Latest / Joey Hudson / Just The Truth / WEEKEND: Transcontinental Rails & Local Jobs: The Norfolk Southern–Union Pacific Merger (Ep 632)

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WEEKEND: Transcontinental Rails & Local Jobs: The Norfolk Southern–Union Pacific Merger (Ep 632) · Joey Hudson / Just The Truth

• 0:00
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  I heard it said one time, if America's economy has a circulatory system, railroads are the
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  veins that keep it moving.
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  Here in South Carolina, especially the upstate, rail helped build who we are, from peaches
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  and textiles to today's advanced manufacturing economy.
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  And Spartanburg earned the nickname Hub City for that very reason.
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  In a recent column published in the South Carolina Daily Gazette, Justin Bradley, a
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  former Spartanburg County Councilman and a longtime resident of the upstate, wrote that
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  rail is making a comeback with inland ports expanding, freight volumes climbing, and a
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  major proposal that could reshape how goods move across the country.
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  Justin joins us on our guest line.
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  Welcome. How are you, sir?
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  Hey, Joey, I'm doing great.
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  Thanks for having me.
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  Well, thank you for your time.
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  You wrote about a proposed merger between two rail giants, Norfolk Southern and Union
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  Pacific. As I understand it, they're seeking approval for what would become America's first
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  true end-to-end transcontinental rail line.
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  Before we get too involved in that proposed merger, let's take a minute, Justin, and talk
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  about the big picture first.
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  Why does rail still matter so much in a modern economy that seems dominated by highways
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  and trucks?
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  Yeah, absolutely, Joey, and as you know, I love history.
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  And so, you know, if we if we go back 160 years, you know, there was an idea to do a
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  true transcontinental railway.
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  And what it did back in the 1860s and leading into the beginning of the 20th century is
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  it really allowed markets to open up.
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  And so businesses, for example, here in South Carolina, whether it was textiles or
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  whether it was it was peaches, they now have new markets across the country that they
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  could use and have access to and be able to to sell their their products.
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  And then we were able to receive products from from other places, whether that was in
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  use products or whether that was the ability to get supplies in that businesses here could
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  then use and turn those into something else that we could then sell out to the market.
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  So it really fueled that industrial revolution that really helped to transform our our
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  entire economy throughout the the 20th century.
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  And as we now get into the into the future, you know, Spartanburg especially has seen
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  and the upstate has seen this tremendous resurgence in the ability to have advanced
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  manufacturing here in our communities, whether it's companies like BMW or Michelin.
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  And so many companies are wanting to come to our area specifically because what that
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  has allowed us to do is is utilize these these older networks and and modernize them
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  and take what used to make Spartanburg so great with that hub city moniker and be able
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  to now use that advantage to to help these companies that are coming in.
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  And I can tell you that when I when I serve on Spartanburg County Council, the number
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  of companies that wanted to be in Spartanburg, specifically because of that inland
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  port, because it opened up tremendous opportunities for them to sell their products and
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  to get supplies that they needed to to ultimately make those products here in our
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  community. It was just a tremendous asset to us.
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  And it ultimately meant that we were able to have great paying jobs here in our
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  community because of those companies wanting to come in.
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  Yeah. You know, Justin, I grew up in Greer.
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  My elementary school was Victor Elementary right there by the railroad tracks that come
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  through Greer. And so, you know, trains is always an exciting part of the day when the
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  train came through for a bunch of elementary school kids.
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  And I got to say, I'd always heard of Spartanburg being referred to as hub city.
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  Do you know until I read your article, I really didn't realize that it was because of
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  our relationship with with the rail lines.
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  That's right. I mean, it is truly been a essential part of of Spartanburg's history
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  going all the way back to the to the late 1800s.
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  It's really fascinating.
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  And in the 1860s, there was the vision of having a transcontinental railroad, right?
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  That would take and connect the East Coast all the way out to the West Coast.
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  That's why we had so much westward expansion that was able to happen because of those
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  rail lines. But until today and even through today, we've never actually had a
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  transcontinental rail line, a company that's able to take freight all the way from the
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  East Coast out to the West Coast and be able to efficiently help move that through
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  through one company. And that's what this merger potentially would do.
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  Yeah, my wife and I back before Christmas, she had a a co-worker of hers getting
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  married, and we traveled down to to the Palm Beach, Florida area, and we went to the
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  Flagler Museum and learned all about, you know, Henry Flagler and the role that he
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  played. They have his actual rail car there beside his his what was once his home.
