Create new S.C.Constitution -Jim Wetzel letter

 The following letter from Jim Wetzel appears in the Aiken Standard today. I agree with his call for a Constitutional Convention. We should also consider establishing term limits for elected officials.

Create new S.C. constitution

Your Sunday editorial "Legislature rules S.C." is a sad commentary on South Carolina's dysfunctional governmental system. Governor Sanford's principled stand against the Legislature created and stimulus-fueled, unbalanced budget was ill-fated because, as you noted, South Carolina is an inbred legislative state with all of the budget powers in the Legislature, a Supreme Court appointed by the Legislature and a governor with hardly any powers. He couldn't win because, as you observed, the deck was stacked against him by the state's Constitution.

The state's Constitution is an 1890 post-Reconstruction document from a time when the drafters feared that the emancipated blacks might possibly be voter empowered to elect a black governor. The drafters couldn't block that possibility but they could deny power being placed in the hands of any elected governor, whether white or black. Now in the 21st century we maintain and continue to be governmentally crippled by that 19th century, culturally biased curse. With thinking like that no wonder South Carolina has continually maintained its rank near the bottom of the states in lists of achievement.

Apparently, the Aiken Standard likes the legislative state and doesn't seek change in that culturally biased curse because it says things are going to stay that way until the Constitution is changed and advises us not to hold our breath for that to happen. Why is that? Why not move into the 21st century and promote a change in the Constitution that would make the state a manageable citizens' business rather than the legislative fiefdom that it now is?

How about our political clubs and organizations sponsoring a call for a corrective constitutional convention! And the NAACP could do us all, black and white, a big favor by recognizing that the state has a racially inspired Constitution and joining in a call for a reparative constitutional convention. Sponsoring and joining in would be credible post-racial acts good for all and could eliminate any concern about us having to hold our breath.

Jim Wetzel

Aiken