South Carolina Red Line

NEW: Portland plans to spend nearly $300 million on explicitly race-conscious programs over the next year— including a program that aims to house minority veterans "at rates equal to or greater than their white peers." We reviewed Multnomah County's entire budget. 🧵

SCPC has recommended a change in state law requiring that lawmakers request their earmarks in writing to the chairmen of the respective House and Senate budget-writing committees disclosing… - the sponsor’s name. - the date of the request, the amount, a description of the project. - the state agency through which the money would flow. - the full name of the recipient entity.

There has been a lot of discussion over the past several months about the $150 million in cost overruns by the SC Department of Commerce to prepare a site for Scout Motors to open a manufacturing campus in Blythewood. This is on top of the $1.3 billion the State of South Carolina has already committed to preparing the Blythewood site for Scout. Thus far, the legislature has rejected calls from SC Commerce to approve an additional $150 million to cover these cost overruns. But we have learned, this doesn’t mean SC Commerce isn’t doing it anyway. Despite the legislature not approving the additional funds, we’ve learned SC Commerce has already signed contracts with vendors – obligating the State to pay for the vast majority of the $150 million. Despite the legislature not approving the additional funds, we’ve learned at least $60.6 million of the $150 million has already been spent. You can see the breakdown of this below. There is a debate happening in Columbia on whether the $150 million should be approved, but SC Commerce has already inked the deals to pay for most of it and has already spent over 40% of it. The Federal government does not do many things right. But the Federal government has protections in place to ensure it does not spend funds which have not been appropriated by Congress. In addition to Article I, Section 9, Clause 7 of the U.S. Constitution, which provides “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law”, the Federal government has to comply with a law called the Anti-Deficiency Act. The Anti-Deficiency Act at its core, reinforces the Congressional power of the purse enshrined in Article I, Section 9, Clause 7 of the U.S. Constitution, and prohibits the Federal government from spending or obligating funds before they are appropriated, or in excess of the amount appropriated. Seems like common sense, right? Apparently, it is not all that common in Columbia. While asking the taxpayers of South Carolina to pony up, what will turn out to be $1.45 billion, Scout Motors made a decision which rightly incensed many South Carolinians. The Company had been considering South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia for their corporate headquarters – a different facility than the manufacturing plant in Blythewood. One would think Scout would be grateful for the generous corporate welfare package South Carolina had extended them. However, just as SC Commerce was seeking the additional $150 million from the legislature, Scout announced they would not be locating their corporate headquarters in South Carolina but instead would be going with North Carolina. Compare the deal cut by the State of South Carolina for Scout’s manufacturing facility to the deal cut by the State of North Carolina for Scout’s corporate headquarters. The State of North Carolina (including county incentives) is offering approximately $71.4 million in subsidies in exchange for the corporate headquarters being located in Charlotte. This will come with 1,200 white-collar jobs, with a minimum average salary of $172,878. The State of South Carolina is paying what will end up being $1.45 billion in site development (with cost overruns) for at least 4,000 permanent jobs between the factory and supplier park in Blythewood. Most of these will be blue-collar jobs, with minimum average salaries far less than that of the white-collar jobs in their North Carolina corporate headquarters. It is worth noting – South Carolina’s bid to attract Scout’s manufacturing facility was FAR more than any competing state’s offer. Which seems like a better deal to you? When we’ve asked Scout why they didn’t choose South Carolina for their corporate headquarters given the significant investment the State has made on their behalf, their response was essentially “well, that wasn’t a part of the deal”. This is the problem with corporate welfare. No matter how much a State gives to, or spends on behalf of, a corporation – they will never be loyal to you. They care not for the hard work spent earning the taxpayer dollars being spent on their behalf. They care only for their own self-interest. South Carolina should attract businesses by being the best place to live and do business – from having the best infrastructure, the least burdensome regulations, and the lowest taxes in the region – not by handing out checks to international corporations who don’t care about us.

Simmer and Traxler aren’t the real problem. They’re just the faces of a South Carolina public health system built behind the scenes on “structural racism” and racial equity frameworks. Just like in blue states. Primary source receipts below. Taxpayers deserve better. Thread👇

On April 3, 2025, the Senate Medical Affairs Committee rejected the recommendation of Governor Henry McMaster to appoint Dr. Edward Simmer as the Head of the Department of Health Services. Presumably this was the will of the people. Despite the Governor and Pam Evette claiming otherwise, Dr. Simmer unleashed an assault on medical freedom in SC during COVID. The aptly named "Anthony Fauci of South Carolina" actively pushed a shutdown of businesses, beaches and freedom, became a marketing arm for the Fauci/ vaccine crowd and wanted the entire state including young kids masked, not because the parents thought it was a good idea, but because he did. He personally wore a mask for a couple of years after COVID had vanished. That's how nuts he was. I experienced this tyranny personally. I had a 500-person business and was constantly fighting shut down mandates, vaccine mandates and mask mandates none of which I complied with. It cost me $400,000 in legal fees protecting the rights of my employees to do what they choose to with their bodies. In the absence of Governor Ron DeSantis taking up the fight on behalf of medical freedom, I believe it would have been a lot worse for all of us. When the Senate rejected the Simmer nomination, you would think McMaster and Evette would listen to the will of the people. Of course not. They knew better than us. So, McMaster/Evette kept him on as "Interim Director" for an additional 13 months until May 2026 when he could not legally be kept on any longer. Now that Evette is running for Governor as someone allegedly with business knowledge, you think she would influence McMaster to finally do the right thing and appoint someone better aligned with medical freedom and  the wishes of the people of this state. Wrong again.  In a show of the arrogance of power, they chose to give the finger to the people of the state again. Their new appointee, Dr. Brannon Traxler can best be described as "Simmer on steroids."  As a shill for the crazy COVID czars in DC and the pharma companies, she is known for profound statements like 'the more vaccines we can get in the faster we can get shots in arms,' pushing for some made up 70 percent vaccine targets, consistently defending CDC/FDA guidance and generally amplifying fear with rising counts of deaths if not vaccinated - then you have her questionable political affiliations. This is not reform. This is not listening to the people. This is institutional self-preservation. Makes us wonder what they are hiding from us. If ever there is a reason to believe these career politicians will never fix the system and are tone deaf to the needs of us citizens, this is a perfect example. What conversation do you think happened between Evette and McMaster? How could they conclude that replacing one COVID insider with another is a good idea. Either she does not have the courage to speak up, or she does not have any credibility with her boss. Not good in either case. If she can't influence one person, how does she plan to influence a 170-person General Assembly? I have repeatedly said SC cannot be fixed. Government has to be shrunk and re-booted from top to bottom. All the corrupt donor and special interests must be gone. Maybe they can even move out of their new leased space that was leased from one of the biggest donors to the Republican party. Enough already.  Time for something different.