Are we Really this Uneducated and Scared?

"Budget includes layoffs, furloughs and closing 3 USC campuses"

This was the headline in The State today. Gov. Sanford (SC) is known for his "cut spending" attitude. He once presented the legislators with an honest to goodness pig to represent their pork spending. Get it? Pig? Pork spending? At the time, I didn't understand why he couldn't present them with some possible solutions rather than a farm animal, but this is S.C.

Below you will find travel spending information on all of our fine representatives in S.C. Please take notice of these numbers. Our education system has been circling the proverbial drain for years now. It looks as though now we are not only plunging into the darkness of said drain, but these guys (because they are all old white guys or will be old white guys one day soon) are backing up the already fucked-up drain.

Travel spending rankings:
Area S.C. House of Representatives
1. Bill Sandifer, R-Oconee County, $15,825
2. Phillip Owens, R-Pickens, $15,213
3. Daniel Cooper, R-Anderson, $13,855
6. Bill Whitmire, R-Oconee, $12,970
8. Brian White, R-Anderson, $12,715
16. Don Bowen, R-Anderson, $12,176
25. Michael W. Gambrell, R-Anderson, $11,826
Area S.C. Senate members
1. Thomas Alexander, R-Oconee, $20,073
7. Larry Martin, R-Pickens, $14,460
16. Kevin Bryant, R-Anderson, $12,732
18. Billy O’Dell, R-Abbeville, $12,394
*Source: South Carolina Office of Comptroller General

So, the Gov says we have no money, and he is going to cut, cut, cut. The legislators agree with him, but they are going to spend, spend, spend. Looks like that pig trick worked wonders. It would be one thing if S.C. was actually a progressive state, but it's not. The money spent above has done very little to benefit S.C., hence the nasty mess we are in. I'm convinced that this is S.C.'s way of keeping its residents stupid and scared. By keeping the residents uneducated (hence the drastic budget cuts happening to education), the men above can continue to get the residents' votes. It's scary, and I don't really see an end or a good solution in sight. On top of everything else, do you want to know what S.C. residents are upset about? The budget? Education? Property taxes? Nope.

"SC officials join church rally for 'I Believe' tags"

Yep. They are upset about the I Believe license tags. A fucking license tag concerning religion. There have been no rallies about the public education system. There have been no rallies concerning the 7% and climbing unemployment rate. Again, the majority has become uneducated and scared.

If we keep cutting education, how are we going to create a workforce? What company would want to build here and hire citizens that came from a second-rate education system due to a lack of funding? Great job with the economic development, Mr. Sanford. My dad and I were discussing this yesterday. He is a "directly to the point" type of man, and I asked him what he thought the answer was. He said, "We should tax the hell out of rich people. It's not good for the soul to have more than you need." This made me smile. It's a typical response from my dad, and it's not too far off. Are there any of you out there with states that are still in the dark ages?