Let's hear it for our REAL governor, Glenn McConnell

[krazeeboi]

If this article from The State doesn't show how antiquated and counter-productive our form of state government is, then nothing else does. While I have no problem with the Hunley being respected as it represents a pivotal point in the history of this state and nation, it is utterly reprehensible that the funding for this, around $100 million, is largely coming from the taxpayers' pockets, and that is it also primarily off the books. In a state where our roads are horrible, public education is broken and unequal, and the governor himself can't even get a budget passed, this is totally UNACCEPTABLE. And the fact that stuff like this can go undetected and fly under the radar for so long is crazy; why can't our state march forward into the 21st century where our neighbors already are, having revised their Reconstruction-era state constitutions, which decentralized the authority of the governor's office and placed it largely in the hands of the Legislature in order to prevent Northerners and Blacks from having too much power, YEARS ago. I want McConnell to stop idolizing and glorifying such a defeated past and get his foot off of the neck of South Carolina so that we can move on as a state to bigger and better things.

I was surprised to see Clemson jump readily on board with this project, but I bet the university is getting some type of kickback from McConnell on this. This would NOT fly with USC, that's for sure.

Kudos to The State for sharing some crucial information here, as no other major newspaper in the state would have taken this on; Charleston's Post & Courier is McConnell's hometown paper and the Greenville News has strong ties with Clemson, which is in cahoots with McConnell.

Some examples of McConnell's delusional historical idolization which has lead him to make some very questionable claims without sources to support such assertions.

[monsoon]

$100M is an amazing amount of money for something like this. Some scenarios for the 30 mile commuter rail line in Charlotte put it at $187M and the one in Nashville cost a good bit less than $100M. It's a huge lost opportunity in SC for this money.

They should have used private donations for the Hunley restoration. That money is out there too.

[Spartan]

Indeed. They also say that the Hunley lab visitors are down. Possibly because they are building it in North Charleston. I agree that this is an absolute waste of money. McConnell is only serving his own interests, not the state's, and I think he is taking Clemson for a ride. Clemson should get SOME money, but $100m is excessive.

[jfl25]

I'm not exactly up on this subjectabout the 100mm for the restoration of the hunley.I enjoy history and believe the hunley should be restored and placed in a museum.However I think private investment should be used .The hunley like it or not is a piece of South Carolinas history and needs to be remembered,but not at the taxpayers expence I think that some money could be allocated for this project and that it would be ok.100 million dollars however will never be ok in my opinion.

[vicupstate]

Unbelievable. Krazeeboi is dead-on in his post. $100mm is an enormous sum of money for something of this nature. The secret back room dealing going on is completely counter to the democratic process. With the primary just a month away, this could turn into a political football, as well it should.

This entire effort needs to be stopped in it's tracks. This has the potential to be a huge boonedoogle and money pit. Clemson should not be able to create an entire new campus without legislative and Higher education approval.

How big this will blow up is yet to be seen, but it could and should be a big powder keg.

Clemson's Barker is especially vulnerable. It will be interesting to see how Charlestonian's react to McConnell's actions.

This incident reminds me of the time USC's president Jim Holderman was forced out as President.

McConnell proves the adage "absolute power corrupts absolutely".

[krazeeboi]

The second installment in the McConnell/Hunley series deals with Clemson's involvement in this deal. Here are my two major concerns:

1) The fact that this project is essentially in the red, while tuition is going up at a school where tuition is already disproportionately high, even in this state which spends less per student in public institutions than neighboring states; and

2) The fact that this project compromises academic integrity, honesty, and objectivity, as Clemson professors will have to get McConnell

[gs3]

The second installment in the McConnell/Hunley series deals with Clemson's involvement in this deal. Here are my two major concerns:

1) The fact that this project is essentially in the red, while tuition is going up at a school where tuition is already disproportionately high, even in this state which spends less per student in public institutions than neighboring states; and

2) The fact that this project compromises academic integrity, honesty, and objectivity, as Clemson professors will have to get McConnell

[krazeeboi]

You're right, these types of deals most certainly do go on in other states. But a fundamental difference in SC is that while theoretically we can hold the governor accountable for such under-the-table deals, in reality it doesn't pan out because his office isn't vested with the authority it should be vested with--which is why Sanford is just as much in the dark as the rest of the Legislature here.

