THEIR VIEWS

Video poker and saggy pants

The South Carolina Legislature opens its 2009-10 session on Jan. 13, but lawmakers have already filled House Speaker Bobby Harrell's stocking with 116 bills. Senators haven't been snuggled in their beds with visions of sugar plums, either. They managed to wrap up prefiling with 180 bills to their credit.

First up on the House side are several proposals to raise the state's cigarette tax of 7 cents per pack (the lowest in the nation). The Legislature approved an increase last session of 50 cents per pack, but Gov. Mark Sanford vetoed it. Regrettably, there were not enough votes to override it, a disservice to the more than 70 percent of citizens who supported the measure.

At issue once again is how to spend revenue derived from an increase. ...

In a flash from the past, one proposal in the Senate would allow counties to return video poker. And in another type of flashing (draw your own conclusions), a bill would make it illegal to wear sagging pants. Surely our state has more important issues than this one. We think it's tacky, but not a topic that demands lawmakers' time — unless they are some of the offenders.

Now there's a disturbing mental picture.

Anderson Independent-Mail

Dirty politics

The robo-call incident from earlier this year which resulted in an arrest is evidence that dirty politics is still a part of the political scene — even in Aiken County.

Calls went out with caller identification showing they were from REI, Incorporated, a business owned by State Sen. Greg Ryberg, R-Aiken. The voice linked Sen. Ryberg with Scott Singer, a candidate for the Republican nomination to the S.C. House District 81 seat. Sen. Ryberg won his primary race against North Augustan Jason Whinghter, while Mr. Singer was defeated in a runoff with Tom Young Jr. ...

The person charged in the incident, Virginia Allen of Aiken, worked for the campaign for Mr. Whinghter. She is also the treasurer of the Aiken County Republican Party. The charges which she faces are misdemeanors under South Carolina law, and perhaps that is one of the problems in our state.

While the intended result of the election-eve deception was not realized, the current laws are not enough to deter people who would attempt to sway our democratic process through illegal means. A slap on the wrist is not enough to deter dirty tricksters from attempting to sway elections, but perhaps a stint in the state penitentiary is. It is time that laws dealing with election mischief are dealt with as felonies.

Aiken Standard