How well has the South Carolina Republican “Fundamental Principle” of “Limited, Constitutional Government” been exemplified by the South Carolina General Assembly in 2025? Spoiler Alert! It might not have been not exemplified much at all.
There are at least a few new laws that seem in conflict with that tenet of a good government platform. Before listing some of them, here is a quick summary of government bloat that presents criteria for evaluating the new laws.
Three essential components of government growth:
A continually growing, multi-faceted bureaucracy, including much more than just a balanced judicial branch, a legislature and a few government figureheads with limited powers. As the functions of government expand in scope, endless commissions, agencies, departments, etc. are required to carry out all the “duties” of government. Two characteristics of this bureaucracy are (1) it becomes impossible for the people or even the executive, legislative. or judicial branches, to control, and (2) On the flip side, with this parasitic bureaucracy, it becomes easy for the “State” to control the people.
More and more workers to staff the bureaucracy. This increases the size of the bureaucracy, while also giving various levels of power to those who staff it. At its current rate of expansion, this unelected mass of workers will soon control most of every activity or interaction that occurs during every person’s human existence.
Increased funding. The costs of growth of the State clearly can only increase. This is made possible by the power of the government to raise taxes and use whatever means it chooses to take as much as it wants from its subjects. Backed by its police power, the State can fund itself, and everyone and everything that serves it and its goals, excluding selected groups of subjects, spending money virtually at will.
It would be remiss to skip over one more essential component, i.e. the compliance of the populace. This has already been easily accomplished primarily by completely restructuring the minds, reality, and the ethical/moral character of people, combined with allowing almost unlimited license and indulgence without consequences for personal actions. Self has become the center of each person’s life, driving almost all choice and activity. Reality is now primarily the surface of what people see and experience, often on a screen, removing them from a personal sense of responsibility or the ability to see beyond their own self-centered comforts—while building their misguided expectations that the State can and should provide everything. Gone are the days when survival defined reality, and people were not so easily distracted and deceived. Only a rare few still have the desire or ability to see the hidden consequences of today’s choices or to distinguish truth from outright lies.
As you take a look at our legislators’ accomplishments in 2025, please keep in mind that, while the number of new laws grouped under any heading may seem relatively small (not all possible examples are listed), laws NEVER go away, despite rare repeals, which usually have replacements instead of truly trimming the body of law. Laws may change somewhat, be renamed or even reorganized, but the body of law only gets bigger and more ubiquitous.
(Note: Italics below represent author’s notes. Readers are encouraged to come to their own conclusions—and look at some of these laws and others not listed that result in similar outcomes.)
Laws That Might Expand the Bureaucracy of the State:
S 2 Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities One of the worst bills passed in a long time. Despite marketing as a “consolidation,” it will create a bigger, more powerful, more dangerous megalithic government department.
S 62 Education Scholarship Fund Implicit will be the people, mechanisms, and funding to run this great deception of the masses.
S 89 Military Affairs Advisory Council, one more agency
S 214 State Commission for Community Advancement and Engagement Don’t be deceived by the “newspeak/doublespeak” rhetoric, in this “title” and many others.
S 389 State Commission on Higher Education
H 3563 County Veteran’s Affairs Office
Laws That Are Likely to Require New Personnel:
S 253 Audit Support
H 3752 Social Work Interstate Act
H 3814 Surface Water Study Committee
H 3529 Family Court Judges Add more judges; a slow creep that doesn’t address the root of the problem
H 4247 Commodity Code Execution More litter control officers.
Laws That Require Funding:
S 62 Education Scholarship Trust Fund A sinkhole for government largesse (and control)
S 165 SC Conservation Education Act An act that will let taxpayers fund connecting youth to nature. How nice!
Great news! Only a couple of laws under this heading. Reality check!! Every law costs money—at a minimum to write, allow paid legislators to read (occasionally), review, debate, and enact into law (or not). Certainly, almost all laws require financial support to implement a designated purpose, implicit or explicit, if enacted into law. Therefore, no need to waste time writing a long list, hoping you will review it, perhaps even sparking the possibility that people will wake up and resist. Take your pick and start reading.
As we allow government growth and overreach, enabling government to give us everything we want for “free,” we will pay. We will pay taxes, increased costs to do business, and incur other burdens to enjoy allowed activities of daily life—not to mention the myriad nefarious ways our money will be stolen by the State and used without limits for programs many of us will never enjoy. We will also pay in other tangible and intangible ways as we watch the destruction of the highest standard of living and civilized society the world has ever seen and ever will see. Social welfare programs, universal medical care, and all the “benevolent” programs of the State will bankrupt every one of us as surely as the system will eventually bankrupt itself, with only one sure outcome.
So. Is total State control of our lives what we really want? If targeted action is not taken by the people very quickly, the future is bleak. The future will not be the magical, easy life being portrayed for us that we are forsaking for reality and truth.
In conclusion, please keep in mind the extensive support mechanisms for the above components—that will control YOU. You may think you will at least be “safe,” and “secure” for sure; secured and powerless, but perhaps not so “safe.”
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not constitute legal or professional advice. ConservaTruth assumes no liability for any actions taken based on this content. Read more.
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