Pay less now or pay more later?That is the question for dealing with "gray tsunami"By Bill Davis, senior editor JAN. 31, 2014 -- Lt. Gov. Glenn McConnell and a host of his former colleagues in the General Assembly, this month will be rolling out a package of bills to preserve independent living for seniors, which could save billions of dollars over the years. McConnell, inspired by problems he’s seen since taking over the Office of Aging after ascending to his current office last year, said South Carolina can be proactive now about looming issues for seniors or pay a dear price over the next two decades. McCONNELL TO ADDRESS LEGISLATURE ON AGING
Lt. Gov. Glenn McConnell is expected to address a joint session of the General Assembly later this month on the problems faced by the state’s aging population. The address was scheduled for Feb. 12, but this week's legislative cancellation may cause the address to be rescheduled.
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By 2035, McConnell and other state officials claim the state’s senior citizen population will double to 2 million, which could pose numerous budgetary challenges to state agencies and programs.
For example, seniors who are unable in the future to maintain independent living could put a massive strain on Medicaid’s coffers to pay for nursing home care. But that, McConnell said, can be neatly avoided. “The key here is to slow down the migration into state-funded nursing beds,” said McConnell, adding that the in-home home health visits and other respite care services that the state currently supplies to some elderly citizens costs $1,400 a year. Respite care is a drop in the bucket, McConnell argued, compared to the $50,000 to $60,000 that a Medicaid bed in a nursing home can cost annually. Over a five-year period, in-home respite care could total $7,000, while five years in a Medicaid bed could cost nearly a quarter of a million dollars. Something as simple as a state-supported single daily meal program -- outreach like Meals on Wheels that are already knitted into the fabric of existing faith-based and other volunteer programs -- can keep a senior from experiencing malnutrition, a condition that often is a slippery precursor to disease and a nursing home. But McConnell added, it’s going to take more money – a tough prospect in a tax-averse legislature. “This isn’t about giving anyone a hand-out,” he said. “It’s about offering a helping hand,” said McConnell. Says move not about expanding government
Last year, Gov. Nikki Haley vetoed the budget line that included respite care funding. But legislators voted to override her veto and restored the funding.  “This is not about ‘expanding government.’ This is trying to prevent a budget bust-up down the road,” said McConnell. “If the alternative is 40 times cheaper, why not look at it and make it work?”
In championing the bills package, McConnell is trying to complete work on protecting seniors and the state that he promised when he recently announced he would not seek re-election. With politics out of the way, the former president pro tempore of the state Senate said he hoped he would have a better chance to get needed work done. Currently, no major bills dealing with elder care or related issues have been introduced into the legislature in the current session. McConnell also pointed out senior issues didn’t appear in the governor’s State of the State address, or in Democratic or Republican responses. State Sen. Gerald Malloy (D-Darlington) is one of the legislators who has joined with McConnell in the effort to bolster senior services. He said that while all the bills aren’t completely crafted, it’s of paramount importance for the state to begin having the discussion about the looming “gray tsunami.” Malloy said 2014 could be a tough year to push through a broad spectrum of senior-related bills, as there are looming elections in the fall in the executive and legislative branches. And there was “no magic” in the amount of time McConnell has left to work with, said Malloy as he drove Thursday to Columbia for the unveiling of McConnell’s official portrait in the Statehouse. Usually, tough or expansive legislation takes two years in the legislature – one year to introduce it and let members pick over it and one more year to enact it. That being said, Malloy was able to shepherd one of the most significant pieces of legislation in years – the Uniform Sentencing Act – in a calendar year. Sen. Thomas Alexander (R-Walhalla) said there were several bills being worked on in a bipartisan study group, and that some from last year are still winding their way through the committee process. Alexander also said bills were in the system to deal with family members and caregivers abusing the prescription drugs meant for seniors. Haley may not have shown much love for respite care, but one of her top appointees, Health and Human Services Director Tony Keck, is excited about anything that could save money for Medicaid, which he oversees in South Carolina. Keck said funding programs like respite care are “generally smart” depending on their structure. Keck said McConnell doesn’t even need to get a bill to catch his ear, and that he would sit down with him and listen to anyway he “can save $60,000 a year.” Crystal ball: It’s the cart mechanic’s adage about maintenance, “You can pay me now or you can pay me later.” It makes sense, but that it does could doom at least some of the money McConnell is seeking from the General Assembly. Remember, this last week proved that this legislature won’t raise a tax to cover $30 billion of identified problems with state roads and bridges, but closed business this week so its members didn’t have to drive on those same roads and bridges after slight snow accumulations.
