Carolina Politics Online

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Legislators will decide the fate of a bill requiring South Carolina voters to show a photo ID and also allowing them to cast a ballot early.

The bill could die Tuesday unless the House and Senate agree. House GOP leaders say showing a photo is an issue of voter integrity, but they don’t like pre-Election Day voting. A compromise between House and Senate Republicans allowed eight days of no-excuse early voting, but in only one location per county. It also limited other absentee voting.

The Sun News

I don’t really have an issue with early voting.  I’m not certain what the outcry is about allowing that, but as far as showing identification to vote, that is just plain common sense.  The best way to reduce fraud and protect electoral integrity is to have voters show an ID an prove that they are who they say they are.  Duh!  Why is this always so controversial?

Last night’s run off settled some remaining scores and now that everyone knows who their opponent is, they can begin focusing on the November races.

Elaine Marshall won the Democratic nomination for the U.S.Senate race in North Carolina. She will now face incumbent Republican Richard Burr and Libertarian Michael Beitler.  I rank this race as leaning Republican.

State Representative Nikki Haley handily defeated Congressman Gresham Barrett in the Republican gubernatorial run off for South Carolina.  Haley will now face Democratic State Senator Vincent Sheheen in the fall to determine who will succeed Governor Mark Sanford.  I rank this race as also leaning Republican.  Ken Ard will be Haley’s Lt Governor running mate.

In North Carolina’s 8th Congressional District Republican run off Harold Johnson easily bested Tim D’Annunzio as expected.  D’Annunzio will now have all the time he needs to begin excavating the State of Arizona for the lost Ark of the Convenant.  Johnson will face incumbent Democratic Congressman Larry Kissell and Libertarian Thomas Hill in November.  I rank this race as leaning Democratic.

In North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District Bill Randall defeated Bernie Reeves.  Democrat Brad Miller is the incumbent in this gerrymandered district which covers a small portion of the Triangle and then shoots up to the Virginia border.  This is a D+5 district, so it’s not overwhelmingly Democratic, though I lean this race towards Miller.  Given the political environment this year, however, we could see Randall pull off an upset in November.

In South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District State Representative Tim Scott defeated Paul Thurmond by a huge margin in the Republican run off.  Although Congressman Henry Brown almost lost this seat in 2008, it is still pretty reliably Republican.  Scott is likely to win the November election.

State Representative Jeff Duncan defeated political newcomer Richard Cash by only a three point margin in the Republican run off for South Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District.  This is a solidly Republican seat and we are sure to see Duncan succeed Gresham Barrett in January.

Congressman Bob Inglis became another incumbent to lose reelection in his party’s primary in what’s becoming a long line of incumbent bloodletting all across the country.  Trey Gowdy laid the smackdown on him pretty hard last night.  Like the 3rd, the 4th is solidly Republican and Gowdy will be the next Congressman come January.

Alan Wilson won the Republican run off for South Carolina’s Attorney General race.  The odds favor him to win the general election in November.  Mick Zais won the State Education Superintendent Republican run off and he will face Democrat Frank Holleman in the general.  I rank this race as a toss up.  This is the one statewide seat that the Democrats traditionally seem to be able to capture in this state, probably because Democrats are generally trusted on education issues better than the GOP.  Although, with the political environment favoring the GOP this year more so than normal, Zais could emerge victorious.

In South Carolina’s State House run offs, Doug Brannon ousted one term State Representative Joey Millwood in the 38th House District.  This was an unfortunate result as Brannon supports the failed status quo of public education in this state, where as Millwood was a school choice supporter.  On the other hand, Andy Patrick absolutely pummeled State Representative Richard Chalk in the 123rd so that balances out the Millwood loss.  Democrat Boyd Brown just barely kept his seat in District 41 and Republican Marion Frye hung on to his seat in District 39.

And since I live in York County I always like to weigh on our local races.  Both County Council incumbents in the Republican run off lost their seats.  Eric Winstead defeated Councilman Joe Cox in District 3 and Britt Blackwell beat Buddy Motz in District 6.  David Bowman secured the nomination in District 1, the seat currently held by sleaze bag Paul Lindemann who only managed to get a paltry 12% in the primary election two weeks ago.

Today is the run off for both states’ primaries.  I don’t think we’re going to see any surprises today in any of the races.  Celtic already weighed on North Carolina.  Here are my thoughts for South Carolina tonight.

In the gubernatorial race Nikki Haley is going to win this hands down.  I don’t think anybody in the political world anywhere is expecting otherwise.  Haley will bring the necessary reform needed to Columbia.  I’ll be voting for her today and I have confidence she will be our next governor.

In the First Congressional district I see Charleston State Representative Tim Scott emerging as the winner this evening.  Scott almost doubled the amount of votes that Thurmond received in the primary and he seems to have the momentum behind him.

The Third Congressional race is a tough one to guess.  Both State Representative Jeff Duncan and Richard Cash finished pretty close in the primary.  I think this could teeter either way, but my hopes are on Duncan.  He has a proven record of fiscal responsibility in Columbia.

In the Fourth Congressional district I think Bob Inglis will be singing his swan song tonight.  It would be quite remarkable for an incumbent who faced several challenges last term and then finished second in this term’s election and forced into a run off to end up winning.  Inglis blew it when he embraced climate change legislation, which would shackle the American economy.  With real unemployment in the teens, this is a kick in the ass we don’t need.  Inglis’s district doesn’t support this nonsense and he forgot that he was sent to Washington to represent the voters, not his personal superstitions.   Trey Gowdy will prevail this evening.

