Impeachment talk hurts S.C.

The Legislature will find itself with a full agenda of issues to work on when it convenes in January. There are issues of budget, matters of education, work on economic development, troubles with the Employment Securities Commission, cries for government restructuring and a cigarette-tax increase proposal to name just a few.

The answers to these issues are far from simple and will take time as the House and Senate sift through them on their annual January to June march.

What those bodies do not need is the added confusion of an impeachment. It is almost assured that Gov. Mark Sanford will have articles of impeachment lodged against him when the Legislature returns to Columbia. The political energy that will be expended to push this matter through both houses will be great. And while matters of impeachment are debated, the state will suffer.

For every speech berating or defending Gov. Sanford from the floor of the Legislature, important work that could help the people of South Carolina will not occur.

The governor has just one year left in his term. His participation in the legislative process is unimportant, as was proved earlier this year when his opposition to accepting stimulus funds was circumvented by the Legislature. It would be much better for the Legislature to allow Gov. Sanford to drift silently into the history books instead of going through impeachment proceedings, which will keep him front and center in the political discourse.

South Carolinians deserve better use for the time of their legislators.