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  And that's how he traveled, of course.
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  And boy, it is it is nice wood paneling and all.
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  Yeah, yeah, it's amazing to see.
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  Yeah. All right.
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  So so let's talk a bit then about this proposed merger.
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  What makes an end to end merger?
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  And you touched on it a minute ago.
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  But what makes this merger between Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific different from
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  maybe pass rail consolidations?
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  Yeah, absolutely.
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  And I should say, Joey, at the at the front end, you know, ultimately federal regulators
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  are going to have to look at this this merger and look at all the criteria to make sure
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  that it is ultimately best for for the communities.
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  But as I look at it, I see a tremendous amount of benefits.
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  And the main one is providing that first transcontinental rail line that's going to
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  allow companies, especially those here in South Carolina, like the the companies in
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  Spartanburg that are creating great jobs for our community, they're going to have access
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  to markets out west.
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  And that's going to do a number of things.
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  One, it's going to allow them to more efficiently get the supplies, the the items
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  that they need from out west here so that we can then manufacture the products here
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  and in South Carolina and create those those jobs and hopefully see expansion of of
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  those jobs here in the community.
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  But it's also going to allow companies that are already here in South Carolina and
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  companies are looking to move here.
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  It's going to give them access to those markets to be able to get their products more
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  efficiently out west.
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  And and look, you know, trucking is a is a fantastic system.
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  I'm not against trucking, but we all look at the the state of our roads and
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  infrastructure here and in South Carolina especially.
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  And we know that adding more trucks to the road, which is really what's happened over
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  the last, you know, twenty five, twenty six years or so, has ultimately led to more
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  strain on on already reduced and struggling infrastructure that we have in our area.
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  You know, we already are moving tons of freight on rail.
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  Being able to do that more efficiently and hopefully expand that is going to help.
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  I you know, as I was researching this and taking a look at it, I came across a number
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  that, you know, it would take so much more trucks on the road to be able to actually
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  move that that freight that we're we're currently doing by by freight along another
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  three point three million roads on on South Carolina, a million trucks on South Carolina
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  roads. At the end of the day, we know our roads can't handle that.
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  So we've got to have a more efficient way of helping our companies get their product
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  here and also be able to get it out to to those people who are buying them.
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  Yeah. Justin Bradley is our guest today.
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  Former Spartanburg County councilman has done a lot of research on how the rail system
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  has affected the upstate and South Carolina in general.
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  And, you know, Justin, at a time when just this week Governor McMaster announced he's
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  going to encourage the state legislature to spend an additional billion, just over a
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  billion dollars on roads.
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  And when we talk about infrastructure and we talk about the potholes and the bridge
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  repairs, congestion, more use the use of freight.
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  And look, I support the truckers as well.
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  They play a vital role in our communities, in our economy.
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  But the use of freight would help with those roads and potholes and bridge repairs.
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  Right. That's right.
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  I mean, ultimately relying on on just, you know, one method of moving those products
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  is just going to create a lot more strain on our already strained infrastructure.
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  You know, you touched on it.
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  You know, we we are continuing to have to spend more and more taxpayer dollars on our
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  infrastructure. And and the roads just can't handle that that kind of continued strain.
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  So, you know, having another option, especially for all of those companies who have
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  invested here in our community to be able to get that product out, you know, freight is a
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  great option that ultimately is going to is going to help the taxpayers, too, in that
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  regard. Yeah, I want to go back, Justin, and with me today, Justin Bradley, to
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  something you mentioned just a minute ago about some of the specific materials that are
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  transported via rail that could potentially become more affordable, decrease prices
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  overall. For example, you soda ash is a key ingredient used in glass production and
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  other products that could become more affordable, more accessible to our manufacturers
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  in our areas. Talk with us about this and some of those other materials that you talked
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  about and how that ultimately would affect the consumer.
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  Yeah, absolutely. So soda ash is a good example, right?
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  So there are a lot of of high production states like Wyoming out west that, you know,
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  produce a lot of soda ash.
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  And so it's it's a lot cheaper to get it from those states because they're just such an
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  abundance of it. You know, that that soda ash is a key ingredient that's used for things
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  like glass production and is used in other products that are manufactured.
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  And so allowing companies to be able to get that cheaper allows them to be able to bring
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  that in from out west.
