What’s keeping them away?
July 26, 2009
Get ready.
Over the next several months, it’s a safe bet we’ll see the 2010 Gubernatorial Candidates work to see who can drop the word “jobs” into the most stump speeches, mail pieces and TV spots.
That’s actually a good thing because with our state presently ranked 4th in the country’s unemployment rankings, we better be talking about jobs.
The question is HOW do we attract more jobs to our state?
Many have been taking shots at the amount of time our current Governor has spent on economic development. Several folks have also taken shots at the state’s Commerce Department. While some responsibility lies in those two areas, one could argue that’s similar to taking shots at Vanderbilt’s Bobby Johnson (SC native) for not landing top-notch recruits that inevitably choose to attend other schools.
Sometimes, no matter how hard you work, there are things outside your control that limit your success. And if there’s one thing the past few months has shown, it’s that the SC General Assembly is in much control of how the state fares (good or bad).
With that in mind, my question is WHAT are the things that are limiting successful economic growth? What are things the General Assembly can do to “bring in jobs”?
As someone not afraid to say what’s on my mind (and others), I’ll throw two things out there tonight for discussion. Two things I hear from folks across our state as well as right here in our community.
First, “the Flag”. (Yes, I went there). For many in our state, the only thing more “taboo” than the flag in SC politics is school choice…and, yes, I’m going there next. So, if you haven’t thrown something at your computer yet, keep reading and maybe you can help me and our state figure this out.
Do you feel “the flag” is holding our state back? Do we know of any companies that chose to locate elsewhere because of this particular issue? Recently, we know of missed opportunities with future ACC baseball tournaments. While I wouldn’t call that economic development, it does mean lost revenue, tourism and promotion of our great state. How many other events have we missed? How many companies have chosen another state for their business because of this? If we have sufficient data to show this is hurting our state in ways we may not know; or maybe if we had sufficient commitments from companies willing to expand in our state should the climate change, we might should look into this. Would you agree?
Our perpetual low rankings in education can’t be helping either can they?
Staying with the Bobby Johnson analogy above, at least he can recruit with “your son will get an education to last a lifetime.” He has that as an asset. Does our state have the same to offer businesses looking to expand here?
No matter whom you ask, our education rankings are near bottom in the country. Surely there’s something we can do to lift this stigma and surely any lift could help economic development, couldn’t it?
In the Palmetto State the word “choice” comes in all shapes and sizes. For many in our state it means “ vouchers and tax credits only “; to others it means “ public school choice only “. Either way, nothing is getting done on either front in the General Assembly. Does this inaction mean we are satisfied with where we are as a state and do not want to do anything differently? Does it mean we can’t compromise and work together? What are your thoughts?
Tell me.
Could those two items have a direct impact on jobs in our state? If so, could Republicans/Democrats come together and address “the flag” (again) and also “school choice” (finally)? It would make for strange bedfellows, wouldn’t it? But could both parties try something different? Something bi-partisan? Crazy idea, huh? If it would indeed help our state, why not?
But if those aren’t the answers, please share what is.
Certainly looking at our corporate tax structure (or eliminating the corporate tax and replacing with elimination of certain incentives) could provide a boost too? One organization says the Palmetto State could jump to #6 in “business friendly states” with such a move. But with the Tax Realignment Commission starting soon to look at “comprehensive tax reform”, it’s even more unlikely this could be addressed than the two other items above.
Whatever the answer is, we need to be looking for it – quickly. While the 2010 legislative session won’t start until January, it’s these next few months that gives officials a chance to build the consensus needed to move legislation, and our state, foward.
Comments
11 Responses to “What’s keeping them away?”
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Best post in a while Nathan. The whole flag issue blows my mind. I, personally think it should come down. However there’s a part of me that knows McConnell will never let that happen. As far as school choice goes I’m very conflicted. The good dem in me doesn’t believe it should be dealt with thru tax credits and vouchers because there would still be many South Carolinians that could not afford a private school education. Another part of me thinks school choice is a great idea because many opportunities would be afforded to children that don’t live in good districts. Like you I agree that nothing will get accomplished until there is some bipartisanship at the state house. And Lord knows if that day will ever come. Thank you for a great post but most of all thank you for never being afraid to put it all out there.
