LIBERTY— S.C. Rep. Rex Rice doesn’t describe himself as either an optimist or a pessimist.

“I’m a realist,” Rice said Thursday night as he spoke at the monthly meeting of the Pickens County Republican Part. “An optimist thinks the glass is half full; a pessimist thinks the glass is half empty. A realist realizes that the glass is will have to be washed when everything is over, regardless.”

Rice, an announced candidate for the S.C. District 3 seat in the U.S. Congress, said he and other state legislators need to focus on cutting the budget, so that when the stimulus money the state received from Washington runs out after this year, South Carolina can still have a balanced budget.

Rice suggested the legislators take a look at reducing the number of state agencies.

“Some of these agencies seem to just be there to give people jobs, quite frankly,” Rice said.

Rice said the state needs to have all agencies come before the legislature and justify their budgets.

“If they serve a legitimate cause, we approve them,” Rice said. Otherwise, we shut them down.”

Rice said he is not afraid to vote against party lines if he disagrees with a proposed law. “I voted against the tax switch, where we were lowering property tax and replacing with an extra penny of sales tax, because I thought that was a bad deal,” Rice said. “When I did that I was told I’d be run out of town.”

Rice said that while he generally votes against any form of tax increase, he did vote for a 25 percent tax increase on cigarettes.

“I felt we needed to take that money and funnel it into healthcare for problems caused by cigarettes.” Rice said.

Rice joked about the dangers of driving these days.

“I saw a bumper sticker in Columbia that said, ‘Honk if you love Jesus; text if you’re ready to meet him.”

Rice mentioned his background working his farm, and his 30 years spent operating a construction business. He has served 16 years in the state House, and has been on the Ways and Means Committee for the past 14 years.

“God has blessed me to be able to work in business and serve in the legislature,” Rice said. “Now I want to take that experience to Washington and do His work there.”