I want Clemson to get more prestige simply because it is a good, South Carolina institution, but I don't think this is the way to go about it. I have SERIOUS concerns when political censorship influences academic integrity. Peer review is a very important way to ensure that scientific process isn't being compromised or diluted, and the deal that Clemson has struck with McConnell diminishes this.

[monsoon]

Kudos to The State for sharing some crucial information here, as no other major newspaper in the state would have taken this on; Charleston's Post & Courier is McConnell's hometown paper and the Greenville News has strong ties with Clemson, which is in cahoots with McConnell.

Indeed. My mom has often said over the years that she has read the same story in the Charleston Paper vs the State and said she couldn't believe they were talking about the same story because the different slants the papers would take in reporting. I am glad The State is doing its job in reporting sorry politics such as this.

[waccamatt]

$100 million in a state that is one of the poorest in the nation. If that isn't an example of why our state legislature keeps us in the dark ages I don't know what is. $100 freaking million!

[BrasilnSC]

WHAT A WASTE! No market studies, are you kidding me? There are plenty of existing museums that can house the Hunley. No regular tourist visiting Charleston is going to make the trip up to N. Charleston to see this thing. And do they expect to attract more torists by flying the confederate flag at the site?

There are so many better things $42 million can be spent on. I'm irritated.

[Chickenwing]

I was in Charleston a few weeks ago, and would like to have seen the Hunley. However, there was no way I was taking the time to drive to N. Charleston for it.

Besides they have a copy of it on display, and I saw that. Close enough for me.

[vicupstate]

Glenn McConnell has allowed his love for this project to override everything else. That includes ethics, common sense and open government.

It's easy to see how our higher education system has gotten so duplicative and inefficent when all it takes is one legislator to create a major campus addition to one of the state's colleges. First USC Upstate tries to open a Greenville campus and now Clemson is trying to open a North Charleston campus. No prioritization, no oversight, no coordination among the eentire higher education system. It is crazy.

The USC Upstate campus got shot down? Will this one?

Will the Governor and or legislature demand accountablity on this fiasco? Will North Chareleston and Charleston County voters demand to know the extent of their liability on this? Will Clemson?

Stay tuned, it may get interesting. The question is , will the system get better?

[distortedlogic]

Just plain sick! I have no problem with it being displayed, just put the thing behind glass somwhere, just as it is. The few hundred or thousand dollars for the glass is all that need be spent. I guess some of those old southern stereotypes are well-earned afterall. Combine that 100M with the 130M for "gas price relief" (election year fiasco) and we are talking about a whooole lot of money the state could use for an endless list of needs: education, healthcare, roads, research,....

[krazeeboi]

I don't understand why it can't go at *gasp* the State Museum, where there is already a Confederate Relic Room. Build a separate wing for the Hunley or something like that, but I do not think this relic deserves its own museum or campus under the guise of a "historic preservation campus."

[flotown]

It seems the only time I ever see McConnell, he's talking about either the Civil War or the Hunley. History should be honored, but this man is a fanatic. This is the 21st century and this man is obsessing about a 19th century cause. The fact that he is one of the most powerful politicians in the state is a disgrace. No wonder this state is near last in just about everything good (education, income) and near first in everything bad (STD's, stroke, illegitimacy, illiteracy, unemployment etc etc. ).

Somebody else made the point in another thread that states that were able to get past their Confederate histories (Virginia and NC) have been the most successful economically, while those that continue to cling to the past (SC, Misssissippi and Alabama especially) continue to lag behind the rest of the country. This is so true. And as long as the likes of McConnell are calling the shots in Columbia, things are not going to change.