For the State Education Superintendent I’ll be voting for Mick Zais and I also think he will emerge as the winner tonight.  I like Zais’s proposal to bring discipline back into the classroom.  God, is that ever needed.  I had actually considered becoming a teacher when I was younger, but then realized that with my disposition I would end up back handing some kid who smarted off to me in class and then I’d get fired and probably sued by his rotten parents, so I chose a different path in life, that of political agitator.

Additionally, we have some incumbent state representatives who are hoping to hang on tonight.  State Representatives Joey Millwood (R-Landrum), Marion Frye (R-Leesville), Boyd Brown (D-Winnsboro) and Richard Chalk (R-Hilton Head Island) were all forced into today’s run off.   Also here in York County I am pulling for Kyle Boyd to win the First County Council district and for Britt Blackwell to overthrow Buddy Motz in the Sixth.

In his first public remarks since endorsing business owner Andy Patrick in the race to represent Hilton Head Island in the state House, Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, criticized incumbent Richard Chalk’s three terms in Columbia, saying island residents “have not had effective representation in the last six years.”

Before a capacity crowd at the Spanish Wells Club, Davis questioned Chalk’s accomplishment as the District 123 representative. Despite residents’ substantial contributions in tax dollars, Davis said, Chalk was “not at the table” of House leadership.

“When you’re getting no highway dollars and no funding for education, you have to ask why that is,” he said.

Davis also attacked Chalk’s voting record, questioning his judgment for voting three times for a bill that would have given state incentives to The Sembler Co. to build a retail shopping center in Beaufort and Jasper counties. The bill ultimately died in the Senate.

“If it had succeeded, there’s no way local businesses could have competed with that,” Davis said. “I have not heard a good explanation of why he voted for it.”

The Island Packet

State Representative Richard Chalk (R-Hilton Head) has been forced into Tuesday’s run off election by business man Andy Patrick.  I’m with Senator Davis.  We need a changing of the guard.  Chalk’s record on fiscal issues is abysmal.  The South Carolina Club for Growth is a resource I rely on quite a bit when evaluating an incumbent’s reelection.  They are a pro-growth group that is very critical of our elected representatives when it comes to their support of economic growth policies, or lack thereof.

For 2009 Chalk received a score of 29 from the CFG giving him a grade of F.  It works just like high school: A, B, C, D, F.  Chalk flunked.  For the 2007-08 legislative session his prospects were a bit brighter.  He got a grade of C-, but following that up with an F shows he is moving in the wrong direction.  When it comes to sustaining the vetoes of Governor Sanford to rein in wasteful and pork barrel spending, Chalk has been less than reliable.   Beaufort County could do worse,  but they could do a heck of a lot better.

Patrick, on the other hand, has what I consider to be an acceptable vision on government spending.

State spending has been out of control over the last few years. The cornerstone of the budget discussions should be wasteful spending and the danger of unfunded liabilities. How much money lawmakers allocate to government programs and how those dollars are spent should be vigorously debated.

This year fiscally conservative lawmakers should do more than fight wasteful spending on government programs. They need to stand up for their core governing philosophy — that the private sector grows the economy better than the government.

I fear the economic strategies of our state government will only delay the much needed economic recovery. The free market principles that created the very strength to make us a world power are under attack and being compromised. To expand the economy, we need to grow the private sector, not grow the size of government.

http://andypatrick.org/state-spending/

Chalk infers he should be reelected because he has the support of the House leadership.  Having the support of Bobby Harrell is the biggest reason I can think of for NOT supporting someone’s reelection.

Reached Saturday, Chalk pointed to a letter of support signed by House Speaker Bobby Harrell and House Majority Leader Kenny Bingham released Thursday as evidence of his status among House leaders

Andy Patrick is new leadership.  Richard Chalk is the status quo.

A South Carolina lawmaker on Sunday suggested that new Democratic Senate nominee Alvin Greene may be intellectually incapable of participating in the general election race.

State Rep. Todd Rutherford told Fox News that he went to Greene’s house to discuss with him how Greene succeeded last week in becoming the candidate to challenge Republican Sen. Jim DeMint in the November election, but he found it difficult to decipher an answer.

“About two questions into a conversation with him, it would become apparent that he is not probably fit to answer the questions befitting a Senate candidate,” Rutherford said. “If he was put into this, then it is a joke that is funny to all the rest of us, but he doesn’t get it — because I don’t know that his mental status is such that he can get it.”

Fox News

I don’t blame the Democrats for being pissed that Greene won their nomination for U.S. Senate and I don’t disagree that he probably shouldn’t be a U.S. Senator, but they need to tread very carefully.  The guy legally won the election and he is qualified to be a U.S. Senator.  He’s an American citizen and at least 30 years of age and that’s all he needs.  He won the election fair and square.

If the Democrats aren’t careful they risk sending a message to Democratic primary voters that they think they are stupid and incapable of choosing their nominee (which given the circumstances is probably correct, but that wouldn’t make for good voter/party relations to publicly espouse that).  If Greene does get convicted of the pending felony charges against him then maybe it’s fair game at that point to try and get the South Carolina Supreme Court to toss him from the ballot.  On the other hand, felon or not, the voters chose him and it was their obligation to learn about their candidate before they chose him.

