Time to drain the swamp - in Columbia

Economics 101: It takes investment to make money, regardless if it is in a small business, the stock market or the economy. Unfortunately our present governor, Henry McMaster, does not understand that basic principle. Nor does he seem to have any empathy for the dead, maimed or injured on South Carolina highways.

Maybe he does not get the reports of the carnage on the highways due to poor infrastructure. The latest gas tax increase passed by the General Assembly will cost the average South Carolinian who drives 10,000 miles a year less than two pennies a day for the first year.

Can anybody not afford that expense?

If we save just one life on the highways, is that not worth two pennies a day?

How about having a car safety inspection program for the state? I recently read that when Republicans gathered at their annual political convention, McMaster and Yancey McGill stated that “raising the gas tax is not the answer. You have got to grow the economy.”

To improve the South Carolina economy requires investment in infrastructure to attract businesses. The governor can boast that South Carolina has the second-lowest gas prices in the nation. This attracts people from other states crossing the borders to take advantage of the low prices.

And what about the 25 million annual visitors to the state? Should they not absorb some of the gas tax increase? Maybe the governor also wants to boast about South Carolina’s education, No. 45 in the nation.

We need to clean the swamp in Columbia. Re-electing the same people every year and expecting better results does not work. The politicians in Columbia do not understand economics and don't care about the people of South Carolina. They think that asking the average person to pay and additional two pennies a day in taxes will hurt them. And if two pennies a day will not help to repair our infrastructure and save lives, then maybe it should be an extra nickel a day.

But it is up to the people to understand that if you re-elect the same people all the time, don't expect different results in education, the economy or in saving lives.

This story was originally published June 4, 2017 at 10:51 AM with the headline "Time to drain the swamp - in Columbia."