Year: 2011

By now, you’ve probably heard about the $16 muffins. In case you haven’t, the inspector general at the U.S. Department of Justice found that DOJ officials were paying more than…

More than a third of our budget depends on a source that’s headed for financial ruin. The federal government is now $14 trillion in debt and running a $1.3 trillion…

It’s easy to criticize the federal government’s attempt to boost economic growth by promoting “green” technology. The idea has a certain superficial charm, and it goes something like this: Since…

Last session, legislative leaders argued South Carolina needed every dollar of the state’s $2.8 billion federal stimulus package to save jobs for teachers and law enforcement personnel. Faced with such…

With the official end of the 2011 legislative session, we’re releasing the third installment in our annual series chronicling the best and worst legislation of the year. The South Carolina…

Online learning can help address South Carolina’s high dropout rate. The vast majority of dropouts – 88 percent – don’t drop out because of failing grades. They do so largely…

Online learning allows the public education system to move beyond brick and mortar buildings and connect with students on a one-to-one basis – making a high-quality education accessible to students…

Last week, we demonstrated that South Carolina’s improved employment picture hasn’t really improved much at all. Rather, government hiring and a shrinking labor force are making the job numbers look…

Legislative leaders are claiming that South Carolina “has the lowest state taxes in the nation.” If only it were true. Unfortunately the claim confuses tax collections and tax rates. It’s…

The Legislature has sent the state budget to the governor’s desk. As expected, it’s wasteful, irresponsible, and displays a poor sense of priorities. There are scores of examples to choose…

The Budget & Control Board is the only agency of its kind in the nation – a legislative/executive hybrid with vast powers and virtually no accountability. After 61 years, lawmakers…

States use different budget categories to differentiate the sources and purposes of different revenue streams. South Carolina, like other states, has multiple funding categories. Broadly speaking, state spending is divided…

What is the South Carolina Research Authority? That question was asked at a recent meeting of the House Ways & Means Committee – and not a single lawmaker had an…

Government spending grew every year from 2002 to 2009. In 2010, the overall budget decreased by less than a half of 1 percent – not because lawmakers cut spending, but…

The Senate’s response to fiscal Sanity? Delete. The Senate is wrapping up their budget debates…So far it is $100 million more than the House version. Here’s a quick look at…

Legislators are almost finished with the state budget. Here’s a taste of what’s in it ...

Irresponsible government spending doesn’t always happen in the open. Sometimes it’s hidden by a smokescreen of complicated budgeting practices. Take this year’s Senate Finance Budget . . . .

Here are just a few of the things legislators are doing right now in the name of ‘economic development.’

In our examination of the Senate Finance Committee’s budget – being debated right now in the South Carolina Senate – a few more provisos caught our attention. Here are a…

Yet more budget provisos that merit a second look...

What are Budget ‘provisos’? Provisos are lines in the state budget that give temporary authorizations for the use of state money. Like federal earmarks, they’re usually inserted into the budget…

What happened to the ‘tough budget year’? A few weeks ago we reported that the House version of the budget was larger than last year’s budget by about half a…

Government-driven economic development is a secretive process in which politicians give away tax exemptions, subsidies, and other taxpayer-funded incentives to private companies. Politicians “invest” tax dollars without disclosing any meaningful…

After the headlines, after the press releases and fanfare, where do all these investments go? Some of them go south and take millions of tax dollars with them.

For years, the General Assembly has shut the door, cut deals with lobbyists and given away billions of dollars in incentives. Here's what you can do about it.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011 – Today South Carolina Policy Council President Ashley Landess was joined by taxpayer advocates and grassroots leaders from across the state to present SCPC’s research on…

Bad budget provisos: Provisos are lines in the state budget that give temporary authorizations for the use of state money. Like federal earmarks, they’re usually inserted into the budget by…

The federal government has given states a choice: either create a “health exchange” to comply with the new federal health care law, or the feds will do it themselves. The…

A list of free-market alternatives to the creation of a state-based health care exchange – a major component of the federal government’s takeover of the health insurance market.

In 2008, the South Carolina Policy Council wanted to know why state spending was so high, so we started to look at how lawmakers were voting. We found there was…