S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley’s scandal-plagued, completely incompetent Department of Transportation (SCDOT) has made a real mess of the Palmetto State’s infrastructure situation over the last few years. How bad have things gotten? SCDOT has effectively stopped all paving and maintenance work on South Carolina roadways – while relying on a bailout from Barack Obama to make sure its inflated bureaucracy continues to get paid.
Embarrassing …
Now the agency says it needs $29 billion over the next two decades – or more than $1.4 billion a year in new money – to upgrade what it terms structurally deficient roads and bridges. Amazing isn’t it? South Carolina’s budget is one of the biggest in the country (on a per capita basis) – and has been growing by leaps and bounds for decades.
Yet state lawmakers – who fund all sorts of non-core government functions – can’t seem to make infrastructure a priority?
In fact rather than slash non-core functions – including unnecessary transportation projects (like Interstate 73 and Interstate 526) – the “Republican-controlled” S.C. Senate has proposed a massive tax hike on Palmetto State motorists in an effort to continue subsidizing the same inefficient system.
To her credit, S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley has vowed to reject any transportation tax hike – although to her discredit Haley has embraced numerous costly transportation boondoggles and failed miserably to prioritize future projects based on need, not politics.
Seriously … if our infrastructure needs are so pronounced (and there’s a legitimate debate as to whether that’s really the case), then what is SCDOT doing building interchanges for roads that don’t exist?
Oh right … it’s all about back-scratching.
Due to the fact South Carolina is a noxiously corrupt favor trading factory, politicians have dramatically overextended our infrastructure obligations. The Palmetto State ranks 40th in the nation in geography and 24th in population, yet it maintains the nation’s fourth-biggest network of roads (more than 40,000 miles worth).
Why? Because our “Republican” leaders simply cannot say no … and when they “reform” the transportation system, they reform it in name only.
Unfortunately, when the bill for all this excess, incompetence and corruption comes due … lawmakers reflexively move to raise taxes, and our state’s mainstream media reflexively promotes these revenue-generating schemes as being vitally necessary, while regurgitating the fiction that South Carolina motorists pay less than residents in other states for gas. That’s true … but our residents are also dirt poor, meaning we pay more of our budget on fuel costs than any other state in the nation (save Mississippi).
Translation? We can’t afford to pay the bill our leaders are about to stick us with …
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34 comments
FITS is an Ace-Boon-Spoonin’ buddy w/ Sanford. I think you need to ask ya’ boy yourself why he failed us for EIGHT YEARS???
You are a durtbag and have no right to be associated with a great Prez like Lincoln.
Once again, thank god for Mississippi.
Anyway,
“The Palmetto State ranks 40th in the nation in geography and 24th in population, yet it maintains the nation’s fourth-biggest network of roads (more than 40,000 miles worth).”
Yea, that’s the whole issue right there. Time to treat roads like an emergency triage situation. Some of them need to simply be left to the ravages of time/nature or there’s needs to be a change of spending priorities in our glorious Statehouse/Pyramid.
Have you driven on Bub Schumpert Road lately?
Once again, thank god for Mississippi.
Anyway,
“The Palmetto State ranks 40th in the nation in geography and 24th in population, yet it maintains the nation’s fourth-biggest network of roads (more than 40,000 miles worth).”
Yea, that’s the whole issue right there. Time to treat roads like an emergency triage situation. Some of them need to simply be left to the ravages of time/nature or there’s needs to be a change of spending priorities in our glorious Statehouse/Pyramid.
Have you driven on Bub Schumpert Road lately?
the roads outside the Upstate are in horrible shape. I do not mind paying for good safe roads. Good roads are good for business.
You are already paying for them, the money just isn’t getting there.
No, we are not, as our near-lowest in the nation gasoline excise taxes attest to.
Nothing is more Libertarian (my euphemism for Republican gone mad) than usage taxes. Yet, those same Libertarians have been dead set on moving SC highway funding to the General Fund with legislation in this General Assembly Session. That movement could not be further from the philosophy of “user pay.”
” Libertarians have been dead set on moving SC highway funding to the General Fund ”
First, I know of no real libertarians in the assembly, feel free to point them out.
Second, you seem to be saying two different things, you want higher “excise taxes”(tax per gallon) yet also want the funding moved to the General Fund?
Those are two different things, you are confusing the issue.
Yes, I want higher excise taxes on gasoline and other fuels to fund highway maintenance as they have for years.
However, one can not possibly construe my comments as favoring highway funding through the General Fund as is currently proposed in the GA.
Ok, I’ve re-read what you posted and understand now. I misunderstood in the beginning.
That being said, any “libertarian” wanting to do such a thing wouldn’t be a libertarian to start. It would simply become part of a larger slush fund.
Further, when you can post the total cost of what it takes to maintain our roads, and the average usage of fuel in gallons over the last 5 years or so then we have a starting point for discussion.
Until then, it’s all baseless opinion. Notwithstanding any debate over the stupidity surrounding have a state with the “4th largest road network” compared to all the other states.
the roads outside the Upstate are in horrible shape. I do not mind paying for good safe roads. Good roads are good for business.
You are already paying for them, the money just isn’t getting there.
No, we are not, as our near-lowest in the nation gasoline excise taxes attest to.
Nothing is more Libertarian (my euphemism for Republican gone mad) than usage taxes. Yet, those same Libertarians have been dead set on moving SC highway funding to the General Fund with legislation in this General Assembly Session. That movement could not be further from the philosophy of “user pay.”
” Libertarians have been dead set on moving SC highway funding to the General Fund ”
First, I know of no real libertarians in the assembly, feel free to point them out.
Second, you seem to be saying two different things, you want higher “excise taxes”(tax per gallon) yet also want the funding moved to the General Fund?
Those are two different things, you are confusing the issue.