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  Currently, if without this merger, if you were to try to bring that in, that that shipping
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  is going to be a lot more expensive because you're going to have to pay for rail line
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  changes from one rail line to another.
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  And there's additional regulatory inspections and and processes that go along with that
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  with that transfer. So that makes that process a lot more efficient.
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  There's other chemicals that are used by companies like BMW and Michelin that, again,
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  are cheaper and produced out west and would allow us to bring that in and again, allow
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  those companies to potentially expand their operations because they can do more of it
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  more efficiently. You know, talking about the history for just a second, you know, when
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  we look back at the 1800s, part of the need for that expansion that occurred then was
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  if you were a farmer and you were growing corn, it would cost you more to ship a bag of
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  corn 200 miles to to sell it than it would actually cost the bag of corn itself.
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  And so, you know, at the end of the day, trying to make these products more efficient and
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  more affordable certainly helps those those companies and open up all of these new
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  markets for companies in our area.
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  Yeah. Justin, quite often when people hear merger, they think about, you know, these
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  huge conglomerates and and competition, potentially higher cost.
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  You mentioned that there is a process, though, that sort of safeguards this.
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  Talk with us about that, the review process and kind of where we are in that process.
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  Yeah, absolutely. So there there is a bipartisan federal regulator called the Surface
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  Transportation Board in D.C.
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  And and they're in the process of reviewing this this merger between the two companies.
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  And at the end of the day, they're going to be looking at the process to figure out
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  whether it's, you know, allows for more competition, if it's going to stifle competition,
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  what type of service that's going to provide to to customers of these rail lines, what
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  it means for things like safety and the broader economy.
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  And and so it will be a very thorough review process that the companies will go
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  through. There's going to be public input and detailed economic analysis as part of
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  that. So this is not going to be a process that's just going to, you know, breeze
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  through. And at the end of the day, I know the federal regulators will certainly spend a
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  lot of time doing thoughtful analysis on on whether this deal ultimately is is good for
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  the economy. But as I said, what I what I see looking at this is is a lot of tremendous
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  opportunity that it creates for for all of these companies that we work so hard to
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  recruit to our area and the companies that have that have grown up right here and in the
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  upstate. Yeah, Justin, as we kind of wrap up here, kind of bottom line it for us.
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  When you weigh manufacturing growth, infrastructure savings, safety, economic
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  competitiveness. Why do you believe this merger serve South Carolina's long term
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  interest? Yeah, I think what it ultimately boils down to is is really the the true
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  opportunity for our companies right here in the upstate to be able to get their products
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  out to the market much more efficiently and the ability for them to to get the supplies
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  that they need here.
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  And at the end of the day, what that's going to lead to is hopefully a lot more good paying
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  jobs for for our community as a result of this.
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  Now, obviously, we're we've talking about freight lines here and transporting goods and
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  products here. As you are looking, though, at the railroad service in the area, there's
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  been a lot of talk, too, about how the railroads could potentially ease up the
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  congestion on our roads every day.
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  I mean, eighty five between Charlotte and Georgia, it can be a nightmare every every
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  morning. Is there any movement to to potentially talk about railroad more as a
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  transportation for for people?
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  I mean, you know, we've heard about the bullet train supposedly going from Atlanta to
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  Charlotte. Is that even on the on the radar?
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  Could that potentially happen?
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  You know, Joey, I haven't heard anything specific about that, but what I would say is,
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  you know, the opportunity for for these companies, you know, those kind of things do
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  not come without cost. Right.
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  And so being able to have companies that can ultimately make their cost more affordable
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  and hopefully allow them to invest in modernizing our rail system, you know, our rail
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  system, while while it is a very active industry in terms of freight and providing
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  that hasn't done that for for rail, for for transportation, for people as much.
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  I certainly would love to see that.
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  And hopefully this will lead to more modernization of those as a as a resource for
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  people. Yeah. Justin Bradley, it's always a pleasure to catch up with you.
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  And hey, we'll keep watching this and hope you'll keep us informed.
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  Maybe we will check back with you on an update down the road.
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  Absolutely, Joey, I appreciate it.
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  Sure thing. On our guest line, Lieutenant Governor Pamela Abbott, welcome and Merry
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  Christmas and Happy New Year.
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  It seems like it's been forever since we've caught up.
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  It has been forever, Joey, especially in the world we live in.
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  You know, from day to day, it could seem like a million things happen.
