Post and Courier. May 23, 2024.
Editorial: SC Freedom Caucus wastes money, blocks serious work with its unserious stunts
No one should be surprised that SLED determined that all the hysteria around S.C. voter registration forms sent to noncitizens was totally and completely unfounded.
Likewise, we shouldn’t be surprised that members of the S.C. House’s self-styled “Freedom Caucus” responded by attempting to move the goalposts — pretending they had asked for something altogether different, which the real Republicans running state government still hadn’t responded to.
That’s to be expected from people who are as unserious as the faction’s 17 members who claim to be more conservative than the Republicans, but in fact are simply unwilling to work to accomplish anything. Although the caucus does sometimes champion legitimate causes — broken clocks, blind hogs and all that — its two-year history makes it clear that its primary accomplishment is to manufacture outrage on social media, where there’s often no one around to police its claims.
And if you’re not someone who follows the caucus or anyone else on social media, good for you; we’d all be better off if we were more like you. But know that a large number of people not only follow political extremists on social media; that’s the only place they get any “news.” That’s where they decide how to vote. That’s also where they get so enraged that some of them call public officials and threaten them. This is, unfortunately, a cancer we dare not ignore.
The result of the Freedom Caucus’ tactics is that the only thing the caucus accomplishes is to stop our elected officials from doing the work the voters elected them to do; well, that and wasting the time of SLED and other state agencies that have real problems to deal with.
As The Post and Courier’s Macon Atkinson reports, SLED’s drop-everything, do-it-now-because-the-governor-said-to investigation turned up no merit to allegations that the state Medicaid agency committed voter fraud by encouraging refugees to vote. Rather, the probe determined, the Department of Health and Human Services was required by federal law to send a form about voter registration to the refugee family — as it does to just about everybody applying for government assistance. And the registration form makes it clear on the very first line that noncitizens must not fill it out.
If that sounds familiar, it’s because we told you all that in our May 9 editorial, and we did it without having to waste two weeks of SLED’s time.
But, but, but, the caucuseers sputtered in response in their social media posts: This proves that state agencies are sending out voter registration forms to noncitizens.
Well, duh. We’ve known that from the very start.
Although a few similarly unserious people on social media suggested the caucus’ original claim was manufactured, no serious people have ever disputed that the forms were sent. Yes, the Medicaid spokesman told anyone who would ask (a group that did not include caucus members), the state sends out these “declination forms” all the time. We’d love to not send them out, he said, but federal law requires us to.
To be clear: The only reason Gov. Henry McMaster ordered SLED to investigate was because the caucus ignited a viral firestorm over its trumped-up charges of voter fraud, accusing his Cabinet agency of violating state law and illegally registering noncitizens and endangering the integrity of our elections. Well, that along with the fact, unmentioned in the governor’s letter to Caucus Chairman Rep. Adam Morgan, that the online outrage sparked by the wannabe congressman led to both implicit and explicit threats against employees of the State Election Commission.
But instead of skulking away with their tails between their legs as they should have after SLED so clearly exposed the fraud they tried to perpetrate on the public, caucus members doubled down.
Mr. Morgan told Ms. Atkinson he still wanted “further investigation” in order to “see why the agency did it and what they’re going to do to make sure that they stop sending these forms to noncitizens.”
Seriously: SLED just explained that federal law requires Health and Human Services and other social services agencies to distribute voter registration forms whenever someone applies for services or submits a change of address form or contacts the agencies in any other way.
What part of “because federal law requires it” does he not understand? What part of “the governor and the Legislature are powerless to nullify federal law” does he not understand? For that matter, what part of “South Carolina launched and lost a civil war over that whole idea about the limits on the federal government” do he and his fellow travelers not understand?
Is the federal requirement excessive? Yes, and if Mr. Morgan wants to complain that federal law shouldn’t require state officials to send voter registration forms to noncitizens — or to anyone for that matter — then he absolutely should do that. It would be perfectly legitimate for him to demand to know why U.S. Rep. William Timmons hasn’t already put a stop to such nonsense. And if he manages to get himself elected to the Congress, he is perfectly free to try to change the 1993 law.
But to the extent that there ever was a legitimate question for state officials, it has already been answered.
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Times and Democrat. May 23, 2024.
Editorial: SC increasingly attractive to military retirees
South Carolina is historically a military-friendly state. And it’s getting more that way.
With May being Military Appreciation Month, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on the Best & Worst States for Military Retirees in 2024. https://wallethub.com/edu/best-states-for-military-retirees/3915
South Carolina ranks No. 1, best in the nation.
WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 28 key indicators of retirement-friendliness for veterans. The data set ranges from job opportunities for veterans to housing affordability to the quality of VA hospitals.
Military retirement in South Carolina (1=best; 25=average):
1. Overall rank: 1st
2. 7th – Veterans per capita
3. 18th – Percent of homeless veterans
4. 25th – Housing affordability
5. 4th – Percent of veteran-owned businesses
6. 9th – Number of VA benefits-administration facilities per number of veterans
7. 4th – Quality of VA hospital
South Carolina is home to eight major military installations and more than 344,000 veterans. The state has the 15th-highest veteran population.
In 2022, the state took another step to boost its military connection and attractiveness to military retirees.
Gov. Henry McMaster signed the Workforce Enhancement and Military Recognition Act, which exempts all military retirement pay that is included in South Carolina taxable income from the state’s income tax, no matter the taxpayer’s age. The deduction also can be claimed by a surviving spouse.
According to the SCDVA, military retirees can start, stop or change State Income Tax Withholding (SITW) by using myPay, filling out a DD Form 2866 Retiree Change of Address/State Tax Withholding Request, or sending a written request that includes all of the necessary information. If they choose to send a DD Form 2866 or a written request, mail to: Defense Finance and Accounting Service, U.S. Military Retirement Pay, 8899 E 56th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46249-1200. Do not send either document to the S.C. Department of Revenue.
Other military-related income tax exclusions offered by the state are:
Any federal tax-exempt pension or compensation provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Combat pay and certain benefits not included in federal taxable income.
Retirement income paid by the U.S. government for service in the Reserves or National Guard.
Income received for service in the National Guard or the Reserves for customary annual training, weekend drills and other inactive duty training.
Service pay for non-resident military personnel on active duty in South Carolina who are legal residents of other states.
The state also offers property tax exemptions to veterans deemed totally and permanently service-connected disabled.
Military tax deductions and exemptions are another important way in which South Carolina serves the nation well by accommodating our military and those serving and having served.
END