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 A new look at how we help each other By: SC Senator Shane Massey web posted March 25, 2008 GUEST COLUMN – There’s the old joke that goes like this: I’m from the government, and I’m here to help. We rightly snicker at that line because it seems that much of what government does is backwards when you compare it to common sense. We’re trying to shake things up in Columbia to see if we can give our state government a wake-up call. But what I want to discuss briefly is something more important – how we help each other. Just over a week ago, devastating storms and tornados pounded South Carolina. Much of the state’s damage can be found in our Senate District. Even worse, some of the hardest hit areas are the poorest areas. Many people lost homes and valuables, both in a monetary sense and those items of a sentimental value. The clean-up is still going on. In all the bad news that came with the storms, there is a glimmer of good news. In addition to there being no loss of life, the community response – neighbors helping neighbors – renews my faith in humankind. It’s easy to read the newspapers or watch television and shake your head at the pain people inflict on each other. Sin is deeply rooted in our world, to be sure. However, after the storms I saw neighbors opening their homes to others in need. I saw complete strangers volunteering to help people recover from storm damage. I saw the Red Cross, Salvation Army, power companies, emergency responders, and others step up to help. I saw government entities – the people who run local, county and state governments – take initiative, find answers, and provide cleanup and repairs, all in quick order. It is easy to criticize these people, but we should give credit when it’s due them. They’ve done a good job. In case you helped but nobody had time to tell you “thank you,” let me do that now. Your kindness, quick work, and caring attitude ruled the day. I know I was inspired by your examples of unselfish help. Senate Work Not to make light of the recent tornados, but I can tell you strong political winds were blowing in the Senate in the form of a filibuster for a few weeks. A filibuster, where one person or small group holds the floor to keep the Senate from voting on an issue, was held over a proposal to abolish common law marriage. We’ve put that issue aside for now, and will soon delve into the $7 billion state budget. The budget is always a difficult issue, but this year’s will be even more so. The reason is that last year the state had a surplus of approximately $1.5 billion. Rather than setting money aside for a rainy day, the Legislature spent the entire surplus. Some of those expenditures were necessary, but it’s also necessary to plan ahead for difficult budget times. This year is one of those times. Based on recently released figures by our state’s economic advisors, we have less revenue coming in this year than expected. With no money set aside for this year’s “rainy day,” we are forced to make difficult financial decisions. For example, in the House version of the budget, most state agencies are being cut by roughly 2.5 percent. The lone exception is K-12 education funding, which increased in the House version. The budget is now in the Senate Finance Committee, and it’ll be on the Senate floor soon. I’m committed to a responsible budget. If we have to make tough financial decisions, let’s make them. However, let’s not spend tons of money on unnecessary pork projects while cutting state agencies and giving state employees a pay raise that’s less than the inflation rate. Neighborhood Chats I’m really enjoying the Neighborhood Chats. Folks are coming out, and I’m grateful to learn how you feel. These chats also give me the opportunity to explain what’s going on in the Senate and where I stand on various issues. If you haven’t made it out to one of the chats, you’ll have more opportunities. I’m planning to schedule these meetings every few months in your communities. We’ll advertise them and post the list on my website, www.senatormassey.com. In the meantime, you can always contact me by telephone (803-480-0419), email (shanemassey@scsenate.org), or regular mail (P.O. Box 551, Edgefield, SC 29824). Or just pull me aside when you see me. Thanks for helping me take your views to Columbia. But more importantly, thank you for reaching out to your neighbors in their times of need. ©
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