S.C. Rep. Tommy Stringer (RINO-Greenville) claims to be a “Republican.” And a “conservative.”
“He believes that governmental regulations and taxes should be decreased so that business owners can do what they do best: create jobs,” his website bio states.
“Taxes … decreased …”
Everybody got that?
Hell, Stringer’s website even quotes William F. Buckley bashing liberals.
Okay … so now that we’re all familiar with Stringer’s “talk,” what about his “walk?” Is it in alignment with what he says he believes? (Drum roll please …)
Of course not. Like almost every “Republican” in the S.C. General Assembly, Stringer’s “lower taxes” rhetoric is just that … rhetoric.
In fact this self-identified “conservative Republican” is actually pushing a proposal to raise the state’s gas tax from 16.75 cents to 21.75 cents this year – a 29.8 percent increase. Not only that, Stringer wants to tie the gas tax to inflation – meaning it will automatically increase each year.
“Based on the average growth rate of gallons consumed … I anticipate the new gas tax rate to grow by .5 cents (one half cent) per gallon per year,” Stringer writes.
Astounding …
Gas prices are soaring. And not only that, with the exception of the poor saps in Mississippi no state’s citizens shell out a higher percentage of their income on fuel costs than dirt poor South Carolinians. And this “Republican” wants to jack our gas tax bill by 30 percent immediately? With annual increases to follow?
Again … astounding.
No wonder the “comments are closed” on Stringer’s website …
Anyway, Stringer says he wants to spend every penny of this $1 billion tax hike on highway funding – even though a recent report revealed our state’s infrastructure needs to be vastly overstated.
Then there’s the fact the Palmetto State maintains the nation’s fifth-largest system of roads (despite our state ranking fortieth in geographic area) – a testament to our politicians’ chronic inability to say “no” to non-essential projects.
How is this possibly sustainable? It isn’t … but when the politicians who control the purse strings are also getting rich off of the deals (while the state’s mainstream media ignores their scandals and parrots their propaganda) you can see why we are in the current morass.
This website has consistently opposed raising the gas tax. We also oppose Interstate 73 and Interstate 526 – two totally unnecessary transportation projects which will drain hundreds of millions of dollars from South Carolina taxpayers over the coming decade. Furthermore, we oppose the shamefully negligent financial mismanagement taking place at the S.C. Department of Transportation (SCDOT) – one of several government agencies S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley has run into the ground since taking office.
South Carolina’s state government doesn’t need to raise the gas tax (particularly when its citizens are so ill-equipped to deal with it financially). It needs to stop pouring money down the drain on unnecessary projects.
You would think that was something a “Republican” would understand, but Stringer – his rhetoric notwithstanding – clearly doesn’t get it. That or he’s just another typical “Republican” hypocrite – blathering on about cutting taxes out of one side of his mouth while proposing to raise them out of the other.
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39 comments
Kick SCDOT’s ass into dropping its worthless big spending projects and maybe they’d have the cash flow to do their damn jobs properly. As long as we have such moronic stuff being planned out, there is no legitimacy to asking for more taxes.
Shits quotes his own article where he quoted a paper with no reference to process or sources.
Why not just admit you make fits up Shits just to get hits?
Kick SCDOT’s ass into dropping its worthless big spending projects and maybe they’d have the cash flow to do their damn jobs properly. As long as we have such moronic stuff being planned out, there is no legitimacy to asking for more taxes.
Shits quotes his own article where he quoted a paper with no reference to process or sources.
Why not just admit you make fits up Shits just to get hits?
Sic, how did you get this photo? I took it when Philomena and I left a bar in Five Points, and I asked her what was she doing since she didn’t have her car.
She said, “I want to get some money for breakfast at Waffle House.”
I told her, “That’s not an ATM.”
Hah! “Phiomena.” I could have sworn that was Dreama Sue.
Sic, how did you get this photo? I took it when Philomena and I left a bar in Five Points, and I asked her what was she doing since she didn’t have her car.
She said, “I want to get some money for breakfast at Waffle House.”
I told her, “That’s not an ATM.”
LOL….LOL……well Mr. Folks what do you expect when workers are furloughed and driving less to work one day a week. That would be how much less in gas tax revenue for these wussies..!!?? How many citizens in this entire state will be effected by the “trickle down sequester” flow..?? This is just another wrench in our state’s economic engine.
From another point of view, this is a brilliant tactic by a “RINO” to actually be cover for what perk of legislation..?? How much FUEL is used at our state’s PORTS..?? WOW…?!? How much fuel is used by trucking in our state..?? How will that effect the Pensions of WHAT workers..??
Its the OIL ……stupida?!?
LOL….LOL……well Mr. Folks what do you expect when workers are furloughed and driving less to work one day a week. That would be how much less in gas tax revenue for these wussies..!!?? How many citizens in this entire state will be effected by the “trickle down sequester” flow..?? This is just another wrench in our state’s economic engine.
From another point of view, this is a brilliant tactic by a “RINO” to actually be cover for what perk of legislation..?? How much FUEL is used at our state’s PORTS..?? WOW…?!? How much fuel is used by trucking in our state..?? How will that effect the Pensions of WHAT workers..??
Its the OIL ……stupida?!?
“With the exception of Mississippi no state shells out a higher percentage of their fuel costs than dirt poor South Carolinians.”. Interesting statistic considering that Mississippi has a lower per capital income than SC; it has a higher state gas tax, and it is a larger state in area. The conclusion would seem to be that these “dirt poor South Carolinians” spend a lot more time driving around than those “poor saps in Mississippi.”
Maybe South Caroliniians need to park those pickup trucks and SUVs more often. It would save them money, taxes and otherwise, not to mention benefits to the environment and less traffic deaths and wear and tear on the roads.
