Earlier today, I issued a statement questioning whether the SC Policy Council and its president, Ashley Landess, are against social conservatives. After reflecting on my earlier comments, and conversing with folks from around the State, I’ve decided to redirect my remarks to the broader concept of social issues in economic policy. I stated that SC Policy Council president Landess had pushed aside Holly Gatlin, Director of South Carolina Citizens for Life, after first promising that she could speak at the budget press conference. After talking with both Ms. Gatlin and Ms. Landess, it appears that there may have been some confusion over the speaker’s roster at today’s presser; therefore, instead of engaging in the specifics of who spoke, I want to focus on the big picture at hand, the relationship between economic and social policy.
I believe that any discussion over the budget in South Carolina, or at the Federal level, is incomplete without addressing the underlying causes. In both cases, the underlying causes are social in nature. As such, I was disappointed that today’s press conference did not address the fact that this bloated state budget, making its way through the SC Senate, funds abortion with tax dollars. That’s right, SC taxpayer dollars are included to fund abortions under the state health insurance program. I issued a statement on this last week, end encouraged pro-life leaders across our State to stand up for life and against the current SC budget. I renew that call this evening, as I believe that this budget endangers the lives of South Carolina’s most vulnerable citizens, the pre-born, and it places a financial burden on the taxpayers of this state that cannot be sustained.
These are serious times, and we need serious solutions. If we want to address the issue of out-of-control deficits, I’m there; however, I want to address the root cause of our current financial crisis, which is the degradation of our culture’s Judeo-Christian Values. As a result of this degradation, our society is responsible for the death of over 55 million innocent Americans. In addition to the human toll, this translates into $ trillions in lost GDP productivity. In fact, some economists have stated that, had the holocaust of abortion never been legalized in 1973, the current sea of red ink in programs like Social Security and Medicare would have been minimized.
I agree with the South Carolina Policy Council on a number of issues facing our state, ranging from their opposition to targeted tax incentives that allow Columbia to pick winners and losers, to their support of school choice and educational freedom legislation. Nevertheless, I call on the Policy Council to address not only dire deficits, but the root social causes of our economic troubles. If we do not reform the culture, beginning with standing-up for the pre-born, we cannot recover our economic prosperity and national greatness.
If the first right of all Americans, indeed all human beings made in the image of God, the right to life, is not preserved then all others are in danger. We cannot claim the sacredness of private property if we do not affirm the sacredness of personhood. I call on my fellow South Carolinians, and leaders from both the economic and social spheres, to come together to build a better future. We must, simultaneously, address economic and social issues in our State. I’m confident that we can all work together to build a society safe for innocent babies, and free market capitalism alike.
Link on Economic Impact of Abortion from National Right to Life: http://www.nrlc.org/factsheets/FS04_MissingPersons.pdf