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  But Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and everybody listening.
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  We're back at it. We're we've already, you know, crossed the threshold of twenty
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  twenty six. And man, the excitement didn't stop, did it?
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  We had no time to kind of just take in the new year.
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  I'll tell you, it's been a busy, busy time for sure.
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  Uh, things turned deadly yesterday morning in Minneapolis.
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  And I'm sure like all of us, you probably have watched some of the various video
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  being circulated. What's your initial thoughts?
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  You know, my initial thoughts are people have got to stop thinking that they can go
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  into battle with our law enforcement officers.
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  And, you know, I have I watch these things unfold.
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  And and, you know, you're asking for a tragedy to happen.
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  I was watching a video from yesterday where, you know, a young gentleman was, you
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  know, jumping in front of one of the ICE vehicles, pushing on it like he could stop
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  it. Right. I mean, you know, it's like you're not Superman, you're not the Incredible
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  Hulk. And, you know, it's icy, it's snowy.
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  Who jumps in front of a vehicle of any vehicle thinking that, you know, danger is not
• 18:19
  going to happen. I don't know the mentality of these rioters where they're they are
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  like literally putting their own lives and the lives of our law enforcement officers at
• 18:30
  risk for bad behavior.
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  You're not going to stop what their mission, their job is.
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  You know, they're doing their job.
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  Like stand back, you know, they're pushing on police, they're throwing stuff in front
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  of them. You know, this, you know, it's always a tragedy when somebody loses their
• 18:51
  lives. But leaders like Tim Walz and other Democrat leaders, you know, we we see so
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  many amount of Congress now stepping out and talking about this, saying, go out there
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  and protest, go out there and fight back.
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  They're inciting. And honestly, I believe the blood is on their hands.
• 19:12
  Yeah. I mean, I couldn't believe it yesterday when governor Waltz literally said
• 19:19
  it's your patriotic duty to protest the Trump administration after the shooting
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  happened yesterday. I mean, is he not encouraging more trouble?
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  Obviously, that governor is completely out of touch.
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  You know, his patriotic duty was to protect the nine billion dollars of taxpayer
• 19:39
  money that he was entrusted to and the people he put in within his cabinet.
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  That was his patriotic duty.
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  So before he starts lecturing the rest of the world on what it means to be a good
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  patriot, he better take a look at his own actions and reflect.
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  So, you know, Minnesota is a dumpster fire right now between the rioting, the
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  fraud. And I honestly, you know, I listened to J.D.
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  Vance last night and I obviously listened to the president.
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  This is just the tip of it.
• 20:12
  Yeah. I mean, what they're going to find when it comes to these health care
• 20:17
  companies that they've opened, where the dollars are a lot bigger and just across
• 20:23
  the country in various states that now they're pinpointing in on.
• 20:28
  I hope that we see a lot of arrests.
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  I think these arrests have to come swiftly.
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  And we have now got to start setting the level of consequence that unfortunately
• 20:41
  bad actors haven't seen during the years of the Biden administration, where
• 20:46
  everybody could get away with just everything and anything.
• 20:50
  Yeah, well, the only thing that Governor Walz has done is make the decision to not
• 20:57
  run for reelection, to drop out of that race.
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  That's the only responsible thing he has done.
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  Let's talk for a minute about the fraud.
• 21:06
  I mean, it's just crazy what we're seeing here and for a young 23 year old to to
• 21:13
  uncover this. I mean, so from your standpoint, having been in the executive
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  level of South Carolina government as lieutenant governor and with me today,
• 21:23
  Lieutenant Governor Pamela Abbott, what can be done at the state level to prevent
• 21:29
  these types of things from happening?
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  So, you know, it's oversight.
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  Anytime the government is giving somebody money, I'm sure every single one of your
• 21:38
  listeners want to make sure that there's some kind of follow up.
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  And, you know, we heard that in Minnesota.
• 21:44
  I listened to somebody that owned a daycare center that was just appalled because she
• 21:49
  said, I have, you know, I have people from the state walking in here all the time
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  looking at my records, looking at the conditions of the center.
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  You know, they come unannounced most times.
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  You know, that's why when everybody says, well, do you think this is just something
• 22:06
  that fell through the cracks or were people just turning a blind eye?
• 22:10
  You know, here in South Carolina, we do have a lot of oversight.
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  You know, we have an amazing program called First Steps.
