Thumbs up
No-drill activists. Hats off to the state’s coastal communities and environmental activists who banded together, pushed and pushed to protect the state’s coastline from offshore oil and gas exploration. We never did understand why the Obama administration opened up the possibility for this dangerous possibility, but we are happy for the policy reversal. More.
Haley. Hats off to Gov. Nikki Haley and the state Department of Social Services for trying to recruit 1,500 more families to provide foster care across the state. More.
FOIA. Hats off also to the Senate Judiciary Committee for backing a bill that would force public bodies to respond faster to Freedom of Information Act requests. More.
Unemployment rate. Steady at 5.5 percent. More.
In the middle
House GOP. From all of the chest-thumping last week, we thought the House Republican Caucus was going to stick to its guns and insist on a gas tax as a long-term revenue stream to pay for $400 million in road improvements. Then, politics got thrown into the blender and the funds now will come from general tax revenues, stealing from other programs. Oh well. Give it a try next year. More.
Thumbs down
McMaster. Tough week for Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster, who was ordered to pay a $5,100 fine and restitution for accepting $73,000 too much in campaign contributions. More.
Ford. Disgraced former S.C. Sen. Robert Ford, who resigned and later pleaded guilty to misusing some campaign donations filed as a Democrat for his old seat this week. Meanwhile, the county party’s leader urged local Democrats to support the man who replaced Ford, current Sen. Marlon Kimpson. More.
Haley. The governor says she can’t envision a scenario in which she would not sign a bill passed by the legislature banning abortions after 19 weeks. We can. Protect women. Just say no.
“Tampon tax.” Really? In so many ways. More.
Number: 23
State and BMW officials gathered in Charleston Thursday to watch the 2 millionth BMW made in South Carolina be loaded for export at the port. Two million — that’s a lot of cars made here. Congrats. To get an idea of the magnitude of the accomplishment, how long would it take you to count all of those cars at a rate of one per second? A little more than 23 days. Wow! More.
Quotes: Who’s the real bully?
“The idea that you could bully people who are serving, and who are trying to do their job and do the right thing, and intimidate them is just right out childish, and it’s rude. It’s just unbecoming of a legislator. It’s everything we say we don’t want in an elected official. It’s another example of an elected official gone rogue that thinks he’s all powerful, and it’s a shame.”
— GOP Gov. Nikki Haley using the bully pulpit to criticize S.C. Rep. Kirkman Finlay III, the Columbia Republican who chairs a panel investigating big problems at the S.C. Department of Juvenile Justice. The governor apparently was referring to how Finlay stared at DJJ administrators when questioning a corrections officer about whether she had any problems related to her planned retirement.
“I’m sorry she feels that way, but I think we’re dealing with very difficult issues that are very emotional. We’re getting to the root of some problems, and that’s always unpleasant. When you get to a point where you realize that the Department of Juvenile Justice hasn’t had a police chief in 2 1/2 years, what’s a response that’s appropriate? We just had a riot at that agency. Fourteen cars were damaged and seven people, as I understand it, were put on workers’ comp. Could have that been changed?”
— Finlay reacting to the governor’s comment.
We Can Do Better, South Carolina!