Carolina Politics Online

Former Congressman Pat Toomey, President of the Club for Growth, published an open letter to the Republican leadership in National Review pushing for the appointment of Jim DeMint to the Senate Finance Committee.

Senator DeMint is exactly the kind of leader the GOP could use at this low point in its history. Not only does DeMint have a business background, he has demonstrated a sophisticated grasp of the country’s tax and entitlement problems. He is one of the few members of Congress to think creatively about solving these problems in a manner that increases personal freedom and prosperity.

And this is exactly why he won’t get the appointment.  He’s the best guy for actual reform and the Republican leadership doesn’t actually want reform.  They want to give lip service to reform.  They’ll allow a bone to be thrown to the voters to make it look like they are actually doing something, but in the grand scheme of things it will be business as usual.

According to Mr. Toomey, Ohio Senator George Voinovich is also seeking the post.  With him being more moderate and a longer serving Senator I am willing to bet that is who McConnell will turn to.  We’ll see.

Merrill went on to advise John McCain in the knock-down, drag-out primary he lost to President George W. Bush, and Merrill started his own political career as a South Carolina state representative.

Eight years later, Merrill, 41, is stepping aside as House Republican majority leader and evaluating his next move.

“I am kind of at a crossroads. Do I do the political thing a little longer or do I move to the private sector? I don’t know,” Merrill said.

The Post and Courier

Go to the private sector.  Eight years is long enough in the state’s legislature.  I wish he could bring some of the others with him too.  Should he decide to seek higher office though, he wouldn’t be bad.

Merrill has had his pros and cons.  He has been a leader in pushing for school choice in South Carolina.  He cosponsored the flat tax bill earlier this year that had it passed would have raised the cigarette tax by 30 cents a pack and in turn lower the income tax rate from 7% to 3.4%.  Additionally, he helped spearhead the property tax/sales tax swap for education funding which I particularly am appreciative for after receiving my very light weight $677 tax bill for the year.

On the down side, Merrill has presided over the largest growth of South Carolina government in years.  Spending has increased a whopping 40% plus over the past few years and that is biting our state in the ass right now with the economy pulling back.  Granted, Merrill can’t really control what other members of the House do, but a heavier hand on the spending issue would have been beneficial.

Overall, he has done a good job.  I hope that whoever will rise in the ranks to replace him will move forward with a similar goverment reform effort.

The number of Hispanic students in Charleston County nearly has doubled in the past five years, from 1,370 in 2004-05 to 2,317 this year. Hispanic students now make up about 5.5 percent of the roughly 42,000 public school children, black students account for about 50 percent and white students are about 42 percent.

Rachel Amey, the district’s coordinator for English Speakers of Other Languages, said in her eight years with the district, the number of ESOL teachers has nearly tripled. About 87 percent of those who don’t speak English speak Spanish.

The Post and Courier

Why is it the burden of the school district to teach these kids in Spanish and not the burden of their parents to learn and teach their children English?  What of the other 13% that aren’t Spanish or English speakers?  Do they get special treatment as well?

Next question, isn’t demonstrating an understanding of the English language required in order to gain citizenship?  Why then are there so many of these people now living in Charleston who can’t speak our language?  Why have their numbers risen so quickly?  All of this sounds to me like a recipe for illegal aliens and we’re paying for their childrens’ educations.

Senator Bob Rucho (R-Matthews) and Senator Peter Brunstetter (R-Winston-Salem) have decided it’s time to shake things up in the Senate minority and elect new leadership.  The current minority leader Phil Berger (R-Eden) has defended his leadership by pointing to the one seat gain for the Republicans in the Senate despite a win of the state by Barack Obama.  That doesn’t exactly prove much.  Obama’s win was by a third of a percentage point.  While he may have won the state’s electoral votes based on that 13,000 vote margin it doesn’t mean that the state as a whole gave a moderate majority to Obama across the board.  There were pockets of the state that went heavily for Obama and heavily for McCain.

I don’t have any qualms with Rucho seeking the party’s leadership.  He makes a good point.

“We just can’t afford to continue to lose by 3 to 1 in fundraising,” Rucho said.

The GOP in North Carolina has one shot left to try and take the majority in the Senate.  After the 2010 Census reapportionment kicks in the Democrats will redistrict making sure the GOP stays in the minority another ten years.  They need to win six Senate seats in the 2010 elections, quite a tall order, but not impossible.  A good leader in the caucus could take the party to the heights they need to reach by doing a more effective job of taking their case to the voters and raising the funds necessary to achieve that goal.  Rucho and Brunstetter both seem to have that vision, so why not?

But Evans has been on unpaid leave from her job as head of the state Department of Cultural Resources since May to attend to personal business.

Her prolonged absence has raised questions in some Republican circles about why Evans hasn’t resigned, and about the necessity of her job.

