RE: BOBBY HARRELL RECEIVES PROBATION FOR CORRUPTION CHARGES
Dear Editor, Today, the man that led the charge against the federal government for decades in South Carolina in effect announced he would bring the United States Justice Department into the heart of the South Carolina House of Representatives, and by implication the South Carolina Supreme Court, and sing like a canary. In fiction, this is the part of the movie where Al Pacino shoots the rat in the back of the head. In reality Harrell will likely move far away and live comfortably where no one knows his name, while the taxpayers and businesses of South Carolina deal with the widespread fallout of his criminal activity and unwillingness to be held accountable for it. The irony of a man who fought transparency and good government at every turn personally bringing in the only entity with authority to bring in the sunlight and send everyone to jail is not lost on me. I suppose there is some justice in that now every time anyone drives by the Robert Harrell interchange, they will immediately remember the corrupt politician that sided with the feds to save his own hide instead of his well-regarded father.
For decades Bobby Harrell opposed every federal action in the book, repeatedly funding the Attorney General’s Office to bring unwinnable, politically motivated lawsuits on a myriad of issues, while passing all sorts of unneeded declarations and crony capitalist laws and tax breaks. It is not immediately intuitive that the most damaging thing that a person who has done so much to hold back the free market and subvert the democratic process could do is plead guilty and turn state’s evidence against his former friends and colleagues, many of whom he will out and out rat on in the coming days if he has not already, but it is true. The reality is that Bobby Harrell has just done more damage to the reliability and predictability of South Carolina’s business climate than any amount of federal regulation ever could.
The only thing more pervasive than the collective pants shitting coming from the State House right now is the paralyzing impact these prosecutions are going to have on the South Carolina economy. It has been a generation since the political elite in South Carolina have allowed a chink in their collective armor to allow the federal government the leverage that it now has over the General Assembly. It will be a miracle if every single committee chair in the House is not implicated in some way, after all, how did they gets those chairs? The scrutiny will be withering and comprehensive. Anyone who took any money from his leadership PAC will be guilty by association if not in fact. The entirety of State Government will remain paralyzed, not wanting to act until the cards fall. We will see no meaningful action from the General Assembly or Supreme Court on any big issue until this is resolved, which could take years.
The entire Ways and Means Committee in particular will be under intense scrutiny, meaning State budget writers, and the moneyed interests that lobby so hard to direct public dollars into the pockets of legislators and themselves, just went into a frantic, everyman for themselves zone defense. And that is to say nothing of the race to fill Harrell’s seat. If you watch it repeatedly, there is actually a predictable pattern to the way roaches scatter when the lights come on.
While I frequently disagree with the federal government, Bobby Harrell and his corrupt colleagues in the South Carolina House have had a much greater negative impact on my wallet and State than the feds ever could.
Sincerely,
-“Sir Ernest Shackleton”
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31 comments
The man took his punishment. You got your big fish. He spent money the way the gov’t said he could not.
But it’s funny how the immoral, stupid and constantly judging will obsess over one case, because you envy the man….I’d love to see a lot of you to get the same deserved JUSTICE he was served…
Scooter?
“One case.”
YOU WISH, you fucking dishonest, babbling feeb.
American Horror Story is decent so far this season.
Running a fictional narrative around the dying out “Freak Show” concept in the 50’s is a pretty interesting concept.
I was really disappointed when they killed off “Meep”, the chicken head biter/remover. My thoughts drifted to Big T and for a moment I had compassion for him.
The moment passed quickly, though, right?
Hahahaha…When someone kinda minimizes it down to you, in a practical way…it’s like p!$$i*g in your Fruit Loops, isn’t it?..You want to hang this guy…
Really not that much to it…it ended w/ a whimper – not the BANG you were SO SURE of…after you normally soft-on-criminals liberal zealots sat around drooling in hopes of putting this cat away for decades…
You’re actually stupid for not knowing the law, and the reasonable penalty. That’s why you’re $#!tt!*g all over yourselves today…LMAO….
you must lick mikes cum from haley or you would be in jail now.
I’ve actually found the outcome today encouraging. Shit still going right in the toilet, thank you very much — have not gotten any on me since I stopped drinking.
LMAO!!!! “ONE CASE”? You got a problem with that?
