- whom we consider too young to make responsible decisions about sex -- to volunteer that information.

DNA database expansion threatened civil liberties

Today's editorial argues that Gov. Mark Sanford did well last week to veto this year's DNA legislation:

Given the mounting pressure on the state to free wrongly convicted prison inmates, it took guts last week for Gov. Mark Sanford to veto the DNA bill passed last month by the General Assembly. Even though the veto denies S.C. prison inmates the right to use DNA evidence to prove their innocence, Sanford was right to exercise it.

Another section of the bill would have allowed the state to collect DNA samples - genetic markers unique to individuals - from all persons whom the police arrest for felonies. But as Sanford pointed out in his veto message, only about 40 percent of those arrested for felonies are ultimately convicted and sent to prison - with the rest going free.

'Minimally adequate' sets education bar too low

From the afternoon e-mail ... Retired Florence educator Tom Truitt argues that fixing the S.C. Constitution's education article is the key to high quality public schooling:

By Tom Truitt

A state's constitution is a covenant between the government and the people. Since most of us haven't read the South Carolina Constitution, we don't know what it says about education nor understand why the education clause needs to be amended. But if we want to move from the bottom of the educational rankings and have South Carolina students prepared to compete in a global economy, we need to make a change in our state constitution. Here's why.

Article XI, Section 3, of the South Carolina Constitution states:

    The General Assembly shall provide for the maintenance and support of a system of free public schools open to all children in the State and shall establish, organize and support such other public institutions of learning, as may be desirable.

Replace incumbents with Smith, Gilland

In an editorial today, The Sun News recommended that voters pick challengers in S.C. House District 68 and S.C. Senate District 33 over the incumbents:

S.C. Rep. Thad Viers, R-Myrtle Beach, does not support the goals of public education. And like Viers and many other members of the Horry County delegation, S.C. Sen. Luke Rankin, R-Myrtle Beach, sees nothing wrong in working against the goals of local governments.

True, Viers was instrumental this year in fashioning the new state immigration-reform legislation. Several years back, Rankin led the effort to rescue the state-owned S.C. Public Service Authority - Santee Cooper - from possible privatization. Both legislators have done some good work.

But does that warrant the renewal of their leases on their legislative seats? Not when both have habits of mind and action that continually frustrate local public-life goals. Not when both cast themselves as the proper checks and balances for local governments when that's really the job of local voters. Not when both have capable opponents who understand that legislative power must have limits.

Just as well that property tax re-reform bill failed

The failure of the bill to end point-of-sale property-tax reappraisals will distress many local folks. But as today's editorial shows, its passage would have created more tax problems:

Want proof that once you let the tax-change genie out of the bottle, it's impossible to put him back in? Look no further than the failure in Columbia this week of the bill to repeal point-of-sale property reappraisals.

Under current law, S.C. counties are required to slap new tax valuations on properties at the time they are sold. This requirement was part of the 2006 statewide property-tax reform package, adopted in haste with the enthusiastic support of local legislators.

The point-of-sale law was a necessary counterbalance to a key part of that tax package: the voter-approved constitutional amendment capping property revaluations for tax purposes at 15 percent over five years - 3 percent per year. This tax cap applies only to properties that don't change hands.

An empathetic governor would have OK'd health plan

Today's editorial expresses regret that Gov. Sanford's desire for perfection resulted in the death of a good cigarette-tax-increase-based plan to insure 80,000 S.C. residents:

One of the most useful sayings in American lawmaking is: "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." Would that Gov. Mark Sanford understood it - and lived it. If he did, 80,000 uninsured South Carolinians would soon gain access to affordable health care.

The expression stems from a central fact of American politics: compromise. Most useful legislation passed in Washington, D.C., and in state capitals such as Columbia is laced with concessions to political factions.

The cigarette-tax financed health plan that Sanford vetoed this week illustrates this point. In both the S.C. Senate, which originated the legislation, and the S.C. House, which approved it by a narrow margin last week, Republicans and Democrats helped shape the final product.

Cheap S.C. smokes locked down -- for now

From the Tuesday afternoon e-mail ... The S.C. House drives the final stake through the heart of the cigarette tax/health-care expansion plan. But wait! Read House Speaker Bobby Harell's statement through to the end. You'll see that he plans to work on an alternative cigarette tax hike/health plan for legislative consideration next year:

House Votes to Sustain Cigarette Tax Veto

Expanding Government Entitlement Program is Not the Answer

(Columbia, SC) - Today the S.C. House of Representatives voted to sustain the Governor's veto on the cigarette tax increase/Government entitlement expansion bill.  House Speaker Bobby Harrell took the floor to speak in favor of sustaining the veto.

Speaker Harrell said, "Today, over half of all births in South Carolina are paid for by Medicaid. This tax increase will greatly expand that number and also entitle children living in households with an income of $54,000 to have their health care coverage paid for by taxpayers through this Medicaid expansion. Medicaid was created to be a safety net for the poor -- $54,000 a year is not poor.

Democrats boo Sanford health-care veto

From the afternoon e-mail ... S.C. Senate Democrats decry the governor's veto of the General Assembly's cigarette tax/health-care plan:

May 27, 2008

Senate Democrats React to Sanford's Health Care Veto

Columbia, SC  -- South Carolina Senate Democrats today called on members of the SC House to override Governor Mark Sanford's veto of increasing the state's cigarette tax for affordable health care.  Democratic Senators issued the following statements:

Senator John C. Land, III, Senate Democratic Leader said: "Once again Governor Sanford was given an opportunity to show leadership on an issue that affects all South Carolinians and once again he has failed.  Signing this bill into law should have been a no-brainer for the governor. But I guess counting on Sanford doing something logical would be giving him too much credit."

Sanford opts for continued cheap S.C. smokes

For Richard ...

From the afternoon e-mail ... Gov. Mark Sanford says no to a 50-cents-per-pack increase in the S.C. cigarette tax and the health plan it would have financed:

Governor Vetoes Cigarette Tax

BILL UPS TOTAL TAX BURDEN, VIRTUALLY ENSURES FUTURE TAX INCREASES

Columbia, S.C. - May 27, 2008 - Governor Mark Sanford today vetoed H.3567, a bill that would have increased the state's cigarette tax by 50 cents - but dedicates the money to expanding Medicaid and other healthcare programs in such a way as to guarantee future tax increases.