If I were a Democratic Party leader in this state, I think I would focus more of my time trying to figure out what it was about Vic Rawl that turned 59% of primary voters off.

We have a primary election here in South Carolina on Tuesday with some important choices to make.  We’ll be choosing party nominees for the next gubernatorial race and we’ll be getting at least two new Congressmen this year since Henry Brown (R-SC01) is retiring and Gresham Barrett (R-SC03) is making a failed run for governor.  We may be seeing a bigger turnover than that however.  Bob Inglis (R-SC04) isn’t exactly in the greatest reelection shape and some speculate that he could be forced into a run off by one of his primary challengers.  Add that to a strong challenge by State Senator Mick Mulvaney (R-Indian Land) to Congressman John Spratt (D-SC05) in November and we could potentially be replacing over half of our state’s Congressional delegation come January.

Now I obviously can’t vote in all of these races, but I’m happy to offer my thoughts on many of them and point out who I would vote for if I could.  I make these decisions based on who I think is the best candidate to protect our liberties and freedoms from the tyranny of the powers that be.  And so here we go.

York County Council District 1

I don’t typically weigh in on local races because I don’t have the time to analyze the hundreds of races going on in every county and municipality in the Carolinas, but I am going to weigh in one and that is because it is pretty close to my backyard.  If you live in York County, or more specifically Fort Mill or Tega Cay, then right now you are being represented on the York County Council by one corrupt SOB.  His name is Paul Lindemann.  That shouldn’t be a new name for you.  We talk about him all the time.  Despite the publicity of his malfeasance, he is running for reelection.  If you vote for Paul Lindemann you deserve to be flogged, tasered in your groin, and then buried in the sand up to your neck right near a mound of fire ants with honey drizzled over your head.  Is that descriptive enough?  This man is the living characiture of the stereotypical corrupt politician.  Now you may think that Paul is crazy for running again.  How could he possibly get reelected?  Well he’s got three challengers so his ability to survive in a four way race should not be underestimated.  There are plenty of lambs out there who will go to their slaughter on Tuesday to try and install this man for another two years.  Don’t let that happen.  Give your vote to someone with integrity, honesty, and decency.  That someone is Mr. Kyle Boyd.

I have met Kyle Boyd.  He is the headmaster at Walnut Grove Christian School and the father of three children.  He identifies himself as a fiscal conservative and pledges to be a leader on tax reform and government transparency.  We will not be reading stories in The Herald of Kyle Boyd getting DUIs or being a party to a domestic violence dispute, or bouncing $10,000 checks to Winthrop University, or not paying contractors for the work they do on his house.  We will not be reading those stories about Kyle Boyd the way we have read them about Paul Lindemann.  This is an opportunity to put an overall good guy into our county government so please don’t screw it up this time.  Vote for Kyle on Tuesday.  It’s really that easy.

South Carolina Congressional District 1

This is the seat currently held by Republican Congressman Henry Brown.  Thankfully, he is retiring this year so we will no longer have to worry about him stealing our tax dollars and redistributing it to his district.  This has become a huge contest.  There are nine Republicans, two Democrats, and four third party candidates running for this seat.  On the Republican side there are many good candidates to pick from and if I lived in that district I would have a difficult time making a decision.  However, kind of like Highlander, in the end there can be only one.  So that being the case, I would again, like in 2008, go with Katherine Jenerette.  She is an accomplished woman and mother.  She has bravely served this country in our armed forces and I think she has the right ideas to take us forward.  Her agenda on lower taxation, lower government spending, and controlled immigration is a positive plan for the nation.  I think she would be a responsible representative for the people of the Grand Strand.

On the Democratic ballot I like Col. Robert Burton.  He recently retired from military service after spending 32 years in the United States Air Force.  Burton has a strong focus on lowering South Carolina’s unemployment rate, one of the highest in the nation, by championing a lower Federal tax rate on small businesses and actively seeking opportunities to bring technology and energy jobs to the state.  He also realizes the need to stick it out in Afghanistan.  It’s been a long and tiring war on our soldiers and there was plenty of mismanagement of the war by our previous administration, but Burton is correct.  We just can’t cut our losses and leave like some in our Congress would like to see.  Burton is a common sense man with common sense ideas.

South Carolina Congressional District 3

This is the far western district of the state bordering Georgia and currently held by Republican Congressman Gresham Barrett.  As I stated before, he is not seeking reelection and instead decided to lose in the gubernatorial race this year.  He voted for the bank bailout, so I’m not too upset about his current political misfortune.  There are six Republicans running to succeed him and the one I like is State Representative Jeff Duncan.  Duncan has a proven record of fiscal responsibility in our state government.  In fact, he is one of the few that can actually make  that claim.  He has received an “A” rating from the South Carolina Club for Growth whose opinions I take very seriously because they don’t just hand out good grades to anyone.  Duncan’s views on reigning in government spending and excessive taxation is precisely the shot in the arm our nation needs.  He is the guy we need to send to D.C.   We do not want to send State Representative Rex Rice.  He not only supported raising the cigarette tax to expand the nanny welfare state in South Carolina, he was a co-sponsor.  Duncan good.  Rice bad.

