Our Unlawful State Budget Talbert Black, January 19, 2012January 19, 2012 Friends of South Carolina! Last year we had the largest budget in state history. This year, judging by the Governor’s recommendations, we will again have the largest budget in state history… by a BILLION dollars more than last year’s record breaking budget. It’s time to get our state budget under… Continue Reading
Financial Coercion Talbert Black, December 12, 2011December 12, 2011 How the federal government decides who receives unemployment benefits Last month, we highlighted various ways in which South Carolina finds itself using state tax dollars for federal priorities. Usually what happens is this: The federal government promises the state money on the condition that the state pay a sizeable proportion… Continue Reading
Who is pulling the strings? Talbert Black, December 8, 2011December 8, 2011 More than a third of our budget depends on a source that’s headed for financial ruin. The federal government is now $14 trillion in debt and running a $1.3 trillion deficit. That’s bad news for South Carolina. In 2011, South Carolina lawmakers passed a budget that was 39 percent federal… Continue Reading
Our Not-So-Conservative Budget Talbert Black, July 29, 2011July 30, 2011 by Senator Tom Davis, used by permission. Originally published in The Sun News. You know it is early summer in the Palmetto State when our politicians start bragging about how conservative they’ve been with your tax dollars. You know the drill: The South Carolina General Assembly passes a budget larger… Continue Reading
Budget Harrell and Leatherman are going down! Talbert Black, July 9, 2011 I love this Jamie Walton cartoon! The voters will certainly take them down. At $22 billion dollars, Senator Hugh Leatherman and Speaker Bobby Harrell orchestrated the largest spending budget in our state’s history. With unemployment sky high, Leatherman had the audacity to kill an amendment to the state budget that… Continue Reading
Landess: Low spending, low taxes? Don’t be fooled Talbert Black, July 8, 2011 By ASHLEY LANDESS Legislative leaders are busy spinning their new budget as “fiscally conservative.” Taxpayers shouldn’t be fooled. What’s really true? At around $22 billion, this year’s budget is the largest in state history. Spending grew by almost $1 billion. Lawmakers funded much of state government with hidden taxes through… Continue Reading
Action Alerts Tell your Representative to sustain budget vetoes Talbert Black, June 29, 2011July 8, 2011 Beggars can’t be choosers. And it seems the state is slowly turning us all into beggars by spending all the voter’s hard earned money. At $22 billion, the General Assembly passed the largest budget in state history. That’s a $1 billion in new increased spending. Even after Haley vetoed $213… Continue Reading