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  And, you know, First Steps has an overseeing body that looks and marks.
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  And I can proudly tell people that I have gone and read at First Steps centers all
• 22:30
  over the state and they have been filled with children as they should have been.
• 22:35
  And I think this is just something for the public, too.
• 22:38
  You know, it was it was amazing when Nick Shirley was going around looking at these
• 22:43
  centers. He was talking to people that lived in the area and saying, hey, have you ever
• 22:48
  seen like if I guess that's a good lesson for all of us.
• 22:51
  If you see a sign pop up somewhere for anything and you never see any activity, maybe
• 22:58
  it's a good thing to to call into one of the agencies and say, hey, you know, is this
• 23:05
  really happening? And, you know, it's kind of like after 9-11, if you see something, say
• 23:10
  something. And we ended up, you know, stopping a whole lot of terrorist activity.
• 23:17
  That's just in general. And, you know, I think back about being young a little, really.
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  You couldn't do anything.
• 23:24
  I don't know about you, Joey, but if you did something bad down the block, by the time
• 23:28
  you got home, you were in trouble.
• 23:31
  Everybody talked to each other and you knew your neighbors and you knew what was going
• 23:36
  on. And we have to get back to that time where neighbors are watching out for each other
• 23:41
  that we're in it together.
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  And we're not it's not that I'm trying to tattle on your child.
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  It's not like I'm trying to I'm just trying to tell you what I see.
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  And if we all take a step back the real and I'm starting to sound like my mom, Joey,
• 23:57
  is where we all helped each other out.
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  And it wasn't personal because we all realized that when all of our kids did the right
• 24:05
  thing, it was good for all of us.
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  When our neighborhoods were safe, that was good for all of us.
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  When, you know, when we were when we were talking and communicating and working
• 24:16
  together, that's when we're strong is when we're united.
• 24:19
  Yeah. Well, it's just what what a way to start 2026.
• 24:25
  And, you know, I mean, there's so many things we could spend hours just talking about
• 24:30
  what is happening in Minnesota and particularly around Minneapolis.
• 24:34
  I mean, in addition to, uh, what, uh, Nick sailors, uh, uncovered, I mean, you had
• 24:40
  the, the Hilton hotel fiasco.
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  I mean, you, you would think that people would be a little more sensitive to this
• 24:45
  kind of thing now, but you know, uh, the guy walks in and, and, uh, and ask, well,
• 24:51
  you know, I've got, I need 10 rooms.
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  And, you know, he, he's pulling up on his phone where they had more than 10 rooms
• 24:57
  available.
• 24:58
  And the guy says, no, we don't rent rooms to ice.
• 25:00
  And, um, I mean, just crazy stuff like that.
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  Things that you'd never think would happen in today's time.
• 25:08
  Well, again, I think it's because there's never been consequences and we, we, we've
• 25:13
  seen this on all different levels, you know, consequences are, you know, as a
• 25:18
  parent, what we do with our kids, uh, you know, we've seen career criminals just
• 25:23
  walking in and out because they're, you know, especially in blue States where,
• 25:28
  you know, crime just didn't matter.
• 25:30
  It was a revolving door.
• 25:32
  And when you don't, when you feel like you can do anything and get away with
• 25:35
  anything, people tend to do that, right?
• 25:38
  Human nature, they're kind of pushing, they're pushing the limits and that's
• 25:41
  something we have to stop.
• 25:42
  And I commend president Trump.
• 25:45
  He has said from the beginning that he would root out waste, fraud, and abuse.
• 25:49
  And I stand behind that a hundred percent.
• 25:52
  Um, you know, Joey, it's no secret to any of your listeners.
• 25:55
  I'm running for governor.
• 25:56
  It's a big part of my platform.
• 25:57
  We have to make sure that when citizens entrust us with their money, that we're
• 26:02
  doing everything we can to make sure it's going for exactly what they're saying
• 26:06
  it's going for, and we're using it in the most efficient and effective way.
• 26:10
  Yeah.
• 26:11
  Well, it's, uh, it's crazy and doesn't look like it's going to
• 26:15
  get any better anytime soon.
• 26:17
  Uh, let, let's talk about some South Carolina issues.
• 26:20
  Of course, the legislature back in session next week.
• 26:24
  Uh, what are some of the key issues you're going to be watching?
• 26:28
  So, you know, I think, or, you know, we're going to have to
• 26:31
  continue to work on energy.