Hi Nathan:
Over ten years ago, David Beasley betrayed me, and many of us who supported him with the understanding that the Confederate Flag was NOT the problem, and removing it was NOT the answer. He was a one term governor for THAT reason.
Unfortunately, My state Senator, John Courson, and many others, refused to listen to many of us who repeatedly told them that a compromise on the placement of the flag would NEVER appease its opponents. They voted to move the flag, and there were two results: (1) I WAS RIGHT — the opponents were NOT satisfied; and (2) No one who voted for the compromise has received my vote since.
The issue of the flag is a simple one — the flag opponents seek to grind the state down to get what their special interest group wants. Once the flag is gone, how long before the Tillman statue is removed? When will the Confederate monument be forced off the Capital grounds? When will it become illegal for ANY Confederate flag to be flown, or symbols displayed in our state?
DON’T say it won’t happen. It will — IF South Carolina keeps giving in to these [NAACP] racists and historical revisionists.
In short, don’t touch the flag. Don’t move the flag. Don’t give in to those who hate our state and deny our heritage.
WIth regard to education — and speaking as one who has taught at Midlands Tech for 7 years — there are 2 main problems with our education system in SC: (1) There are TOO MANY layers of bureaucracy! Too many districts, too many state programs, superintendents, bean counters, mid-level managers, and legislative favoritism! (2) Washington DC and the FEDERAL Department of Education should not exist, and should have NO say about how the people of SC educate their children. PERIOD. I recommend the Legislature reconsider the TENTH AMENDMENT of the Federal Constitution — and tell WASHINGTON to take a hike.
When our schools truly belong to our communities again, and parents actually are ALLOWED to choose where their kids go to school and WHAT they are learning, maybe then we’ll see progress.
Thank you for your service,
J. Dale Weaver, M. Div.
With regards to the question “What is keeping them away?” here are my thoughts:
Besides the high unemployment rate and public schools that rank low compared to the nation level, there are high energy costs, high food costs, and a very slow and often unenforced judicial system.
I work in the judicial arena in Lexington County. The behavior of many people I see in the court room and law offices in the area are the quintessence of the term ‘good ol’ boy’. Never, in any area of the country, have I seen or heard of the legal system moving so slowly, with such little regard to the members of our society that need justice the most, which are usually children and the people that care for those children. It absolutely infuriates me.
I recently heard that South Carolina is nationally ranked 47th in the nation with regards to child welfare. I believe the above mentioned items have a direct correlation to that ranking.
Any thoughts on how this can be changed, by other than becoming a uncorrupted judge?
Thanks for your hard work in the public realm and as a husband and father as well. I enjoyed the recent pictures of your family vacation you posted on Facebook. Your family is beautiful! Keep up the great work!
Nathan,
Once again we agree on something. If we keep agreeing on things people might start to think we are thoughtful leaders that really care about the future of our state or something.
Seriously, I think you have posted some tough questions that the people of South Carolina are desperate for answers. How do we get ourselves out of the top statistics of everything bad and out of the bottom of stats that are good?
I think the flag flying off the north steps of the statehouse, the economic boycott and our inability to find a way to bury this issue is causing our state to lose opportunities just as you have pointed out. As elected leaders in the General Assembly we all should recognize that this is happening but I think some of us are afraid to admit the truth about this issue.
We are also afraid to admit that we can’t continue the status quo in education. We constantly lag behind other southern states in outcomes and strategic investments in education.
We also pretend that the citizens of our state are going to be better off financially if we just “cut taxes” and/or “reduce spending” without addressing the flag and education. This can’t be further from the truth. We have to get our house in order on all fronts. If we don’t then we are just pretending businesses will locate jobs here because we are “business-friendly”.
