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SC lawmakers may finally consider expanding Medicaid after rejecting $17.6B
Imagine state lawmakers turning away $17.6 billion of our own taxpayer dollars intended to help struggling South Carolinians obtain health insurance. You don’t have to imagine. We’ve actually done that since 2014, and for no good reason other than, seemingly, to punish our own low-income friends and neighbors in South Carolina. South Carolina remains one […]
A memorial for the Emanuel 9: Close the ‘Charleston loophole’
On Sunday, Yvett Anderson will light a candle at her church for the nine souls brutally murdered nine years ago at Charleston’s Mother Emanuel AME Church. She was so close to two of the victims — Rev. Daniel Simmons and Cynthia Graham Hurd — that she speaks of them as “family.” The congregation in Anderson’s […]
Billion-dollar blunders suggest state comptroller and treasurer should be appointed, not elected
Lord, what a hot mess. Even by South Carolina standards, the billion-dollar scandals in two state agencies beggar belief. At the very least, these appalling government blunders argue for the state comptroller general and state treasurer to be appointed by the governor, not elected. These two top financial officials should be professionals, not politicians. The […]
Permit-less carry will likely increase gun violence in South Carolina
South Carolina lawmakers were recklessly determined to approve permit-less carry this year, even though it’s likely to increase gun violence in our state. At the very least, it won’t help reduce our state’s tragically high rate of gun deaths. For a moment, it seemed like permit-less carry might fail over disagreements between the state House […]
Anti-vax legislation puts South Carolinians in danger
One of the most dangerous places you could be during the pandemic was in South Carolina. With our low vaccination rate, we had the 10th highest COVID death rate in the nation in 2021, the worst year of the pandemic. Many South Carolinians — let’s be honest — defied federal and state public-health guidelines. Many […]
SC sends tax dollars to other states, denies SC children
The state’s recent decision to deny federal food assistance to children is not only bad news for kids from low-income families. It’s a rotten deal for South Carolina taxpayers. We’re cheating ourselves. Gov. Henry McMaster recently decided not to participate in a federal program that provides food assistance to needy families during the summer. The […]
While I breathe: Optimism is SC’s birthright in the New Year
Let’s admit it, South Carolinians: We’ve got the best state motto. “Dum Spiro Spero.” While I breathe, I hope. Is there a better motto for a New Year? It’s no wonder that the New Year is often depicted as a bright-eyed baby facing the future with a big sunny smile. The year ahead beckons with […]
Christmastime brings out the Scrooge in some politicians, but the best in most South Carolinians
It’s Christmastime, and some politicians are honoring this holy season by doing their best impersonation of the unrepentant Scrooge. A few scenes from South Carolina’s Dickensian nightmare: • More than 63,000 South Carolina children have been dropped from the Medicaid rolls in recent months. • Nutritional benefits for low-income South Carolina families were slashed by […]
Lawmaker-shaming bill shines bright light on SC teacher shortage
As symbolic gestures go, this one’s a doozy. Frustrated by record-breaking teacher shortages in South Carolina, Rep. Jermaine Johnson, D-Hopkins said he’s going to file a bill that will require state lawmakers to substitute teach or volunteer at K-12 schools five times a year. He wants his fellow legislators to understand the enormous challenges plaguing […]
National ‘unwinding’ takes 63,768 SC children off Medicaid
It’s a tough Thanksgiving for tens of thousands of South Carolina children and their families. While other headlines have grabbed our attention over the past few months, 63,768 children in low-income families have lost Medicaid coverage in South Carolina. This is a dramatic step backward for a state that already is notoriously stingy on Medicaid. […]