Donna and I attended the Republican Club monthly luncheon today and were privileged to hear an excellent presentation from Ashley Landess , President of the South Carolina Policy Council. The main topic was a proposed law to require our representatives to record their votes rather than use the voice vote that makes it impossible for their constituents to know how they voted.
Our elected officials have hidden behind this procedure for too long and we must demand that they make our government processes more open. Unfortunately many of our representatives have opposed this legislation which has been supported by Governor Sanford and is also supported by Shane Massey our Senator from District 25 who is running for reelection.
Please contact your State Senator and State Representative and demand that they support this legislation. Several in our delegation had said they oppose the law because of the cost. They estimate that recording the votes would cost $55 per elected official for each vote. In this day of high tech electronics I have to believe that our representatives are simply looking for an excuse. Jane Vaughters and I have fought for more openness in city government and I urge you to do the same for the State.
Our elected officials would do well to heed the very wise observation of Thomas Jefferson that appears on the website of the South Carolina Policy Council.
“A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government.”
Thomas Jefferson
To learn more about the Policy Council visit their website www.scpolicycouncil.com
I heard this was a great meeting and fully concur that votes should be recorded.
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