. South Carolina has some of the most powerful politicians in the country. They exercise unwarranted powers over state government and the economy, and face very little accountability for their decisions – creating a breeding ground for corruption. How can South carolinians take their power back? (1) RESTORE JUDICIAL INDEPENDENCE The public deserves confidence that …
Despite the gas-tax-hike having passed in 2017, an alarming number of South Carolina’s roads and bridges are still crumbling. As bad as things are for state roads and highways, locally managed roads are sometimes in the worst condition, as they receive far less attention than big and costly transportation projects. As lawmakers gear up for a new road funding bill heading into next year, it is crucial to emphasize that no amount …
It’s nearly the end of the year and South Carolina’s legislative session is rapidly approaching! The first day of session begins on January 14, 2020. Since 2019 was the first half of the two-year session, bills that did not pass this year could still become law next year. Lawmakers filed nearly 2,500 bills and resolutions …
UPDATE: The House passed this bill by a vote of 107 – 0 on 4/24/18 with one minor amendment. Upon the governor’s signature, this bill will become law. If the goal of a particular piece of legislation is to streamline and improve government services, then creating an entirely new department would probably not be the best …
WHY YOU HEAR NOTHING ABOUT YOUR NEW SUPREME COURT JUDGES When President Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court one year ago, the nation’s media, political class, judicial interest groups, and citizenry began to debate Judge Gorsuch’s merits and record. That public scrutiny continued throughout the Senate hearing process that ended with Gorsuch’s …
SCPC President Ashley Landess was interviewed for a report aired on Columbia television station WIS investigating how contractors who are members of the gas-tax lobbying group, SC Alliance to Fix our Roads, were recently awarded $20 million dollars of new road work contracts by the Department of Transportation (DOT). As Ashley stated, this is not …
POLITICIANS YOU DIDN’T VOTE FOR. THAT’S WHO. From education to road funding, from the judicial system to your electric bill, the important decisions are made by state lawmakers who represent only their districts. Most South Carolinians don’t vote for them – or even know their names. So when your power bill goes up again, or …
THE SYSTEM MAKES IT DIFFICULT – BUT IT’S NOT IMPOSSIBLE South Carolina’s transportation system is not accountable to any one elected official, and that’s by design. Even so, after several years of pressure from citizens and some piecemeal changes to the law, there are ways for South Carolinians to engage with transportation policymakers. (1) Citizens …
WHERE DO WE STAND ON ETHICS REFORM? Since the Policy Council released its eight-point reform agenda in 2013, several lawmakers have been indicted and the General Assembly has passed a number of incremental reforms. Corruption flourishes in the combination of concentrated power and secrecy. In South Carolina, the bulk of state power is firmly in …
THREE STEPS TO FIXING SOUTH CAROLINA’S ROADS – AND NONE OF THEM INVOLVES RAISING TAXES ON A POOR AND OVERTAXED POPULATION One thing has become increasingly evident in the debate over the gas tax: lawmakers have no real solution to South Carolina’s infrastructure problems. Their only solution is raising taxes. But lawmakers haven’t shown, or even tried to …