JUNE 4, 2010 – If you think South Carolina’s been muddied by nasty politics recently in the gubernatorial race, just think how bad things will get if the state gets slimed with pollution from the Gulf oil disaster.

Oil that has washed ashore at Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge in Alabama. Photo courtesy of BetterGulf.org

State officials say there’s only a slight chance that oil and tarballs will end up washing up on South Carolina beaches and in state marshes.

“In the process of moving through the Gulf stream, there is the potential that some [oil] may break off from the flow of the Gulf stream that could then eventually wash ashore,” said Thom Berry, a spokesman for the state Department of Health and Environmental Control. “While there is the possibility, the likelihood that we’re being told right now is low.”

For some reason, these reassurances ring hollow. Maybe it’s because every solution for fixing the Gulf gusher has failed so far despite public relations promises that each latest ploy would cap it. Maybe it’s because oil is starting to wash ashore, now in Florida. Maybe it’s because a third of Gulf fisheries are now closed. And maybe it’s because a new computer model shows spilled oil rounding the Florida peninsula and impacting the Atlantic seaboard this summer.

Berry says DHEC, which would be the lead state agency in dealing with any Gulf oil on state shores, is ready to coordinate the state’s response in the event of any problems.

“We’ll throw everything we have at it,” he said, adding that the Coast Guard would provide the overall coordination for dealing with spill impacts.

Unfortunately, DHEC isn’t as strong as it was a few years ago. Just five years ago, the agency had about 6,000 employees. Now, it has about 3,700, Berry said. Just three years ago, its annual budget of state money was $147 million. In the just-passed budget for next year, it will have a little less than $82 million in state funding.

So for all of the people hollering about less government: You’ve got the government you want – leaner and with less muscle to deal with things like oil spills or poverty or poor health rankings or educational challenges.

Unfortunately, the very people who holler about less government and lower taxes are the same ones who now seem to be yelling the most for the government to do something about the spill.

Folks, ever heard of having your cake and eating it too? Your hypocrisy seems to know no bounds.

Instead of falling for the Washington think-tank-inspired mantras of “less government” like simpletons, South Carolinians should be talking more about “effective government.”

South Carolinians currently pay far less in state and local taxes than most states – - and our governments are suffering for not having the resources they need.   The nonprofit Tax Foundation ranks South Carolina as having the nation’s 37th highest tax burden. Its most recent figures show South Carolinians paid 8.8 percent of incomes in state and local taxes, almost a full percentage point below the national average.

Despite South Carolina’s predilection to bellyache about taxes, perhaps a bright spot is around the corner. According to a May InsiderAdvantage/Statehouse Report poll, voters seem to understand that tough times demand tough choices.

They were asked: “State government faces a potential revenue shortfall of $1 billion next year. If you were king for a day, which of the following government functions would you prefer to lose hundreds of millions of dollars next year?”

1. The Department of Corrections, which would force closure of some prisons. Some 18.3 percent picked this choice.
   
2. Colleges and universities, which would have to increase tuition dramatically (15.3 percent).
   
3. Public schools, which would have to increase class sizes by at least 20 percent (12.2 percent).
   
4. Medicaid reimbursements to hospitals, doctors and nursing homes, which would cause some to go out of business (9 percent).
   
5. None. You can’t generate enough savings by cuts alone and would have to raise taxes some (45.2 percent).

Hmmm, so almost half of the 1,121 people polled said state government might have to raise taxes some to meet real needs. Perhaps now state legislators will pay attention —  and turn off anti-government venom in favor of providing the state with the resources it needs to be effective.

Andy Brack is publisher of CharlestonCurrents.com and Statehouse Report, where this commentary first appeared.