SC State Alumnus invokes Gen. Sherman's burning of Columbia in his response to SC Legislature

Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, famous litigator

“I want to serve notice to the General Assembly in Columbia,” SCSU Orangeburg alumni chapter Willie B. Owens said. “You thought it was hell when Sherman hit Columbia, but just wait. Within a few days, we're going to file a lawsuit of $500 million on behalf of South Carolina State University.”

Not to take anything away from lawsuits, but I'm pretty sure no one ever said "Litigation is hell".

The Vets Have Control of the Memorial!

As part of the government shutdown, the government apparently is required to perform more work than normal, and erect barricades and have Capitol Police keep Americans from visiting memorials and parks. That may work for some of the more peaceful nature-lovers visiting Yosemite, but it certainly ain't working on the WWII vets who showed up to visit the WWII memorial and found it closed.

They went right past the barricades, like they were trained to do, so long ago.

Via @LeoShane

Everyone knows that "shutting down" memorials and monuments is just theater. No one works there, and it actually takes more work to keep people out. It's like the sequester. Certain people want to make this shutdown as painful as possible to prove a point. I don't get this kind of theater anyway.

I tell you what, this government shutdown is hitting me hard. I forgot to fill up my gas tank yesterday and with the Dept of Energy shut down there may not be another chance. Maybe I can find a mule or something to pull my car around. I also drove to work despite forgetting that the Department of Transportation was closed. I guess I'll be walking back home.

It's all a big joke.

Columbia Mayor Wants Minor League Baseball

The Columbia Mayor (Steve Benjamin) wants to bring a minor league baseball team to Columbia and spend millions on a stadium. Where do these idiots get the idea that this kind of stuff helps the economy of a city?

Study after study shows that it does nothing but saddle the cities and local areas with debt. But it gives the pols a good shot at crony corruption so they continue to be built. If a team doesn't want to pay for it's own stadium, they can go elsewhere. This is such an epically bad idea.

Robert A. Baade of the Heartland Institute, a research group in Chicago that promotes free markets, examined 48 cities over a 30-year period and found “no factual basis” for the argument that professional-sports stadiums and teams have a significant impact on economic growth. A study by Judith Grant Long, an associate professor of urban planning at Harvard University, found that public subsidies for stadiums are typically 40 percent more expensive for taxpayers than initially advertised.

Do you know anyone in Columbia that desperately wants to attend a minor league baseball game? Building a minor league stadium with public money is a massive boondoggle that can only be a giveaway. Ask Detroit how all those big downtown stadiums are doing for the economy.

I love sports more than the average guy, but this is a really bad idea. Unfortunately, the City of Columbia excels at doing stupid things, so I'm sure that it will happen.

Mortgage Reform Settlement a Total Failure

"Because they have no idea how many borrowers were harmed, the regulators are spreading the cash payments over all 3.8 million borrowers — whether there was evidence of harm or not."

The government is giving out the settlement money randomly because they can't figure out who actually got harmed. Is Lillian McBride in charge of this as well?

Dude, Where's My Car?

Miami-Dade County lost almost 300 cars that it bought and never drove.

Almost. Three-Hundred. Cars. Didn't drive them. Lost for 5 years.

But hey, our government is totally going to be able to manage the details of our healthcare system without any problems like this. And remember, if you complain about government incompetence or your tax money being wasted, you're just a crazy tea-partier.

[via Insty]

The Cost of Gov. Haley's Security

House Minority Leader Harry Ott of St. Matthews plans to introduce a bill on Thursday that bars public officials from using taxpayer-funded security on personal trips. [He means Governor Haley.]

At a certain level, elected officials get security. That's just part and parcel of being an elected official.

I don't think this bill is a good idea. If it passes, then you'll have an argument about what is official and what is personal. What if you stop and go shopping during an official visit somewhere? What if you stop and go see a monument while on an official trip? Do you start breaking trips into percentages? This seems like a political gimmick that causes more problems than it solves, and I don't think it's really going to save any money. You've got to have security anyway.

I think we should trust our elected officials to use good judgment. If they don't - vote 'em out.

I'm Not Saying Women Are Poor Drivers, but...

According to a government study, accidents in which drivers mistakenly hit the gas instead of the brake tend to involve older female drivers in parking lots, a new government study has found.

We're spending our tax dollars on on this kind of stuff? I could have told you that for free.

Good News, SC Has Money to Burn!

Actually, we don't.

But you can't tell that to State Rep. Harry Ott. Apparently, House Minority Leader Harry Ott has lost touch with reality. He's decided that it would be a good idea to use the State Reserve Fund to pay out a bonus to State workers. No...really.

House Minority Leader Harry Ott says he will try to push through a 1 percent bonus for state workers and teachers in the state budget.Ott said the money would come from the state’s reserve funds

It's amazing. It's the reserve fund. It's for the proverbial "rainy day", not for the legislature to "make it rain" Platinum Plus style, in the form of bonuses. The reserve fund is not for paying bonuses to anyone, let alone everyone. This is madness. We're in the midst of a horrible economy, and Representative Ott has decided to give every single state worker (oh and because that's not enough) and every teacher, a 1% bonus in their salary.

First, not every single state worker (and teacher) does not merit a bonus. I'm sure there a a few folks out there who deserve to be fired, some who don't deserve a bonus, and some who deserve a little more. However, just giving out a bonus without considering each person rewards poor work, discourages hard work, and is just plain wasteful.

