Do you remember the Marsh Tacky? If you don’t that’s understandable, because according to House Bill 3825, it "is an almost forgotten breed of horse in our State," despite their having played "a unique and pivotal role in the history of our State."
That may sound as though they came up with the idea to fire on Fort Sumter or something, but apparently all they used to do is run around wild on Hilton Head — a role now taken by transplanted Yankee condo owners.
Reps. Limehouse and Ceips proposed to do something about that by creating a registry to keep track of the feral critters, charging a fee to all Marsh Tacky owners to cover the cost of the service.
This was a sort of second-best approach for them. Last year their bill that would have made the Marsh Tacky the Official State Horse was sent to committee and forgotten, much like the poor Marsh Tacky itself.
You may not realize the full tragedy of this, but to the best of my knowledge, this leaves South Carolina without a state horse of any kind! This of course, is a great inconvenience to our State Cowboys.
But while that bill died ignominiously, the registry proposal actually got to the House Floor.
Unfortunately, Rep. Ken Kennedy sullied the bill with an amendment declaring that "The mule is designated as the official work animal of the State of South Carolina," and that caused this crucial legislation was defeated in the House. Bill’s like that just can’t reproduce, you know.
I apologize for having been so busy with DOT reform and cigarette taxes and the budget and the Confederate flag and presidential candidates coming through, that I failed to take the time to inform you about this crucial legislation before it was TOO LATE.
But here’s a full report now:
H. 3825
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Reps. Limehouse and Ceips
Document Path: l:\council\bills\bbm\9926ssp07.docIntroduced in the House on March 29, 2007
Last Amended on May 17, 2007
Rejected by the House on May 17, 2007Summary: Marsh Tacky horse
A BILL
TO AMEND THE CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, BY ADDING SECTION 47-9-60 <http://www.scstatehouse.net/code/t47c009.htm#47-9-60> SO AS TO REQUIRE THE ASSESSMENT OF A FEE BY THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR AN OWNER OF A MARSH TACKY HORSE TO REGISTER HIS HORSE WITH THE DEPARTMENT FOR THE PURPOSE OF PRESERVING AND TRACKING MARSH TACKYS IN THE STATE, TO REQUIRE THE FEES COLLECTED TO BE USED TO OFFSET THE DEPARTMENT’S COSTS OF MAINTAINING A REGISTRY, AND TO REQUIRE THE UNUSED PORTION OF THE FEES TO BE REMITTED TO THE GENERAL FUND OF THE STATE.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Article 1, Chapter 9, Title 47 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
"Section 47-9-60 <http://www.scstatehouse.net/code/t47c009.htm#47-9-60>. (A) The General Assembly finds:
(1) The Marsh Tacky is a horse with a unique history in South Carolina.
(2) The Marsh Tacky is an almost forgotten breed of horse in our State. Once existing in feral herds on the barrier islands and mainland of South Carolina’s Lowcountry, they have played a unique and pivotal role in the history of our State.
(3) Modern development of this State’s barrier islands slowly forced the Marsh Tacky’s removal from these islands where their breed had lived for more than three hundred years. Once existing by the hundreds on Hilton Head Island during the 1940’s and 1950’s, they are virtually unknown to the present day inhabitants.
(4) The pure Marsh Tacky now exist only in small numbers, and presently, there is only one known herd being carefully preserved in our State.
(5) A registry should be maintained by the State of the Marsh Tackys in South Carolina to help preserve and track these historically significant breed of horses.
(B) An owner of a Marsh Tacky may register the horse with the Department of Agriculture for the purpose of preserving and tracking the Marsh Tacky located in the State. The Department of Agriculture shall maintain the registry and record the name and address of the owner, the location of the horse, and any other relevant information about the horse, including any historical information available.
(C) The department shall assess a fee of ten dollars for each horse registered with the department. The fees collected must be used to offset the costs to the department of maintaining the registry and any unused fees must be remitted to the general fund of the State."
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
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BUT The Ways and Means Committee wanted none of that. It decided instead to create a new designation. So it proposed to strike the original bill and replace it with this:
/SECTION 1. Article 1, Chapter 9, Title 47 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
"Section 47-9-60. (A) The General Assembly finds:
(1) The Marsh Tacky is a horse with a unique history in South Carolina.
(2) The Marsh Tacky is an almost forgotten breed of horse in our State. Once existing in feral herds on the barrier islands and mainland of South Carolina’s Lowcountry, they have played a unique and pivotal role in the history of our State.
(3) Modern development of this State’s barrier islands slowly forced the Marsh Tacky’s removal from these islands where their breed had lived for more than three hundred years. Once existing by the hundreds on Hilton Head Island during the 1940’s and 1950’s, they are virtually unknown to the present day inhabitants.
(4) The pure Marsh Tacky now exist only in small numbers, and presently, there is only one known herd being carefully preserved in our State.
(B) The Marsh Tacky is designated as the official South Carolina Heritage horse."
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor./Rep. LIMEHOUSE explained the amendment.
The amendment was then adopted by a division vote of 18 to 14.
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Then Rep. Ken Kennedy proposed this additional amendment:Rep. KENNEDY proposed the following Amendment No. 2 (Doc Name COUNCIL\MS\7332AHB07), which was adopted:
Amend the bill, as and if amended, by adding an appropriately numbered SECTION to read:
/ "Section 1-1-710. The mule is designated as the official work animal of the State of South Carolina." /
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend title to conform.Rep. KENNEDY explained the amendment.
The amendment was then adopted by a division vote of 51 to 19.