No business, event (NCAA) or football recruit wants to locate in a state that has a never ending battle of 19th and 20th century political and racial history, while the rest of the country operates in the 21st century. These businesses need our state leaders to be united and focused on the future not the past. The rest of the country has moved on to focus on bigger issues but we are plagued by these WMDs (Weapons of Mass Distraction).
Likewise, no business wants to locate their company in a state where there isn’t an educated workforce. What would be the point of moving to a state that has lower taxes and a crappy educational system? You won’t pay high taxes but you won’t make much money either if you have to invest it all in developing/educating workers that should have been educated in k-12 before coming to apply for a job. As I talk to business owners and CEOs that have their operations in other states they tell me how important workforce development is to their businesses. I have heard it from leaders in South Carolina as well. We need more workforce development. I don’t know why we as a legislature do not spend more time talking about Workforce Development and more importantly doing something about it.
The bottom-line for me…you and I understand that bi-partisanship is the only way to get beyond these issues. We also understand that there are no easy answers and there will be hard and hurt feelings on both sides. We all can’t agree on every approach to address these issues but having the willingness to talk about them and work on a solution is a great start. We also should remember that improving the future of our state much more important than any political party that we are in. This frame is what real leadership is about. Its about being bold, creating a vision and having the savvy and audacity to get everyone focused on moving beyone the past and forging into the future. This is the kind of leadership I am looking for in the next Governor and this is what I am expecting from myself and all of our colleagues next year.
Our state deserves better leadership than what we collectively are providing.
Nathan… this is why I love having you represent our district now. Rick did a great job and you have continued. I worked for Gov. Riley and I worked in the Commerce Dept. Gov. Sanford is part of the problem. Period. He has done nothing …. Gov. Riley got up trying to figure out what he could do to encourage the job situation and worked hand in hand with the Legislature. So did Carroll Campbell.. both worked with both parties well.
This Governor refuses… so please support someone who has worked with both parties and not sided with this Gov. and taken expensive trips with him and cannot even remember where she sat in an airplane.
The flag has got to go… my family has been here in this state since the beginging… I have a list of Confederate soldiers from my family…. the flag outside the capital is not the flag they fought under so when I hear this stuff about heritage …. its just bunk…. if they were so concerned about heritage.. they would have never allowed the KKK to adopt and use the flag.. they would have fought that tooth and nail.. but no… they did not protect their beloved flag from that abuse…… it goes to a museum.. where it belongs with history….
Keep on listening Nathan…. we really appreciate it…. and Anton above.. both parties have to listen and work together… the DeMints and Sanfords only take us back in time……
Nathan – as you know, most of our employers don’t pay corporate tax but rather individual income tax. In 2006, South Carolina collected $2.7 Billion in individual income tax and about 1/10 of that in corporate taxes.
Dr. Art Laffer has documented that 1500 businesses leave high income tax states each day and relocate to zero and low income tax states. Why don’t we eliminate our 7% state income tax and make South Carolina a magnet for small businesses?
Please support H.3992, the South Carolina FairTax Act!
Nathan:
If we were to do as Mr. Steinberger suggests, and abolish the personal income tax, the flag in front of the Capital would be a non-issue. It is clear that many “Corporate interests” will do business with almost any country/state, so long as they make a profit — a long line of them have, and as Liberals are so fond of charging, these companies have no scrupples about it. If apartheid in South Africa didn’t stop them, a small Confederate flag on a monument wouldn’t either — if the reward was attractive enough.
I might also point out that Texas, Tennessee, Alaska and even Florida have weathered this recession much better than most states, largely due to the fact that they have NO state income taxes. If we wish to imporve our state, we won’t do it by pandering to special interests and bowing to political correctness. We WILL do it by attracting entrepeneurs and corporations that are interested in profits and progress.
J. Dale Weaver, M. Div.
As Linda correctly points out, the flag currently flying by the Confederate Soldiers monument was not a flag that South Carolinians fought under during the Civil War. I have no objection to the Confederate Soldiers monument; we have other monuments honoring South Carolinians who fought in other wars, I see no problem with this monument.
