Enough to make me a fiscal conservative

Complaints over "pork barrel" politics have become so commonplace as to border on cliche. In fact, after reading Cindi Scoppe's column this morning, I now realize that South Carolina's General Assembly has moved well beyond the barrel and planted its snout firmly in the trough.

I'll try harder to get worked up over the perks of local elected officials later, but right now I am entirely too pissed off at state officials to comment. The fact that a legislator who "retires" after 30 years draws a pension nearly $10,000 higher than the current salary - while state employees at the same pay level who actually work during those 30 years draw down about $20,000 less annually than the morons who make our laws - is too outrageous for words, even for me.

I used to feel that while their were certainly a few people who ran for state office to feed their own egos, enhance their business prospects or simply line their own pockets, the vast majority of our public servants were just that - people who were giving something back to their state or community. What a naive freakin' idiot I was.

Every one of these people - some of whom are personal friends of mine - have hoodwinked us all. No matter their intentions, the news of this pension plan convinces me that the S.C. General Assembly is absolutely committed to one thing: greed.

My only hope is that voters who think they are sending fiscal conservatives to the General Assembly will realize what a joke that is. Alas, I doubt it will happen, because it is increasingly apparent that the only life form less intelligent than the average South Carolina legislator is the average South Carolina voter.