Probably out of curiosity and nostalgia I listened to a few of the speeches by new legislators introducing themselves to the Senate. All of them proclaimed how great it was to be on hallowed ground and be in that august body.
Generations have passed and we have watched the difference between the South Carolina House of Representatives and the South Carolina Senate. There have been many.
The Senate has always been much more formal, much more reserved and much more of a traditional body. In the past Senators choose their seats and worked very hard to have the honor to move “up” closer to the front of the Chamber. To sit on the first row a Senator should be the President of the Senate, the Chair of Finance and the Chair of Judiciary unless the Majority Leader chose to sit there. The Majority Leader should certainly be at the front so he or she could be a “ leader” along with committee chairs.
I guess I’m old school about traditions practiced over so many years, but apparently the rules have changed and a valued institution has been lost. So, my successor, a freshman, has taken the second row seat I worked years to earn. A location I believe should be reserved for Senate leadership or those with recognized tenure. This isn’t hubris or vanity, it’s a matter of respect and accomplishment.
Maybe other legislators who could have moved to the second row on the Majority side were afraid of sitting beside Senator Shane Martin, which, by the way, they should be. Senator Martin will call you out on a rules violation quicker than anyone else and he will be right. I don’t recommend arguing unless you’re up to being made a fool.
Perhaps they were afraid moving to that seat might summon the Spirit of Katrina to return and haunt them!*
To those new Senators who stood in the chamber for the first time, nothing you said matters if you don’t live up to what you promised. I hope you take this job seriously and make a difference. I hope you care about people because that is who you came to represent. When your time is up I hope that you still put your pants on one leg at a time just like you did when you started.
*The only thing I care about is who is going to step up to the plate and take care of children and families and stand on their own two feet.
WHILE I BREATHE 