Charlotte Observer

I think Apodaca raises a good point.  Why does North Carolina need a Secretary of Cultural Resources and the overly inflated salary and benefits that go with it?  I was thinking this from the first sentence when it mentioned Libba’s title and then I was surprised to see a politician in Raleigh actually recognizing wasteful bureaucracy.  She’s been gone six months with no replacement.  The job is evidently not vital  Cut it.

Two South Carolina lawmakers have started a petition drive hoping to change the state constitution to set higher goals for education.

The State newspaper reported that Democratic Columbia Rep. James Smith and Bowman Sen. John Matthews want the South Carolina Constitution to guarantee children a “high quality education.”

The South Carolina Supreme Court has ruled that the current constitution guarantees children “a minimally adequate education.”

The State

We don’t need a Constitutional amendment to heighten the quality of South Carolina’s education.  All we need are parents to demand it from their school boards.  The only thing that will come of amending the State Constitution will be throwing more money on additional ineffective bureaucrats.

COLUMBIA — South Carolina Treasurer Converse Chellis asked Wednesday that the Retirement System Investment Commission hold off paying a $176,500 bonus to the man chiefly responsible for making the state’s retirement investment decisions.

Chellis spokesman Scott Malyerck said Chellis, a panel member, called commission chairman James Powers and requested that Bob Borden’s bonus payment be delayed.

“It seems to be, in light of what’s occurring, an excessive package,” Malyerck said.

The Post and Courier

No kidding it’s excessive.  Look, the guy may do a spectacular job at what he is hired to do, but to be doling out a $176,000 bonus to one person when the state is taking a machete to the budget at every corner defies common sense.  In fact, I’m surprised someone in Columbia even picked up on it.

Jared C., who declined to provide his last name before he had his bargain-priced laptop, GPS and television in hand, set up camp outside Beaufort’s Best Buy before 5 p.m. Wednesday. That was nearly 36 hours before the store’s 5 a.m. Friday special opening. It was also a guarantee he would be first in line when the big-box retailer opened the floodgates.

In a backpack, Jared packed Thanksgiving dinner: a couple burgers, some chips, cookies and other snacks. He planned to sleep on two cloth folding chairs placed face to face. To brave the cold weather, he wore gloves, a hooded sweatshirt, a nylon jacket and black boots. An extra pair of pants and hat could be tossed on quickly if needed.

“They don’t have as many deals this year,” Jared said with a shrug. “But ain’t nobody getting ahead of me.”

The Beaufort Gazette

He should be embarrassed to give out his last name because once word gets out this poor boy is doomed to eternal virginity.

South Carolina has a tax free sale today on firearms all across the state so run out and stock up before it’s too late to prepare for the Gulag.

Or, for our lefty readers: “Pleasurable wishes for the annual celebration of the raping of the American continent by evil, white, racist, gay-bashing, homophobic, Indian-killing, religious nutjob, intolerant Europeans!”

We hope you enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving with your friends and families.

And as a vegetarian (yes- a conservative vegetarian), may I humbly suggest that in lieu of your typical dish of dead bird, you try something NEW this year:

Yum yum!

UNC-system President Erskine Bowles wants a commission to determine whether every state university campus in North Carolina should establish a university code that blocks hate speech.

No such rules now exist at UNC campuses, Bowles said.

Bowles’ decision came less than a month after four N.C. State University students spray-painted political statements, which many deemed racially inflammatory and threatening, on the Free Expression Tunnel on campus.

The N&O

“Hate Speech” is just a politically correct euphemism for censorship. What qualifies as “hate speech”, Erskine? In the past, College Republicans have been accused of “hate speech” for offering affirmative action bake sales. If a student hung a Confederate Flag in his room, would that be “hate speech”? Would a Christian group be brought up on “hate speech” charges if they publicly opposed gay marriage? Methinks there’s a good chance they would, because in my experience liberals often get “legitimate difference of opinion” and “hate” mixed up.

And no, I’m not advocating for a Klan rally to be held in Kenan Stadium every Saturday, or for gay students to be rounded up and expelled. Legitimate complaints of bigotry and intimidation can and should be taken seriously. But speech codes are just a way for the politically correct majority on campus to shut up those with whom they disagree.

OK, not really. But they ARE willing to give you some gifts and 15 minutes of fame:

With the 2008 election history, Civitas Institute wants to know your thoughts about the direction and future of conservatism in North Carolina. 

We here at Civitas feel that the conservative movement is still the movement that represents forward thinking, leadership and ideas. With that in mind we are publishing a collection of short essays from conservative leaders and possibly your essay in the winter issue of Civitas Review. These should be positive, uplifting pieces and not critiques of past decisions, past leadership or current leaders and policy. If your essay is chosen for the print publication you will receive this clock from Civitas as a thank you for being part of this issue.

Civitas

I don’t have the picture, but trust me, they’re offering a wicked awesome looking clock!

The deadline is Dec. 1st. Click HERE for more info.

In the six years since the Better Government Association first rated the states for its “integrity index,” North Carolina has added an ethics law for the executive branch and banned lobbyists from offering golf trips, Super Bowl tickets and other expensive perks to state lawmakers.

