Oktoberfest on the Strand

While South Carolina state officials are scrambling to find enough money to offset declining revenues for essential state services, the state's Competitive Grants program has allocated $100,000 to pay for 120 German politicians to visit Myrtle Beach. It's another example of the state's misplaced spending priorities.

The group will spend a week at the Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort in late October. Rep. Liston Barfield, R-Conway, told the Myrtle Beach Sun News that the visit will encourage German tourism on the Grand Strand.

There must be better ways to prime the state's tourism pump.

Rep. Barfield is the legislative sponsor of the grant proposal, which was sought by the Myrtle Beach Hospitality Association. It will provide funding for the Partnership of Parliaments, a German-American initiative formed in 1983 to promote "transatlantic dialogue" between state legislatures in each nation, according to the grant application.

The grant was approved by the state Competitive Community Grants Committee, a panel largely appointed by legislators. It was one of $10 million in grants approved by the committee so far this year. Many of those grants have been for tourism-related events, including local festivals. The grant for the visit by the German pols is among the largest tourism awards.

The state has a tourism department that should be able to use state funds more effectively to promote tourism in South Carolina. Unfortunately, the department's budget was cut $12 million by the Legislature this year.

The Competitive Grants program was originally conceived as a way to reduce legislative pork. But it has served as a conduit to funnel public money to parochial projects supported by individual legislators. Gov. Sanford has described it as a "slush fund."

The shortcomings of the competitive grants program are particularly evident during a tough budget year. Superfluous spending can't be justified when essential services are facing cuts. It is time for the Legislature to bid "auf Wiedersehen" to the competitive grants program.