Leventis stresses a more pragmatic view of politics



Jan. 5, 2010: State Sen. Phil Leventis (D-Sumter) urged Rotarians to pull the wool away from political issues to see that nothing is really black or white. Most issues come in shades of gray, he said.

If you listen to political rhetoric, “everything is in absolute terms,” he said. “Practical politics is not like that.” He noted that most issues don’t have simple answers because there are almost always unintended consequences that result from simple solutions.

Leventis, who has chaired the Senate Agriculture Committee and is a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, outlined how state government was an exercise in providing quality services to its investors, the taxpayers.

“State government is not a political science experiment – a zero-sum game where Republicans win or Democrats lose. It should not be partisan in the sense of who wins or loses. Being a governor is about the practical – opening schools, staffing prisons, paving roads.”

State lawmakers, he chided, seemed to spend too much time on divisive issues that don’t matter. They seemed to forget that what’s important is educating children and protecting the citizenry.

He also said that many politicians wrap public policies in “good stories’ so much that they focus only on the story and not the important public policy or facts behind the situation.

“I want you to be more skeptical about the sources” that politicians provide, Leventis said. “What we don’t need are more stories.”

He urged members to hold politicians accountable to making public policy more measurable.

“I think what we should be doing in government is setting measurable goals, observing them in appropriate time frames and then be held accountable. ”

Leventis, a member of the Sumter Rotary Club for more than 30 years, told Charleston members that the word “tax” shouldn’t be a dirty word.

“We as a community can’t do without the government,” he said. “We should demand accountability. We should consider our taxes as investments and expect a return. When we put our public discourse on that level – the Rushs, Glenns and Keiths will be out of a job, but the community will be better off.”

Submitted by Andy Brack