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Article published Jan 22, 2006
Gov. Mark Sanford held out an olive branch to the General Assembly in his State of the State address Wednesday night, but I believe it's too little too late.
After three years of antagonizing legislators, he has turned a new leaf. He suddenly wants to be our friend. Some say he has wised up and finally learned how to befriend us. But it's hard not to notice that it's an election year, and Gov. Sanford needs us more than ever.
The governor's address was more remarkable for what he did not talk about than what
he did. When it came to health care and education -- two
of the most important issues facing our state -- he was short on specifics. It is a travesty that working South Carolinians cannot afford decent health insurance, but Gov. Sanford mentioned no plans to provide affordable health care.
On the brighter side, we Democrats have a clear plan. By increasing the cigarette tax, we could afford to provide health insurance for middle-class and low-income families currently not covered. This would create enough funding to help both employers and employees and to stop the backlog in emergency rooms, which are the only alternative for many uninsured working South Carolinians.
By leveraging the $80 million revenue increase on cigarettes with the federal government's CHIPS program, this pool of money to pay for health care could easily grow to $300 million to $400 million.
The governor neglected to mention one of the most important court decisions in the history of our state. In December, Circuit Judge Thomas W. Cooper ruled that the state's education funding system is unconstitutional because it does not adequately fund early childhood education.
Judge Cooper called upon the state to enact programs to address the impact of poverty on children's abilities and achievement. The governor failed to detail how the state should go about fixing the problem, however, the Democrats for years have been calling for a remedy: more funding for early childhood education. Let's make kindergarten for 4-year-old children a reality for our children's sake.
The governor said he wants to encourage a business-friendly environment, and I have to give him credit for working hard to increase the economic climate for small businesses in the state. Also, Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer has focused attention on making South Carolina a retirement destination, a great new industry for many of our rural counties. The governor's proposal for impact fees on new development and construction, however, thwarts the lieutenant governor's plans and would be a terrible way to greet these newcomers to our state.
Repeatedly, Gov. Sanford mentioned Thomas Friedman, the New York Times columnist who says the world is flat when it comes to 21st century economics. These lofty ideas are great in theory but offer little hope or solace for the regular folks who are struggling to feed their families. There is obviously a disconnect between the governor's ideas and the rural constituents I represent. Perhaps that's why Time magazine cited Gov. Sanford as the third-worst governor in the nation.
On a positive note, we Democrats did agree with a few points the governor made. He pointed out we should elect more black judges, pay back trust funds and support property tax relief. So, you see, we can find common ground. But when that common ground is the result of election-year politics, it's shaky ground, indeed.
We need a changing of the guard as we cannot afford another four years of lackluster leadership. We need more jobs, real economic development and a new vision for our state.
Ted M. Vick of Chesterfield
represents District 53 in the S.C. House of Representatives.