Second, did I mention it's the reserve fund? It's to be held in reserve, not paid out to people because we want to encourage them. Even if every single state worker (and teacher) deserved a 1% bonus, you don't use the reserve fund. What you do is make a budgeting decision to not spend the normal budget on something that is an equal amount. You know, analyzing cost/benefit, making priorities, and making decisions - the things that a legislator is supposed to do.

The problem is that our current legislators don't want to tell us "no". There is always more money for everyone, and nothing needs to be cut.

All I want in a legislator is for them to act like the money they spend is their own damn money.

  

Columbia City Council Decides to Ignore the First Rule of Holes

Rule #1: If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.

Columbia City Council decided Tuesday to turn over $618,000 more to stop an impending 65 percent cut in bus service, a move that council members say will keep buses running into mid-summer as normally.

Yay! For a mere $618k more, we can allow the bus system to continue losing money for a few more months! The Columbia City Council are geniuses. It's a good thing they have a money-tree ignorant taxpayers who continually provide the funding for CMRTA.

City Councilwoman Tameika Isaac Devine said that County Council members “still don’t see their responsibility” to a robust bus system.

 Actual bus riders were unavailable for comment on whether they should pay more.

Columbia City Council voted unanimously to approve the new money with the condition that it can be spent only on maintaining service. “It should not go for lawyers or marketing,” Councilman Daniel Rickenmann said.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/01/18/2118074/city-bus-riders-spared-deep-service.html#storylink=cpy

 Yeah. Heaven forbid we have any lawyers look at the contracts related to the bus system. Just give us more money, and don't pay any lawyers to deal with a $3.8 million bus system. Oh, and we don't want to market the bus system either. That might result in more people riding the bus.

At County Council, seven people implored the body to come up with money to stave off service cuts.
“I’m counting on y’all,” said Jose Carter, who’s been riding the bus the past four months while his car is in the shop.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/01/18/2118074/city-bus-riders-spared-deep-service.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/01/18/2118074/city-bus-riders-spared-deep-service.html#storylink=cpy

There, there...you poor baby. The local government is here to take care of you. No personal responsibility required. Just come in and promise to vote for us so we can continue to take care of you. In all seriousness, who has a car "in the shop" for four straight months? I call bullshit on Jose Carter.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/01/18/2118074/city-bus-riders-spared-deep-service.html#storylink=cpy

SC Legislators Get More In Pension Than Salary?

Reading this article in The State, I couldn't believe what I was reading. I knew that South Carolina House and Senate members receive a modest salary for serving in what is essentially a part-time job. Prepare to be amazed:

If state lawmakers want to retire, they would have to give up their seat in the Legislature, according to a proposal moving through the state House of Representatives.The proposal would end the practice of lawmakers retiring but remaining in office and replacing their $10,400 annual salaries with much larger pension benefits − more than $30,000 a year, in some cases.

If state lawmakers want to retire, they would have to give up their seat in the Legislature, according to a proposal moving through the state House of Representatives.The proposal would end the practice of lawmakers retiring but remaining in office and replacing their $10,400 annual salaries with much larger pension benefits − more than $30,000 a year, in some cases.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2011/12/22/2088324/pension-changes-to-affect-sc-lawmakers.html#storylink=cpy

If state lawmakers want to retire, they would have to give up their seat in the Legislature, according to a proposal moving through the state House of Representatives.The proposal would end the practice of lawmakers retiring but remaining in office and replacing their $10,400 annual salaries with much larger pension benefits − more than $30,000 a year, in some cases.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2011/12/22/2088324/pension-changes-to-affect-sc-lawmakers.html#storylink=cpy

If state lawmakers want to retire, they would have to give up their seat in the Legislature, according to a proposal moving through the state House of Representatives.The proposal would end the practice of lawmakers retiring but remaining in office and replacing their $10,400 annual salaries with much larger pension benefits − more than $30,000 a year, in some cases.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2011/12/22/2088324/pension-changes-to-affect-sc-lawmakers.html#storylink=cpy

If state lawmakers want to retire, they would have to give up their seat in the Legislature, according to a proposal moving through the state House of Representatives.The proposal would end the practice of lawmakers retiring but remaining in office and replacing their $10,400 annual salaries with much larger pension benefits − more than $30,000 a year, in some cases.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2011/12/22/2088324/pension-changes-to-affect-sc-lawmakers.html#storylink=cpy

If state lawmakers want to retire, they would have to give up their seat in the Legislature, according to a proposal moving through the state House of Representatives.The proposal would end the practice of lawmakers retiring but remaining in office and replacing their $10,400 annual salaries with much larger pension benefits − more than $30,000 a year, in some cases.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2011/12/22/2088324/pension-changes-to-affect-sc-lawmakers.html#storylink=cpy

This is insane. Our elected officials can retire and receive more in "pension" than they did in their actual salary? Who came up with that ridiculous idea? Our tax dollars are simply being wasted on such a vast scale that you cannot even fathom it. Almost every single thing the government (State or Federal) touches is a nightmare of waste an inefficiency. How do you even begin to justify paying a person more in pension than he actually earned while working? Mind blown.

I'm past "camping" on the Statehouse grounds. That's totally ineffective and stupid. The next elected official who describes themselves as a "public servant" should be tarred and feathered. They sound more like thieves to me.

Unbelievable.