SC could get a third state song, but it won’t carry a tune

A bill in the S.C. Legislature would create an official state anthem, but not one with any music.

H.3078, a bill introduced by state Reps. John King, D-York, and Steven Long, R-Spartanburg, would make “Dum Spiro Spero” the official state anthem. Translated from Latin as “While I breathe, I hope,” the phrase already is South Carolina’s official state motto.

The proposed anthem doesn’t have a tune, but it would join South Carolina’s two – yes, two – other official state songs, “Carolina” and “South Carolina on My Mind.”

Just for the record, neither song belongs to either the genre of the official state music (the spiritual) or the official state popular music (beach music.)

Sadly, without a tune, you wouldn’t be able to put the new anthem to either the state dance (the shag), the state folk dance (the square dance) or the state waltz (the Richardson waltz).

The bill is currently in the House Judiciary Committee.

One of the least educated?

South Carolina is one of the least educated states in America, according to new rankings published by WalletHub.

The Palmetto State ranked 40th out of 50 states in the rankings, which used 11 metrics to measure the best and worst educated states.

South Carolina ranked a little higher – 39th – on educational attainment, which is the percentage of high school and college graduates, and professional degree holders. South Carolina even reached the middle of the table, 25th, in quality of education.

But the state has some of the worst rankings in racial and gender gaps in education. The state was 45th in the country in the gap in educational attainment between different racial groups, and 49th in the gap between the genders.

The report didn’t measure the gap between more impoverished rural areas and more affluent urban areas. But the funding disparity between poor and rich school systems led to a 1990s lawsuit against the state by rural schools that ultimately led the Supreme Court to order lawmakers to come up with a legislative solution.

Thus far, legislators have demurred.

You can read more of the report online at thestate.com here.

Who’s ready for the 2017 election?

Candidates are popping up around the state for expected special elections up and down the ballot.

▪ The list of candidates for U.S. Rep. Mick Mulvaney’s congressional seat is growing. Common Core opponent Sheri Few and Indian Land attorney Kris Wampler have announced plans to run if and when Mulvaney is confirmed as Donald Trump’s choice to run the Office of Management and Budget.

Few and Wampler join state Rep. Ralph Norman, R-York, as announced candidates, and the field could get bigger.

S.C. House Speaker Pro Tempore Tommy Pope, R-York, said Friday he still was discussing a run with his family and could make an announcement soon. A poll conducted earlier in the month found Pope leading the field for the 5th District seat.

▪ In Anderson County’s Senate District 3, four candidates already have declared for the seat formerly held by Kevin Bryant, who resigned Wednesday to become the state’s new lieutenant governor.

Former Pendleton Mayor Carol Burdette, Powdersville businessman Richard Cash, state Rep. Anne Thayer and former state Rep. John Tucker Jr. have announced plans to run. Another big-name potential candidate is Danny Ford, the 1981 national championship-winning Clemson University football coach.

▪ Finally, in S.C. House District 84, Aiken County Councilman Ronnie Young said Tuesday he will run in a special election. Young made his announcement within hours of former Rep. Chris Corley resigning his seat under pressure from fellow lawmakers following his domestic violence arrest.

Local activist Jennifer Cook Lariscey also has announced she intends to run for Corley’s seat.

No more JJ

The S.C. Democratic Party officially has renamed its annual dinner to remove any reference to two previous presidents.

The Jefferson-Jackson Dinner now will be known as the Blue Palmetto Dinner, after a meeting of the party’s executive committee this week.

S.C. Democrats controversially decided last year to drop the names of Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, two of the party’s founders, from their annual fundraising dinner.

Both men were slaveowners and Jackson was instrumental in the removal of Native Americans from their traditional homelands in the Southeast. Modern members of the party increasingly have become uncomfortable with the historic association, and other state parties had dropped the names, too.

The first Blue Palmetto Dinner will be held April 28.

This story was originally published January 28, 2017 at 12:44 PM with the headline "SC could get a third state song, but it won’t carry a tune."