Gov. Nikki Haley Gives Herself An A

by Stuart Shapiro

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley’s toughest critic has weighed in on her first 100 days and come out with a glowing report.  The only catch is the identity of this “strongest critic.”

“There really are no mistakes we have made,” Haley said. “Now, I am my strongest critic. The very first thing I do at the end of the day is say, ‘What could I have done better?’ That’s me and that’s how I handle it. But every policy decision I’ve made, I stand by it.”

As I write my final exam for my students this semester, Haley has prompted me to ask myself if I should just ask them what grade they think they deserve.  On second thought, maybe I’ll keep working on the exam.  Now in fairness to Governor Haley, the buffoonery pulled by new governors, Scott Walker, Paul Lepage, and Rick Scott, has set the bar low.  Maybe if we are grading on a curve, she does deserve good marks.

By: Stuart Shapiro

Stuart is a professor and the Director of the Public Policy
program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers
University. He teaches economics and cost-benefit analysis and studies
regulation in the United States at both the federal and state levels.
Prior to coming to Rutgers, Stuart worked for five years at the Office
of Management and Budget in Washington under Presidents Clinton and
George W. Bush.