That should read “of their income on fuel costs…”
and there we go, telling other people how to live their lives to suit someone else’s narrative of how life ought to be
Exactly. The world is filled with central planners. It’s just that everyone with such aspirations wants to be the planner of course.
“With the exception of Mississippi no state shells out a higher percentage of their fuel costs than dirt poor South Carolinians.”. Interesting statistic considering that Mississippi has a lower per capital income than SC; it has a higher state gas tax, and it is a larger state in area. The conclusion would seem to be that these “dirt poor South Carolinians” spend a lot more time driving around than those “poor saps in Mississippi.”
Maybe South Caroliniians need to park those pickup trucks and SUVs more often. It would save them money, taxes and otherwise, not to mention benefits to the environment and less traffic deaths and wear and tear on the roads.
That should read “of their income on fuel costs…”
and there we go, telling other people how to live their lives to suit someone else’s narrative of how life ought to be
Exactly. The world is filled with central planners. It’s just that everyone with such aspirations wants to be the planner of course.
Calling the GOP “hypocrites” means almost nothing anymore. It’s similar to chastising a dog for fetching a stick, or complaining that the sky is blue.
Calling the GOP “hypocrites” means almost nothing anymore. It’s similar to chastising a dog for fetching a stick, or complaining that the sky is blue.
I need to find a new gig.
I need to find a new gig.
Wheres all the tax money off gas going to right now? I would like to see a audit right now where the road use money is going to. How about the county taxes also that are being paid ,hell i even pay a sewage tax on my boat.Ride around and watch some of D.O.T. trucks ,they will have 2 or 3 people riding around all day ,or have a whole crew 6 or 7, people cleaning out ditches or cutting grass ,where 2 could get the job done. Go to a D.O.T. office and see how many people are working in the offices.We need to run all these politicians out of office and start over! Yes sir, we need a tax increase ,just like the oil cos. are going broke!
Wheres all the tax money off gas going to right now? I would like to see a audit right now where the road use money is going to. How about the county taxes also that are being paid ,hell i even pay a sewage tax on my boat.Ride around and watch some of D.O.T. trucks ,they will have 2 or 3 people riding around all day ,or have a whole crew 6 or 7, people cleaning out ditches or cutting grass ,where 2 could get the job done. Go to a D.O.T. office and see how many people are working in the offices.We need to run all these politicians out of office and start over! Yes sir, we need a tax increase ,just like the oil cos. are going broke!
Stringer should be sent back to the Dark Corner.
Stringer should be sent back to the Dark Corner.
Our roads are crumbling and something needs to be done. I give Stringer credit for being willing to come up with an actual plan, rather than just bitching (or pretending like there’s no problem) like everyone else. The one thing I like about a gas tax increase is that tourists/truckers will be helping us fix our roads. I prefer this to almost any other type of tax increase. Combine this with doing away with the vehicle tax limit and we’re talking real money.
Of course, I’d rather they just do away with all the wasteful spending and not need to raise any taxes, but that’s not going to happen…
I wouldn’t call Stringer a RINO…he may be Conservative In Name Only, but he is definitely a R. Some of you need to realize that YOU are not Republicans. You seem to believe that everyone is a RINO except for you.
Well said.
So I take it you don’t drive. You make no sense Grrr
Our roads are crumbling and something needs to be done. I give Stringer credit for being willing to come up with an actual plan, rather than just bitching (or pretending like there’s no problem) like everyone else. The one thing I like about a gas tax increase is that tourists/truckers will be helping us fix our roads. I prefer this to almost any other type of tax increase. Combine this with doing away with the vehicle tax limit and we’re talking real money.
Of course, I’d rather they just do away with all the wasteful spending and not need to raise any taxes, but that’s not going to happen…
I wouldn’t call Stringer a RINO…he may be Conservative In Name Only, but he is definitely a R. Some of you need to realize that YOU are not Republicans. You seem to believe that everyone is a RINO except for you.
Well said.
So I take it you don’t drive. You make no sense Grrr
What is it that makes Fits believe his opinion is the gold standard on who is a Republican and who is not? I am old enough to remember when Republicans were the tax and spend liberals, while there was no one more conservative than Southern Democrats. These images have, of course, changed over time and will continue to change. Some taxing and some spending will always be necessary unless there might happen to be a total breakdown of governmentally administered society. Perhaps Fits’
opinions would carry more weight if rather than branding everyone who proposes a tax or a suggests spending tax dollars as a “RINO”, if he would analyze instead the necessity and/or desirability of the tax and spend proposals.
“What is it that makes Fits believe his opinion is the gold standard on who is a Republican and who is not?”
The fact that he’s a narcissist. His opinion doesn’t carry much weight with SC politicos – he just pretends that it does.
What is it that makes Fits believe his opinion is the gold standard on who is a Republican and who is not? I am old enough to remember when Republicans were the tax and spend liberals, while there was no one more conservative than Southern Democrats. These images have, of course, changed over time and will continue to change. Some taxing and some spending will always be necessary unless there might happen to be a total breakdown of governmentally administered society. Perhaps Fits’
opinions would carry more weight if rather than branding everyone who proposes a tax or a suggests spending tax dollars as a “RINO”, if he would analyze instead the necessity and/or desirability of the tax and spend proposals.
“What is it that makes Fits believe his opinion is the gold standard on who is a Republican and who is not?”
The fact that he’s a narcissist. His opinion doesn’t carry much weight with SC politicos – he just pretends that it does.
All politicians are guilty until proven innocent.
All politicians are guilty until proven innocent.
The same thing is going on in Iowa with our “GOP” and “conservatives” jumping all over the opportunity to raise our taxes!
The same thing is going on in Iowa with our “GOP” and “conservatives” jumping all over the opportunity to raise our taxes!