| 'We all need each other,' Clyburn says
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
By Yvonne M. Wenger - The Post and Courier
COLUMBIA - The most influential black politician from South Carolina in more than a century stood before a rare joint assembly of the state Legislature Tuesday to deliver a message of unity.
But just outside the Statehouse, the Confederate flag, displayed above the Confederate Soldier's Monument, continues to divide many South Carolinians along racial lines.
"Our history is what it is," U.S. House of Representatives Majority Whip Jim Clyburn said shortly after his 31-minute speech before the 170-member Legislature.
"The Confederate flag is a part of what we all have to deal with. If you look at the real history, I don't think any of us ought to be ashamed of what that history is. We ought to celebrate it for what it was. You put everything in its proper perspective and you think about tomorrow."
Clyburn, a Democrat from South Carolina's 6th District and the third highest-ranking leader in Congress, used the state's motto, "While I breathe, I hope," to call politicians to put partisanship aside to move South Carolina forward.
"We've been too busy in recent years erecting barriers among us, which are harmful to the long-range best interests of our state and country," he said. "It's time we come together."
In the commanding voice of a minister's son, Clyburn centered his message on equal educational opportunities, the economic development of the Interstate 95 corridor through the advancement of alternative fuel sources and environmental protections and recovery, specifically of drinking water sources.
Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell said Clyburn left the Legislature with a few concrete recommendations.
"I think what's important is the message that our diversity gives us the great promise of working together to solve the problems of the future," said McConnell, R-Charleston.
Clyburn has unique insight, McConnell said.
"He has risen into the political system during the decades that this state was undergoing a transformation to put into practice equal rights for all people," McConnell said. "He's seen the South Carolina of old and the South Carolina of new. Rather than have a message of bitterness, he brings forth a message of, 'Let's move together and build hope.' "
Clyburn, who started his career as a public school teacher, was first elected to Congress in 1992.
He was defeated in a 1970 bid for the state House of Representatives. Shortly after that, Clyburn accepted a staff position with former Gov. John West, who appointed him to run the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission.
As head of the agency for 18 years, he served under four governors, two Republicans and two Democrats, and it was there, Clyburn said, he learned that partisan politics have a place only on the campaign trail.
"We all need each other," he said. "I don't believe that our state can prosper if we allow partisan politics to rule the day."
Rep. Todd Rutherford, D-Columbia, said he shares Clyburn's vision for the state but that he doesn't believe the Republican-controlled House can put political differences aside.
One area of recent contention has been over a lawsuit between the state and its poorest school districts. Although the issue isn't exclusively a partisan one, many Republicans believe the state is doing all it can to provide equal educational opportunities, while many Democrats argue that much more needs to be done.
Clyburn said "great disparities" exist in the state's public schools. He said one way to make South Carolina more competitive in a global economy is to restructure the system of awarding scholarships funded with lottery money. Currently, he said, grants are disproportionately awarded to children of higher-income families and loans are made to children who come from lower-income households.
Clyburn also said:
--Using its fertile ground to produce renewable biofuels could revive the state's agricultural belt, specifically along I-95. Clyburn said he's secured $1 million for Claflin and Francis Marion universities to study how the I-95 corridor can use biofuels to bolster its economy.
--Poor-quality drinking water and unclean air can be linked, in part, to health problems in the state such as heart disease and prostate cancer. More than $40 million has been "earmarked" to help solve the state's water problems. Still, Clyburn said, more needs to be done.
--The practice of earmarking tax dollars for special projects isn't wasteful spending. The investments were used to help fund projects in the state, including hydrogen fuel cell research at the University of South Carolina and Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina.
--Payday lending businesses in the state unfairly exploit the "working poor and unsophisticated consumer." Clyburn urged the lawmakers to take action on legislation that's been introduced here to put more restrictions on the industry.
--To better reflect close presidential elections, the state should investigate a new way of distributing its eight Electoral College votes
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