Yes, Tammy does look quite fetching in her dress, although she could wear a trash bag and still look hot... Obviously, the big SC Political news this week was the SC Ethics Commission investigating Lt. Governor for 92 violations between his election and inauguration. While most people jump right on a bandwagon, and call for heads to roll, sometimes we'll sit back for a day or two, and comtemplate things. No, it won't make us newsbreakers, but that's not what we're here for. Our job is to be as honest and objective as possible...
First off, our disclaimer: Yes, we did support Ken on his campaign. I wouldn't call myself a member of the inner circle, but we would have occasional policy and campaign discussions via text or in person before I left for New York. No, I wasn't paid - my insights aren't worth compensation. Nothing against Bill Connor. I consider him and especially Joshua Gross friends. He would be a good Lt. Governor, but I felt and still feel Ken Ard would be better..
Now, onto the issue at hand. Taking away all the hyperbole and side show stuff, the problem is very simple: why did Ard use the campaign account for personal expenses, and is it legal or ethical? Why is very simple: Ard dropped hundreds of thousands of his own personal cash into his election. If there's money left over, and you have things related to the job, you might feel entitled to using that cash for it. Ken does have a bit of a reputation for tightness with the duckets, so the opinion that your wife's inaugration dress would be a legitimate expense. Of course, that is wrong....
Anyone who itemizes on their taxes (correctly, that is) knows that only items for exclusive use on the job are deductible. For example, I can't write off my dress slacks and shirts for work, because I can use them elsewhere, even if I don't. Uniforms, OTOH are deductible... Laptops, lunches, and yes, cocktail dresses are verboten. Ard made lots of enemies across the state last year, so it doesn't surprise us that someone was watching the numbers...
We have little doubt that Ken will be fined and have to pay back the money he took out. Personal money only goes in - it's not allowed to go out. As for the call for him to resign, that's too far. Those calling for it all have an axe to grind with him, so why listen to them? Ard is pretty new to the statewide campaign game. County Council races are cut and dried. You're mostly dealing with your own cash, so there's more leeway. Ken is a guy who might eff up the details, but he's a bigger picture guy who can help bring jobs to the state,and work across the aisle - even if it hurts him in GOP circles.
We won't call it a small blip or misstep, but it's easily fixable. No need for the witch hunt yet...
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2 comments:
Nice post. I agree.
Mike--the odds on Ken resigning are somewhere along the lines of USC (either one ) winnig the BCA National Championship in football in the fall.
The fuss surrounding Ken is entirely politcal BS. Note that to date no one member of the Senate, Democrat or Republican has come out and publically called for his resignation. Heck, no sitting senator has even expressed much comment on the whole mess. That raises a question of why?? Maybe they don't want the same scrutiny Ken is undergoing? Or maybe they realize this is an fabricated witch hunt that in the end will produce nothing worthwhile but a lot of wasted tax payor dollars.
And while I'm at it, our buddy (a loosely used term) at FITS seems to want to try and put Ken's head
on his mantle. Someone needs to remind Will about pissing off people with elected titles in front of their names. I think none of the Horsemen will be surprised to wake up one morning as see where Will has had an recent encounter with a member of the SC Law Enforcement community. I've got a few bucks for flowers, Earl, Moye, Mike you going to pony up also??....teg
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