But the changes had little effect on North Carolina’s rank, Dan Kane reports. In fact, it dropped a spot from 22nd to 23rd place in a recently released report.

The N&O

The state’s payroll has added nine people since Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue began picking people to run her transition to power.

One of the first of what Dome promises will be many, many public records requests to the Perdue administration was for a list of transition team members who are paid by the state and how much they are making.

For comparison’s sake, the monthly salary figure is followed by an annual rate in parenthesis.

Christy Agner: transition aide, $4,650 ($55,800)

Meghan Brown: transition aide, $2,650 ($31,800)

Tim Crowley: Communications Director, Inauguration, $6,125 ($73,500)

Justin Guillory: transition aide, $2,900 ($34,800)

David Kochman: Communications Director, $9,600 ($115,200)

Jackie Kohler: human resources, $4,000 ($48,000)

Kennetha Smith: transition aide, $2,650 ($31,800)

Bradford Sneeden: transition aide, $2,500 ($30,000)

Maggie Stewart: transition aide, $2,500 ($30,000)

The N&O

Why does the Lieutenant Governor need a nine member transition team to help her do something that she should, theoretically, be able to do at a moment’s notice?

This comment was a great reason why Jack Spratt shouldn’t have been chosen to be part of Obama’s economic team and thank God wasn’t.

“This is not your typical business cycle recession, and there are no typical off-the-shelf solutions, or play-books to turn to,” Spratt said in a statement Monday afternoon. “We need policy-makers with seasoned judgment and keen vision, modern-day heirs of great economists, like Keynes, who are able to find their way to the source of these dismal problems and devise the right solutions.”

The Herald

Keynesian ecnomics are pretty much what parts of the New Deal were all about and the Great Depression continued for seven years after FDR began implementing such programs.  In essence, it was Roosevelt’s beliefs in Keynesian economics that kept preserved double digit unemployment rates, at times over 20% through the bulk of his presidency.  Had we not been pulled into World War II by Japan the Depression would have undoubtedly lasted even longer.

It’s amazing how much I can agree with Robert Ford when I disagree with him on practically everything (does that make sense?).  I’ve made this case before.  Why not legalize gambling?  We’re all adults here, aren’t we?  What gives the state the right to tell grown adults that they cannot engage in video poker, slot machines, or other forms of gambling entertainment?  This is an issue of freedom.  It’s the 21st century.  Get with it already.

9th District State Senator Danny Verdin (R-Laurens) has been named Senate Majority Whip for the South Carolina State Senate.  He was appointed to the post by Majority Leader Harvey Peeler (R-Gaffney).  According to Peeler, Verdin “understands the current political environment and the need to return to core conservative values.”

I agree that Verdin is a good pick, but I hope he and Peeler realize the need to stand up for and deliver fiscal conservatism.  We’ve had more than a mouthful of social conservativism in this state while our money has been thrown out with the garbage behind the curtain.  No more wasteful pork projects, no new taxes introduced by RINOs.  That would be change I can believe in.

Historically, North Carolina has been a very anti-union state. N&O columnist Rob Christensen details some particularly bloody union busting activities -done with the tacit support of the state government- in his book, The Paradox of Tar Heel Politics. Although a little union activity probably wouldn’t have hurt back when the state’s economy was built on textile plants and tobacco farms, N.C.’s pro-business tradition helped it become one of the most economically powerful states in the south. Even today, North Carolina has the lowest percentage of union workers in the entire country.

But following a good Democrat election year, unions see an opportunity to do in North Carolina what they’ve been doing for 40+ years in the Northeast- ruin the state’s economy.

Unions and employee associations are pushing for three major pieces of legislation which would make it easier to unionize Tar Heel workers:

CARD CHECK: A U.S. House bill that would allow unions to form if employees checked a card — rather than by secret ballot — stalled in the Senate after a narrow vote last year. Sen.-elect Kay Hagan has said she is open to the bill.

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING: A state law from 1959 forbids any municipal or state agency to negotiate with a union. The State Employees Association of N.C., now an affiliate of SEIU, hopes to repeal the ban on collective bargaining. 

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING, PART II: A U.S. House bill would require all cities and towns of more than 5,000 people to allow collective bargaining for firefighters, police officers and EMS workers. If passed, it would put increased pressure to overturn the state ban entirely.

The N&O

Oh, God help us if any of these come to fruition. And any moron who supports the patently fascist “Card Check” idea deserves to be run out of town on a rail.

A small business group is honoring nine North Carolina politicians.

The National Federation of Independent Business is giving the Guardian of Small Business award to U.S. Sens. Richard Burr and Elizabeth Dole and U.S. Reps. Sue Myrick, Patrick McHenry, Howard Coble, Walter Jones, Virginia Foxx and Heath Shuler.

Except for Shuler, all of the recipients are Republicans. 

The N&O