Beyond Politics: Five key South Carolina Issues
The website for The State outlines five key issues at which this state needs to address. While I disagree with some of their positions, I do agree that these are vital areas which deserve long overdue attention:
Education:
* We do need school choice. The State parrots the same uninformed mantra that it's taking away money from schools, while not mentioning that it is also reducing their cost of operation and giving parents less than the per-child funding, allowing the schools to retain "free" money with no costs associated.
* A Board of Regents or some centralization of higher ed policy making is long overdue.
* School choice offers competition, but only if we free public schools to compete on a level playing field. Freeing public schools from red tape and bureaucratic barriers has to happen, with or without school choice. This issue wasn't mentioned, but I'm throwing it in anyway.
Two South Carolinas:
* Addressing infrastructure, workforce development, and inclusiveness in governance - all good ideas.
* Governor Sanford was right about the Orangeburg Massacre. So long as one side ignore the other's points of view on racial and cultural issues, we'll never make progress. When Jakie Knotts ran his mouth about the apology being wrong, it said a lot about both him and Tommy Moore, as well as the challenges we face with this issue.
* This state cannot exist, as it does, in two very opposite worlds.
Restructuring:
* I agree - we need to keep moving with this. Maybe not wholesale, but then again, the 1993 round wasn't wholesale. As in the private sector, restructuring should be a continual process to meet changing needs.
Economic Development:
* Hey Tommy, not chasing low-wage jobs, in the long run, is smart. Companies with low-wage jobs are the ones most likely to pick up in five years and move overseas. In the long run, our workforce needs to be able to do more than low-skilled, minimum wage jobs if we're to have a decent standard of living.
* South Carolina is becoming a key player in the automotive industry, and through companies like Santee Cooper, we're a major exporter of energy to other states. Clusters to build upon these strengths are smart, and in the long run, will draw more jobs and help educate and train South Carolinians for them.
* Commerce Department - spends less, recruits more. They're doing a good job. Let's work to build upon what they're doing right.
Taxes and Spending:
* Tax cuts aren't a bad idea, but let's face it - our fiscal house is shaky. In good years, collections outpace the economy and are squandered, and in bad years, they fall farther than the economy. Examining how to even out the revenue flow, and do a better job of conserving extra funds, is a good idea.
* Spending cuts can be good, but even better is a cost-benefits analysis. A lot of state programs would fail this test, but those that don't should be handled carefully.
Those are my thoughts ... now, I invite your thoughts and discussion on these issues.
While they are relevant in this year's election, I hope that come 2007, they're not thrown back into the basement until the next election. Our continued failure to address them has much to do with the problems that hold our entire state back.
Education:
* We do need school choice. The State parrots the same uninformed mantra that it's taking away money from schools, while not mentioning that it is also reducing their cost of operation and giving parents less than the per-child funding, allowing the schools to retain "free" money with no costs associated.
* A Board of Regents or some centralization of higher ed policy making is long overdue.
* School choice offers competition, but only if we free public schools to compete on a level playing field. Freeing public schools from red tape and bureaucratic barriers has to happen, with or without school choice. This issue wasn't mentioned, but I'm throwing it in anyway.
Two South Carolinas:
* Addressing infrastructure, workforce development, and inclusiveness in governance - all good ideas.
* Governor Sanford was right about the Orangeburg Massacre. So long as one side ignore the other's points of view on racial and cultural issues, we'll never make progress. When Jakie Knotts ran his mouth about the apology being wrong, it said a lot about both him and Tommy Moore, as well as the challenges we face with this issue.
* This state cannot exist, as it does, in two very opposite worlds.
Restructuring:
* I agree - we need to keep moving with this. Maybe not wholesale, but then again, the 1993 round wasn't wholesale. As in the private sector, restructuring should be a continual process to meet changing needs.
Economic Development:
* Hey Tommy, not chasing low-wage jobs, in the long run, is smart. Companies with low-wage jobs are the ones most likely to pick up in five years and move overseas. In the long run, our workforce needs to be able to do more than low-skilled, minimum wage jobs if we're to have a decent standard of living.
* South Carolina is becoming a key player in the automotive industry, and through companies like Santee Cooper, we're a major exporter of energy to other states. Clusters to build upon these strengths are smart, and in the long run, will draw more jobs and help educate and train South Carolinians for them.
* Commerce Department - spends less, recruits more. They're doing a good job. Let's work to build upon what they're doing right.
Taxes and Spending:
* Tax cuts aren't a bad idea, but let's face it - our fiscal house is shaky. In good years, collections outpace the economy and are squandered, and in bad years, they fall farther than the economy. Examining how to even out the revenue flow, and do a better job of conserving extra funds, is a good idea.
* Spending cuts can be good, but even better is a cost-benefits analysis. A lot of state programs would fail this test, but those that don't should be handled carefully.
Those are my thoughts ... now, I invite your thoughts and discussion on these issues.
While they are relevant in this year's election, I hope that come 2007, they're not thrown back into the basement until the next election. Our continued failure to address them has much to do with the problems that hold our entire state back.
http://www.schotline.com/lawsuit103006.htm
I understand that Mr. Flood may be unavailable for comment...