Gov. Haley hanging farmers out to dry with lack of flood aid

“I'll Think About That Tomorrow.”

Those words taken from “Gone With the Wind” and quoted by Scarlett O'Hara seem to summarize the meeting held Jan. 26 with U.S. Rep. Tom Rice, an official from the Farm Bureau, Hugh Weathers of the S.C. Department of Agriculture and Gov. Nikki Haley to discuss the plight of the Horry County farmers who lost over $9 million in the October deluge which caused crop devastation.

Although Haley did not say the actual words, the result of the meeting was that she would consider the application for a Community Block Grant which would aid Horry County and other South Carolina farmers to recoup some of their losses. It was also contingent upon funding sources according to her, even though Rice and his aide had stated four days earlier that there was $60 to $80 million in the program at that time. This meeting did not garner any coverage either through The Sun News or through the local television stations and this information was revealed upon a call to the Department of Agriculture.

On Jan. 22 about 100 farmers met with Rice and other Horry County officials at the Horry County courthouse to talk about their concerns and their efforts to collect flood assistance. It was also at this meeting that Rice said, “The governor is our friend. I think she'll make the right decision...I don't think that getting into a war of words is in anybody's best interest here.”

Outside of the meeting there was discussion on how applying for federal funds would impact Haley's chances for a post-term position at The Heritage Foundation, a conservative research think tank based in Washington, D.C.

John Sciavo of Conway may have summed up the thinking of the South Carolina leadership in his Letter to the Editor in The Sun News Saturday, saying, “Damage caused by major floods and the like require assistance from all government levels. It's time that Rice and the entire Republican delegation realize that ideology will not always serve the needs of the people, and that their actions and what we do for others allows others to help us when needed.”

I really don't think the Horry County farmers are in a position to say “I'll think about that tomorrow” or “consider” what needs to be done. They have made their position known and are ready for some positive action to be taken.

This story was originally published February 2, 2016 at 11:36 PM with the headline "Gov. Haley hanging farmers out to dry with lack of flood aid."