SCHotline

By Jeffrey Sewell

As I sat in the Matthew Perry Federal Court House earlier this month watching my friend, Thomas Ravenel, receive his sentence on federal drug charges, I was reminded of a scene from the Academy Award-winning film, Traffic.

One of the most unflinching, unapologetic and controversial motion pictures ever made, Traffic explores America’s “War on Drugs” from multiple vantage points, including that of fictitious American Drug Czar Robert Wakefield.

“If there is a war on drugs,” Wakefield says during the movie’s climactic scene, “Then many of our family members are the enemy. And I don’t know how you wage war on your own family.”

Sitting calmly behind the defendant’s table in that same courtroom was a man I have come to know as family.

He was – and is – a good man, a successful man, a man whose goodness and success has created opportunity and prosperity for thousands of South Carolinians. And a man whose passionate advocacy of our nation’s founding fiscal conservative principles was poised to create additional opportunity and prosperity for thousands – perhaps millions – of us living in a state saddled with high unemployment, low income levels and a diminished competitive position in an increasingly competitive world.

But my friend – who also happens to be our former State Treasurer – had a secret habit.

His recreational use of cocaine not only violated our laws, it also violated the public trust we placed in him.

Perhaps better than anyone else, Thomas Ravenel knows this. That’s why he cooperated fully and truthfully with the authorities who came to know of his secret. It’s why he took immediate and decisive steps to receive the treatment he needed to cure him of his admitted addiction. It’s why he willingly accepted a sentence that many – including me – felt was too harsh and too motivated by the media’s definition of “equality,” a definition at odds with mitigating circumstances acknowledged not only by his attorneys, but by the men prosecuting him. And it’s why he’s asked to begin serving his sentence now, rather than delay it in the hopes of receiving leniency.

Through every step of his public ordeal, Thomas Ravenel has proven that his words “I not only want to apologize, I want to make amends,” have been accompanied by a genuine commitment to rehabilitate himself and restore the public confidence he has lost.

But no matter what you think of Thomas Ravenel or the sentence he received, consider these facts from a recent non-partisan Pew Center study:

• State and federal authorities currently spend $55 billion a year to incarcerate approximately 2.3 million Americans – the highest percentage in the world.

• Government spending on incarceration – adjusted for inflation – has increased by 127% over the past two decades. By comparison, higher education costs have only increased by 21%.

• Non-violent offenders – who represent about half of all incarcerated American adults – would be just as likely to avoid repeat offenses if given less-expensive punishments like mandatory drug counseling, electronic monitoring or house arrest.

Simply put, for all the talk of “justice” and “equality” that accompanied news of Ravenel’s sentencing, the truth is that as a society we are avoiding the underlying issue here – the increasing costs and proven ineffectiveness of locking up first time, non-violent offenders.

Even assuming Ravenel hadn’t admitted his responsibility, cooperated fully with authorities or voluntarily sought treatment for his drug use, he likely would still have been eligible for Pre-Trial Intervention (PTI) and avoided jail time had he faced state charges. Why wasn’t he? In fact, Judge Joseph F. Anderson acknowledged in Ravenel’s sentencing hearing that it was “rare to have powder cocaine cases in the federal court system.”

“Ravenel is a good example of a defendant likely to mend his ways and become a contributing member of society again – even without a jail sentence,” a recent editorial by the Rock Hill Herald stated. “Taxpayers will spend about $15,000 a year to house and feed Ravenel in a federal prison. We question whether that is money well spent.”

It’s easy to be tough on crime, to “lock ‘em up and throw away the key.” It’s also easy to allow the media to dictate the parameters of justice as they see fit. What’s more difficult is to acknowledge that while popular and politically-expedient, such remedies do not always serve the individual to be “rehabilitated” or the society to be “protected.”

Our goal as a nation should be not only truth – but justice – in sentencing. In the case of Thomas Ravenel, justice clearly was not served.

Mr. Sewell is the principal consultant of Sewell Consultancy, a political consulting firm in Lexington County. He is also the former campaign manager to Ravenel for Treasurer and co-owner of www.SChotline.com.

by Jeffrey Sewell

Who is to blame for the current state of the SCGOP?

The long established S.C. political consulting machine is the problem: no new ideas, bad data, cookie-cutter operations, and bad candidates. The same-old, same-old produces the same unacceptable results, which frankly does not benefit the folks of South Carolina or further the Republican agenda of change for the better.

The time is now for new consulting firms to step up and step out. With young minds like Boling, Donahue, Folks, Piper, Ragley and others, there is certainly not a lack of young talent in this state. It is time for them to make their mark. They understand how to recruit on principle, not on dollars in the candidate’s pocket. With the talent pool in SC for both young consultants and conservative candidates, there is no reason to rely on the traditional establishment any longer. It just makes sense that if you have a good conservative candidate, you can raise the cash necessary to win.

The Huckabee campaign is the perfect example of performing at the top on a shoestring budget, bravo Chip, Drake & Adam. ‘Doing more with less’ is as much a business approach and state of mind as it is a way to govern a State.

On the issues, Conservatives must recognize that we must first cut the waste in our state government.

It is entirely possible to improve services while cutting both waste and taxes. Don’t get me wrong, this will not have the Democrats dancing in the street; it will be quite the opposite. This is the only common sense approach to improving the political landscape of South Carolina in a way that will encourage new business development, create new jobs and improve the quality of life for all South Carolinians.

Jeffrey Sewell is a principal of SCHotline.com and a the principal consultant of Sewell Consultancy, he and his wife Vee reside in West Columbia, South Carolina [BIO]