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The South Carolina brain trust is at it again in Columbia. In today’s Local & State section of the Post & Courier, there is an article describing the typical waste of taxpayer’s time and money that occurs in the state capitol. (Read it here.)

Seanna Adcox summarizes that the state Senate committee is trying to pass a bill that will strip licensed teenagers of their drivers’ licenses if they drop out of school or are expelled. My first issue with this idea is that it is a Republican bill being pushed through a Republican-controlled capital.

Yes, this is the same Republican Party that campaigns on smaller government and less intrusion in your personal business on the government’s part. Yet, here they go sticking their noses in your personal business and at the tune of half a million to start up the program and then reoccurring costs to maintain it. Plus, the GOP that lambasts our federal programs for making our country a “nanny state” wants to play mommy and daddy with the kid’s car. The hypocrisy, apparently, knows no bounds. Which leads to my second issue – do they really believe that this will prevent kids from dropping out of school?

The problem with the dropout rate in this state is due to the federal guidelines that have been imposed under the previous presidential administration and the fact that once a student reaches their senior year at high school, it is really only college preparation at that point. Well, for those that know that they will not go to college and they need to start working to earn money for life on their own – dropping out is the answer. It may not be the correct answer, but it happens none the same. Losing one’s ability to drive seems like a moot point when they already know they’ll be stigmatized every time they have to answer, “Did you finish high school?”

And these kids who do drop out and wish to drive so they can work will have to apply for waivers to get their licenses reinstated. Oh good. Waivers. That will add time and money and human power to a wasteful program that plans on punishing victims of a broken education system. The “small government” proponents should be more interested in how they can proactively and enthusiastically keep kids in school to finish whether or not they plan to go to college. That would be a much better use of taxpayer funds and the legislative process that has completely lost its mind. This is just blatant targeting of a population that has been left behind in a program which promised them they wouldn’t be left behind.

… More State capital taking the car away.