Bouquet: Gov. Mark Sanford, piqued that the House and Senate didn't ratify a budget before the legislative session adjourned Thursday -- and before the June 13 party primaries -- said Friday that he will take his charts and maps on the road. He'll attempt to show the electorate that the budget is increasing faster than their incomes.

Earlier in the week Sanford tried to bully the legislators back to their chambers so they could deal with his vetoes before the primaries. While he can call them back into session for an emergency, dealing with vetoes may not be one of them. By not completing the budget, vetoes are a moot point, keeping lawmakers on track to return to Columbia June 14-16.

But there is more than one way to skin a cat, and Sanford told The State newspaper that he would cut a wide swath across the state and just may end up in contested districts; 24 of the 124 House members face challengers for re-election.

Mother Nature has a mean streak

Barb: Mother Nature can turn mean, and this is the season to prepare for hurricanes.

William Winn, Beaufort County's Emergency Management director, said this week that personal accountability and plenty of insurance are important to surviving a hurricane. His advice is to be prepared to leave when officials say to evacuate, and check with your insurance agent to make sure that you have adequate coverage.

Flood insurance covers only $250,000 of a home's value, and the cost of insuring against wind damage is increasing. Many insurance companies are dropping coverage in coastal area because of the catastrophic losses they have incurred in recent years.

Hurricanes also are not site-specific and don't have to strike an area to inflict damage on an area, Winn said. The damage can be physical from tornadoes to economic -- from the increased cost of gasoline to the cost of building materials to the downturn in tourism because a hurricane threats. Because so many businesses have low profit margins, economic impact can put more firms on the rocks than the impact of some storms.

On the flip side, the cost of insurance may help control growth in coastal counties. People may begin to say, "I love it down here, but I can't afford to live here because of the insurance," Winn told members of the Lowcountry Rotary Club on Friday morning.

Sunshine is the best disinfectant

Bouquet: Sunshine is the best disinfectant for political situations that seems tainted, and nine lawmakers have asked the Legislative Audit Council to conduct an audit of the Hunley Commission.

Stories recently were published in the state's largest newspapers that discussed maneuvers of Sen. Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, who is chairman of the commission to move a museum for the submarine forward. McConnell told The Associated Press that about $17 million has been spent on the program. The State newspaper reported that spending could exceed $90 million once the museum and a proposed Clemson University research facility were in place.

According to The AP, Raegan Quinn, spokeswoman for the nonprofit fundraising group Friends of the Hunley, said that about half of the $17 million was provided by government sources. About $4 million has come from the state, and the most recent state money came in 2002, she said.

Where there is doubt, sunshine should be cast on the subject. If all is well, the audit will be the telling factor. The audit council's detailed checks also can shed light on the group's practices by comparing them to best financial practices.

Only one of the representatives requesting the audit is from the Lowcountry. The nine requesting the audit are: Rep. Nathan Ballentine, R-Richland; Rep. Herb Kirsh, D-York; Rep. Ted Pitts, R-Lexington; Rep. Bessie Moody-Lawrence, D-York; Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-Laurens; Rep. Thayer Rivers, D-Jasper; Rep. Ralph Norman, R-York; Rep. Scott Talley, R-Spartanburg; and Rep. Ken Kennedy, D-Williamsburg.