———————————————————-
Then, as you can see below, all hell broke loose:
Pursuant to Rule 7.7 the Yeas and Nays were taken resulting as follows:
Yeas 29; Nays 52
Those who voted in the affirmative are:
Alexander Anderson Barfield
Battle Brady Branham
Brantley Ceips Chalk
Clemmons Davenport Gambrell
Harvin Hodges Hosey
Howard Jefferson Kennedy
Kirsh Knight Limehouse
Lowe Rutherford Scarborough
Sellers W. D. Smith Stavrinakis
White WilliamsTotal–29
Those who voted in the negative are:
Agnew Allen Anthony
Bannister Bedingfield Bowen
R. Brown Cato Chellis
Cobb-Hunter Coleman Cotty
Dantzler Delleney Duncan
Frye Funderburk Govan
Haley Hamilton Hart
Haskins Hiott Huggins
Lucas Mahaffey McLeod
Moss Mulvaney J. H. Neal
Ott Parks Perry
E. H. Pitts M. A. Pitts Sandifer
Shoopman Skelton D. C. Smith
F. N. Smith G. M. Smith G. R. Smith
J. R. Smith Spires Stewart
Talley Taylor Thompson
Toole Umphlett Walker
WeeksTotal–52
So, the Bill, as amended, was rejected.
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What a shame! Thanks for bringing this to light. State symbols are very telling. I want a bumper sticker that says: “Save the Marsh Tacky!”
While we’re at it, the praying mantis is the SC state insect, but we all know it should be the palmetto bug. Let’s fix that with an amendment.
And the state motto, “while I breath, I hope” is boring. How about: “Just south of North Carolina.”
The state reptile is the loggerhead, but with new development and over-fishing they’ll soon be extinct. So how about the Loch Murray Monster as its replacement?
And how did milk become our official state beverage? How about something a little stronger?
Finally, I’d like to nominate this site as the official state blog. Shouldn’t every state have an official blog now?
Can we go back to a Nazi thread a day?
Meanwhile, our students have just completed another two week round of meaningless PACT tests that will generate a bunch of statistics that nobody will care about. My 8th grade son has had no homework and no tests since the last week of April and will have none next week either as they finish up “school”. 18 school days. A full 10% of the school year lost to bureaucrats.
Our educational hero, Jim Rex, has done zip since he took over except form committees and travel around the state on fact finding missions. Too bad he didn’t have a plan in mind BEFORE he ran for the job.
This is the educational system we get from legislators who waste our time and tax dollars on meaningless drivel like that listed above. These are the people that The State endorses OVER and OVER again.
Looks like time is running out for another endangered species: the Dead Ender Dodo. Brad, Barney, Arial and Dear Leader may become the last of the species.
Obviously, when a species dwindles to all males, prospects look dim.
Iraq is on the verge of collapse
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraq’s government has lost control of vast areas to powerful local factions and the country is on the verge of collapse and fragmentation, a leading British think-tank said on Thursday.
Chatham House also said there was not one civil war in Iraq, but “several civil wars” between rival communities, and accused Iraq’s main neighbors — Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey — of having reasons “for seeing the instability there continue.”
“It can be argued that Iraq is on the verge of being a failed state which faces the distinct possibility of collapse and fragmentation,” it said in a report.
“The Iraqi government is not able to exert authority evenly or effectively over the country. Across huge swathes of territory, it is largely irrelevant in terms of ordering social, economic and political life.”
The report also said that a U.S.-backed security crackdown in Baghdad launched in February has failed to reduce overall violence across the country, as insurgent groups have just shifted their activities outside the capital.
While cautioning that Iraq might not ultimately exist as a united entity, the 12-page report said a draft law to distribute Iraq’s oil wealth equitably among Sunni Arabs, Shi’ites and ethnic Kurds was “the key to ensuring Iraq’s survival.”
Looks like an attempt to preserve a part of South Carolina’s natural heritage.
What’s wrong with that?
Speak of the devil… Jim Rex announced a plan to reduce PACT testing today. IN 2009!! Maybe… if the legislature approves… and can find time to drag themselves away from the horse debate.
A comment in the article on The State webpage sums up my opinion exactly:
But Randy Page, president of South Carolinians for Responsible Government, criticized Rex’s announcement as lacking details. “He told us little more than what was offered during his campaign, and the few details he did provide could have and should have been presented the day after he was sworn in,” said Page.
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I’m not against testing… I just think they waste far too much time on it and do very little with the results. My idea:
Two days of testing on the Thursday and Friday before the end of school. Makeups on Monday/Tuesday. Score Below Basic and you don’t get promoted unless you pass the test after summer school. Simple. Effective. Meaningful. Unlike PACT.
The Preying Mantis is hardly the ideal candidate for the state bug of South Carlolina. But because of apparent voting irregularities it beat out the very worthy Cockroach. What better representative for our state than the majestic, hearty and very common Palmetto Bug. We even have a familiar cheer (and appropriate sportswear) to properly acknowledge the value of this creature (Go Cocks!). They’ve been around for millions of years and will survive long after humans are gone. Many species can actually fly. That has given this noble creature the nickname “Carolina Canary”.
I demand a action to address the critical issue of state bug. For years we have suffered under the burden that SC is considered a Preying Mantis state. People from other parts of the country probably view this miscarriage of justice with disgust.
At the very least our general assembly should address this vital issue in committee. If our lawmakers are to avoid scorn and ridicule they must find a way to make this happen. The citizens of this fine state deserve no less. Perhaps a grassroots effort will work.
I remember a place we called “The Marsh Tacky Tavern” on Hilton Head Island. Do any of you remember???…It was in the 60’s – 70’s…Any info?
Wm Hilton Pkwy…right on Mathews Dr…..right on Marshland Rd. 2 1/2 miles on the right…that is where Marsh Tacky Tavern was…..
Seeking historical information on Marsh Tackies. Please contact me via e-mail: ms_mongoose@hotmail.com