South Carolina Politics

[Spartan]

I've heard it said that Obama is more well liked among white voters than black voters. I have nothing to verify that, however.

[whitehourseview]

I've heard it said that Obama is more well liked among white voters than black voters. I have nothing to verify that, however.

At the moment Obama is whatever people would like him to be.

[Captain Worley]

^^ Unfortunately, I think that is true of all the candidates, but Obama does have a lot less of record to hide, so it is much easier for him.

Sometimes I feel we would get better politicias pulling names out of the phone book.

[vicupstate]

Most Powerful Governors

A new study ranks the power of all 50 governors, looking at "tenure, budget authority, appointment and veto powers and whether the governor

[Spartan]

Very interesting stuff. I generally disagree with their methodology because its not taking the legislature into account at all.

[krazeeboi]

^Wouldn't appointment and veto powers kind of tie into that? I would think that if a governor is weak in that regard, it would only make sense that the legislature is wielding that power.

[Spartan]

To an extent, but its hard to quantify the legislature's willingness to accept the veto's and not override them. I can't speak for the other states, but in SC a veto override is laughably easy to get.... to the extent that lawmakers don't take vetos seriously.

[krazeeboi]

I see what you're saying, but I guess I would say that the fact that the legislature has the ability to override the governor's veto within a particular state would give its governor a low score in that category. This ranking is a little tricky, since it's ranking individual governors, and not the relative strength/weakness of the office of the governor within states.

[Spartan]

So here's an interesting bill that has been passed by the House. Its a state's rights bill the likes of which we have not seen since the days of John C. Calhoun. South Carolina is one of a dozen or so states that have passed this type of legislation. The implications of this bill on its own are very few, but if enough states have this opinion it could become something larger.

[The SC House] moved forward with a states

[monsoon]

Hmm...... SC made the states rights argument when it withdrew from the USA, fired on Ft. Sumter and started the Civil War.

[krazeeboi]

Good ol' South Carolina politics--waste time on frivolous stuff while neglecting stuff that really matters. And refusing some of the stimulus money while having the 2nd highest unemployment rate in the nation. The priorities are certainly in place.

[waverider]

Good ol' South Carolina politics--waste time on frivolous stuff while neglecting stuff that really matters. And refusing some of the stimulus money while having the 2nd highest unemployment rate in the nation. The priorities are certainly in place.

After reading this, all I could do was shake my head.

This is the kind of posturing that leads a lot of people to think that voting in local elections doesn't matter. At a time when there's so much potential to involve more people in the political process and really have meaningful dialogue and action about issues locally and statewide, we get resolutions like this--coupled with a governor who appears to be playing politics with the lives of so many South Carolinians.

[Spartan]

While this article is mostly about USC-Lancaster and Sanford, it does offer a few interesting tidbits:

--Sanford is still the only one out there advocating the changes I want to see in the state government- namely the removal of the Budget & Control Board.

--I didn't realize that South Carolina spent a larger percentage of its budget (17%) on higher education than any state in the South except Kentucky. Too bad its the K-12 that is the problem.

The State

[krazeeboi]

While this article is mostly about USC-Lancaster and Sanford, it does offer a few interesting tidbits:

--Sanford is still the only one out there advocating the changes I want to see in the state government- namely the removal of the Budget & Control Board.

Yes, but his behavior has effectively killed any future chances at true reform. And that's really too bad, because it's desperately needed.

--I didn't realize that South Carolina spent a larger percentage of its budget (17%) on higher education than any state in the South except Kentucky. Too bad its the K-12 that is the problem.

Apparently even that isn't enough to lower tuition for in-state students and significantly raise the profile of the state's public research institutions which are still outshined by the likes of UVA, UNC, etc.

[vicupstate]

--I didn't realize that South Carolina spent a larger percentage of its budget (17%) on higher education than any state in the South except Kentucky. Too bad its the K-12 that is the problem.

If Sanford said this, it is probably a lie, since he is a pathalogical liar to begin with.

If this is indeed true and not 'lying with statistics', then it is because we have so much duplication and multiplicity. Most states have much better schools with much lower tuition.

[Spartan]

I think its true. The problem is that in comparison to other states' budgets, South Carolina's is probably very small. I think it's about half of North Carolina and Georgia (which makes sense since we have half the population). So that percentile figure he cited needs an asterisk.

[krazeeboi]

I think it's about half of North Carolina and Georgia (which makes sense since we have half the population).

Not necessarily. I'm pretty sure Connecticut has a larger budget, at least in proportion to its population. It's not just about population, but wealth. South Carolina is still a relatively poor state.

[GvilleSC]

Greenville News Article

This article is an interesting read about the 8 month closure of I-385 northbound. For those unfamiliar with the plan, SCDOT is replacing bridges and asphalt with concrete for a stretch of the roadway. Northbound traffic is being rerouted to I-85 in Spartanburg and then south to Greenville. Or, you can take two other back road detours that will add about 15 minutes to your trip. I find the main problem to lie in the fact that no public meetings were held in Greenville.

Suggestions are made that it's Greenville's lack of clout in Columbia that has allowed this to happen. The News even questioned Glen McConnell on the topic and 'what if' this were Charleston's road project...

McConnell laughed and said last week that there isn’t much legislators can do under legislation that reformed the agency.

Carter said Monday, “Do you want to bet?”

Previously, with powerful lawmakers in its corner like the late Sen. Verne Smith, Carter said Greenville would have been carefully consulted on such a plan.

