Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Delegation Appointments



This morning the Anderson County Legislative Delegation met to fill several appointments. Among them were Mrs. Rosemary Lindley (Tri-County Technical College Commission) and Mr. Rick Adkins (SC Board of Education). Rosemary and Rick are perfect “snapshots” of my Senate District of which I am proud to support.

Mrs. Lindley is a graduate of Oklahoma State University and earned a teaching certification from Clemson University. Following a career in retail, she worked as an English and social studies teacher at McCants Middle School and served as head of the school's English department. Currently she is owner of Queen Bees, a gift business located in Anderson. She is an adult Sunday School teacher at Central Presbyterian Church. Charles and Rosemary have two children, one of which I went to school with (James). They are very active in various civic organizations and Republican politics. Rosemary is very direct with her conservative opinions!

Mr. Adkins, a T.L. Hanna graduate and Clemson University graduate, is also committed to faith and family; he and Teresa have 3 children attending Concord Elementary School (the same school I attended). Rick is a successful, self-made, business man. The Adkins are active at Concord Baptist Church. He is a Republican activist, holding true to the conservative values that made the GOP great: less government, fiscal responsibility, family values, and school choice. Rick and I have been friends since childhood and I am honored to support him in this position on the State School Board. He will make us proud.

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Verdin on Republicans

Sen. Danny Verdin, a founding member of the Wm Wallace Caucus, sent a letter to the Greenville News:

Voters rejected Republicans, not Republican values By Danny Verdin

The 2006 elections certainly sent a message to Republicans across America. Voters undeniably said, "We don't like what you are dong." The key to the message, however, is the definition of "what."

Contrary to popular opinion, previously Republican voters are neither frustrated nor fed up with Republicans fulfilling the promises they previously made. Instead, they are fed up with the abandonment of those conservative principles Republicans once embraced.

The following few facts illustrate the unfortunate disregard with which elected Republicans treated their promises of merely a decade ago. Federal spending has increased 69 percent since 1994 and 49 percent since 2001 alone. Federal spending sat at 23 percent of national income in 1993, just before the Republican takeover. It fell consistently through the 1990s, but it rose again until it reached 23 percent again last year, the year of the Democrat takeover.

Individual earmarks, i.e. pork projects, in the federal budget have increased eightfold since 1994. The rudest example of such waste is the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere" in Alaska, which would cost $223 million to link a town of 14,500 people to a town of 50; yes, that's one more than 49. Such spending surely belies Republicans in control -- but they were.

Congressional Republicans also imploded on the ethics front. Tom Delay, former majority leader, resigned in the wake of indictments for bribery. Randy Cunningham, member of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, accepted millions of dollars in bribes to secure defense contracts for his benefactors. He even kept a price list for his favors.

While uber-lobbyist Jack Abramoff had plenty of connections on both sides of the aisle, he also served as chairman of the Republican College National Committee on his way to the top. His misadventures led directly to the resignation of Ohio Rep. Bob Ney. Don Sherwood of Pennsylvania actually taped a television commercial to admit he had an extramarital affair but never choked his lover as had been alleged.

Finally, of course, we suffered Mark Foley and his sexually explicit text messages to congressional pages. Delay, Cunningham, Ney and Foley all signed the Contract with America. When they broke it, supporters terminated their services.

Finally, Republicans simply abandoned the principle of limited government too many times. The prescription drug bill will cost taxpayers $1.2 trillion over the next decade, not $400 billion as originally promised, and it was passed by a House leadership that held open a vote for six hours and promised campaign contributions to recalcitrant Republican members. The campaign finance reform legislation clearly abrogated the first amendment right to free speech and moved us one step closer to government control of elections.

The No Child Left Behind Act injected the federal government into local education systems to a frightening degree, and it was passed by the same party that less than a decade before promised to eliminate the federal education bureaucracy.

