Carolina Politics Online

The Fat Man cometh.

Controversial South Carolina state Sen. Jake Knotts will take questions during a live online town hall at 7 p.m. July 15.

Knotts, R-Lexington, made national news when he called now-GOP gubernatorial nominee Nikki Haley a “raghead” on a Columbia webcast before the June primary. The slur was directed at Haley’s Indian-American decent. He also used the same slur against President Obama.

Knotts is scheduled to appear on Citizen Hill (http://citizenhill.com).

According to an e-mail from the site’s founder Michael Stevens, Knotts will be accept questions from the public on any subject. To participate, individuals must sign up for an account on Citizen Hill, which is free.

The Political Briefing

The questions will naturally be screened.  I’m wondering if they’ll let anybody ask the Fat Man about resigning from the State Senate for his continued pattern of disgraceful, self-serving behavior.

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?

Fo shizzle…

State Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston, who lost his gubernatorial bid Tuesday, said race could have played a role. The Democratic primary electorate is majority black, as is Greene, but not Rawl. “Vic Rawl had money, but he didn’t have enough. He wasn’t able to identify himself with black voters,” Ford said. “No white folks have an ‘e’ on the end of Green. The blacks after they left the plantation couldn’t spell, and they threw an ‘e’ on the end.”

The Post and Courier

I like Robert Ford.  He was my second choice for governor.  But sometimes, he just really shouldn’t talk.

As if the Fat Man needs to announce it.

Republican South Carolina state Sen. Jake Knotts is a redneck, he’s proud of it, and he plans to stay in the state Legislature even though his party wants him to resign.

“If all of us rednecks leave the Republican Party, the party would have one hell of a void,” Knotts said on the South Carolina Senate floor Tuesday. “I am proud to be stereotyped a redneck.”

Politico

So basically he just announced to the world that the Republican Party is a party of rednecks.  LOL!

I guess his constituents can decided in a couple of years if they too are proud rednecks when the Fat Man is up for reelection.

His latest “raghead” gaffe may have finally been the straw that breaks the Fat Man’s back.

Lexington County Republicans voted to rebuke state Sen. Jake Knotts and ask him to resign his office after he used a racial slur last week against state Rep. Nikki Haley.

Both lawmakers are from Lexington County and the dispute was a feud between old guard Knotts and Haley, who represents the rising conservative wing of the party. Knotts referred to Haley, whose parents are Indian immigrants, as a “raghead” on an Internet political talk show.

Knotts said Thursday night he would not resign, and said the resolution was pushed by supporters of Haley and Gov. Mark Sanford, Knotts’ longtime adversary.

“This is not a Republican Party, this is a libertarian party,” Knotts said, noting the group did not censure Sanford last year after he admitted an extramarital affair. “This is nothing but politics. I’m not resigning. I could care less.”

The State

LOL!  I assure you Mr. Knotts, this is not a libertarian party.  Take it from a libertarian.  Mark Sanford may be more libertarian than Republican, as well as Mrs. Haley, but the overall Republican Party in South Carolina is represented by big government stooges like you who have spent away our money on waste and your own political enrichment.  The Republican Party claims to be the party of small government, but you have done more to work against those ideals than any other Republican in the State Senate.  Maybe finally, the other members of your party have gotten tired of your crap.

But others said Knotts sets the wrong example. Ed Boyle said he has voted for Knotts.

“I have on several occasions regretted that vote,” Boyle said. “I don’t believe we as a party can ignore this.”

The issue likely will head for a state party vote at a meeting on the 26th. Greenville County Republican Party chairman Patrick Haddon asked Knotts to resign earlier in the day.

There were no real surprises in the big races last night.  The elections pretty much came down the way the recent polling said it would.

In the Republican gubernatorial primary State Representative Nikki Haley came up just short of the 50% needed to avoid a run off election.  With 48.9% of the vote she will go on to face Congressman Gresham  Barrett who she beat by a more than two to one margin last night.  Hopefully that’s a sign of what’s to come in the run off.  On the Democratic side, State Senator Vincent Sheheen won a decisive victory over Jim Rex and State Senator Robert Ford with 59% of the vote.  He will face either Haley or Barrett in November.

In the First Congressional District State Representative Tim Scott prevailed in a nine person primary and will move to a run off election to face Paul Thurmond.  The winner of the run off will challenge Democrat Ben Frasier who defeated Robert Burton in their primary.

