Credit Where It's Due

The State is not just a bad newspaper; it's consistently horrible. Sometimes you wonder if they're even trying.

But it's important to highlight when they do something right. Let it never be said that IdontBelievetheState.com is not the picture of fairness, justice, and wisdom in its media criticism.

So here's some praise for The State.

While the most awful page of The State is usually the Op-Ed page—who can forget the 15 part series on all the "problems" with Put Parents in Charge? The criticism was longer than the bill, for heaven's sake!—it also has the most potential for improvement. After all, the Op-Ed page has the advantage of including writers who don't work for The State.

Usually, the newspaper messes up the opportunity and gives us yet another guest column by some dope explaining why taxes aren't high enough and we need to spend more money on something or other (but not a tax cut!). Today's guest column, by Austin Cunningham, however, breaks the mold.

It actually looks for solutions for South Carolina problems that don't involve higher taxes or bigger, more intrusive government. Genius! Revolutionary!

Cunningham does an excellent job of analyzing South Carolina's problems and contrasting it with Florida's explosive economic growth and relatively responsible government. But here's my favorite part:

The commissioner of education is appointed by the governor. He and his board supervise everything, kindergarten through university.

If a public school fails two years in a row, parents get vouchers for other public or private schools.

So holding public officials accountable while giving parents more choices might actually improve schools? Who woulda thunk?

Really, the article is excellent. It provides a cornucopia of fresh new ideas that might get the state moving in the right direction. Now if only someone could do the same thing for The State!

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