South Carolina Congressional District 4

I think this goes without saying.  Bob Inglis is in some pretty deep shit and may very well be the next incumbent to get booted in his party primary.  Inglis is facing the hostility of a very conservative electorate in his district who are not all that pleased with the direction the Republican Party has been going in.  He has also taken some heat for voting to reprimand Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC02) for his infamous “You lie!” outburst to President Obama during this year’s State of the Union address as well as voting against “the Surge” in Iraq in 2007.  Furthermore, the man has hit my boiling point over his insistence on us needing to implement a carbon tax over the fraudulent man made global warming scam.  In my opinion, there is no need to stop the national political bloodletting here in South Carolina.  Give Inglis the boot.

My recommendation is Spartanburg attorney Trey Gowdy.  Gowdy is strong advocate of job creation by lessening Federal restrictions on businesses that make it difficult for them to thrive.  Of course, he is mortified by the irresponsible spending going on in D.C. otherwise I wouldn’t recommend him.  He is also a staunch supporter of the Ninth and Tenth Amendments of the Constitution meaning he is very much opposed to the recent Federal grab of our health care system and their unconstitutional insurance mandate.

South Carolina State Superintendent

This is a race that doesn’t get talked about much but really should.  Public education in this state has a poor reputation and we haven’t seen much improvement.  We just keep getting more of the same and Jim Rex has been no different.  I like Gary Burgess for this seat.  He’s big on school choice and eliminating programs that have not shown any merit.  The main reason we spend so much money on education in this country but do not get the bang for our buck is because the vast majority of the money goes to bureaucracy.  Burgess wants school spending accounted for.  But the real idea that sold me on Burgess is his philosophy on school choice, that the tax dollars should follow the student.  My God, how many times have I written about that very same idea on this Web site?  Make the school districts compete for the students.  With the students comes the money.  It is a winning formula and mark my word if Gary Burgess could accomplish that he would be the most successful state superintendent in this country.

South Carolina Governor

And finally we get down to the big one.  I have a candidate for both the Republican and Democrat parties.  On the Republican side I have been an ardent supporter of State Representative Nikki Haley and despite the calamity that has surrounded her over the past two weeks, I am sticking with Nikki Haley.  Accusations are not proof of guilt.  It was different with Mark Sanford because there was proof of his indiscretions and he came right out and admitted it.  Maybe Nikki Haley has been unfaithful.  I don’t know, but what I do know is that there isn’t a single shred of proof out there to support these accusations.  If there was we’d have seen it by now.  We are innocent until proven guilty in this country.  I believe that of all four Republican candidates Nikki Haley has the best ideas to take our state forward.  She has a record of fighting for transparency in government and against wasteful spending.  Prior to the recession our state budget increased an average of 11% per year for four years and that was with Republicans in control.  You know, the party that claims to be for small government?  Haley has fought against that kind of government growth and I think she can be a real powerhouse in the governor’s mansion.  She has my vote.

On the Democratic ticket I think State Senator Robert Ford is an outstanding choice.  Senator Ford took a brave stand last year going public with his support for school choice so that the parents of the poorer children in this state can get those kids out of these failing schools and get them a better education.  Ford took a lot of flack from his party and fellow legislators over that stance because his party has been in bed with the teachers union for decades and have been preserving the failing status quo in public education in order to keep the donations coming in.  Ford recognized the problem in education and chose to speak out.  I also support Ford because of his push to bring back video poker to South Carolina.  According to Ford’s estimate it could bring in a billion dollars in revenue for the state and create several thousand jobs, but it’s not just that.  I am a grown man and if I want to go to a bar and gamble some of my money on a video poker machine, who in the hell is the State of South Carolina to tell me that I am not allowed to do that?  This is an issue of liberty and I said at the beginning of this post that was the primary goal I was looking for in these candidates.  Robert Ford fits the bill.

So that’s what I’ve got for Tuesday.  Man am I tired after all of that.  Vote wisely and good luck to all of the candidates.

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The House voted 96-1 on Thursday to sign off on a bill that creates a new system that taxes employers according to the frequency that they lay off workers. The bill is the latest in a series of legislative fixes intended to correct problems at the state Department of Employment and Workforce, formerly known as the Employment Security Commission.

House Majority Leader Kenny Bingham, R-Cayce, said the new taxation system will reward employers who don’t layoff workers with no taxes and require those who layoff workers to pay their share.

“We have a system that is fair, competitive and puts South Carolina in a good light to businesses that are looking to locate here,” Bingham said.

The Post and Courier

I think this plan is completely asinine.  Employers don’t layoff workers because they want to build a gold bathtub in their bathroom and bathe in a bounty of $100 bills.  They layoff employees because they can no longer afford to keep them and maintain their bottom line.  So because for one reason or another their business isn’t doing as well we’re going to tax them more for it?  What kind of logic is that?

The long fought battle over the cigarette tax has finally come to a close.  The party of “small” government voted handily in both chambers to raise South Carolina’s cigarette tax fifty cents a pack come July.  The tax will raise over $120 million and will allegedly go to health care for the poor.

As I’ve said before, we don’t need Democrats in South Carolina because we have Republicans that do just as well at ass raping the public which makes me question why this state continues to elect them rather than seek an alternative.  While the state has slashed $2 billion in spending over the past two years because of lost tax revenue due to the recession the last thing they should be doing is sponsoring more government spending and expanding the welfare nanny state.  Cigarettes are largely consumed by blue collar and less affluent members of the public so the Republicans just slapped a nice big tax increase on the poor and middle class.