In the Third Congressional District, a Republican run off will be decided between Richard Cash and State Representative Jim Duncan.  The winner of that challenge will face Democrat Jane Dyer who won the Democratic primary and ran against Barrett in 2008.

In the Fourth Congressional District, Trey Gowdy defeated Congressman Bob Inglis, however not enough to decisively win the nomination.  They too will head to a run off and face Democrat Paul Corden in the general election.

In the Sixth Congressional District there was surprisingly a three way Republican primary in this heavily gerrymandered Democratic district.  Jim Pratt and Nancy Harrelson will compete in a run off election to determine who will lose to Congressman Jim Clyburn in November.

In other races, Curtis Loftis defeated incumbent State Treasurer Converse Chellis in the Republican primary.  Leighton Lord and Alan Wilson, son of Congressman Joe Wilson, will move to a run off to determine who the next Attorney General will be.  Neither the AG race nor the Treasurer race was contested by the Democrats.  Ken Ard and Bill Connor will battle it out in the run off to see who the Republicans’ Lt Governor candidate will be.  Mick Zais and Elizabeth Moffly will compete in a run off for the Republican State Superintendent nomination.  The winner will run against Democrat Frank Holleman.

There was a big upset in the State House last night as House Speaker Pro Tem Harry Cato of the 17th House District had the smackdown laid on him by challenger Tom Corbin.  Corbin received 59% of the vote so Cato is outta there!  Two other Republicans in the State House also lost in their primaries.  State Representatives Keith Kelly of the 35th District and Jim Stewart of the 86th were defeated by their challengers.  Additionally, several other State House incumbents were forced into a run off election:  Joey Millwood of the 38th District, Marion Frye of the 39th, Boyd Brown of the 41st, and Richard Chalk of the 123rd.

Finally, probably the sweetest moment of the evening was seeing York County Councilman and scoundrel extraordinaire Paul Lindemann sink faster than the Titanic.  In a four way primary he managed to get less than 12% of the vote.  Republicans David Bowman and Kyle Boyd will move to the run off and the winner will become the next County Councilman for the 1st District as no Democrat filed for the race.

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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“We vehemently oppose these comments and are taking this opportunity to distinguish the Lexington County Republican Party policies from Senator Knotts’ comments,” read a statement the party released Saturday. “We are a party that disregards cultural, ethnic, racial and other superficial distinctions and instead focus on the ideas, philosophies and character of the people running for office and participating in the process.”

The State

If they really want to express their condemnation they’ll not back him for reelection.  As a matter of fact, they can get behind Katrina Shealy.  She has declared today that she will make another primary challenge to the Fat Man in 2012.

I strongly recommend watching this. It’s only about six minutes long and this guy has a great take on Knotts.

Once again the Fat Man can’t help but to open his fat mouth and spout more insidious garbage.

Lexington state Sen. Jake Knotts called political rival and Republican gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley a “raghead” on an Internet political talk show Thursday evening.

The term is a slur typically used against Arabs or other ethnic groups who wear turbans or headdresses. Haley, a state representative from Lexington, is the child of Indian immigrants.

“We already got one raghead in the White House,” Knotts said. “We don’t need another in the Governor’s Mansion.”

McClatchy

I continue to ask myself time and time again why voters in Lexington County continue to reelect this ass clown.  Knotts is part of the good ole boys club in Columbia that feels incredibly threatened by a strong, successful woman like Nikki Haley rising to power in the state to make some well needed changes to the establishment.

Knotts claims that his remark was all in humor.

“My ‘raghead’ comments about Obama and Haley were intended in jest,” Knotts said in a statement. “Bear in mind that this is a freewheeling, anything-goes Internet radio show that is broadcast from a pub. It’s like local political version of ‘Saturday Night Live.’

“Since my intended humorous context was lost in translation, I apologize. I still believe Ms. Haley is pretending to be someone she is not, much as Obama did, but I apologize to both for an unintended slur.” The (Columbia) State

It might  have been humorous if he was talking about Osama bin Laden, but where is the humor in degrading an accomplished woman, wife, and mother?  I’ve got a pretty sick sense of humor and I don’t find Knotts’s comments the least bit funny.

Well Mr. Knotts, here is some humor just for you.  How do you feel about this?

A new poll out from Public Policy Polling now shows Nikki Haley holding a 21 point lead over Henry McMaster in the Republican gubernatorial primary.  Haley holds 39% of the vote, just one point away from the magic number of 40 which she would need to secure the nomination and avoid a run off.  PPP says even with allegations surfacing from Will Folks about allegedly having an affair with Haley a few years back, she has enough support to almost certainly make it to a run off election.  McMaster trails Haley with 18%, followed by Gresham Barrett at 16% and Andre Bauer at 13%.