For those who would like to erase any reference to the Civil War, to do so would be a horrible mistake. The Civil War is and remains a critical part of South Carolina and United States history. While those who fought for the Confederacy ultimately fought for a principle that was in stark contradiction to the founding of America, that being liberty and freedom, they were South Carolinians defending their families in military service, and therefore have earned some recognition.
As far as Ben Tillman, he statue should stay as is or be removed. Adding more text to the bottom only complicates the statue and confuses the public as to what the statue is supposed to represent. Ben Tillman is a controversial figure in our state’s history, among many others. But there is a Wade Hampton and Strom Thurmond statue, were they any less controversial? Until the people decide who is too controversial to have a statue, I don’t think the Tillman statue debate can be resolved reasonable; therefore, leave it alone.
The flag that flies on the grounds of the Statehouse does not add to the historic nature of the grounds or the Confederate Soldiers monument. It is, quite simply, an addition that if removed would not diminish the Confederate Soldiers monument nor the importance of the Civil War to South Carolina’s history. The reality that the State Legislature would need at least 2 weeks in both chambers, not including committee time, to resolve this issue should speak volumes to what the Legislature is and isn’t doing. But they only way to change that is to change the composition of the Legislature. This isn’t a Republican, Democratic or Independent issue; it’s an issue about sending real representatives who would rather get things done than posture for their next office.
I hope that one day, I will be attend a dignified ceremony where the Confederate flag will be remove from the Statehouse grounds once and for all, and lay this issue to rest forever. The flag-flappers will say their heritage has been trampled on and the NAACP will say their boycott worked, and you know what, neither will be true because both groups bear much fault in this controversy. Thankfully, on that day, the rest of South Carolina will go on about its business as it has since Gov. Hodges and Speaker Wilkins moved the flag off the dome. The political and chattering classes will cheer and jeer, but the rest of society will continue providing for their families, their businesses and their communities. Perhaps then the Legislature will focus on helping them in their daily lives.
Nathan, issues that you bring up are important in and of themselves, but they go back to the larger question of our legislature’s effectiveness. As we have seen lately, all power resides in the legislature, but very little responsibility seems to go with it. To resolve this issue, the first step is to amend the constitution to state that every sitting member of the legislature in a year where the budget is not passed prior to the end of the regular session shall be removed from office and not allowed to run again for at least two years. This would force the legislature to focus on important issues and work together or we could get someone in there who will. If job creation is the key to better state revenue and consequently better education, why are we not looking to what successful states are doing and do it better. The flag is a distraction that mainly effects the events and tourism industries. If we want to be a player in these areas, then take the flag down with as little attention given to it a possible. If we want manufacturing jobs for the upstate leave it up. Nobody will notice it except kids on field trips. The issue with the schools is more problematic because it is not a question of money or teacher ability. It is a question of how did we come to have a culture that accepts failure from our children. In places where education is important there is a social stigma to being a dropout. That stigma does not exist in this state and that must change before any financial or structural change will have any effect.
I will keep this simple. South Carolina is irrelevant in the eyes of the rest of the country. Poor education is the reason why the flag is still being discussed and defended. The flag issue (hard to believe there are still people fighting that battle) should be put to rest and NEVER be spoken of again as to alleviate any further embarrassment for the state of South Carolina. Perhaps if Lake Murray were to dry up, pontoon boats were to go away, and the Gamecocks and college football did not dominate every conversation with our good ol boy elected officials, we might be taken seriously as a state by the rest of the country.
I think its a few things…. Its the schools (but also the education of the general public.) We have very few with degrees and advanced degrees. The state and really the citizens don’t value education. While the schools in district 5 are great, the rest of the state lags way behind. If you don’t believe me look at the schools in Dillon which received national attention but still have not been fixed. Unfortnately, education begins at home and if the parents aren’t educated or supporting education, then its hard for the schools. Those with education value living among others with degrees and similar backgrounds. They also look for this in the school systems so that their children may have the same opportunites. I guess I am full of problems and not solutions today.