Bill Davis is senior editor at Statehouse Report. He can be reached at: billdavis@statehousereport.com.
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Plate of 'cue, Holly Hill, S.C.
It’s hard to find meat eaters in South Carolina who don’t like barbecue found across the state in joints like Sweatman’s outside of Holly Hill. Photo by Andy Brack.
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Whole lot of meetings going onThanks to postponements caused by the legislative snow week, there will be a bevy of meetings happening throughout the Statehouse and Columbia: - House Judiciary. The committee will meet Feb 4 at 2:30 p.m. or 1.5 hours after the House adjourns in 516 Blatt to consider several bills, including measures to allow alcohol sales on election days, shortening separation periods for divorces, domestic abuse and moving the state Elections Commission to another agency. Agenda. A subcommittee will meet 9 a.m. Feb. 6 in 516 Blatt to discuss an abortion bill, H. 4223.
- House Ways and Means. There are 17 different subcommittee meetings are scheduled throughout the week to deal with budget requests from assorted state agencies, including the state departments of Education, Consumer Affairs and Motor Vehicles, as well as the State Treasurer, S.C. Retirement Investment Commission, Human Affairs Commission, Worker’s Compensation Commission, Public Service Commission, First Steps and the Education Oversight Committee on Feb. 4; and public testimony and provisos on Feb. 5. Go to www.SCStatehouse.gov to check individual meetings.
- Senate Finance. The full committee will meet 3 p.m. Feb. 4 in 308 Gressette to get a revenue and economic outlook and consider a host of bills, including a capital project sales and use tax, an education capital improvement sales and use tax, and two tax credits. Agenda. A subcommittee will meet 9 a.m. Feb. 5 in 406 Gressette to discuss rural infrastructure, hospitality taxes and accommodations taxes. Agenda.
- House Education. The K-12 subcommittee will meet 3 p.m. Feb. 4 in 433 Blatt to discuss amending the First Steps to School Readiness Initiative, a “read to succeed” initiative and more. Agenda.
- Senate education. The K-12 Education subcommittee will meet 10 a.m. Feb. 5 in 105 Gressette to discuss common core education standards and two bills related to it. Agenda.
- Senate Ag. The environmental subcommittee will meet 10 a.m. Feb. 5 in 207 Gressette to discuss a bill related to coastal zone management. Agenda.
- Senate Corrections. The committee will meet at 9 a.m. Feb. 6 in 209 Gressette to hear from the director of the state Department of Corrections.
- National Commission on Voting Rights. The South Carolina hearing of the group will be 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Feb. 6 in Richland County Council Chambers, 2020 Hampton Street, Columbia. Two panels of witnesses that represent voting rights organizations, community leaders and others will present testimony on voting changes, voter rights, voter ID and more. More info.
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Not so fast, Jack ... then, again ... It’s understandable that the General Assembly shut down for the past week due to the ice and snow that gripped the state. But was it an overabundance of caution? Then again, maybe it was better that they not meet, some wags say.