Pretty much all the Democrats voted for this as well in both the House and Senate, but I put the blame squarely on the Republicans because they hold a healthy majority and they are the ones that go around at election time and lie to their constituents about supporting limited government and limited taxation.  Here are the Republicans in the House who voted for the tax increase.  The Senate roll call is not yet available, but I will post that when it comes out.  Note that among the Republicans who voted for the tax increase is State Representative Rex Rice who wants you to vote for him to be the next Congressman for the Third Congressional District.

• Nathan Ballantine – Irmo
• Bruce Bannister – Greenville
• Kenny Bingham – Cayce
• Joan Brady – Columbia
• Richard Chalk – Beaufort
• Alan Clemmons – Myrtle Beach
• Derham Cole – Spartanburg
• Kris Crawford – Florence
• Joe Daning – Goose Creek
• Greg Delleney – Chester
• Shannon Erickson – Beaufort
• Mike Forrester – Spartanburg
• Marion Frye – Leesville
• Bobby Harrell – Charleston
• James Harrison – Columbia
• George Hearn – Conway
• Bill Herbkersman – Bluffton
• David Hiott – Pickens
• Jenny Horne – Summerville
• Chip Huggins – Columbia
• Keith Kelly – Woodruff
• Chip Limehouse – Charleston
• Lanny Littlejohn – Pacolet
• Deborah Long – Indian Land
• Jay Lucas – Hartsville
• James Merrill – Charleston
• Steve Moss – Blacksburg
• Phil Owens – Easley
• Gene Pinson – Greenwood
• Rex Rice – Easley
• B.R. Skelton – Six Mile
• Donald Smith – North Augusta
• Murrell Smith – Sumter
• Roland Smith – Warrenville
• Mike Sottile – Isle of Palms
• Kit Spires – Pelion
• David Umphlett – Moncks Corner
• Bill Whitmire – Walhalla
• Mark Willis – Fountain Inn
• Bill Wylie – Simpsonville
• Annette Young – Summerville
• Tom Young – Aiken

I figured the Arizona law would set off a domino effect in other states and I also speculated that South Carolina wouldn’t be too far behind.  I win my bets.  A group of State House Republicans introduced H.4919 on Thursday that would allow local law enforcement to enforce immigration laws.  From the bill:

Section 23-3-1300.        (A)    Notwithstanding another provision of law, when a lawful contact is made by a law enforcement official or a law enforcement agency of this State or a law enforcement official or a law enforcement agency of a county, municipality, or other political subdivision of this State when reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States, a reasonable attempt must be made, when practicable, to determine the immigration status of the person, except if the determination may hinder or obstruct an investigation. If the person is arrested for an alleged violation of state or local law or the officer has probable cause to believe the person to be arrested has committed an offense which makes the person removable from the United States, the law enforcement officer may arrest the person without a warrant, and the law enforcement officer or agency shall determine the person’s immigration status before the person is released from custody. The person’s immigration status must be verified with the federal government pursuant to 8 U.S.C. Section 1373(c). A law enforcement official or agency of this state or a county, municipality, or other political subdivision of this State may not solely consider race, color, or national origin in implementing the requirements of this section except to the extent permitted by the United States or South Carolina Constitution. A person is presumed not to be an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States if the person provides to the law enforcement officer or agency any of the following:

(1)    a valid South Carolina driver’s license;

(2)    a valid South Carolina identification card;

(3)    a valid tribal enrollment card or other form of tribal identification; or

(4)    if the entity requires proof of legal presence in the United States before issuance, any valid United States federal, state, or local government issued identification.

That’s the main teeth of it.

South Carolina State Representative Bakari Sellers (D-Denmark) has introduced legislation that would allow people to keep a handgun under the seat of their car.  The state law already allows for us to keep guns in a closed compartment in our car.  Yours truly keeps one in his arm rest between the seats because if someone tries to take my car they’re going to have their brains splattered across the asphalt.  The usual opposition has already arisen, as is typical when someone tries to expand our Second Amendment freedom.

Law enforcement officers also have concerns. Jarrod Bruder, executive director of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Officers Association, says officers already have one of the most dangerous jobs there is. “By allowing a handgun to be held underneath the seat instead of the proper storage compartments, it’s just one more level of danger that is added to their job,” he says. “And we’re here to represent officers and make sure they come home safe to their family.”

WSPA-TV

I understand that police officers have a dangerous job, but their personal safety does not usurp my Constitutional rights.  They are aware of the danger when they take the job.  Bruder’s objection doesn’t really make any sense anyway.  How is having a gun under the seat any more dangerous than already having one in the car in the first place?  I can reach into my arm rest and pull out my gun just as easily than if it were under my seat.  There is no reason why this bill shouldn’t pass, but it’s not uncommon for illogical fear to become an obstacle in getting legislation through.

My opinion, however, is that we should just completely do away with all of these little rules and exceptions and mirror Arizona, Vermont, and Alaska in embracing permitless concealed carry.  The Second Amendment states that the right to bear arms shall not be infringed.  It’s a hassle in South Carolina and most states to carry a weapon because you have to jump through so many hoops in order to get a permit: training, classes, application fees, etc.  Now I think anybody who intends on carrying a gun should be trained on how to handle it, but that should be an individual’s conscious decision, not a state law mandate.  If these requirements get in the way and inhibit folks from being able to exercise their Constitutional rights they should be done away with.  South Carolina should become the fourth state to allow concealed carry without a permit.

