Our Department of Corrections is leading the national effort to repeal the federal law which prohibits us from jamming these phone signals. Until we accomplish that, we must take every action, try every idea and implement any law which will stop these criminals. I ask for your determined assistance.
For the last three years, we had more opioid-related deaths in South Carolina than homicides and drunk driving deaths combined. In 2016, this "silent hurricane" killed 616 people.
And it's not just pills. Addictions intensify from one substance to another. From 2014 to 2016, heroin deaths increased 67%, plus a more than 700% increase in cases involving fentanyl.
We must take a bold new approach to this unprecedented threat. It consists of a "full court press," including awareness, information and treatment. Last month, I declared a statewide public health emergency. This allows us to bring the full power of the state's emergency management infrastructure, health care apparatus and law enforcement resources to bear--as a single team--upon the growing epidemic of opioid deaths, addiction and abuse.
We want a multifaceted system, anchored by traditional public schools boasting the best teachers, principals and technologies. We want charter schools--all public--to flourish, including those for children with special needs. Parents want vigorous, accountable, innovative school choice. So how do we accomplish this?
Oil spills, like hurricanes, can disrupt and damage a state's economy. We cannot stop hurricanes, but we can avoid oil spills. We cannot take a chance.
We must do whatever it takes to preserve this economic paradise we call "the beach, the marsh, the coast and the lowcountry." It is made of gold.
Experience shows that a refusal to enforce one law generally reflects a softness in enforcing other criminal laws, and attracts criminal behavior. Our rule is "trust, but verify." I support bills which would create an enforcement mechanism to register compliance.
We will keep our people safe, and send a message across the nation that there will be no "sanctuary cities" in South Carolina.
The South Carolina Technical College System is the engine of our economic and workforce development. We should use this magnificent system to the fullest extent. To that end, I'm calling for the creation of the South Carolina Workforce Partnership.
This new initiative will connect businesses with high schools and technical colleges to collaborate on internships, dual credit and certificate programs for students interested in the skilled trades--focused on rural areas of our state. My budget also increases funding for Workforce Scholarships and Grants--so that more students can access the financial resources to obtain certificates and associate's degrees at our technical colleges.
The first year's cut amounts to $139 million. To all the South Carolinians listening tonight: that's $139 million that would have gone to government, and will stay with you instead.
Like Presidents Reagan, Kennedy and now Trump, I believe that low taxes spur economic growth and prosperity. Yet, South Carolina currently has the highest marginal income tax rate in the southeast--the 12th highest in the nation. Seven states have no income tax at all. Taxes of all kinds at all levels add up--little by little--to smother growth.
We must act. We must heed the lessons of history. We must respect the right of the people to their own money, for their own purposes, according to their own priorities.
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The above quotations are from 2018 Governor's State of the State speeches.
Click here for other excerpts from 2018 Governor's State of the State speeches. Click here for other excerpts by Henry McMaster. Click here for other excerpts by other Governors.
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