Yes, I want higher excise taxes on gasoline and other fuels to fund highway maintenance as they have for years.
However, one can not possibly construe my comments as favoring highway funding through the General Fund as is currently proposed in the GA.
Ok, I’ve re-read what you posted and understand now. I misunderstood in the beginning.
That being said, any “libertarian” wanting to do such a thing wouldn’t be a libertarian to start. It would simply become part of a larger slush fund.
Further, when you can post the total cost of what it takes to maintain our roads, and the average usage of fuel in gallons over the last 5 years or so then we have a starting point for discussion.
Until then, it’s all baseless opinion. Notwithstanding any debate over the stupidity surrounding have a state with the “4th largest road network” compared to all the other states.
Yet yall all told us how we can afford to double the number of Meicaid recipients…because Obama swore he’d pay for it…What a Freakin’ Joke…
The only reason that we have the 4th largest network of roads is because here, the state owns nearly all of the farm-to-market roads, whereas in most states ownership of that category of roads is more often county owned. Whether you pay for roads out of your left pocket or your right one, what difference does it make?
I agree. Have no problem paying for roads out of either pocket
However when the bastards crawl up my ass to get to what little I have to pay for projects like I-73 and I-526 then I have a problem
The only reason that we have the 4th largest network of roads is because here, the state owns nearly all of the farm-to-market roads, whereas in most states ownership of that category of roads is more often county owned. Whether you pay for roads out of your left pocket or your right one, what difference does it make?
I agree. Have no problem paying for roads out of either pocket
However when the bastards crawl up my ass to get to what little I have to pay for projects like I-73 and I-526 then I have a problem
Just so everyone knows, the field offices in each county does what they can but the big waste is all the over paid higher ups at the SCDOT headquarters who don’t have a clue and are getting all the raises and making six figures a year. these are the biggest problems in this agency!! Majority of this money goes to jobs that are basically obsolete and fat asses in HQ whom really don’t have a clue.
Just so everyone knows, the field offices in each county does what they can but the big waste is all the over paid higher ups at the SCDOT headquarters who don’t have a clue and are getting all the raises and making six figures a year. these are the biggest problems in this agency!! Majority of this money goes to jobs that are basically obsolete and fat asses in HQ whom really don’t have a clue.
“S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley’s scandal-plagued, completely incompetent Department of Transportation (SCDOT) has made a real mess of the Palmetto State’s infrastructure situation over the last few years. ”
Nikki has been in office for 28 months, 2 years & 4 months…though it SEEMS like 28 years.
Mark Sanford’s 8 long years of carrying piggies around in useless gestures, spouting Frank Luntz talking points and demonstrating absolutely no effective leadership abilities had a much more detrimental effect on our highways and everything else in state government.
And, then SC1 SCGOP voters gave him a free ride…Go figure.
“S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley’s scandal-plagued, completely incompetent Department of Transportation (SCDOT) has made a real mess of the Palmetto State’s infrastructure situation over the last few years. ”
Nikki has been in office for 28 months, 2 years & 4 months…though it SEEMS like 28 years.
Mark Sanford’s 8 long years of carrying piggies around in useless gestures, spouting Frank Luntz talking points and demonstrating absolutely no effective leadership abilities had a much more detrimental effect on our highways and everything else in state government.
And, then SC1 SCGOP voters gave him a free ride…Go figure.
Went to Mytrle over the weekend on 501 between Conway and beach started across bridge it was so rough that it knocked tailgate out of hindges on truck,now this is getting bad ,D.O.T. says they are broke,but when i see them painting stripes on roads so rough that you cant hardly ride on and putting reflectors on backroads that have been their for years without them ,putting in rumble strips that have never been there ,and the roads so bad you can’t hardly ride on them,does this make any sence,and i could care less about which party is at fault.The people of this state keep electing them to office.How many on here have called or wrote to our politicians about this and raised h-ll?Where is the gas tax and road use money going to? D.O.T. needs some leaders that know what to do with what they got instead of wasting it on useless work.When the state and D.O.T. are held liable for some of the damages and accidents then you would see something happen.But what can we do about all these problems? The Politicians have all the power over everything and the common people of this state have no say in nothing.Bottom line the state needs no more tax money until they can manage what that got!!! And if they can’t do their jobs they shouldnt be any different than anyone else ,fire them,get them out of office,period.
Went to Mytrle over the weekend on 501 between Conway and beach started across bridge it was so rough that it knocked tailgate out of hindges on truck,now this is getting bad ,D.O.T. says they are broke,but when i see them painting stripes on roads so rough that you cant hardly ride on and putting reflectors on backroads that have been their for years without them ,putting in rumble strips that have never been there ,and the roads so bad you can’t hardly ride on them,does this make any sence,and i could care less about which party is at fault.The people of this state keep electing them to office.How many on here have called or wrote to our politicians about this and raised h-ll?Where is the gas tax and road use money going to? D.O.T. needs some leaders that know what to do with what they got instead of wasting it on useless work.When the state and D.O.T. are held liable for some of the damages and accidents then you would see something happen.But what can we do about all these problems? The Politicians have all the power over everything and the common people of this state have no say in nothing.Bottom line the state needs no more tax money until they can manage what that got!!! And if they can’t do their jobs they shouldnt be any different than anyone else ,fire them,get them out of office,period.
No doubt we have some horrible roads but on a recent trip to Monterey County California, I found roads worse than those I encounter in South Carolina.
No doubt we have some horrible roads but on a recent trip to Monterey County California, I found roads worse than those I encounter in South Carolina. Busted state budgets will dot that to you no matter where you live.
House Speaker Bobby Harrell is corrupt to the core. He must be sent to prison, period!
House Speaker Bobby Harrell is corrupt to the core. He must be sent to prison, period!