Friday, March 21, 2025
Gov. Nikki Haley told listeners of her dreams in her second inaugural speech yesterday with no idea of how to make them reality.
Haley quoted Henry David Thoreau – “If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”
Haley’s enunciated dreams are certainly in the air. Unfortunately, her performance as governor, to date, lacks any attempt at foundations.
Last October, during her reelection campaign, Gov. Nikki Haley told South Carolinians that she had a secret plan to fix the state’s roads she would announce after the election.
When the election was won, Haley said she couldn’t divulge the road maintenance plan until the New Year, but it would be obvious in her budget.
When Haley’s budget was made public last week, there was no money or plans to fix the state’s roads.
The legislative session that opens today in Columbia has every opportunity of demonstrating just how weak and ineffective S.C. Government really is.
Several months ago, the S.C. Supreme Court ruled that S.C. government isn’t doing enough to ensure students in poor, rural school districts receive even the “minimally adequate” education required by the state constitution.
South Carolina has reached a critical juncture where a maintenance plan must be developed to fix its crumbling roads and bridges.
A plan being discussed in the S.C. House to transfer state roads to counties will accomplish nothing in the way of improved maintenance.
Put forward by Rep. Gary Simrill who is chairing the House Transportation, Infrastructure, and Management Ad Hoc Committee, the plan would transfer approximately 50 percent of currently state maintained (or unmaintained as the case may be) roads to county responsibility.
Simrill’s proposal has some talk about fully funding the local government fund and increasing “C” funds, which are a small percentage of state gas tax revenues given back to the counties through County Transportation Committees.
Several groups in Horry County are already making plans to oppose a Ride III referendum.
While specific reasons for opposition differ among the groups, they can all be gathered under the general umbrella of opposition to special interest projects.
One group opposes spending any money on the I-73 folly. Another opposes the SELL road on the south end of the county and a third opposes using Ride III money for the rerouting of U.S. 501 in Myrtle Beach.
The announcement that Myrtle Beach City Council approved city staff to move ahead with plans to reroute U.S. 501 brings a possible complete change to downtown closer.
With the widening project on Third Avenue South and the sidewalk project on South Kings Highway well along, rerouting U.S. 501 to essentially come straight up Seventh Avenue North would complete the trifecta of changes needed for the boundaries of the casino district.
I know the city and the Downtown Redevelopment Corporation like to call the area the South Mixed Use District, but I think casino district is more accurate.
A ruling has finally come from the court on the litigation and settlement funds associated with the Southern Holdings case that we have been following for years.
The ruling came in an interpleader action asking the court to rule on who has claim to the remaining Southern Holdings litigation and settlement funds and how much should go to each claimant.
The interpleader case was brought by attorney and Lexington Magistrate John Rakowsky who represented seven individual plaintiffs in the original Southern Holdings case. Rakowsky stated he didn’t know who had claims to the remaining litigation and settlement money he held.
Setting minimum standards for general aviation airports in Horry County requires more than Horry County government’s typical “Independent Republic” approach.
Too much is at stake for Horry County government and its Department of Airports to assume it can do whatever it wants to do with respect to the treatment afforded to businesses conducting general aviation aeronautical activities at the county’s airports.
Accepting FAA grant money (of which Horry County receives millions every year) and free land conveyance of former Air Force property brings with it certain requirements of and assurances from the county, most importantly that the airport and its facilities must be available for public use in a non-discriminatory manner.
An ordinance amending minimum standards at Horry County’s general aviation airports has been flying below the radar.
The ordinance is scheduled for second reading and public review at the January 6, 2015 regular meeting of Horry County Council.
It is interesting that this amended version to the county’s minimum standards for general aviation airports comes just six months after any type of standards were first approved by council.
One of the most ridiculous prefiled bills for this year’s General Assembly legislative session proposes to establish a Second Amendment Education Day in South Carolina schools.
Sponsored by House representatives Alan Clemmons, Richard Yow and Garry Smith, the bill (H3023), if passed, would establish December 15th of each year as Second Amendment Awareness Day.
It also would require three consecutive weeks of instruction on the Second Amendment each grading year from a curriculum developed or adopted by the National Rifle Association.
Speak Up…