Rallying against cuts in S.C.

COLUMBIA, S.C.--The State House here had a noticeably unfamiliar feel as unionists, students, activists and others gathered for the Rally for a Moral Budget on March 12. About 2,000 people participated to show their anger at Gov. Nikki Haley's plans to ax education, the arts and Medicaid.

One 7-year-old boy held possibly the best sign: "Save $, Fire the Governor!" He wasn't the only one whose sign referred to to one of Haley's first decisions after taking office: Salary increases for herself and her staff. Teamsters and longshore workers made their presence known.

Rally speakers made important points about austerity at the state level and emphasized the importance of solidarity. But while it was understandable that speakers wanted to appeal to the immediate concerns of South Carolina residents, none made connections to austerity in other states--most notably in Wisconsin, where protesters have been mobilizing for weeks to protest a union-busting assault by the governor.

Rally organizers called on us to attend another event, Mob the Lobby, on Monday, March 14, where we will go to the State House and demand that legislators stop the cuts to social services.

In a very conservative state, where the State House is surrounded by statues of bigots Strom Thurmond and Benjamin Tillman, and the Confederate flag still flies, we're glad to see people coming out of the woodwork to challenge the existing power structure in our government. If it can happen here, it can happen anywhere.