Quality of Life

"Quality of life” means ensuring that all South Carolinians have full access to the blessings of life, liberty, and the fruits of their own labor. This means pursuing equal justice under the law and breaking down government-sponsored barriers to work wherever they exist…among many other important issues. We proudly stand for equal opportunity as the path to a free and flourishing South Carolina.

The Latest

Blog
September 15, 2022

Chart of the Century?

Oran P. Smith, Ph.D

American Enterprise Institute (AEI) Senior Fellow Emeritus Mark J. Perry estimates that over the last fifteen years he has posted some 3,000 infographics to cyberspace—charts, graphs, tables, figures, maps, and Venn diagrams—each serving as his famous “Chart of the Day.” For some of us, Perry’s charts are  “eye candy” because of their combination of simplistic

Blog
June 1, 2022

“Online Choice Act” Is the Wrong Cure for Reining in Big Tech

Wes Thomas

Big Tech is a big problem. Whether one is a Republican or Democrat, rich or poor, there is near universal agreement that this massive online oligarchy is out of control. But the proposed solution getting the most attention is in many ways worse than the problem – and it doesn’t even address what concerns us most. Sound familiar?

Blog
May 17, 2022

Sine Die: Initial Recap of the 2021-22 SC Legislative Session

Oran P. Smith, Ph.D

A few weeks before the 2021-22 session began, Palmetto Promise Institute published our Palmetto Playbook making recommendations on issues like education, healthcare, energy, quality of life, and taxation & spending. How did we do?  

Blog
March 8, 2022

Election Reforms Bills Moving

Oran P. Smith, Ph.D

Thanks to strong state laws and aggressive legal initiatives taken to defend them (one of which was fought—and won—before the US Supreme Court) South Carolina has preempted many problems and largely avoided debacles like those experienced by our neighbors in Georgia and elsewhere.

Blog
October 26, 2021

Report: How SC can open more opportunities for small farmers

Jeremy Ward

South Carolina lost 441 farms between 2012 and 2017, especially in rural counties. Part of that is surely due to broader trends of market consolidation as well as a slough of untimely droughts and hurricanes – but could outdated and entrepreneurship-killing regulations be contributing too?

Blog
October 18, 2021

Happy Free Speech Week!

Oran P. Smith, Ph.D

This week, October 18-22, is the 17th annual observance of Free Speech Week in America. When we think of threats to Freedom of Speech, our minds naturally go to powerful examples from history.