On the Democrat side, State Senator Vincent Sheheen is the current front runner.  Sheheen leads Jim Rex 36% to 30%, with 11% going to State Senator Robert Ford and 23% undecided.

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

It’s unconstitutional for the votes of every member of the state legislature to be on record?  Oh, the Fat Man sure is grasping for straws.  How dumb does he think we are?  Although, I do have to question the intelligence of some of the folks in Lexington County.  They keep reelecting him year after year.

Last month the South Carolina State House after a year and a half of wrangling over their own ethics, unanimously passed State Representative Nikki Haley’s roll call voting bill, H 3047, and sent it on to the Senate to presumably be passed and then put into law.  Well, that’s not entirely true.  You see, I never presumed that would happen.  Kind of like the Federal government, you can always count on the RINOs in the Senate to muck things up.

Senate Rules Committee Chairman Larry Martin, R-Pickens, told The Nerve on Tuesday that the Policy Council’s latest findings are misleading.

“You get into the 50-percent (recorded vote) range if you don’t include third readings,” Martin said, explaining that most debate on bills is done on second reading, and that third-reading votes typically are routine.

Martin said senators are “trying to be diligent” in complying with rule changes last year that required more roll-call voting, adding, “I’ll talk to the (Senate) clerk today to make sure we’re complying.”

House Rules Committee Chairman Brian White, R-Anderson; House Speaker Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston; and Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, did not respond to The Nerve’s written requests for comment on the Policy Council’s latest analysis.

Martin is chairman of a three-member Senate Judiciary subcommittee considering companion roll-call voting bills (S. 11, H. 3047). The House bill, sponsored by Rep. Nikki Haley, R-Lexington, unanimously passed the House last month, including a 104-0 roll-call vote on second reading.

Both bills would require roll-call votes for:

• Each section of the budget bill on second reading.
• Passage of any other bill or joint resolution on second reading.
• Passage of any bill or joint resolution on third reading if amended.
• Agreement by one chamber of the other chamber’s amendments.
• Adoption of conference committee reports.

Martin said he opposes the bills, though 23 of his colleagues have signed onto the Senate version. Another member of the Judiciary subcommittee, Sen. Jake Knotts, R-Lexington, told The Nerve last month that the Senate bill would never come up for a vote in the subcommittee.

The third member of the subcommittee, Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston, told The Nerve last week he wasn’t aware of the bill, and that he could not comment until he could review it.

Like Martin, neither Knotts nor Ford is a co-sponsor of the Senate bill. Martin pointed out that the full Judiciary Committee likely would not consider either version if at least two of the three subcommittee members opposed it.

That effectively would kill the bills, Martin said.

The Nerve

Ain’t that just grand?  Typical southern political corruption.  Hide the malfeasance so nobody knows about it and make up every excuse in the book to keep it covered up.  Who does Martin think he’s fooling?  Do you honestly believe that Senator Ford doesn’t know about the legislation?  It’s been a hot potato in Columbia for well over a year now.  And as for the Fat Man, well, it’s vital for his political survival that he keeps his big government leftism under the radar as much as possible.

The Republicans really need to clean house in the State Senate.  They are harboring too many big government leftists masquerading as conservatives in districts where the people could easily elect true small government Republicans.  Just as a reminder, here is the official CPO South Carolina Senate RINO list:

• Tom Alexander
• Paul Campbell
• Ronnie Cromer
• Wes Hayes
• Jake “the Fat Man” Knotts
• Hugh Leatherman
• Larry Martin
• William O’Dell
• Luke Rankin

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.

As expected, the Republican controlled South Carolina Senate passed a 50 cent cigarette tax hike yesterday.  This is a larger increase than the 30 cent tax the Republican controlled South Carolina House passed roughly a month ago.  I told you they are never going to quit pushing for this and I’ve told you that the Republican party is full of shit when it claims it’s for small government and low taxes.  Here is what the Senate bill does.

The legislation calls for it to rise to 57 cents a pack, generating nearly $120 million for Medicaid programs, and $5 million each for efforts to curb smoking and cancer research. But it also sets aside $2.8 million for marketing agriculture products and $3.5 million for rural infrastructure development efforts along I-95, an area known for low income residents and underperforming schools.