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Shortest superintendent campaign in state history?State Rep. Andy Patrick, R-Hilton Head Island, announced Jan. 15 that he was going to run for state superintendent of education. Widely seen as a more moderate voice than incumbent Mick Zais, who isn’t running after four years in the job, many say Patrick was a potential breath of fresh air who might back teachers and administrators instead of constantly wrangling with them. But the campaign was not meant to be thanks to media reports of a nasty divorce involving Patrick. On Tuesday -- less than two weeks from the superintendent announcement -- Patrick dropped out of the race and said he wouldn’t seek his House seat again either. More. McConnell: Raise the gas tax Unshackled by the need to court voters, Republican Lt. Gov. Glenn McConnell sounded positively like a Democrat this week when asked about solving the state’s infrastructure needs. “People ask me these days, and I just flat tell them,” said McConnell of what he sees as the state’s only solution to funding $30 billion in identified roads and bridges repairs and maintenance costs identified by the Department of Transportation. ‘There’s no way we can go to the General Fund, we have to raise the state’s gas tax,” said McConnell. He argued that the budget is already strapped, “unable to even fund education,” and has gone through a series of “rollercoaster” years over its past decade of budgets. "We are riding on the legacy of the previous generation,” said McConnell, calling the half billion that got cut loose in the current budget a “drop in the bucket.”
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Voting twice in same year for U.S. Senate is rareBy Andy Brack, editor and publisher JAN. 31, 2014 -- It’s not often that Palmetto State voters can cast ballots for the two U.S. Senate seats in the same election cycle as they will in November. In fact, this year’s election will be just the fourth time in the state’s history that voters get two bites at the Senate apple in the same election.  The last time? 1966. Before that, Palmetto State voters twice elected two senators in the same year, each of which came at starting points for the nation. The first instance, of course, was in 1789 when the U.S. Senate got started. The second came in 1868 during Reconstruction when South Carolina was allowed to have two senators in Washington again after the bloody Civil War. In both instances, the candidates who won ran for seats with staggered terms in keeping with the Constitution.
But turn to the election in 1966. That’s when U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond was up for re-election on his normal six-year staggered electoral cycle. During this election, however, he ran for the first time as a Republican, not as a Democrat. In the November election, Thurmond trounced Upstate state Sen. Bradley Morrah by a 24-point margin (271,297 votes to 164,955 votes). But the state’s other Senate seat also was up for election because of a vacancy created in April 1965 when the officeholder, Olin D. Johnston, died. His replacement was Gov. Donald Russell, who resigned so he could be appointed to the seat. Interestingly, during the 1962 gubernatorial campaign, Russell campaigned that he would serve his full term and not seek a higher office. But once in the Senate, he changed his mind and decided to run. In accordance to the rules, Russell had to face the voters at the next statewide election, which was 1966, not when the six-year term ran out in 1968. So in a special primary election in 1966, Russell faced former Gov. Fritz Hollings, who had lost a primary bid against Johnston in 1962. Hollings scored a comparatively easy victory over Russell with a 22-point margin which came in part because of enmity of voters who didn’t like that Russell essentially appointed himself to Johnston’s seat. In the special general election in November, Hollings scored a narrow win over his friend, state Sen. Marshall Parker of Oconee County, who switched to the GOP that year to run for the seat. The race was down to the wire with Hollings picking up a win by just 11,758 votes (223,790 votes to 212,032 votes). It was so close that Hollings recalled this week that the results weren’t declared until the Thursday after the Tuesday election. In 1968 when more people turned out because of the presidential election, Hollings again faced Parker, but won handily by 155,280 votes.  With this history as background, is there much that can be applied from the two elections 48 years ago to today’s battles? Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham is seeking re-election to what was Thurmond’s seat and GOP U.S. Sen. Tim Scott faces voters statewide for the first time (Scott appointed last year to take the place of U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint who resigned.)
Answer: Not much. Graham, seen widely as a national leader, is facing challenges from four petulant candidates who don’t think him to be conservative enough, despite a high rating as a conservative. “I don’t see any evidence a serious threat is materializing,” said GOP analyst Chip Felkel of Greenville. Meanwhile, Scott has two Democratic opponents who will duke it out in a primary, but he apparently will face no Republican opposition. The outcomes will probably boil down to resources -- who has the most money -- just as it did in 1966. That year, Democrats poured money into the campaigns of Hollings and the Democratic gubernatorial candidate to secure wins. This year, Democrats likely will focus money on state Sen. Vincent Sheheen’s second bid to beat Gov. Nikki Haley. Moderate Republicans will steer money to the cash-flush Graham, while challengers will try to peel it away. Bottom line: Look for Graham and Scott to win, unless something tremendously unexpected happens.
