We’ve repeatedly said S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley’s so-called ethics reform bill was “watered down” and nothing but “reform in name only.”
“(Haley’s) legislation failed on the most critical front – abolishing the corrupt legislative ‘cover-up committees‘ that give lawmakers the exclusive right to police themselves,” we wrote earlier this year.
Seriously … it’s one thing to have politicians set their own ethics rules. It’s something else entirely to let them enforce those rules. Something about foxes and hen houses comes to mind …
Anyway, we’re not the only ones who are less-than-impressed with Haley’s hypocritical ethics reform push …
“The ethics bill passed by the House earlier this year and touted by the governor is not enough,” a recent editorial in The Spartanburg Herald-Journal notes. “It needs to be strengthened before it is passed.”
The paper adds that Haley’s threats against lawmakers who oppose this weak legislation “are probably unnecessary.”
“The bill does not go far enough to engender real opposition by corrupt lawmakers,” the editorial adds. “It is a watered down version of the necessary reforms.”
Indeed …
Also, there’s the critical point made by S.C. Treasurer Curtis Loftis … namely that strengthening our state’s ethics law isn’t going to mean much of anything so long as politicians (like Haley) are permitted to continue breaking the law with impunity.
South Carolina is teeming with corruption … replete with elected officials at all levels of government who violate the public trust for their own personal benefit. But with rare exceptions, no one is ever held accountable.
The ingredients for real ethics reform in the Palmetto State are surprisingly simple: Tough laws, tougher penalties and independent enforcement.
Haley’s law provides none of the above …
20 comments
What will clean up SC politics? A complete housecleaning from the top down. Don’t vote for the same malefactors again. But as I have said here before — she’ll get the nomination and win re-election. All the sheep will say…Baaa.
There will never be meaningful reform. Look at it logically…why would you cut your own revenue stream?
The job pays peanuts, they gotta get their money elsewhere.
You want reform? Do this:
1) State rep/senator is a one term deal.
2) The job pays 70K a year.
3) It is your sole job.
Now ordinary Joes cn afford to do the job, as their only job, and not adversely affetc their career.
One-term deal: That could have some negative ramifications, man. You don’t have to worry about reelection, who cares what you do? Just sell out and take some kind of benefit under the table. Then again, I’m not a fan of term limits in general.
Job pays $70k: Way too much. I like the idea of paying politicians the median income relative to the taxpayers who fund their checks, whether it be at the local, state, or federal level. If you’re asking to represent us, make what the average person amongst us makes. Even at the national level this would be less than $70k. (Albeit they should be given reasonable yet fair allotments for travel and boarding, since most will have said burdens otherwise. No point in punishing Hawaii Senators for being further away than Virginia’s, for instance.) Their benefits should also be no greater than those of the average American, including insurance and retirement.
Sole job: I like this idea. I also think there should be some kind of law that hinders politicians from just becoming lobbyists or getting cush jobs with corporations they served once they retire from politics. Time to lock the revolving door.
I think the three conditions together would insure that the folks aspiring to the job would be inclined to do the right thing without worrying about getting elected. And the salary is high enough to attract educated folks without being so high that folks do it solely for the money.
Oh, and this is solely for state office, not national offices.
I use to work there! believe me the salary is a ruse. They get much more with the health care, vested retirement after 8 years, their indistrict expense (which is included into retirement) their medical/dental, etc. Doctors and Dentist have their own lobbying group and accept their insurance as payment in full, deals at auto dealers the rest of us cannot touch, free meals always. They are on a gravy train!
A taxpayer funded gravy train, many are consultants. Look at Haley’s Wilbur Smith and Lex Medical center payoffs. Sen Knotts was a consultant to private investigators and the beat goes on. They all do it. Look into Rep. Gary Smith’s and Bill Clyburn’s consulting!
The lawyers practice before judges and commissions they elect, example is the millions John Land made practicing before the Workers Comp Commission elected by the General ssemblt and the beat goes on!!!
“There will never be meaningful reform.”
I agree.
“You want reform? Do this:”
Awe, come on now, you had it right. It’s the argument for no or limited government. It’s all pie in the sky fantasy. You will never eliminate self interest and the more power you give them the more they will abuse it. You can never clean it up, fix it, etc.
Chump change for the under the table money thesse guys get!
Glenn McConnell, Hunley Commission Chairman, is my favorite state corrupt official.
McConnell helped siphon $5 million off of Friends of the Hunley and the the State Ports Authority when he forced the SPA to settle for $5 million SPA’s lawsuit against Friends of the Hunley Chairman and shipping magnate Warren Lasch.
McConnell appointed Lasch to the FOH and forced the SPA to rent SPA’s shipping terminal to Lasch for free but to “split the profits.”
