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Article published Jan 22, 2006
I can't argue with a few statements that Gov. Mark Sanford made in his State of the State address. I applaud the governor's call for increasing African-American judges. I also do not take issue with the governor's characterization of his administration's achievements. This is his prerogative.
Also, the governor's description of the world and the vast differences between now and even
20 years ago was on target and consistent with what is commonly known. Worldwide competitiveness, other forces related to globalization, the graying of America, etc., are well-established realities. Where I differ with the governor is in the interpretation of these trends on new laws for South Carolina.
Because I intend to focus on the things that will really make a difference in the lives of the people in my district and the state, my observations during two short weeks as a legislator lead me to believe the following critical issues must be the top priorities for this year:
* Education: Funding for universal 4K for at-risk children, additional funding to S.C. First Steps and funding the Education and Economic Act (Pathways to Success) should top the agenda for education support.
"Pathways to Success" is a transformative program for public education. It incorporates a solid mix of academic and career-related skills that students need to compete in today's global economy. These pathways contain many and varied career options, and any can lead to continuation in a two- or four-year college, military service, apprenticeship in a chosen field, on-the-job training or other postsecondary learning experience. The career choices that public school students will be making via this program are directly linked to the exciting and rapidly developing careers of the future.
* Taxation and revenue: I genuinely hope that legislators and the state's chief executive will be guided by the findings of a research project conducted through the Strom Thurmond Institute of Government and Public Affairs of Clemson University for The Palmetto Institute on this issue. The reports from this examination of the state's revenue system are accessible at www.palmettoinstitute.org.
In essence, these scholarly reports highlight the perils of isolating facets of activity for tax change in any direction without consideration of others that, together, contribute to the goals of a "good" system that entails three critical elements: "(1) adequate and stable revenue to support essential public services, (2) equitable distribution of the burden across income levels and between businesses and households and (3) efficiency in designing revenue tools that do not unduly distort private decisions or discourage private economic activity." South Carolina leaders can ill afford to make critical decisions about this state's future without basing these decisions on concrete data that is readily available.
* Medicaid reform waivers: I strongly object to the governor's assessment of the impact that waivers would have on health care for the state's poor and on the primary provider system for them -- community health centers. Few disagree that reform is needed, but waivers would add undue financial stress on community health centers when they provide medical services to patients who become classified as uninsured patients.
In case you don't know, Medicaid is the largest health insurance source in the nation. It covers 51 million people. It is the largest payer for nursing home care and services for people with HIV/AIDS. It is the largest source of funding for mental health and substance abuse services. Twelve percent of South Carolina residents are covered by Medicaid, and the program represents 36 percent of health center revenue. These are the people who waivers will hurt the most.
Harold Mitchell of Spartanburg represents District 31 in the S.C. House of Representatives.