‘Treasurer Candidate Heals Editor’s Digital Recorder’
Sorry, Mr. Ravenel. When I run the motor drive on my digital camera, some of the images that come out make irresistible blog fodder — particularly for my "Write Your Own Caption" category. Here’s a more normal picture at right. No, it’s
not as big as the goofy one, but if you click on it, it will be.
Anyway, the actual purpose of this blog is to record Thomas Ravenel’s "apology" to state Treasurer rival Rick Quinn. You may recall that the two of them went at each other rather intensely during the Sunday night debate on ETV (here’s a link to the streaming video).
Mr. Ravenel came in for his endorsement interview this afternoon, and when I asked what the Ravenel-Quinn feuding was all about, he said this (and I have it on NONstreaming video, which you can download, but it will take a while):
Well, in fairness to Rick, he was right. He’s right. I was trying to make the distinction between myself and Rick in that I’m a businessman, and he’s a politician. And that’s not necessarily fair to him, so I’m gonna revise that: I’m a businessman, and he is a career politician. Which I am not. Yes, I’m a politician; am I a career politician? No. So I (have to) add that adjective… and specify that he’s a career politician.
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I like the fact that Thomas “started out hammering nails,” you know, kind of the way Dubya pulled himself up by his bootstraps in the oil bidness.
Better than the way Kerry pulled himself up in the gigolo busness.
Both Kerry and Bush are full of crap.
The “he is a politician” argument is ludicrous. If Ravenel were to win, he’d be the “entrenched politician” as soon as he is sworn in. Dumb argument.
Thomas wants to be senator. It ain’t going to happen.
Ravenel is a flat-out liar…his ads say that he “started out hammering nails and built a business that created THOUSANDS of jobs…” I want to see the actual proof of this “jobs” number…when did Ravenels’ business ever result in THOUSANDS of jobs? Let’s see, if it were true, that would make him one of the three or four largest employers in the state wouldn’t it? This is obviously a hyperbolic and ridiculous campaign claim which has no basis whatsoever in fact. He clearly doesn’t believe that anyone in South Carolina is either A) paying attention or B) is intelligent enough to recognize his silly claim for just what it is…and it makes Ravenel a non-starter for any elected office in my opinion. Fritz
“Thousands of jobs” does sound like puffing, even if it is true. Ravenel should elaborate on those jobs, or stop using the line.
But, he has created a lot more real jobs than the SC state government.
Rick Quinn’s latest flyer promises to stop illegal aliens from being used on state contracts.
Too bad Quinn didn’t sponsor legislation denying state contracts to those caught employing illegal aliens back when he was in the legislature.
If he had, we could take his ads seriously.
Ravenel probably has created thousands of jobs, if he has been successful in the construction business. Think about it. They aren’t permanent jobs — you hire a few hundred people for a project until it’s done. Next project, you hire a bunch more people. I don’t think “thousands” sounds out of line.
But Lee, hey: Being a SLED agent isn’t a “real job?” Or being a prison guard? Or testing the public water to make sure we aren’t all poisoned by some private-sector yahoo who doesn’t care what he dumps in the creek? I suppose the 26 years my father spent in the Navy, including two tours in Vietnam, wasn’t a “real job.”
According to your standard, if you’re dedicating yourself to the service of other people, it’s not a real job. It’s only real if you’re out there grubbing for yourself.
And before you get started, I’m not one of those idiots on the left who hates business. I think being in business is usually a fine and constructive thing, and often noble — providing a needed service, or helping to build our country’s economy. I’m particularly impressed by entrepreneurs, who build something out of nothing.
But I will not stand by and allow public service to be denigrated. There is nothing nobler, whether it’s in the private sector (doctors, for instance) or the public.
Whenever we criticize career politicians and useless bureaucrat cronies doing nothing, the defenders of unlimited government trot out the police, nurses and firemen as their Heroes of Government.
Even those who are performing essential services were not always government employees. They aren’t doing it for free. A volunteer fireman is performing “public service” and exhibiting citizenship.
Most career politicians I have met were mediocre lawyers or whatever, who used public office to enrich themselves. The ones who ran and left after a few terms were the true “public servants”, outcasts in their own party. Journalists didn’t like them because they usually “had no prior experience”, and didn’t know how to flatter the press. They were just business people and professionals in education, engineering and medicine, who actually knew something about the world and wanted to improve things. Naive smucks, in the eyes of journalists.
When I say that Thomas Ravenel created more real jobs than any government, I am referring to several facts:
1. A dollar spent in the private sector creates more economic activity, more jobs, and higher paying jobs, than a dollar taken from the private sector and spent by government. Every dollar spent by government stunts economic growth.
2. Private sector jobs are mostly in response to what the public wants to pay for with their own money. Public jobs are mostly what people don’t want to pay for, but what some special interests and cronies want, enough to pay politicians to create.
Tom created thousands of jobs for illegal immigrants. Look–who works in the construction business? Has Thomas hired only workers that have proper documentation?
Um, probably not.
That is what he means when he says that he is a businessman.
If Ravenel has hired illegal aliens, he certainly shouldn’t hold public office, but at this point, that accusation is the baseless wish of political enemies.
Even more disqualified for holding office are any incumbents who have encouraged illegal workers to come here, or stood idly by and winked at the lawbreaking, from President Bush, Lindsey Graham, and right on down to Mayor Coble.
It is bad enough that so many people brush off the business experience of men like Ravenel. Even worse is when they treat entrepreneuers as their enemies. Where to these consumers think all their material idols came from?
Has Thomas Ravenel’s construction business received any government construction contracts? He states that he needs government to get out of his way so that he can make more money-or something to that affect in the televised debate. However, if he has lined his pockets with taxpayer funded contracts, then he is a hypocrite who should not serve the people of South Carolina.