“SOUTH CAROLINA RED” LEADER BLASTS SCGOP AS “A JOKE”
A new political group has formed in South Carolina with the goal of blocking a proposed increase in the state’s gasoline tax – and holding the state’s Department of Transportation (SCDOT) accountable for its ongoing failure to properly prioritize infrastructure spending.
The group – South Carolina Red – was formed by Columbia, S.C.-based businessman John Cattano.
Last week, a regressive $1.8 billion tax increase cleared the left-leaning S.C. House of Representatives – a massive tax hike that contained no corresponding tax relief and no reform of the state’s scandal-scarred SCDOT. That legislation is now headed to the State Senate, where fiscally conservative S.C. Senator Tom Davis has successfully filibustered against the tax hike in each of the last two years.
Cattano says now is the time for taxpayers to engage in this debate – supporting politicians like Davis who are willing to stand against tax hikes and opposing those who aren’t.
“I just formed the PAC a few weeks ago and trying to raise some money for media so we can push back against the gas tax, SCDOT incompetence, and investment commission fraud,” Cattano told us. “Someone has to do the dirty work.”
Will Cattano’s group get involved in elections?
Um, yes …
“SC Red is a 527 organization as defined by the IRS with the express purpose of shaping the policy debate to support conservative candidates for state and local office in South Carolina,” the group’s website states.
According to Cattano, he felt the need to form this group because the South Carolina Republican party is “a joke” when it comes to protecting taxpayers.
“The SCGOP should be the tip of the spear … condemning and chastising any legislator who supports any gas tax increase, especially one that would be administered by an incompetent Department of Transportation,” the group’s website added.
We agree …
As we’ve previously pointed out, GOP lawmakers have more than doubled the SCDOT’s base budget over the last seven years. On top of that, they’ve approved hundreds of millions of dollars in new (and likely unconstitutional) borrowing.
Has this mountain of money “fixed our roads?” No. Not even close.
Things are arguably worse than ever – and lawmakers have utterly failed to rein in rampant corruption and incompetence at the agency that’s supposed to be “fixing our roads.”
We support Cattano in his efforts … as we support any group of citizens who rally together in support of the government to which they are entitled.
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