PricewaterhouseCoopers’ forensic audit of Lasch’s shipping company “license agreement” with the SPA found that Lasch had “zero equity” in the company.
Lasch had borrowed all $5 million from a bank!
McConnell made the SPA repay the bank.
McConnell and Lasch are “extremely close” friends.
Jean Toal is my favorite corrupt official. Toal doesn’t need money – she inherited hers – and a lot of it – so her corruption has the purpose of gathering more and more power. My favorite Jean Toal corruption story
revolves around her agreement with the Senate and House Judiciary Committees several years ago that she would change the rules in judicial discipline and attorney discipline and make them fair, honest and transparent. First, Toal said she would get guidance from the National Center for State Courts – of which she was chairman that year. That apparently didn’t work out
too well for her, so she went to the American Bar Association to send in a hand-picked bogus committee to meet and interview lawyers and people in South Carolina. Toal personally approved the appearance of every person who met with the committee. Toal ended up editing and re-writing most of
the report – which accomplished absolutely nothing. Some guy a couple of classes below me in law school tried to expose Toal on it – and he was slaughtered. So Toal ended up with a big fat book for a big fat price which nobody read, but about which she can say she has proof she is doing a good job! What it really says is she could continue to do as she pleases to own and control all little judges and lawyers in South Carolina. Most of the committee members watching her moved on and didn’t care about it anymore so nothing happened. My friend who was on one of those two committees loved to down a pint of Scotch and tell this story. Then he starts telling stories about when Toal was in the House and how she was a known liar.
This is like Santa trying to lobby for a “no laughing” bill.
Nobody forces these jackasses to run! They know the salary when they are spending 300 to 400 thousand to get elected. Do you think they spend this kind of money for a measley salary…GIVE ME A FREAKING BREAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jesus, can’t we find better people to run for office? I truely can’t wait to get my ass out of this shithole state.
Me too. I’m counting the days. It is corrupt from top to bottom. And 90+% of residents don’t know when a government official is corrupt and/or could not care less. Here’s an example, at my daughter’s school the PTA parents didn’t see anything wrong with all the fundraising money in a year being used for a personal gift for the principal. People in SC are overwhelmingly ignorant intellectually and morally. That combined with an obsequious affection for any person in authority, create a thriving, repugnant culture of self-serving, lazy, dishonest government employees that will never be changed.
Enforcement of ethics, white collar crime are part of a bigger picture in SC — the lack of law enforcement or the wimpy, nonsensical attempts to curtail wrongdoing. There is almost none. It is like the Wild West in 1850. Violent, repeat criminals (when they are arrested at all) are released on tiny bail bonds, then often the charges are dropped. If the offender pleads guilty or actually goes to trial, the sentence is ridiculously light. There is simply no ideal of “protecting the public” in SC. Perhaps that is deemed socialism. Instead we have barbarianism. That it is too much trouble to prosecute professionals is pretty obvious once you know that that SC has the lowest (per capita) rate of physician sanctions in the U.S. Licensing boards take an average of five years to process a complaint. Needless to say, this attracts a variety of dubious professionals. If they actually get caught they can rest assured they will have years before they need to consider moving on. No one will even know that they are under investigation. That’s a secret. Haley recently wrote a letter to the licensing board employees telling them not to enforce state regulations unless it was absolutely unavoidable. She didn’t want “red tape” to hinder our licensed professionals, even when they remove the wrong kidney or have a serious drug or mental health issue. The standards to which professionals, including and perhaps especially politicians, are held is as low as a third world country. The corrupt, greedy, lazy continue to misbehave without any concern of getting caught or having an unpleasant consequence.
Please trust me! I’m honest and truthful, have the most transparent administration in SC history. I only agreed to the Savanna Port to raise money so I could continue to help all of you. I only had extra marital relations to help out the poor neglected men!
I only refused to allow greater security at Dept. of Revenue to save money and help my contributors in Russia, Nigeria, India ane Haiti. They are poor and need your money.
I know how generous you are and was acting on your behalf.
Now, I have the Gervais St. bridge for sale! It is a Great Day in SC! You can purchase it and turn it into a tole bridge and make boocoos of money! Like me, it is a real deal! You may contact my office and place your bid!
Your Queen,
Nikki
Nikki Haley and ethics……BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH…..PAUSE…BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
That’s Nikki giving a guesstimate of her last three boyfriends combined,and scaring the hell out of that poor child behind her
That girl behind Haleys face says it all.
She is thinking, That is all BS, can’t believe she is saying that!
Her expression clearly illustrates her thoughts.
Queen Haley has all but made our state a dictatorship. Vote for her again if you like your mobile homes and your stolen identities.