Consolidation of power continues, means fewer choices on the ballot

“Our country is now taking so steady a course as to show by what road it will pass to destruction, to wit: by consolidation of power first, and then corruption, its necessary consequence.” - Thomas Jefferson

State house members approved a second reading of H.4476. The proposed amendment to the S.C. Constitution requires the Secretary of State to be appointed by the governor upon the advice and consent of the General Assembly.

Earlier this year, another proposed amendment made its way through the General Assembly to put the governor and lieutenant governor on the same ticket. South Carolina is one of 19 states that have the two offices selected separately.

While both of these systematic changes must win over South Carolina voters to become law, are these changes taking away the citizens’ control over the government?

Both amendments are touted as streamlining our state government, but the proof of the efficiencies and benefits to the general public seem minimal at best. It simplifies that ballot, provides some cohesion in the executive branch (though the lieutenant governor’s role is small) and consolidates power into fewer hands.

That can be good or bad. We will know who to blame when things go wrong, but will we be able to do enough to change our course given these new rules? If corruption were the case, both individuals would have to be impeached to root out the problem – very unlikely. On the plus side, if the governor were unable to continue his duties, a similar-minded person would fill his shoes under that amendment, which may fit voters’ intentions.

On the other hand, however, not many fresh ideas are born from a room full of people reading from the exact same playbook. The change could deprive us from different views and perspectives that may hold the key to solving our state’s problems.

Case in point: H. 4478, the bill containing the latest budget cuts.

While state revenues are down dramatically due to the recession, lawmakers propose a host of tax cuts, including eliminating the corporate income taxes entirely. Additionally, the bill would “transfer an estimated $5,000,000 from general fund individual income tax revenue to the Coordinating Council for Economic Development in FY2010-11.”

Sounds logical, we need all the economic development we can get given our chronically high unemployment and low wages. Dig deeper though, and it may feel like another way lawmakers are undermining our input.

The Coordinating Council for Economic Development, established in 1986 by the General Assembly, consists of the heads or board chairs of 10 state agencies concerned with economic development: S.C. Department of Commerce, State Ports Authority, S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism, S.C. Department of Agriculture, S.C Technical College System, S.C. Research Authority, S.C. Employment Security Commission, S.C. Department of Revenue, Jobs for Economic Development Authority and Santee Cooper -- more appointed officials that don’t have to answer to the people.

And where will that $5 million go? To the metropolitan areas like Charleston, Columbia and Greenville, or will rural areas like ours get a piece of that development?

For citizens to trust their government, it needs to be more transparent and responsive to the state’s needs. How can that happen when fewer hands hold that power? Tax cuts for the rich and drastically reduced government services are not in the average person’s best interest, but those are the things that pass because wealthy individuals have a much larger megaphone.

The average citizen wants jobs that will stay here, not disappear when the tax incentives do.

Whether these reforms will move our state in that direction is yet to be seen or explained. The goal of these actions is restructuring state government. That restructuring, however, may be simply taking us out of the picture. It may not be the intended purpose, but to the average citizen having fewer choices means just that.

How do you feel about the proposed amendments to the state constitution? Respond online at www.scnow.com or send letters to Letters to the Editor, The Messenger, P.O. Box 1865 (or 207 E. Carolina Ave.) Hartsville, SC 29550, or fax letters to us at (843) 332-1341. Letters may also be e-mailed to Editor Lisa Chalian-Rock at lchalian-rock@hartsvillemessenger.com. Include your name, address and a daytime telephone number for verification. Unsigned or anonymous letters will not be published. If you have questions, call us at (843) 332-6545.