Letters: Oft-cited political ‘solution’ solves nothing

I am 69 years old and for more than 50 years I have heard politicians say the absolute best way to solve our economic, social and political ills was to cut taxes, reduce regulations and shrink the size of government to enable all citizens to prosper and our country to remain dominant.

What has this formula given us? South Carolina’s infrastructure is crumbling, with bridges that are obsolete, secondary roads and interstate highways that are some of the worst in the nation, some of the highest highway death rates in the nation, and our state politicians have failed time and time again to adequately and fairly fund our Corridor of Shame schools.

In 2014, the S.C. Supreme Court ruled the way our state’s public schools are funded was unconstitutional, yet our political leaders have done nothing to change this. The state’s ACT scores continue to offer disappointment, as only 14 percent of juniors scored ready for college. The leadership in our General Assembly should be repudiated and fresh, thoughtful individuals selected to lead our state into the 21st century and beyond.

It is time we reject politicians who espouse the party-line position of cutting taxes, reducing regulations and shrinking the size of government and support those who will put the interest of their constituents above philosophy and party. Until this is done, our state will continue to lag behind more progressive states.

This story was originally published November 20, 2016 at 6:01 PM with the headline "Letters: Oft-cited political ‘solution’ solves nothing."