Can it be?  Will we in South Carolina possibly advance from the realm of the Dark Ages after all of these years?

The proposals would allow in-house social gambling and let state-certified nonprofits raise money by selling raffle tickets up to four times yearly, as long as 90 percent of the money goes to charity. Residents would also get to vote on a proposal amending the state constitution to allow limited raffles by schools, churches and other nonprofits.

Leaders of some civic groups, including Lions and Rotary clubs, have testified they had to end their fundraising raffles, which curtails services in a time when demand for them is up and donations are down.

The legislation heading to the full House Ways and Means Committee mirrors what the Senate Judiciary Committee approved last year, but which has stalled with some senators nervous about changing gambling laws.

The State

Today, if I invited some of my buddies over and we played Poker for money the York County Sheriff’s Department could raid my home and arrest us all.  Yes, arrest me and my buddies for playing Poker.  There are state senators who are nervous about me and my buddies being able to legally play Poker in my own house.  Who are these bed wetting weenies?  Anyone with an ounce of common sense, which admittedly is usually lacking in Columbia, understands the difference between a Poker game with your neighbors and a multi-billion dollar Bellagio casino.  Of course, I’m trying to talk sense to people that have none.

This legislation is the result of a raid over three years ago in Mount Pleasant where 22 people were arrested for playing Texas Hold’ em at somebody’s home in their neighborhood.  Five of those arrested appealed their charges and had them overturned by a Circuit Court judge, but get this.  Attorney General Henry McMaster, the man who wants to be our next governor, has appealed to the State Supreme Court to overturn the ruling of the Circuit Court.  Yes, Henry McMaster wants these people to be convicted as criminals for playing Poker at a neighbor’s house.  I think McMaster needs to put down the Bible and put on a dunce hat.  There was also a larger raid in Charleston two years ago that resulted in almost 30 people being arrested at a private residence where the police busted in guns a blazing like they were taking down a crack house.  These asinine assaults on our freedom need to stop.

Of course, gambling should be completely legal at all levels in this state because it’s none of the government’s business what grown adult men and women choose to do with their money, but this legislation is at least a step in the right direction if it passes.

South Carolina State Representative Kris Crawford (R-Florence) has been arrested and charged with failure to file a tax return, failure to pay income taxes, and failure to keep tax records for the years 2004 through 2007.  According to the Florence Morning News, he could face up to seven years in prison and $70,000 in fines if convicted.

I’m curious as to the thought process involved in Crawford’s decision to not abide by the very same tax laws that he as an elected state official implements on the rest of us.  Did he never think that at some point as a public figure this would come out?  It never occurred to him that a potential opponent in an election could discover this and torpedo him?

In the past year we’ve witnessed an epidemic of politicians and other political figures dodging their tax responsibilities.  Several of President Obama’s cabinet nominees had to withdraw their nominations over tax fraud.  New York Congressman Charlie Rangel (D) is in hot water over failure to declare and pay taxes on portions of his income.  Hell, the U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geither who heads the IRS cheated on his taxes.

Apparently, the taxes foisted upon us by the political class are only applicable to us and not to them.

On Thursday, South Carolina state government became a little more accountable to the people.  State Representative Nikki Haley’s bill H.3047, the Spending Accountability Act, finally passed the House and with a unanimous vote by the body.  The current bill was filed in January of 2009,  but the fight began long before.  Haley even lost a committee appointment for pushing for this transparency against the wishes of the State House Speaker Bobby Harrell who I imagine is scared to death of his constituents finding out exactly just how much of their money he wastes on his own greedy self interests.  The gravy train might leave the station.

As it currently stands, the vast majority of votes in the South Carolina state legislature are not recorded.  For decades politicians have been funneling your money back to their districts in the form of projects and pork in the hopes of buying your vote in the next election and all of it anonymously.  Now they’ll have to be on record for all to see.

State Representative and gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley (R-Lexington) got into an impassioned debate with State Representative Bill Herbkersman (R-Bluffton) over lending $10 million to the Heritage Golf Tournament, a PGA event that occurs yearly in Beaufort.  Herbkersman wants the money “in case” the tournament can’t find a sponsor next year.  Haley was adamantly against the loan noting it as an improper role of government and complete fiscal irresponsibility when the state has already made billions in cuts due to the economy.

My opinion on this, I am in agreement with Haley.  Herbkersman is talking about an event that won’t take place until next year.  That is plenty of time to find a sponsor for the event.  In fact, Herbkersman may have just ensured that there is no sponsor next year.  If all the potential sponsors now know that South Carolina will pay out the $10 million to bail out the event, why should anyone sponsor it? A sponsorship is only valuable to the company if they feel they will get a return on their investment. This economy could dampen those prospects.

Those of the words of State Representative Greg Delleney (R-Chester) regarding the defeated State House bill that would have banned the funding of abortions in the state health insurance plan for women who became pregnant through rape or incest.  While I’m sure Mr. Delleney has good intentions, he’s out of touch with the mainstream.