”They get their money before a nickel goes to health care,” said Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, who said the bill won’t survive a veto. ”When it becomes a goody bag for some new spending, it’s in trouble. The trimmings doomed it,” the Charleston Republican said.

The New York Times

Now this new funding has always been touted as being needed to prevent smoking among kids and young adults and to help treat smoking related illnesses.  Yet, you can see that this is really just another funding stream to expand the socialist nanny state in South Carolina and to fund pet projects that are completely unrelated to health care.

Governor Sanford is sure to veto this and based on the vote count in the Senate by which the bill passed, 27 – 16, will not be enough to withstand that veto.  That’s assuming that they are even able to reconcile their bill with the House bill first, which was a lower tax increase.

These are the Republicans that voted for the bill.  Among them you will find the usual big government supporters, Socialist Luke Rankin, Socialist Tom Alexander, and of course my own Senator, the Socialist Wes Hayes.

• Tom Alexander (R-Walhalla)
• Paul Campbell (R-Goose Creek)
• Ronnie Cromer (R-Prosperity)
• Mike Fair (R-Greenville)
• Wes Hayes (R-Rock Hill)
• Hugh Leatherman (R-Florence)
• Larry Martin (R-Pickens)
• William O’Dell (R-Ware Shoals)
• Luke Rankin (R-Conway)

Republican candidate for governor Henry McMaster said at a campaign stop that he opposes using the state’s economic development incentives program for retail projects.

McMaster, the state attorney general, told a gathering Saturday at Sun City Hilton Head that such tax incentives would give an unfair advantage to some retailers.

The State

It’s nice to know that somebody in the alleged party of small government is opposed to doling out our tax dollars to more corporate interests.  Although, I would be curious to know which side McMaster would have come down on regarding the Boeing deal last year.  His statement comes on the heals of a shopping mall being planned in Beaufort.

S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster, a Republican candidate for governor, said during a campaign stop in Sun City Hilton Head Saturday that he is “not convinced the law should be changed” to give tax incentives to retail developers such as the Sembler Co.

Sembler plans to build Okatie Crossings, a 280-acre shopping center and luxury outlet mall in Beaufort and Jasper counties. Sembler has said the incentives are critical to its plan.

Saturday’s statement, which came in response to a question from a Sun City resident, was the first time McMaster has spoken publicly on the bill for which Sembler is lobbying.

That bill could come to the Senate floor as soon as Tuesday.

“I’m not sure we should be in the business of judging one retail establishment against another,” McMaster said of choosing which retailers should get tax incentives.

The Island Packet

If Okatie Crossings can’t be profitable without taxpayers shelling out corporate welfare to Sembler Co., then why are they building the mall in the first place?  If you need a government subsidy to be in the black then it sounds like a bad investment to me.  Builders typically aren’t in the habit of making bad investments so this leads me to speculate that Sembler Co. can indeed be profitable without the incentives, they just want to see how much of their obligation they can pawn off on the taxpayers.

Let’s see how the Republican controlled state legislature, the party that has railed against the Obama stimulus program, votes when this bill comes up this week.

The Senate reached a compromise Thursday on a controversial Voter ID bill that phases in over two years new requirements for a picture ID in order for a person to vote in South Carolina.

The bill also establishes a new 15-day early voting period prior to elections, maintains walk-in absentee voting for 30 days prior to an election and retains mail-in absentee voting beginning at 45 days before an election.

The photo identification requirement takes effect Jan. 2, 2012, and the State Election Commission must begin issuing voter registration cards with photo ID by July, 1, 2011, pending state funding being made available for the cards.

The system carries an educational, public outreach component, so that currently-registered voters for whom obtaining a photo identification may pose a difficulty, could be assisted.

The compromise proposal must be cleared by U.S. Justice Department and still must go back to the S.C. House for its consideration and passage.

“This is another example of the Senate at its finest hour,” said Sen. Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, Senate president pro-tempore.

The State

This is the Senate’s finest hour?  I’m all for requiring ID to vote, but let’s not embellish too much here.  Then again, considering the state of our state, he’s probably serious.  They’ve actually done something right for once.

This has been such a controversial issue in South Carolina between and the Republicans and the Democrats and there is really no logical reason why.  Voting is one of the most important rights we have in this country and the integrity of that process needs to be protected.  I need to show my ID to get on an airplane, enter a Federal building, drive a car, open a bank account and the list goes on and on.  It only makes sense you should have to prove your identity at the ballot box.  It’s one of the surest ways to prevent fraud in our electoral system.

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.

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.