No argument with that, but SC isn't alone in budget shortfalls. The entire US infrastructure has been over-feeding on the available tax generators for far too long and borrowing far too much money in trying to buy now, pay later.

There's nothing new in the SC school system ranking, either. Much of that is due to the caliber of students and the available pool of those who want to be teachers. Most parents who can afford it send their children to private schools.... yet continue to be forced to pay their tax share toward the public school fiasco.

One of the biggest problems is the lack of jobs - particularly decent paying ones. A lack of jobs adds people to the state expense rolls, so sometimes it makes sense to provide incentives to industry, who hire people - takes them off the welfare rolls, saving the taxpayers money. The money thos workers make is usually an increased amount spread through the system, which helps other businesses hire more people. The local businesses that benefit from Boeing will further improve the local cash flow. Will it be a net gain? Dunno, but you'd be hard pressed to find someone that says that BMW was not good for SC economy:

BMW is a 4.3x Economic Multiplier

Boeing is projected to have a slightly smaller, yet significant positive impact with benefits exceeding incentive costs:

web page

How is it that once incomes reach a certain level through bargaining, luck or supply/demand, folks expect that there is no downturn or adjustment coming.... and that if another state or person can provide the same function for a lower delivered price, they are jumping on the China model? Good grief...... that's the foundation of capitalism. Unfortunately, we've come very close to socialism.

Frank