Government exists to serve the people, not the other way around, yet in South Carolina it often feels just the opposite. Despite a recent rule change that’s moving us in the right direction, our legislators still vote anonymously more often than not. We can’t go online and see how every one of our taxpayer dollars [...]
Economic development is the most important issue facing our next governor. We have to make South Carolina a good place to own a business, and doing so starts with taking care of the businesses we already have. That means reforming our tax code – beginning with eliminating the small business income tax – so it’s [...]
• Haley is right: Record every legislative vote Rep. Nikki Haley of Lexington is exactly right, and anyone who opposes her bill to mandate individual recorded votes for every vote in the state Legislature is exactly wrong. Only a politician could cook up excuses to keep from having absolutely every vote recorded. What are politicians [...]
South Carolina can count itself dead last in the country in yet another category — legislative roll-call voting, according to a new report by the state’s leading conservative think tank, the South Carolina Policy Council. The Palmetto State has the worst-in-the-nation ranking in recorded votes by the General Assembly, says the Nov. 12 report, a [...]
House Republican leaders are pushing plans to put more power in the hands of House Speaker Bobby Harrell so he could appoint committee chairmen in an effort to advance the GOP’s agenda and clear the House floor of bills they don’t like. Speakers have that appointment authority in other states, but critics in South Carolina [...]
One day last week (I’m thinking it was Monday the 10th), Nikki Haley called to say she wanted urgently to talk with me. She came by later that same day. With her approval (she had initially asked just to speak with me), Cindi Scoppe sat in with us. (I TRY not to meet with sources [...]
