Every day a good opportunity to say 'thanks'

By Richard Eckstrom
Comptroller General

Two important holidays recently passed. One probably passed relatively quietly, while the other was marked by barbecues, parades, speeches, flag-waving and remembrance.

May 16 was the 60th celebration of Armed Forces Day. The holiday was created in 1959 as a salute to the men and women who serve in the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard. (Each branch had previously held separate celebrations, and Armed Forces Day consolidated those observances.)

And, of course, Monday, May 25 was Memorial Day – a day of tribute to those who have gone to eternal rest in defense of their nation.

For many, Memorial Day is a solemn occasion, a time for prayer, for tears, for showing gratitude to those who served. It is a time to reflect on who we are as a nation and how we got here.

For others, Memorial Day is a more festive occasion, a time for cookouts, family gatherings or just an extra day of rest – a reminder of the many freedoms we enjoy and of the fact that we owe those freedoms to the brave men and women who have defended us.

For my part, I was fortunate to be able to pay tribute in a unique way: I was invited to travel with World War II veterans to the World War II Memorial in Washington D.C. (The Honor Flight program, for which I volunteer, flies veterans free of charge to our Nation’s Capitol as a way of saying “thank you” for their service.)

Memorial Day was originally “Decoration Day.” The holiday was held May 30 each year to honor the Civil War dead. After World War I, it was expanded as a tribute to all veterans who no longer walk among us. The name was officially changed to Memorial Day in 1967, and in 1968 Congress moved the observance to the third Monday in May.

Since the events of 9-11 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Memorial Day has taken on added meaning, particularly among the younger generation. Indeed, there’s a new generation of veterans who have served with the fallen, a new generation of families left behind.

On Memorial Day, a grateful nation said “thank you” to those who sacrificed their lives. But it need not be a holiday for us to recognize the price of the freedom we enjoy and honor those who paid the ultimate price to provide us that freedom.

We’d do well to honor the true meaning of Memorial Day all year round. And If you know a veteran or an active member of the Armed Forces – as I’m certain you must – reach out to let them know you appreciate their service.

Graduation: A special time

It seems you can’t open a newspaper or turn on the television these days without being bombarded with “bad news” -- news of skyrocketing unemployment, a deep recession, political strife, and partisan posturing and finger-pointing in Washington. It’s an unfortunate fact that positive developments are too often overlooked.

Yet there is plenty of “good news” happening all around you: Churches are holding fundraisers to benefit those who need assistance, civic clubs are working to improve your local quality of life, and Scouts are learning the keys to success in life. Parents, grandparents and businesspeople are volunteering in local schools. Students are celebrating achievements, and families are celebrating reunions.

I bring this up now because this is a special time for your community, your state and, indeed, the entire nation. It’s a time of “good news”… a time of optimism, of young people celebrating accomplishments, and of a new generation preparing to meet life’s challenges.
It’s graduation time.

Across the country, new high school and college grads are embarking on life’s next chapter. It’s a time for new beginnings, fresh starts, and soaring expectations.

Sure, times might be tough, and this year’s college graduates face the frightening reality of an economic downturn and tight job market. But this crop of graduates could certainly help pull America up from this economic decline. The new generation entering the workforce could well be the one that charts a new course, the one that leads us in a new direction of prosperity and a brighter future for generations yet to come.

I’m also optimistic about the next generation of public servants – the young men and women who will soon be making decisions that impact our daily lives.

Of course, as an elected official I’ve been fortunate to have the opportunity to meet with many new graduates. They often ask me for advice – although they are more likely to ask for advice related to my experience as a CPA rather than as an elected official.

In meeting with these young people (and some older graduates as well), I never cease to be impressed. Today’s job-seeking graduates need courage, patience and resourcefulness – but from my experience, they’re more than up to the challenge.

Honor Flight a fitting tribute to those who served

Those who served our country during World War II and other wars deserve our profound appreciation. It is because of our war veterans that we remain strong as a nation, and we enjoy many of the freedoms we all-too-often take for granted,

The World War II Memorial in Washington, DC is a sacred place of remembrance, solace and reflection for those who served in uniform during this war. While no memorial can ever adequately say “thanks” to those who fought -- and many who paid the ultimate price -- for our freedom, a group of volunteers several years ago came up with a novel way to honor World War II veterans.

The Honor Flight program was born in 2004 when a retired Air Force Captain sought a way to express his gratitude for the service of World War II veterans. As a pilot, he offered to fly veterans one at a time to “their memorial,” so that those without the means to travel could experience the tribute. He was overwhelmed by their response. Many were emotional.

Soon after, the retired Captain reached out to other pilots to volunteer for an inaugural “Honor Flight.” Eleven volunteered, and in May 2005 six planes carrying 12 World War II veterans flew out of Springfield, Ohio to Washington, DC.

Since that time, the program has expanded across the country. The program has 71 “hubs” in 30 states, including South Carolina. Civic clubs and scout troops hold fundraisers to finance the flights.