Andy Brack is editor and publisher of Statehouse Report. You can reach Brack at: brack@statehousereport.com.
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Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology  The public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring Statehouse Report to you at no cost. In today's issue, we heartily welcome a new underwriter, the Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology, which is the Southeast’s premier technical service provider and training facility for industry. SiMT’s mission is to provide customers with strategic training and manufacturing technology solutions that maximize workforce productivity in advanced manufacturing environments. SiMT’s state-of-the-art facilities are located in Florence, S.C., on a 146-acre campus adjacent to Florence-Darlington Technical College.
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New parenting book emphasizes basic education principlesBy Dr. Robert A. Saul
Special to Statehouse Report JAN. 31, 2014 -- The events of April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., have had a permanent influence on me. Previously engaged in numerous community improvement events, I was suddenly stunned when I considered what I could do to prevent such actions in my community. How could I possibly make a difference? To honor the fallen, community improvement efforts needed to be re-doubled. And yet that still didn't seem enough. Advancing an agenda to promote citizenship was the logical additional component that was needed.  My newly-published book, My Children’s Children: Raising Young Citizens in the Age of Columbine, represents such an effort—to combine efforts at community improvement and citizenship. I discuss my journey through the process of self-discovery and advocacy, and I quote health-care futurist Leland Kaiser who reminds us that for anything that happens in our community, we need to remember, “I am the problem, I am the solution, I am the resource.” As I reviewed the over 160 articles that I wrote as op-ed pieces for my local newspaper since 1999, I realized that I had the rare opportunity to use my role as a pediatrician to help drive these efforts. I have no pretense that my words are the "gospel" for these endeavors. They are intended to provide some guidance based on my years of experience and to generate discussion that gets people working together for a common purpose.
I organized the original articles under what I call the Five Steps to Community Improvement. These five steps constitute a paradigm that considers all of the systems that have to work together in order to bring about positive changes in our families and in our communities. The Five Steps are—1) Learn to be the best parent you can be, 2) get involved, 3) stay involved, 4) love for others, and 5) forgiveness.  The word CITIZEN is defined as “a member of a state or nation who owes allegiance to its government and is entitled to its protection.” On a more local level, the definition can be “an inhabitant of a city or town, especially one entitled to its privileges and franchises.” The first definition notes an extremely important point regarding citizenship—the entitlement of citizenship requires active involvement in its activities. Allegiance means loyalty to the principles of the government. The ultimate purpose of mandatory public education is to prepare our young men and women for a mature life in the role of citizen.
If our young men and women are to be good citizens, they need to learn basic principles of civic engagement and community improvement. I propose in My Children’s Children a few basic principles of citizenship be used along with the paradigm of the Five Steps as a core level of interaction between children, families and society. My Children’s Children therefore started as a series of op-ed articles for the local newspaper and evolved into a parental guide for raising children to be good citizens. I envision that good citizens care for one another and their community—the hallmark of a democratic society. My Children’s Children is not just another parenting book. Based on the paradigm of Five Steps to Community Improvement, this book provides a series of tangible examples for parents of all ages to consider raising their children, nurturing their grandchildren, and advocating for all children. It also serves as a guide for educators in the ongoing process of educating our future citizens. Robert A. Saul, M.D., is the medical director of general pediatrics, senior medical director of Medicaid practices and clinical professor of pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Greenville Health System and the University of South Carolina School of Medicine – Greenville. More on his book.
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Thanks for column on mentally-ill prisoner travestyTo the editor:
It is a great job you did about the problem. This is a travesty and needs to be addressed. I will contact my state senator, Gerald Malloy.
-- Carol Goranson, Hartsville, S.C.
We can’t ignore this problem
To the editor:
 Thank you so much for your article on our mentally ill prisoners in South Carolina. I especially appreciated your last sentence, wondering how church people can ignore this situation.
The Week magazine ran an article on this several weeks ago, and I mentioned it in my Florence Morning News "Citizen Columnist" column after reading that magazine's report.
I believe we will need federal as well as state action in order to truly make a difference. Most people simply don't know what's happening. They have too much else going on in their lives to give this any attention until they are forced by public exposure to do so.