As I recall you accused the MBACC, the mayor and every city council member in Myrtle Beach,Shep Guyton,Deron Gore and numerous other public servants and politicians of felonies and criminal behavior…stated on numerous occasions that SLED, the IRS and FBI were investigating and indictments were imminent.
Only thing your lies and false allegations produced in coordination with The Sun News and reporter David Wren was a defamation lawsuit by former SC state legislator and lobbyist Mark Kelley against TSN and Wren-and a JUDGEMENT against both for $600,000.
My guess is you are steering Fits down the same path however you don’t care-you live with mommy and she pays your bills.
We’ve been over all of this, pogo.
I was by no means the only person talking about the federal investigation. It was in the papers, and not just the Sun News. And here’s a clue: If Shep “flips”, the statute of limitations goes away. Plus, you think nothing will connect up between the current probes into corruption at the State House and how it was that here was quid quo pro involved with the envelopes on the part of legislators? Foolish thought.
Kelley judgement under appeal. The appeal will carry the day, on the law.
I do look after my elderly, disabled, widowed mother in the family home. She does not by any means pay all the bills. This is reality, not the spin of a bunch of assholes in Murrells Inlet and Pawley’s Island.
And above all, YOU, as a cowardly pussy who hides behind a hundred fake screen names, are less than nothing for your cowardice.
Buz I offered to meet you in the Inlet and you said no. I plan on being thru that area again before the end of the year and would love to buy you lunch.
I will pay and you don’t have to worry about walking out on your tab/bill.
“Cowardice”? That is the definition of someone that is souless and whose only purpose in life is to destroy others. Why you and Fits get along so well.
Tell me your real name and I’ll have a cup of coffee with you, pogo. Otherwise, go fuck yourself.
Familiar with Christian Academy in MB? Gore , Guyton and Bowers all have an affiliation with the school.
Buz, I can’t do your homework for ya. :-)
Yeah, I know all about that. Grew up attending First Baptist. I’ve heard all the speculation about how the CA ties in with Coastal Kickback stuff, but it did not make sense to me so I ignored it.
Which is what I really should do with you, pogo.
The notion that I could steer Sic down any path at all is laughable. He marches to his own drummer.
NO, we just appreciate it when the bad guy actually looses in the end; ya know, like the movies. And how can you actually defend him on a public message board and expect to get anything but anger from hard working Americans who paid so that a crooked man could advance his own very personal agenda.
No one is defending him. But you look like a Dumb@$$ when you soil yourself to bash Harrell, while Obama is actually robbing US blind, and you kiss his @$$…
Harrell may have duped some stupid lobbyists, and played politics too well. But his is a small event, only treated big by small minds, who are too stupid to catch the REAL dangers to the people.
It’s just not that big of a thing. And he paid a pretty steep price for it.
You are soiling yourself trying to defend this guy. I get it, he’s a state politician. We are all capable of paying attention to more than one news item at a time.. ISIS,GDP,Employment,S&P,Commodities,RomneyCare… some brains can digest more than one news story per week..
If Harrell had been served the JUSTICE he deserved, he’d be making license tags for the next few years.
“We will see no meaningful action from the General Assembly or Supreme Court on any big issue until this is resolved, which could take years.”
What a blessing that would be. From your pen to God’s ears I say.
A well written diatribe btw, I commend you.
Well written, indeed. Likewise.
Your commentary is ‘spot-on’ & eloquently stated. Thank you.
ANY REPUBLICAN is bad for the economy.
Any illegal alien is bad for the economy.
This is exceedingly illogical and nonsensical. The writer must be off his meds.
Your commentary is ‘spot-on’ & eloquently stated. Thank you
Harrell is going to testify against every House member. Lawyers are going to be very busy next few months. I predict Haley will be indicted first.
Yes! The full attention of the federal government is never fun.
Never, ever … Never at all any way, no how.
The idea that economic activity in South Carolina is always and continuously dependent on a function government is absurd on the face of it.
You folks should count your blessings when your plutocrats are hamstrung when caught with their hands in you cookie jar.
An inactive state legislature is, In my opinion, are fantastic opportunity for all of you.
Hopefully this will be the case for quite a while, just so that most of you finally see the light, that the great lords of law and taxes in your capital can not act to steal from you for a time.
and do not forget, if you are a lawyer, that the appearance of impropriety is just as bad as the improper act itself. So there will be charges brought by the SC Bar against lawyers, separate and in addition to state and federal charges.