“We’ve been ignored, to be honest with you,” he said.

The DOT suggests that the $30-40M in savings from the project COULD be used to widen 385 closer to Greenville, but then says that it's not a sure thing because the commission hasn't acted upon it... --We'll see where this money goes.

Thoughts?

In related news, Greenville Mayor Knox White has endorsed Upstater Gresham Barrett for the Governor's race.

[Spartan]

I'm personally not a fan of Gresham Barrett, but hopefully someone that isn't from the Lowcountry will get elected.

My questions are these:

Are they replacing bridges to allow for future widening?

Are they replacing asphalt with concrete for any particular reason (is the pavement in particularly bad condition?

I ask because its well within the DOT's right to resurface a road without public input, so the fact that they had a public meeting in Laurens is significant.IMO, there are circumstances here that are unique to the Upstate because we have a redundant interstate system via 26 and 385. Closing I-26 in Charleston is not an apt comparison for that reason. I agree that closing the interstate is unusual, but if that cost savings was committed for widening 385, would you and other Greenvillians support the project (I'm assuming you're against closing the interstate).

I'm also assuming that it will be a phased approach, where the entire 15 miles won't be shut down at once, but rather smaller sections around and between exits, so the impact would be less significant on local traffic (even though through traffic would still need to take 26).

[GvilleSC]

I'm personally not a fan of Gresham Barrett, but hopefully someone that isn't from the Lowcountry will get elected.

My questions are these:

Are they replacing bridges to allow for future widening?

Are they replacing asphalt with concrete for any particular reason (is the pavement in particularly bad condition?

I ask because its well within the DOT's right to resurface a road without public input, so the fact that they had a public meeting in Laurens is significant.IMO, there are circumstances here that are unique to the Upstate because we have a redundant interstate system via 26 and 385. Closing I-26 in Charleston is not an apt comparison for that reason. I agree that closing the interstate is unusual, but if that cost savings was committed for widening 385, would you and other Greenvillians support the project (I'm assuming you're against closing the interstate).

I'm also assuming that it will be a phased approach, where the entire 15 miles won't be shut down at once, but rather smaller sections around and between exits, so the impact would be less significant on local traffic (even though through traffic would still need to take 26).

I personally don't use I-385 enough to really have much opinion of its closure based on use. I think a seven month timetable is definitely preferable. However, I do think some Greenville businesses could be significantly impacted.

Only time will tell if we'll see if that money goes toward the remaking of the I85/I385/Woodruff Rd interchange and I 385 widening, but I believe that project sits behind malfunction junction in Columbia. Right now it's not committed, and I have some doubts about it going toward that project.

The main question becomes: is there actually a double standard in South Carolina?

[Spartan]

A double standard in terms of what?

[GvilleSC]

A double standard in terms of what?

Perhaps double standard is not the correct term. But, is a lack of 'clout' hurting the Upstate, or is this something dreamed up by the media?

[BrasilnSC]

The entire 15 mile section will be completely closed, but it will only be in the Northbound direction. Some of the benefits of closing will be 8 months vs 3 years time line and over $35 million saved. The section will be concrete, much like I-95 in Florence, which will last much longer than asphalt. I don't think this has anything to do with politics. Greenville and the Upstate get their fair share of road projects, although not as much as Charleston and other counties that have passed the penny tax for infrastructure improvements.

This website has a good bit of info on the I-385 project My link.

GvilleSC, the I-385 / I-85 interchange is already in the planning stages and will be constructed well before Malfunction Junction in Columbia.

[Spartan]

concrete lasts longer, but if the downside is if they plan to widen 385 in that area before its lifespan is over (about 50 years) then they will destroy the concrete and the costs of it won't be worth it. I suppose its not really worth mentioning since they've already made that decision. I just find it unusual that they aren't going to use asphalt.

Anyway, I think it remains to be seen if the Upstate's lack of clout will hurt us. Power has almost always been in the Lowcountry, so it's not really any different. Somehow we've managed to get the state capital moved and grow the state's largest urban region over the past 350 years despite the Lowcountry

[GvilleSC]

GvilleSC, the I-385 / I-85 interchange is already in the planning stages and will be constructed well before Malfunction Junction in Columbia.

The 85/385 interchange isn't slated for construction until 2013. I could have sworn I saw something on the 20/26 interchange occurring before that. Maybe I'm wrong with the timetable for the improvement for malfunction?

Either way, It may not have been articulated well, but the issue here is not about Upstate road projects in comparison to other areas of the state. It's the way that it's been handled with a seeming lack of regard for residents and users of the interstate.

We're seeing the closure (in one direction) of a major road in the state's most populated region. For that, we have one meeting aimed at appeasing only those who live along detour routes. So, it's in Laurens County. What about those who actually rely on the route? Aren't there enough distribution centers, manufacturing facilities, and population in Greenville, Anderson, and Spartanburg to warrant a meeting for those people? These are the people who will be paying for the extra gas, need to allow themselves extra time when traveling this route, and for those in Spartanburg coming to Greenville: have to deal with the headaches of added traffic on what is already, by far, the most congested portion interstate 85 (Hwy 14 to 385). I'm not saying it's right or wrong. Rex Carter said he was in favor of the 7 month deal, BUT said it would not have been put up with in Charleston. True? Sure sounded like it from Glen McConnell's response, or lack their of, to questioning. That's all we're talking about here...