[BCCOLA]

You're right, these types of deals most certainly do go on in other states. But a fundamental difference in SC is that while theoretically we can hold the governor accountable for such under-the-table deals, in reality it doesn't pan out because his office isn't vested with the authority it should be vested with--which is why Sanford is just as much in the dark as the rest of the Legislature here.

I want Clemson to get more prestige simply because it is a good, South Carolina institution, but I don't think this is the way to go about it. I have SERIOUS concerns when political censorship influences academic integrity. Peer review is a very important way to ensure that scientific process isn't being compromised or diluted, and the deal that Clemson has struck with McConnell diminishes this.

[BCCOLA]

When this story goes national, Clemson is going to be embarrassed, IMO. Partnering with such an outrageous project is so wrong on so many levels. McConnell probably has too much power for the congressional delegation to look at this, but they should. Where are all our "fiscal conservatives" when you need them. Very depressing.

[Spartan]

Indeed. The problem is that the legislature as a whole knows nothing about being fiscally conservative. I'm beginning to understand why this happens now.

[BrasilnSC]

"Sen. Yancey McGill, D-Williamsburg, said he found the State

[Spartan]

That shows you the kind of power that he really has. They won't speak out against him since he can derail their bills and their elections. If anyone was in denial about who really runs this state, this should clear things up. Am am very glad that the State is reporting this.

[krazeeboi]

Indeed. The problem is that the legislature as a whole knows nothing about being fiscally conservative. I'm beginning to understand why this happens now.

This whole fiasco shows just how broken our system is. In the same state, you have a governor who's known for his fiscal conservatism, yet the guy with the REAL power is demonstrating fiscal impropriety. Our governor can't even get a simple budget passed in this state, yet an expensive pet project costing tens of millions of taxpayer dollars is simply sliding through the Legislature. The broken system is the REAL tragedy here; it is only natural that someone is exploiting it.

BrasilnSC, it sounds like something straight out of a Communist nation the way these jelly-back legislators won't say anything.

I'm also glad The State is doing some real investigative journalism and reporting this, but I have a feeling that nothing will change. McConnell will get re-elected as he always does, the system will remain broken, and the next person to rise to position of considerable influence like McConnell will continue the exploitation for his/her own pet projects, shielding them from public scrutiny. I pray to God they prove me wrong.

[krazeeboi]

Interesting commentary on the third installment of this series on The State's website:

In my previous post I mentioned that I was the original discoverer of the Hunley and had donated the Hunley to the state at McConnel;l'sa request. The message didn't show my name. I am Dr. E. Lee Spence. The "State" does list me in the events relating to the Hunley's history. I actually found the wreck in 1970. I mapped its location and gave copies to the Corps of Engineers, the Navy and dozens of government officials. I tried for years to get permission to raise it and donate it to Patriots Point. I had suggested it be preserved in a tank of water with viewing ports for public display. With no success I finally published the Hunley's location in my 1995 book "Treasures of the Confederate Coast: The Real Rhett Butler & Other Revelations." I gave a copy to Clive Cussler's employee Ralph Wilbanks with the request that they go to my spot and verify my discovery. Wilbanks went to the same location and afterwards claimed the discovery in the name of NUMA and Cussler and the guys who were with him. Cussler was later quoted in the Charleston paper as threatening to take the $100,000 he had promised to donate to McConnell's commission and to write the check instead to McConnell's political opponent. It was immediately after Cussler's threat that McConnell started breaking all of his promises to me, even to the point of ignoring my original discovery and my donation of the Hunley. I am also V.P. of the International Diving Institute (www.InternationalDivingInstitute.com) and on the Board of the American Military Museum in Charleston. McConnell has repeatedly withheld Hunley related documents that he should have disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act. My hope is they have not been desytroyed.

[waccamatt]

This is such an ideal example of why South Carolina remains a poor state with disenfranchised voters. Methinks it is time for a revolution.

[krazeeboi]

Here's McConnell trying to dig himself out of his self-created hole.