• 26:32
  Um, we need to make sure that we are poised for the future, that we are
• 26:36
  keeping it affordable and reliable.
• 26:38
  Um, you know, uh, as always working on our roads and bridges and
• 26:43
  transportation, uh, you saw that the governor, uh, put out a statement
• 26:48
  and our executive budget, he'll be asking for $1.1 billion.
• 26:52
  And that's something as a business person, I have tried to convey, um,
• 26:56
  in my role as lieutenant governor is that time is money.
• 27:00
  And, you know, this is, I think the one thing that business people get, um,
• 27:04
  really frustrated with when they're dealing with bureaucrats is that if
• 27:10
  you are dealing with people who have always been in the government, um, and
• 27:14
  they've never been here on the private sector where that old adage time is
• 27:17
  money, uh, is reality for you, then you just don't understand it.
• 27:22
  And, you know, I was, I couldn't have been more proud of the governor
• 27:26
  because that is something I've been saying.
• 27:27
  Anytime I try to help businesses out within our cabinets, when they have
• 27:31
  issues is like, come on, everybody let's realize the time is money and private
• 27:36
  sector doesn't have an ever ending book.
• 27:40
  So, um, that's what, that is the whole theory behind really pumping money and
• 27:45
  let's get everybody working on these roads roads are always going to be an
• 27:49
  issue.
• 27:50
  I try to tell people a little tongue in cheek, it's like painting your house,
• 27:54
  right?
• 27:55
  You paint the first room and it looks great.
• 27:57
  And by the time you paint all the other rooms in the outside, you get back to
• 28:00
  the first room.
• 28:01
  It's time to paint it again.
• 28:03
  So roads are, it's a never ending project.
• 28:06
  Like again, like keeping up with your home, but you know, we have got to, um,
• 28:13
  stop congestion.
• 28:14
  We've got to make sure our bridges are safe and you know, you'll see a big
• 28:17
  level of commitment on that.
• 28:19
  I hope to see the fact that we Universal school choice, um, finally done with.
• 28:24
  So parents can definitely guide the educational outcomes of their children.
• 28:30
  I think that's something you're going to see heavy and we ended the year in
• 28:33
  tort reform and, um, you know, the, the president of the Senate, Thomas
• 28:38
  Alexander, um, Merle Smith, the speaker of the house, the governor and I, we
• 28:43
  all sat there and said, listen, we, we started something that people never
• 28:49
  thought would ever get addressed in the general assembly.
• 28:52
  And it did.
• 28:53
  And all of us vowed that it would not end there, that we would, we would see,
• 28:58
  um, that this last, you know, um, that we would continue to move the ball down
• 29:05
  the, the, the pipe.
• 29:06
  We want to make sure that we are keeping South Carolinians safe if they are
• 29:10
  injured by no fault of their own.
• 29:13
  Uh, but we also want to make sure that we, um, aren't hurting
• 29:17
  our businesses in the process.
• 29:19
  So, you know, there is a balance.
• 29:21
  We gotta be able to walk and chew gum at the same time.
• 29:23
  So I think you'll be seeing some of that happen this year also.
• 29:27
  So, uh, you know, speaker Smith was at first Monday.
• 29:32
  Uh, I went and saw him.
• 29:33
  He was very optimistic.
• 29:35
  Uh, and I liked his message that there are a lot of positive things going on
• 29:39
  that will continue in the general assembly and that he was really happy,
• 29:44
  uh, to be able to work with the governor and that we have made an environment
• 29:47
  where South Carolina could continue to grow and we could all work together
• 29:51
  to make sure that the people of South Carolina were happy.
• 29:54
  Yeah.
• 29:55
  Lieutenant governor Pamela Abbott is our guest today.
• 29:57
  Um, let's just pause on tort reform because that is an issue that, uh, we
• 30:04
  talked about a lot last year and there was some, uh, progress there.
• 30:09
  Uh, but you know, business owners, bar and tavern, uh, restaurant owners say
• 30:14
  that there's more work to be done.
• 30:16
  Are there any specifics on what you'd like to see happen there?
• 30:20
  So we have to figure out a way to get more insurance companies
• 30:24
  back into our market.
• 30:25
  Because, you know, I can remember when I was on the private sector side, we
• 30:29
  went through a period of time where workers comp agencies were, you know,
• 30:33
  insurance companies were kind of moving out of the state and I can remember
• 30:37
  them telling me, you know, Hey, um, you can grow in all the other states
• 30:41
  you're in, but you can't take on any more new premium here.
