May 24, 2005 - Governor Sanford has vetoed $96 million from the 2005-06 state budget.  A significant portion of his proposed cuts directly impact South Carolina schools, colleges, and universities. Those institutions that stand to lose funding are not pleased.  For example, Sanford vetoed approximately $10 million in funding for Clemson University - $2 million of which Clemson officials claim is necessary to maintain its highly respected engineering and agriculture research centers. 

 

Clemson claims it could lose federal and private matches for the engineering program if the South Carolina Senate does not overturn the Governor’s veto.  It is my belief that politics will trump prudence as it always does, and Clemson will get half if not all of the $10 million it has requested. 

 

After studying the Governor’s Veto Message, FY 2005-06 Appropriations Act and Capital Reserve Fund Appropriations Act, I must admit that it saddened me to see many cuts to what I believe to be important and worthy endeavors, but not because I think the taxpayer should foolishly attempt to fund these programs at any cost, but because of how stupidly the taxpayer is being forced to fund far less productive activities in South Carolina.

 

I’m talking about the $75 million dollars we spent last year to keep drug addicts, and drug addicts that sell drugs, locked up in the South Carolina State Prison system.  It costs the South Carolina taxpayers approximately $14 thousand to keep (1) drug addict locked up.  To put that in perspective, if Governor Sanford would pardon (715) drug addicts from the state prison system, Clemson University gets its $10 million.  The moral conservative, far-right, moral majority, or the neo-con will wail and gnash their teeth at such a proposition but it just makes good sense, and I’ll tell you why.

 

What has the drug addict done to earn the right to deny funding to Clemson University?  Which is more likely to improve the quality of life for those who want to improve their quality of life – the engineering program at Clemson University or the (715) drug addicts that sell drugs to support their habit?  Who deserves the money more, and if we can only pay for one, which do you want your tax dollars to support – the industrial prison complex or Clemson University? 

 

We are so upside down on our methodology of dealing with people that sell or use criminalized drugs, because so many people – judges, jailers, lawyers, police officers, probation officers, prison builders, prison food suppliers, and the real drug dealers – the guys who are moving millions of dollars worth of drugs in and out of South Carolina every week, but who seldom ever get caught because we’re too busy locking up poor, uneducated drug addicts with 25-year sentences for 3^rd offense crack cocaine possession – none of these people want the justification for their employment to be questioned.  To the contrary, it’s these people who applaud Governor Sanford’s vetoes while they feast on the most desperate and damaged people within our communities. 

 

Come to think about it, I don’t think we’re dealing with a philosophical flaw; what we have here is a philosophical fraud.  When South Carolina is ready to really help drug addicts kick the habit; when it’s ready to actually do something meaningful to end the violence associated with the illegal distribution of criminalized substances; when it’s ready to free communities from the shadows of the black market that the federal government and South Carolina created, give me a call.  I’ll tell you how to get it done, and I’ll guarantee my results!