Little more than a decade ago Republicans gained majority status in the U.S. Congress. About the same time, the political landscape in South Carolina was also changing and in 1994, led by reform minded conservatives, Republicans took over leadership and control of the South Carolina House of Representatives and a bit later the South Carolina Senate.
Following the example of the popular “Contract With America,” South Carolina leaders signed pledges and made promises to affect changes that would help bring the American dream within reach of all our state’s citizens. Central to the pledge were real conservative ideas like tax cuts and reducing the size of government. Such bold and ambitious themes gave hope for a brighter future as South Carolina workers would presumably get to keep more of their hard earned dollars.
Unfortunately, in the intervening years memories have faded, yielding to the intoxicating allure and corrupting effects of power. The real and achievable goals of shrinking government and returning surplus monies to the tax payers have been replaced with the old guard pattern of growing budgets and pork barrel spending. Pledges to hold the line on taxes have fallen to the wayside as special interests have managed to overtake even the staunchest anti-tax politicians. The once promising saviors of the overtaxed have become the co-opted pawns of special interests.
The sickening reality is that our state budget has grown nearly 70 percent with the Republicans in charge. Spending is out of hand and the commitment to reign in taxes has all but disappeared. The atmosphere in Columbia has become less about keeping promises to taxpayers and more about rewarding campaign donors.
And to add insult to injury, this year South Carolina government took in more than it needed. In fact, our surplus exceeded $100 million. Unfortunately, rather than return a portion of it to taxpayers, elected officials have chosen, in this election year, to use it for other projects in the various districts around the state.
Even the feared and dreaded IRS has the decency to make refunds on over collections. Why should state taxpayers be treated differently? Unfortunately, the elected leadership in South Carolina has grown complacent and they no longer fear voter retribution. Some are even proposing to increase taxes. Who among us really thinks they are paying too little in taxes?
Whether or not this outrageous behavior continues is up to the voters to decide. No doubt most elected officials have the best of intentions, but many have lost sight of why they first ran for office. It’s important that elected officials hear from you. Tell them they must keep their promises if they expect your vote. Tell them your tax dollars are a sacred trust and should not be wasted. Be a persistent watchdog and attitudes in Columbia will eventually change or the politicians will find themselves out of work.
