|
Date Published: March 21, 2004
Governor should pick another fight for another day
Hell hath no fury like a governor scorned.
Rather than gracefully accepting a decisive override of his veto of the Life Sciences Act by the General Assembly (Senate 39-4, House 81-24), Gov. Mark Sanford has chosen to assume the title of constitutional scholar and declare he may do what has become fashionable in our increasingly litigious society: sue.
At a hastily called press conference Thursday, the governor announced he may pursue a legal challenge to the bill, contending it could be unconstitutional. He claims the omnibus bill, a portion of which grants four-year status to the University of South Carolina Sumter, has too many amendments that are not germane to the intended purpose of the legislation, which is economic development.
However, legislators who supported the bill argue that all of the amendments are related to economic development. In the words of House Speaker David Wilkins, R-Greenville, "In a perfect world, the governor may be right, but we had a major bill to create high-tech jobs. I think we ought to be worried about creating jobs in South Carolina instead of creating lawsuits." And House Minority Leader James Smith, D-Richland, repeated an oft-used phrase when he noted the governor was choosing "form over substance," saying that the new law is "incredibly important for the future of our state."
We might add the bill is also "incredibly important" to the future of USC Sumter and the Sumter community, not the least being having a four-year campus that could shore up the case for retaining Shaw Air Force Base during the next round in 2005 of military installation closures.
The governor's designated water-carrier in the Senate, Sen. Greg Ryberg, R-Aiken, who was one of the four who voted to sustain the veto, chimed in after the press conference that the bill was "the worst case of bobtailing I've ever seen." Again, form over substance, and a fixation with process at the expense of the greater good for the state.
A little-known secret that Ryberg is probably aware of is that the Aiken four-year campus has benefited financially from USC Sumter students, such as Dawn Coker of Sumter, who told us about her educational experience in a Thursday letter to the editor. Writing about her course of studies at USC Sumter, which she described as "a long, difficult journey," Coker said this: "What frustrated me about my program (Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies) was that I was considered an Aiken student and had to pay Aiken prices, even though I was actually sitting in Sumter classrooms being taught by Sumter professors! It rang of politics and of USC Aiken and Columbia taking advantage of USC Sumter students."
Politics yes; more cash flow to Aiken, absolutely.
It should not be lost on the power brokers, ivory tower editorialists and elitists who attempt to make or influence policy benefiting the few at the expense of the many, is that real, live human beings such as Coker are struggling on a limited budget to fulfill their dreams of obtaining a better education. Small, four-year campuses in their hometowns are a godsend. She reminded the governor that he was elected to do more than veto bills: "You were elected to bring opportunities."
Got that, Governor? Opportunities, not vetoes and threatened lawsuits.
Is the legislative process perfect? Of course not.
Is there log-rolling and back-scratching within the General Assembly? Absolutely.
The creation of laws is often like making sausage – the finished product is usually tasty but how it's made can become awfully messy.
And speaking of pork, the governor has claimed the bill is loaded with pork-barrel projects. Where's the pork in the USC Sumter amendment? It won't raid the state treasury, because additional funding will come from local governing bodies.
A four-year culinary arts program at Charleston's Trident Technical College? So the Holy City wants more chefs to accommodate its multiplying restaurants (and other eateries throughout the state). Big deal. There are more restaurants popping up in South Carolina because we are being visited by more and more tourists. Isn't that good for our economy?
As for the $7 million in bond money earmarked for an international convention center in Myrtle Beach, that could be construed as "pork," but when it's erected, won't it bring more conventioners to our state and pump additional dollars into our economy?
The governor has thrown every discredited argument in the book at this bill, with most of his ire being directed at the USC Sumter initiative. Like the proverbial bully on the playground, he picks on a small community seeking to grow and prosper. Then he picks on the Legislature, and when he is swatted down, decides to posture and grandstand in the guise of a protector of the taxpayers for the benefit of his cheerleaders on editorial boards and the amen corners of the I-26 corridor.
Enough already. Get a grip, Governor. You've made your point. Pick another fight for another day, and let this "process" come to an end so the greater good from the Life Sciences Act can be achieved.
E-mail to a friend
Previous Page
|
April 14, 2004
