By Rick Aberrombie
Representing the South Carolina Policy Council (SCPC), Sam Aaron provided the St. Andrews Optimists with an overview of the Council’s role in state government. Aaron serves as the Council’s Research Director. He is a 2017 graduate of Dutch Fork High School and earned his B.A. Degree in Political Science from USC.
Sometimes considered to be a think tank, SCPC is an independent research group that promotes and protects principles of limited government, individual liberties, free markets, and traditional South Carolina values.
South Carolina’s legislators, as described by Aaron, are working part-time for the State while also maintaining their non-legislative careers. As such, researching issues can lack the depth and detail of focus that SCPC can provide.
Some highlights of SCPC’s stated goals are:
1. Make our State a more attractive place to open and operate a business.
2. Establish South Carolina as the lowest-taxed state in the South.
3. Explore and expand school choice.
4. Upgrade the State’s road and bridge infrastructure.
5. Transparency in the everyday legislative process
6. Examine regulations in light of how they affect job creation and innovation.
To make its research available to the public, SCPC established “The Nerve,” a news site that researches and comments on political issues facing the State. The Nerve takes things one issue at a time in order to examine policy issues in light of SCPC’s goals. Those areas of examination are timed to provide “deep dive,” single issue research to coincide with legislative votes.
SCPC operates as a 501 ( c ) (3) nonprofit. Readers can explore its work at scpolicycouncil.org.
Pictured left to right are Optimist Club President David Kafitz and Sam Aaron who received a copy of the Optimist Creed.
