Remarks By Governor
David M. Beasley

Kid's Day Conclusion
June 12, 1997

I appreciate the courage of these young men for sharing with us. They've been through so much at such a young age...but today they're truly an inspiration.

We wanted to end with their stories, because they sum up what we've been saying all day long: that the problems of delinquency can't be separated from the problems of health, of safety, of substance abuse, of education, of family life, of faith.

They're all linked and overlapping. And because of the width and depth of the issues at work, surface solutions just don't apply.

We need a radical transformation in the way we think and do business.

We need to recenter the family as the touchstone for life...

And to celebrate South Carolina's independence, compassion and faith as tools to turn the tide.

If you'll notice, not one of these guys said that there wasn't enough government in their lives.

Most said they missed the basics I mentioned: parents and neighbors to love them, believe in them and show them how to live.

But they have hope now, even from behind these prison walls. Because each of them has come out of a dark place into a bright future, based on lasting values, positive role models, and lifelong learning.

That renewal comes when people of faith and good will are backed by a system supporting them, not one dictating failed approaches.

So as we start this crusade to change our culture, we've also got to change the way we govern.

For every stop we took today, you'll see in your packet information on public and private initiatives already underway. It's a comprehensive look at nearly everything under the sun going on to help families in these areas. Some of it we support, and some we don't.

But there's a couple of pages in there outlining the specific action steps we want to take today.,..not to grow more programs but to make better use of the ones we've got.

First, I'm instructing my Cabinet director Erwin Faulkner to form a work group from my Cabinet.

Their mission will be to help agencies more effectively meet people where they live. You see on these maps that many of the issues we've talked about are centralized in very specific areas. So why aren't we there?

Instead of demanding that these pockets of need find their way to us, why not send out mobile offices to those pockets?

Look at this area here. We've spent $2.6 million dollars in this neighborhood alone, serving 323 households. That breaks down to over $8,000 per family...and that's year after year.

We're spending millions on these families, but is life any better for them? That kind of money ought to be able to revolutionize a neighborhood, but it's not. So how could we use our money smarter?

I'm calling on this work group to do something state government just doesn't do...and that's track where it spends its money and what the public gets out of it.

If programs aren't producing the outcomes we need, this group will help us come up with plans that do work. And you'll see more on that in our next state Health and Human Services Plan.

I'd like to just touch briefly on some of the action steps we've outlined for each of the stops we made today.

We started the day talking about teen pregnancy. As civil leaders, we want to help teens take responsibility for their actions. And Mary Wood has already been leading the charge for an abstinence-based approach.

Now she'll be working with Title V funds and the Woodson group to get us back to the simple truth that no, it's not OK to have children outside of marriage. And no, poverty won't go out of style until marriage comes back in style.

We talked about prenatal care and creating a culture that values healthy lifestyles during pregnancy. Today I'm charging DHEC with the task of getting more women, especially those considered at-risk, through the doctor's door.

We stood in the middle of the morgue and talked about the death toll of drugs and alcohol. Today I'm instructing my staff to look at how we can educate kids to take responsibility and say no...and we'll start with prevention programs for middle schoolers, where a lot of children start to fall away.

Teachers told us today how critical it is for parents to send their children to school ready to learn.

We need a chapter and verse review of what schools and parents can do to start children learning early and for life.

Mary Wood's going to be busy, because I've asked her to head up a special task force on the subject. I'm also calling on my education adviser to look at ways to make it easier for parents to meet with teachers...how we can keep kids off the streets when school's out...how schools can work with troubled youth before they're kicked out and end up at DJJ.

Last of all, we want to remind communities to reclaim the age-old responsibility of service.

We'll work with the South Carolina Alliance for Children to promote mentoring. We've heard today how that relationship can sometimes be just enough to change a child's course.

We'll kick off a statewide Community Restoration Week next year run entirely by students.

And I'm proud to announce that next spring, we will host the first ever Governor's Summit on Tomorrow's Leaders.

I envision all kinds of community groups, educators and parents coming together for a huge pow-wow...highlighting what's working at the grass-roots level.

Those are the kind of lasting solutions that won't spring from some bureaucrat's PC. They'll come from the hearts and homes of parents, neighbors and community partners all across this state.

Try as we might, government will never be big enough or effective enough to reach as deep as these problems run.

Let me show you what I mean. Over the past 10 years, we've more than doubled the amount spent on health services for children and pregnant mothers.

But child deaths haven't decreased enough. Low birth weight babies have even increased.

For $265 million extra dollars, you'd expect some pretty dramatic results. But hundreds of millions of dollars didn't even make a dent in our culturally-entrenched behaviors.

Government's limitations are obvious. We can make policy. But we can't make choices for people.

We can kick off a Highways or Dieways campaign, but you choose to drive sober. We can promote prenatal care, but you choose to go to the doctor. We can teach conflict resolution, but you choose not to bring a gun to school.

As these young men told us, it's all about choices...for good or for bad.

It's all about families and individuals taking responsibility...following the right roads...and helping each other down those roads.

Government flat out can't fix what's wrong with families and children. Parents... we have to fix this.

As a father, the best thing I can do for my children is show them I love their mom. I can make rules and enforce them. I can love them and be there for them.

That's my job. And government can't do it for me.

Certainly, we can all help support parents in doing their jobs.

Neighbors...we can and must step across that street and help the Samaritan in need. Churches...you can and must hold a candle where there is darkness. Parents...we can and must shower our children with love and wisdom.

All of us can and must push and pull and tug and sacrifice until the chain of despair is broken, until every child has hope, until that tide is finally turned.

Today I'm issuing a challenge for all South Carolinians to join the movement for cultural reformation.

Today can be a new start for a new generation of South Carolinians. Today the crusade for the heart and souls of families and their children begins.

###