Image by Flickr user The Intrepid Traveler

South Carolina is one of four states in the South which observes Confederate Memorial Day, and it's costing taxpayers nearly $10 million today.

Today is a paid holidays for the state's 60,000-plus employees.

It's no secret that the state's budget has been tight this year, and many feel that the cost of observing a controversial Southern holiday is a waste of the public's money. On the flip side, South Carolina politicians feel it's an important holiday for fostering racial understanding.

The Post and Courier has an article on the debate as well as a schedule of events taking place today, Saturday, and May 21st in honor of Confederate soldiers who died during the Civil War.