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Thursday, March 28, 2024 - 07:18 AM

INDEPENDENT CONSERVATIVE VOICE OF UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

First Published in 1994

INDEPENDENT CONSERVATIVE VOICE OF
UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

With the 2010 General Election less than two weeks away, the South Carolina Republican Party is sitting on a fence separating feast from famine, victory from defeat. If conservative voters turn out in large numbers and elect the GOP   nominee for governor, they will likely sweep the other constitutional offices including the critically important superintendent of education into office. Such a victory would provide the first opportunity in three decades to shake up the bureaucracy and upgrade the quality of education in South Carolina.  Mick Zais is the first candidate for South Carolina Superintendent of Education in recent memory that is not indebted or otherwise tied to the NEA, the education bureaucracy, and the “good ol’ boy” network that has kept the children of South Carolina in the “back of the education bus” and 49th in the nation behind Mississippi and the District of Columbia for decades while constantly demanding more money for “the children.”

If very many conservatives who would normally vote for Republicans stay home and fail to vote or vote for the Democrat for Governor, because rumors spread by RINOs and Democrats about the Republican choice for governor have created doubts in the minds of well- meaning citizens, the result of the election will be disastrous for conservatives, and bring about the demise of the GOP as a conservative political force in the state. Furthermore, it will result in South Carolina taking a sharp turn to the left at a critical time in our history when we need to take a strong stand against intrusion by the federal government with programs such as “Obama Care.”

The voters of the nation were duped by Obama and the repeated rants against Bush. Will the voters of South Carolina be duped by rants against Sanford and Haley?

The rants about Haley and her parent’s company paying taxes late are bogus. Many businesses request delays in filing tax returns. There are a multitude of reasons why. The law provides for late filing in blocks of six months. Most small business income and losses spill over into personal tax returns. If a taxpayer asks for an extension on business tax filing, they must also ask for an extension on personal taxes. Business people know this and there is nothing illegal, unethical or immoral about it. The government does not get short-changed. If they owe taxes they pay interest on the delayed payment and may also pay a penalty.

Nikki Haley has made public all of the financial and tax information required by law.

Elected officials are public figures, and South Carolina law allows people to accuse public figures of just about anything without legal penalty. That is why personal allegations against public figures should never be taken as fact without proof.

It is understandable that supporters of candidates defeated in the primary are disappointed and that lawmakers with seniority and legislative powers fear losing their power. But it is time for South Carolina government to become more open and efficient, and the people are demanding that the power in the hands of a few legislative leaders be dispersed.

Governor Mark Sanford made some progress in changing the structure of South Carolina government, but the entrenched power structure did not allow him to fully succeed, and his personal problems became a handicap that made matters worse. A recent survey revealed that Sanford’s performance as governor was rated well by the people of South Carolina despite his personal problems. It could be said that Sanford was, at his worst, a more effective governor than Hodges was at his best.

Finally, the next governor will have an enormous impact on the future of the Palmetto State. Should Sen. Lindsey Graham be appointed Secretary of Defense or to the bench by President Obama, the governor would name his temporary replacement. The state will be getting another US House member due to population increases and all congressional and legislative districts boundaries will be redrawn. The party in power will draw the lines to their political advantage. The next governor will be in office during the 2012 presidential election and will influence how the state casts its electoral votes.

It is important that Republicans think seriously about how they will cast their votes. If they are fragmented and unwise in their judgment, they could lose it all.

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