-- Bob Stevens, Timmonsville, S.C.
Guns in bars? P-lease
To the editor:
It’s my opinion that the Republican Party cares more about corporate owners and the wealthy than the rest of us. Consequently, in order to have my voice heard, I need to do whatever I can to hurt the corporate interests when legislation is passed that doesn’t really help “the rest of us” and may well put us in harm’s way.
I would have thought the shooting by a retired policeman in Florida the other day would have caused the Republican-controlled state legislature to rethink support for guns in bars and restaurants. Obviously, I won’t be going to any movies in Florida since they don’t, or at least didn’t, have any problem with people carrying guns into movie theaters.
Once our fear-inducing governor signs the legislation and it becomes law, I won’t be going to any bars or restaurants that don’t have large signs at their entrances denying access to anyone carrying a gun and a way to be sure none are getting inside.
I can just imagine guns going off in restaurants when a child starts crying while someone is eating his meal and he’s had a bad day. The law supposes that those carrying guns into bars can’t drink…yeah right! God help those who accidentally bump into someone in a bar, or loudly pull for the wrong team while all of the customers are watching a football game. Good going, Legislature!
-- Helen C. Foley, Columbia, S.C.
Support alimony reform
To the editor:
It is time to reform the archaic alimony laws in South Carolina. So many lives are being damaged for people having to pay permanent alimony. It is time to change permanent alimony to limited durational alimony with a safety valve for those with physical or mental disabilities. South Carolina Alimony Reform is a non-profit organization that was formed to help change these laws. Please ask your legislators to support H. 4180.
The primary goals are to amend the South Carolina alimony laws so judges have clear guidelines that:
- Support self-sufficiency and independence for the lower-earning spouse through alimony payments that continue during a transition period, which lasts more than a decade in long-term marriages;
- Maintain appropriate judicial discretion to fairly judge unique circumstances where the lower-earning spouse is physically or mentally unable to work to gain self-sufficiency, continuing alimony payments in special cases, and only until no longer needed;
- End lifelong alimony dependency, allowing each party of the divorce to move on with independent lives;
- Obtain retirement rights for alimony payers, the same rights enjoyed by all other citizens;
- Protect second wives from current case law, which requires judges to fully investigate second-wives' income and assets;
- End expensive legal battles over vague alimony laws and interpretations; and allow people to retire at a reasonable age with a safety valve for those that really need alimony.
- Provide equal and consistent treatment, where the outcome of a alimony case is not decided by the Russian roulette selection of the family court judge.
-- Wyman Oxner, Orangeburg, S.C.
Send us your letters. We love hearing from our readers and encourage you to share your opinions. But you've got to provide us with contact information so we can verify your letters. Letters to the editor are published weekly. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.We generally publish all comments about South Carolina politics or policy issues, unless they are libelous or unnecessarily inflammatory. One submission is allowed per month. Submission of a comment grants permission to us to reprint. Comments are limited to 250 words or less. Please include your name and contact information. Send your letters to:
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Up for Rucker, compromise, Cantore Rucker. Hats off to Charleston’s Darius Rucker for winning his second Grammy award, this time in country music. The first was with Hootie and the Blowfish.
Compromise. It’s a good sign that compromise isn’t dead, as witnessed by the deal between conservationists and a controversial potato megafarm in Aiken County. More.
Cantore. Weather Channel uber-meteorologist Jim Cantore, umm, scored this week with a knee when he fended off an on-air rush by a College of Charleston student. Talk about grace under pressure. More.
Big chill. The great ice-snow-freeze-sleet mess that shut down the state shows we as a people need to be a little better prepared for inclement weather. Otherwise, staying at home for days will cost us more business in the future. Thank goodness, however, we didn’t have the mess (government and otherwise) that Atlanta had.
Patrick. Bad week for Hilton Head Island GOP Rep. Andy Patrick: Messy divorce continues; political career does not.
Kirsh. We’re saddened to hear about the death of former Democratic state Rep. Herb Kirsh of Clover, a longtime voice of pragmatism and good government who served for decades on the Ways and Means Committee. He was the epitome of public service. Rest in peace.
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