For a full COVID-19 recovery, South Carolina must maintain and expand education choices

Education
Blog · June 15, 2020

Because of regular tracking by professional monitors of state spending, both in government and in the media, the impact of COVID-19 on public education budgets is coming into focus. It is now clear that even with federal support, states and school districts will be scrambling to meet current emergency needs while also preparing for anticipated

SC Primary Day 2020 is in the books

Blog · June 10, 2020

Yesterday was Democratic and Republican Primary day in South Carolina. We’ve seen the vote counts, but what do they actually mean? Here are a few thoughts to put it all in perspective. View complete results from yesterday’s primary here. There was a bit of a ho-hum factor for sure. It wasn’t a Presidential Primary, and Governor

Protect SC businesses and employees from predatory COVID lawsuits

Quality of Life
Blog · June 5, 2020

Businesses in South Carolina are slowly reopening, but optimism about a post-Great Suppression economic revival is being dampened by businesses afraid of being sued into bankruptcy should someone get sick and “dial all 9’s” (or some other trial lawyer of choice). Although South Carolina’s businesses have been fighting for years to reform the tort system,

Listen, Learn, Act

Blog · June 5, 2020

Listening. It’s something I’ve been trying to do a lot of over the last week…and I must confess, not always very well. It’s a lot easier to say than do! 24:7 “news-tainment” and social media platforms beckon us to add our voice to the cultural roar, to vent our every opinion, even shaming people as

Critics of ‘Certificate of Need’ regulations say COVID-19 pandemic shows why it needs to be repealed

Healthcare
Blog · June 1, 2020

PPI Senior Fellow Oran Smith was interviewed by WIS News 10 regarding the potential for a full repeal of CON laws in light of COVID-19 and action taken by Governor McMaster. PPI Visiting Fellow Dr. Marcelo Hochman was also interviewed. This article, and accompanying video, originally appeared on WIS News 10. Written by Jason Raven.  Dr.

New SC law allows military spouses to begin work immediately

Quality of Life
Blog · May 28, 2020

On Monday, South Carolina honored those who gave their lives fighting for our country’s freedom. On Tuesday, with the signature of Governor McMaster, South Carolina acted in support of those who fight for our freedom today. S.455, now permanent law, cuts occupational licensing red tape, allowing spouses of our military to get to work as

Will South Carolina Learn COVID’s Tax & Budget Lessons?

Tax & Budget
Blog · May 27, 2020

As South Carolina budget writers continue to warily watch COVID-19’s impact on state revenue projections, what better time to take a look at how South Carolina generates tax revenue. Tax economists generally advocate for a “3-legged” stool of taxation, a balanced combination of income, consumption (sales), and property taxes, to create revenue stability across the

Learning from example: When should South Carolina’s schools re-open?

Education
Blog · May 21, 2020

As South Carolina deliberates over an array of options for how and when to get students physically back in school without further loss of academic progress, we have solid examples from other states and other countries on ways to open schools safely. South Carolina’s AccelerateEd task force has floated the possibility of opening schools as