I am pro-life.  I am opposed to abortion and I think the vast majority of them can be avoided by simple responsibility.  However, as a libertarian I do not support government intervention into what is a very personal and difficult issue.  In the same respect I do not believe public tax dollars should be used to fund them either, which I imagine most people would agree with.  That said, that issue at hand is regarding women who pregnant through no fault of their own, either through rape or incest.  I think the majority would also agree that a reasonable exception can be made in those cases and we’re talking very few cases anyhow.  A pregnancy resulting from rape is fairly rare.

This vote only failed by three votes indicating that culture conservatives still wield a great deal of influence throughout South Carolina.

Like I said last year and the year before they are never going to let this go.  From yesterday’s Post and Courier article, let’s start with the logical fallacies of one Dr. Charles Darby.

“The higher the taxes, the more lives that we can save. It’s time for South Carolina to do what is right for our state,” said Dr. Charles P. Darby Jr., Medical University of South Carolina professor emeritus of pediatrics and executive director of the Children’s Hospital Center for Child Advocacy.

“Those of us who do not smoke pay higher health insurance premiums and taxes to subsidize the habit of smoking,” he said. “It is time the smoker pays for some of the cost.”

The Post and Courier

So according to the good doctor the only way to possibly solve this problem is to hand over more money to the government.  There would seem to me to be a much more logical solution.  Why don’t the insurance companies simply raise their premiums on people who smoke?  What, is that just too easy?  Or is the problem if we go that route our elected officials can’t get their grubby little paws on the money and then redirect it to all of their own little pet projects so they can buy votes at election time?

“Every delay just allows more children to get hooked on cigarettes,” Darby said.

According to what data, Doc?  You think a thirty cent price increase on a pack of cigarettes is going to stop kids from smoking?  It’s a negligible amount.  I am a former smoker myself.  I started smoking in high school back in the early 1990s when Marlboros were a buck a pack.  When I eventually quite smoking in my 20s the price of Marlboros was approaching $5 a pack.  It wasn’t the price that got me to quit.  I just decided to start being more cautious of my health.

Now I am going to shock you.  Unlike in years past, I am not as vehemently opposed to this tax hike this time.  Here is why.

Rep. Chip Limehouse, a Charleston Republican and a ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee, made the proposal to get the 30-cent increase in the budget. He said a cigarette tax increase is about the only tax increase he could support and that it’s more important than ever to pass it now. New cash for Medicaid will free up money for schools, law enforcement and other priorities.

If they give so much as a dime of this increase to the schools I am going to be thoroughly pissed.  They don’t need any more money, but other state departments do.  As one example, our jails in particular have been the recipients of excessively painful budget cuts and that effects the safety of every resident in South Carolina.  The state budget has been stripped by more than $2 billion over what it was two years ago, so the efforts have definitely been made to try and reel in spending.

There is also this.

The governor said again in his State of the State address in January that he wants a cigarette tax increase to be used to cut corporate income taxes to make the state more competitive.

“We’re very much of the same mind as we’ve been in years past — that being that we’d definitely be open to an increase in the cigarette tax if it was accompanied by a corresponding tax cut in some other area. In fact, we’ve proposed just such an action in years past,” Ben Fox, communications director for Sanford, said in an e-mail Monday.

The House on Thursday gave key approval to a plan that eliminates the corporate income tax, as a way to make the state more attractive to business, making a cigarette tax increase this year even more likely.

That is a plan I can support.  If the state were to inversely eliminate the corporate income tax in exchange for an increase in the cigarette tax then that is something I can probably roll with.  Unemployment in South Carolina just hit 12.6% and we need a more competitive business environment.  Eliminating the corporate income tax would definitely put us on that path.

A lot of economists and other financial minded folks around the country, including myself, have spoken out against the monetary policy of Congress and the current and past administrations.  The alarming rate of spending and currency printing is quickly reaching a catastrophic level that will eventually collapse like a house of cards if not reined in very soon.  South Carolina State Representative Mike Pitts (R-Laurens) has come up with his own eccentric solution.  Outlaw the American dollar in South Carolina and switch to a state gold and silver currency.

Pitts, a fourth-term Republican from Laurens, introduced legislation earlier this month that would ban what he calls “the unconstitutional substitution of Federal Reserve Notes for silver and gold coin” in South Carolina.

If the bill were to become law, South Carolina would no longer accept or use anything other than silver and gold coins as a form of payment for any debt, meaning paper money would be out in the Palmetto State.

Pitts said the intent of the bill is to give South Carolina the ability to “function through gold and silver coinage” and give the state a “base of currency” in the event of a complete implosion of the U.S. economic system.

The Palmetto Scoop

I don’t know if Pitts is serious or simply trying to make a statement.  His concerns are certainly real, but his solution is not practical nor legal.  A state government does not have the legal authority to determine Federal monetary policy or ban the U.S. dollar within the state lines.  Even if it could, it’s not a practical thing to do.  Everyone in the state would have to be in possession of two different currencies, the state currency for use in the state and the Federal currency for use when leaving the state.  Plus anybody passing through the state would not be able to spend their money here, which is not good tourism promotion.

Oddly enough, it is actually not illegal to create an alternative currency, however.  There are actually a few neighborhoods around the nation that trade a home grown currency that some businesses in the area will accept in lieu of the U.S. dollar and even some  local banks will accept.  This is probably as close as Representative Pitts is going to get with his vision for South Carolina money.

And the results, surprise, surprise, are absolutely pitiful, though somewhat better than years past.