• 30:44
  And that's hard when you're a business owner, you're trying to grow
• 30:47
  because that's the name of the game.
• 30:49
  So, you know, you know, there was some changes made then to where, you
• 30:54
  know, um, insurance companies wanted to come back into the market and let's
• 30:59
  face it, they stabilize, you know, the more carriers you have, the more rates
• 31:04
  will stabilize or go down because there's competition is good.
• 31:08
  So, you know, but we need to get the insurance companies to the table and
• 31:12
  they need to tell us what is exactly is within reason that they want to
• 31:18
  continue to stabilize rates here, um, to make it an environment that
• 31:23
  they're willing to play in.
• 31:24
  But, you know, everybody likes to just villainize the attorneys.
• 31:28
  You can't just villainize them.
• 31:30
  Insurance companies have to sit down and get specific on what is giving
• 31:34
  them heartburn about our state.
• 31:35
  And that's something speaker Smith talked about.
• 31:38
  And, you know, we'd like to see this session insurance company sit down at
• 31:42
  the table and try to tell us while they're, why they're having a record
• 31:46
  years, um, and why rates are still going up.
• 31:50
  So, uh, you know, I, I think it's, it's good never to villainize anybody, but
• 31:54
  to get everybody at the table to work together.
• 31:56
  And I think you'll see that this year.
• 31:58
  Lieutenant governor, Pamela Abbott, one more final question for you.
• 32:02
  Uh, I was speaking with Drew McKissick the other day, chairman of
• 32:06
  the South Carolina Republican party.
• 32:08
  One of the items on his list, top of his list is, uh, is closing the primaries.
• 32:15
  And we've talked about this for a lot.
• 32:18
  Uh, Drew said something pretty interesting the other day when he said
• 32:21
  that if the legislature does not pass this this year, that the party has the
• 32:27
  executive committee recently passed a resolution, the party is ready to move
• 32:31
  forward with filing suit against the state.
• 32:34
  Do you think primaries that, that will get some action on this,
• 32:37
  this legislation, this session?
• 32:40
  You know, Joey, I would hope so.
• 32:42
  I mean, you know, what I tell people all the time is we got to get out and vote.
• 32:49
  Right.
• 32:50
  Let's close our primaries.
• 32:51
  But the president really keyed in on this and his last election is we
• 32:56
  have to make it too big to Rick.
• 32:59
  And he kept saying that over and over again, and by making it too big to
• 33:02
  Rick, it means everybody needs to get out and vote, you know, get educated on
• 33:08
  who the people are that are running, because you gotta have the resume to do
• 33:12
  the job.
• 33:13
  Um, and so take a little time because you're going to get exactly what you vote
• 33:19
  for.
• 33:19
  And we've seen that you see that in blue States.
• 33:22
  I mean, we talked about it at the beginning of this segment with, you know,
• 33:26
  um, corruption, you know, incompetence.
• 33:30
  And, you know, we look at who you're electing, make sure that they have the
• 33:35
  ability to do the job and to do it well, and then get out there and vote, get
• 33:40
  involved.
• 33:41
  13% is not acceptable.
• 33:43
  And at 13%, um, you know, we can close our primaries.
• 33:48
  We can go to paper ballots.
• 33:49
  I'm willing to do whatever gives people motivated to actually get up off their
• 33:55
  couches, schedule it in and get out and vote.
• 33:58
  June 9th is the primary market on your calendar today.
• 34:02
  They have two weeks to ahead of time to vote with your ID at a polling location.
• 34:08
  There's no excuses that you can't get there and get it done.
• 34:12
  Yeah.
• 34:13
  Uh, all good stuff.
• 34:14
  And yes, it is going to be a busy, busy year and, uh, we'll be right in there in
• 34:20
  the middle of it the whole time.
• 34:21
  Lieutenant governor, Pamela Abbott, always good to talk with you.
• 34:25
  Take, uh, take care, Joey.
• 34:26
  Always great to talk to you.
• 34:28
  I've missed you guys.
• 34:28
  And again, a happy new year.
• 34:30
  2026 is going to be a great year.
• 34:33
  That's it for this special weekend edition of just the truth.
• 34:36
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• 34:39
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• 34:39
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• 34:42
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• 34:45
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• 35:40
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