SUNDAY'S EDITORIAL

By T&D Staff

In her candor, Cobb-Hunter is effective

THE ISSUE: The view of Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter

OUR OPINIONHer views have impact here, statewide

Orangeburg Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter is known for speaking out aggressively on the issues. She lived up to her reputation this past week in a Rotary Club address.

From property taxes to poverty, from domestic violence to values and morality, the Orangeburg Democrat didn’t mince words even as she predicted many businessmen and women in attendance may not agree with her.

She pointed to retired businessman and GOP loyalist Austin Cunningham as proof that people of different political persuasions can and should converse regularly on the issues. She called Speaker of the House Bobby Harrell, a recent speaker at the same podium, a good friend even as she moved on to express dismay with Republican politics.

Cobb-Hunter didn’t spare the Democrats, either. She says the party in which she holds national leadership positions has no message other than to criticize the Republicans for their policies and approaches. A Republican voter is not going to be converted to a Democratic candidate as long as the latter is no more than “Republican light.”

Crediting the Republicans with being experts at the use of language in getting their message out, she decried the idea that values and morality in America are defined in terms of positions on abortion and gay marriage. “Morality is much, much, much more than who marries whom,” she said.

And what about other matters of value?

n Children going to bed hungry.

n 45 million Americans with no health insurance.

n The number of people in poverty growing — particularly the growing percentage of whites in that situation.

“Let’s talk about real values, real morality,” she said.

Addressing domestic violence is one way Cobb-Hunter says our community can face reality. “I speak for those who have no voice,” she said in reminding Orangeburg that designations such as Community of Character and All-America City cannot disguise the county’s place as fourth in the state in criminal domestic violence cases — and that in a state that ranks sixth-worst in the country.

Arrests and convictions have gone down, getting rape exams for victims remains at issue and law enforcement is not using resources wisely in addressing the problem, Cobb-Hunter said.

In advance of this Tuesday’s hearing in Orangeburg on property tax reform, Cobb-Hunter laid groundwork for the discussion.

While many call for a rollback on property taxes by shifting the load to the sales tax, Cobb-Hunter said she is unwilling to transfer the tax burden. “We shouldn’t look solely to the sales tax.”

“Review and remedy” is the only solution for South Carolina, she said. Remedy the property tax problem but do not do so without requiring that tax exemptions be regularly reviewed by the Legislature, with an eye toward ending them.

Neither can tax changes further erode education funding in a state that does not adequately fund public education, she said. “We have got to be committed to a strong public education system.”

That means no transfer of tax dollars to private education. It means improving instruction by stressing the likes of foreign languages at earlier ages. It means ceasing the fight against rural school districts looking for equity in funding.

Some say throwing money at the education problem won’t solve it. “We’ve never tried adequately funding education in South Carolina. Let’s give it a shot.”

A shot indeed is what you get from this outspoken lawmaker. Cobb-Hunter was well aware of her audience. She was purposely pouring it on.

It’s unclear what kind of behind-the-scenes reaction she got from her positions on the issues, but her savvy and candor remain two reasons why she is looked to for consultation by political friend and foe. She remains a valuable and influential catalyst for the long-term betterment of Orangeburg.

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