Vote NO on the Constitution Question on November 6th

For those of us living in South Carolina there is a ballot question coming up that needs to be better understood before we go to vote.  Right away just remember to vote NO on the question. 

First of all, this is a non-partisan issue! Something that has united political activists on the left and right has been the fight against the State Legislature. They do their best to ignore FOIA requests. They use rules to shut out anyone that asks for something they do not like. Political enemies have become allies as they all fight the system in Columbia.

I read the ballot question about a couple of weeks ago and thought it seemed a bit fishy. Someone more experienced in exposing political dirty tricks caught what was going on and explained it in simple terms. The Senate is sneaking in a power grab. 

The ballot question addresses what seems like a good idea—change the state constitution so that we elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor on the same ticket just as we do the President and Vice President.  That other part about the Lieutenant Governor no longer being the President of the Senate so the Senate can elect one of its own members to be President of the Senate is what is going to go over the heads of a lot of people who will not think through what that really means. 

The Senate wants to elect its own leader instead of having to deal with a Lieutenant Governor who is elected by the voters. This is the same Senate that elects state judges, so judges will always side with them. These are the same unethical politicians who are supposed to police themselves with their own ethics committees. We have been complaining about the “Good Ol’ Boys” system that corrupts politics in this state. Well, this idea that they will elect one of their own to preside over the Senate is one more way they can rig the system to work against the people and serve themselves. 

The President of the Senate opens each session and sets the schedule for what bills will get readings, hearings, debates, and votes. You may ask your Senator to support a bill, and if it is not tied up in a committee right through the end of the legislative session the bill might never come up for a vote. The politicians like it that way. Allowing the Senate to replace the Lieutenant Governor with one of its own members as President of the Senate will add to the stagnation of our legislative process in South Carolina. 

Something we have been learning is that in South Carolina the word “corrupt” does not mean “illegal.” The politicians have given themselves so many ways to profit from gaming the rules that we are not surprised anymore. This switcharoo on who presides over the Senate is just another way to get away with more mischief. They attached this simple but devious ploy to something that will be more readily accepted. The trade-off is lopsided in favor of the Good Ol’ Boys. 

Talk about this with your friends before Election Day. Call local radio talk shows.  Send some e-mails and write some letters. Most of all, please put some thought into this and vote NO on the ballot question on November 6th.

To view the constitutional amendment question, click here.