In the State Senate, 13 members achieved a grade of a C- or better.  That’s one more than the 12 from the 2008 session. I guess some improvement is better than none.  In the State House 24 members achieved a passing grade, including gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley who received an A grade.

These grades are calculated based on specific key votes in the state legislature that promote responsible economic growth throughout the State of South Carolina.  Certain votes are weighed more than others based on their impact.  All of the 13 Senate and 24 House members who scored a C- or better were Republicans.  I have them listed below:

Senate

• Lee Bright (R-Roebuck) A+
• Kevin Bryant (R-Anderson) A+
• Mick Mulvaney (R-Indian Land) A+
• Greg Ryberg (R-Aiken) A+
• Tom Davis (R-Beaufort) A
• Mike Rose (R-Summerville) B+
• Phil Shoopman (R-Greer) B+
• Shane Martin (R-Spartanburg) C+
• Ray Cleary (R-Murrells Inlet) C-

House

• Eric Bedingfield (R-Mauldin) A
• Joey Milwood (R-Landrum) A
• Rex Rice (R-Easley) A
• Jeff Duncan (R-Clinton) A
• Nikki Haley (R-Lexington) A
• Tommy Stringer (R-Landrum) A
• Tim Scott (R-North Charleston) A-
• Nathan Ballentine (R-Irmo) A-
• Wendy Nanney (R-Greenville) A-
• Thad Viers (R-Myrtle Beach) A-
• Ted Pitts (R-Lexington) B+
• Michael Thompson (R-Anderson) B
• Dan Hamilton (R-Taylors) B
• Garry Smith (R-Simpsonville) B
• Tom Young (R-Aiken) C+
• Chip Huggins (R-Columbia) C+
• Jim Stewart (R-Aiken) C
• Mark Willis (R-Fountain Inn) C
• Mac Toole (R-West Columbia) C
• Kris Crawford (R-Florence) C
• Deborah Long (R-Indian Land) C-
• Murrell Smith (R-Sumter) C-

Let’s take a look at the leadership of the general assembly, shall we?

• House Speaker Bobby Harrell (R) – A big fat F!
• Speaker Pro Tempore Harry Cato (R) – A big fat F!
• House Majority Leader Kenny Bingham (R) – A big fat F!
• Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell (R) – A big fat F!
• Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler (R) – A big fat F!

Well, it’s really no wonder why South Carolina’s economy is one of the worst in the nation when our state’s leadership is steering us right over a cliff, is it?  South Carolina may be a reliably Republican state, but if I were a member of the state Republican leadership be it in the general assembly or the state party, I’d take a warning from what is happening in the U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts right now.  In one of the most Democrat states in the nation, a Republican is on course to win the U.S. Senate seat that was just vacated by the death of Massachusetts icon Democrat Ted Kennedy.  This is a state with only 15% of its state legislature comprised of Republicans and the last time that state elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate was in 1972 and he was incredibly liberal for a Republican.  My point is that the folks up there are sick and tired of the corruption and incompetence of the Democrat Party that dominates their state and has for decades.  Don’t think the same thing can’t and won’t happen here with the GOP in South Carolina if they don’t start delivering what the people of this state are expecting from them.

As for the 37 members of the Republican caucus above who are at least partially working to improve the economic prowess of our state in these difficult times, they need to go a step further.  Their efforts are fruitless if they allow our state government to continue to be ran by the likes of the self-serving Bobby Harrell and Glenn McConnell.  These two and the other noted above need to be voted out of the leadership.  They are ineffective and not willing to do what is necessary to move this state forward.

Because I live in York County the notorious shenanigans of York County Councilman Paul Lindemann (R) have always been a favorite topic of disgust here at CPO.  Like many small men inflicted with delusions of grandeur, he never disappoints the media’s craving for that next raw, juicy story.  Yes, he’s about to do it again.  Paul Lindemann is diving head first into……


are you ready for this……


wait for it……


The man is going to run for the South Carolina State House.  Yes, it’s true.  His arrogance knows no boundaries.  It’s so thick it’s become a veil over his eyes cloaking reality. 

Who does he think is going to fund his campaign?  No donor with an ounce of integrity in just their pinky finger is going to allow themselves to come within a visible radius of this guy.  Who is going to put their money and reputation behind a candidate who will be annihilated with the resurgence of news stories covering his multiple DUIs, infractions of the law, thousand of dollars in bad checks, and lawsuits for not paying his employees?  Only someone lost in a Quixotic fog of pure fantasy would think they stand even the smallest morsel of a chance.  Why am I not surprised that Mr. Lindemann fits that bill?

Oh, what a year this will be.

A poll released by Inside Advantage shows the current match up for this year’s gubernatorial elections in South Carolina.  The numbers weren’t too surprising, but there was one ranking that stood out.  Gresham Barrett is tanking.  As I predicted a year ago, his Wall Street bailout vote was political suicide.

If the Republican gubernatorial primary were held today, the results would be as follows: Henry McMaster and Andre Bauer would tie with 22%, Nikki Haley would follow with 13%, Barrett is fourth with 9%, and Larry Grooms brings up the anchor with 6%.  28% are undecided at this point in time.

On the Democrat side of the aisle, Jim Rex leads with 21% followed by Dwight Drake with 15%.  Vincent Sheheen comes in third with 8% and Robert Ford and Mullins McLeod trail each with 6%.  The undecideds are much higher among Democrats, 44%.

No general election match up was done yet to see how who would fair against who.