As flood recedes, skinflint South Carolina faces huge infrastructure tab, limited federal aid

[Zorro]

Long before the historic floods of the past week, crumbling roads, bridges and dams and aging drinking water systems plagued South Carolina — a poor state that didn't spend much on them in the first place and has been loath to raise taxes for upkeep.

Now the state faces hundreds of millions if not billions of dollars' worth of additional bills to fix or replace key pieces of its devastated infrastructure.

As the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and other disasters shows, the federal government will cover much of the costs, but isn't going to pay for all of it.

"You're not going to have people down there tomorrow giving out money," said Gerry Galloway, a civil engineering professor at the University of Maryland.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/flood-slams-south-carolinas-already-211845584.html

The article may be a couple of days old, but it's still topical.

[yeoman6987]

3. They'll be fine. Not their first storm

[CreekDog]

7. what do you mean by "they'll be fine?

[Skittles]

6. I doubt even this will make them see the light

they'll beg for federal grants

[artislife]

2. I don't get it.

I cannot understand people who will maintain their cars but don't understand they need to spend the money to maintain the bridge it travels across.

[LuvNewcastle]

4. It seems that nobody in politics nowadays

has heard of priorities or foresight. They do this shit on purpose. They'll have a lot of changes they want to shove down when disaster strikes, so upkeep is seen as not only needless, but a vice. It's a motor that's being built to break down.

[Yo_Mama]

9. It's almost universal across states - CA has terrible problems.

Of course, right now CA's problem isn't too much water, but not enough of it. But some day that will change, and then the tremendous problem will become evident.

State budgets have been pressured by the GR and lost revenue and often by the need to fund retirement/medical for the swell of retiring workers. When people get poorer, it really hits state revenues, like sales tax.

Before snarking at SC, DUer's should know more about its situation. Very many people in SC are on very moderate incomes, and they pay quite high taxes relative to their incomes. There is not tons of space to raise revenue. They are trying to build up the business base, so they don't want to impose high business taxes (the state does not have a very good business tax rating):

SC charges more in personal income tax and sales tax than most neighboring states. It is not at all a low-tax state to live in. Above about $14,600, you pay 7% on your personal income. Capital gains is 7% - again higher than neighboring states, and higher than VA.

The reason SC is poor is because its citizens are poor - Household median income is only about 84% of US average, as opposed to VA, which has a median household income of 120% of national average.


http://ballotpedia.org/South_Carolina_state_budget_and_finances
http://ballotpedia.org/Tax_policy_in_South_Carolina

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/51000.html
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/45000.html

A policy of perpetually denigrating and disrespecting localities that Democrats don't like is only pushing these places into the GOP camp.

South Carolina has the second highest combined sales tax rate in the nation. Only CA exceeds it, unless there was very recent legislation to change that:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Carolina_government_and_politics

[Psephos]

12. A well-reasoned and insightful post. n/t

[RobertEarl]

5. One of the biggest problems were dams breaking

Most of the dams were built by developers in valleys and the ensuing lakes made for lots of lakefront properties that will now revert to natural streams.

The downstream properties that were flooded and washed away will be trying to recoup their losses from the dam owners. Good luck with that.

The state had a meager budget and hardly any enforcement over the dams. That will change... maybe.

Advice: Don't ever live below a dam, but if you do, make sure you are aware of the consequences.

Floods, rain expose SC’s flawed dam safety program:
http://www.thestate.com/news/local/article38043186.html

[mercuryblues]

10. spot on

many of the dams are privately owned. No one even knows who owns them any more, since some were built in the early 1900's. Then from your link... In 2013 less than $200,000 on its dam safety program.

Most of the approximately 2,400 regulated dams in South Carolina are relatively small community structures, made of earth, that are maintained by private landowners, farmers and property owners. The state inspects and regulates most of those. Federal officials oversee major dams, such as those at Lake Murray or Lake Marion. The state has an estimated 48,000 dams that aren’t regulated by anyone, according to the S.C. Emergency Management Division.

So far, 21 community dams in South Carolina are known to have blown out as a result of last weekend’s storm. Fourteen of those dams were in Richland County, where some areas received more than 17 inches of rain in a 24-hour period. All but three of the dams DHEC says have failed statewide are considered high-hazard or significant hazard dams, categories based on risk to people and property if the dams break, records show.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/news/local/article38710836.html#storylink=cpy

[KG]

8. guess SC temporarily suspends their push for succession to feed at the federal funds trough

[MisterP]

13. that's actually how it works--it's a compensation: the more they get from Washington

the more they HAVE to insist that they're losing money to DC (or Ottawa, in Quebec's case), or face up to the fact that not only has their worldview failed, they're what they condemn the most: so that's why the Ducky Dynasty types have to roar that north Louisiana alone is singlehandedly supporting effete IL, NY, and CA all on its lonesome

it's why individuals on Federal assistance can't admit it

that's why they CUT sex ed when VD and teen-pregnancy rates surge from the last cut: their mislogic operates so that they think they need to just MENTION sex less and the gross poxy fumbling will stop

[Arugula Latte]

11. Hmm, maybe the fundies down there should pray harder to Yahweh.

And my sympathies to the sane people there who don't vote for "government is eeeeevil!" politicians.