The Honor Flights aren’t just limited to veterans of World War II, either. Those who served in the Vietnam and Korean Wars are now included. By the end of this year, nearly 50,000 veterans will have been flown to their memorial free of charge under the program.

The flights are day trips. The veterans are accompanied by “guardians” who assist in flight preparation and help ensure that each veteran has a safe, meaningful experience. The guardians are volunteers and pay their own way.

On May 27, I’ll be honored to serve as a guardian on an Honor Flight leaving Columbia early that morning. And while the trip to the memorial is sure to be an emotional one for those who fought, I certainly can imagine it will be a moving experience for me as well to travel with true American heroes to visit the memorial erected in their honor. More than that, I’ll be thinking of my father, a hero in my eyes who fought in deadly naval battles during “the war” in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. I wish he were alive today to make this trip.

While the Honor Flight program is a fitting tribute to those who served, it certainly pales in comparison to the tremendous sacrifices our veterans have made for us. God has blessed America by their service.

Overseeing 'stimulus' spending in South Carolina

I traveled to Washington D.C. last week to discuss South Carolina’s vigorous efforts to track the federal “stimulus” funds coming into our state and to ensure those funds are used wisely.

In March, Governor Sanford asked me to lead the South Carolina Stimulus Oversight Task Force. Although I’m a hard-liner like he is when it comes to government spending, I felt it might be good to also include other viewpoints in the leadership of our Task Force. So with his agreement I asked state Superintendent of Education Jim Rex and state Department of Health and Human Services director Emma Forkner to join me as co-chairs, and I’m grateful they both said yes.

Our task force was created by Executive Order from the Governor, and our purpose is to eliminate the many opportunities for waste, mismanagement and even fraud that can present themselves with such massive infusions of stimulus cash. My office had already been working to promote greater spending transparency in South Carolina -- including creating a spending-transparency Web site for state and local governments to post their spending details on the Internet -- so heading up the Stimulus Oversight Task Force seemed like a logical expansion of those efforts.

As chairman of the Task Force, I was asked to represent SC at an April 29 meeting of the National Governor’s Association in Washington. States shared methods they’re using to keep up with stimulus funds they’re spending. I discussed the importance of full transparency -- showing taxpayers exactly where their tax dollars are going -- as well as our efforts in SC to create strong controls to make sure stimulus funds are properly managed and spent.

We should all realize that our generation won’t be the generation repaying this trillion-dollar stimulus debt; future generations will. So we have an obligation to those future generations -- our kids and our grandkids -- to make sure these funds aren’t mismanaged or misspent.

Our task force consists of the heads of state agencies set to receive stimulus funds. We’ve split the task force into five separate working groups with each one working on separate assignments. We’ve also established a Web site to give citizens click-of-a-mouse access to important information about the stimulus funds and how this money will impact South Carolinians. I hope that the more eyes we have watching and asking questions about how the money is being spent, the more careful it will be spent.

The Stimulus Act will produce record-shattering growth in government, and it‘s laden with “pork” projects that have nothing to do with growing our economy. But regardless of one’s personal opinion of the Stimulus Act, it’s now the law. Our focus must now turn to ensuring these funds are carefully spent with complete accountability and transparency.

S.C. Financial Report Recognized for Excellence

My office learned last week that the state of South Carolina has again been recognized for outstanding reporting of its finances.

Each year, my office puts together the state’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, or CAFR. It’s a detailed presentation of the state’s financial condition and economic outlook which is used by legislators, state agencies, bond rating services and taxpayers.

(Because the financial report is long – the most recent one is more than 250 pages – and can be very technical, our office also produces a separate 16-page report called our Popular Report, and another four-page report called our Citizens Report. The purpose is to make the state’s financial information as easy to read and understand as possible for the citizens.)

In keeping with our commitment to greater government transparency, we’ve posted these reports on my office’s Web site, and we’ve worked to steadily improve the time it takes to publish them. The 2008 CAFR, our most detailed report, was prepared and published in 135 days, compared to 241 days six years earlier. The National Association of State Comptrollers says South Carolina now ranks third best among all states in the timely release of its Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. South Carolina is the only state in the nation to have improved the time to assemble and issue the report every year since 2002.

(I’ve long believed that making financial information easily accessible to people, and doing so in a timely manner, empowers taxpayers. Ultimately, an informed citizenry is the best watchdog to ensure good government.)

On April 20, I was pleased to receive a letter from the Government Finance Officers Association. The letter notified me that the financial report my office had compiled for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008 had received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting.

The Certificate of Achievement is the highest honor bestowed for governmental accounting and financial reporting. It signifies that we have gone beyond the minimum requirements and prepared a financial report that embraces the spirit of transparency and complete disclosure.

As a CPA, I understand the value of providing thorough, accurate financial data. As someone who believes in good government, making that information as readily available as possible is important to me.

As a proud South Carolinian, I am pleased that our state is a national leader in the quality and promptness of the reporting of our financial information.

To view the 2008 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the state of South Carolina, visit http://www.cg.sc.gov/. Go to the bottom left corner, and click on the picture of the report’s cover (featuring a palmetto tree).