This election turned not on the voters' embrace of ideas offered by Democrats but the voters' rejection of Republicans who abandoned them. Examples appeared across the country. The Virginia marriage amendment received 1.3 million votes, and the initiative to expand property tax relief received 1.4 million votes. Republican George Allen received 1.1 million votes and lost by less than 10,000. Montana, in 2004, passed its marriage amendment by a 2-to-1 margin with 294,000 yes votes. In 2006, Montanans ousted Republican Conrad Burns, tainted by close ties to Jack Abramoff, when merely 194,000 voters stuck with him. Conservatives voted for their issues and their candidates. Without a choice, they simply passed.

The evidence clearly proves that conservative issues and candidates win. Mark Sanford, for instance, not only talked like a conservative but ran on his inarguable record as one, and he won by 11 percentage points. Elsewhere, Arizona voted to make English the official state language by a 3-to-1 margin. Colorado rejected the legalization of marijuana by a 60-40 margin. Michigan voted to restrict affirmative action by a 58-42 margin. Ohio rejected its Republican incumbent senator by 12 percentage points and simultaneously rejected the legalization of slot machines by 13 percentage points.

When Republican officeholders, the ones who survived, return to their desks in Washington, D.C., or Columbia, S.C., in the coming days, they reject the message of their constituency at their own peril. Limited government, individual freedom and less spending, far less, remain the foundational principles that Republican voters expect action upon. Further failure by elected Republicans not only jeopardizes their careers but also the future of us all.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

fables of the restructuring


“Somewhere near the end it said you can't do this, I said I can too!” What does a line from ‘Gravity’s Pull’ from REM’s Fables of the Reconstruction have to do with restructuring you ask? Well not much, but since I was educated in Athens, I’m quickly reminded of my days in the Classic City.

Back to the backbench. Today, the Senate took up government restructuring. Y'all know that the governor has campaigned and won on government restructuring as part of his overall plan of reform. In this case, Governor Sanford wants the currently-elected constitutional officers, such as the Secretary of State and Comptroller General, to become appointed officers within his cabinet. Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted out six bills on the issue. They would allow the voters to decide if they want the following officers appointed by the governor:

1-Adjutant General 4-Secretary of Agriculture
2-Comptroller General 5-Secretary of State
3-Superintendent of Education

The sixth bill would allow voters to decide if the governor and lieutenant governor should run as a ticket.

Now if these bills simply removed these officers from the ballot and placed them in the Governor’s cabinet, I might pause and pick some and leave others. That is not the case. These initiatives will change SC’s constitution. Each bill must get 2/3 of the General Assembly and then get final approval by the citizens. So I would like to give you the opportunity to see the whole slate, and you can pick and choose which offices you’d like to continue to elect, and which one’s you’d like to see appointed.

We've already seen the erection of a straw man as the opposition argued on Tuesday that no one in his district ever comes up to him and says that this or that office should be appointed by the governor. The excuse was being made for an imminent "no" vote. The reality is, however, is that the Senate will simply decide as to whether we trust the public or not.
Does your senator trust you? Let me know.

Link on Anderson Independent's:
http://www.independentmail.com/news/2007/jan/24/governor-legislators-tussle-over-elected-officials/

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Run Hillary Run!

Check out Hillary Clinton's new video!

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/feature/video/

Brownback letter of support from Bob Dowd

This letter was printed by several newspapers. Bob Dowd is a friend from Taylors SC.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR, January 13, 2007

TROJAN HORSES

Three Trojan horses have been spotted headed for South Carolina. One is coming from Arizona, one from New York, and the last from Massachusetts. They are being pushed by CBS, ABC, and NBC news. One of the horses is loaded with reversible t-shirts, which have a picture of a donkey on one side and an elephant on the other. The second horse contains t-shirts that read, “I march in all gay parades.” The third horse has a fairly good message.

Fortunately, a Conestoga wagon has been spotted headed south from Kansas. At the reigns is Senator Samuel Brownback (R). He is moving slowly because the wagon contains copies of the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and pictures of the Founding Fathers such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Henry Clay, and James Madison. These documents are essential in South Carolina because most of them are needed by the voters to help them remember why we are a Republic.

Recently, I was invited to a luncheon sponsored by Senator DeMint to introduce Senator Brownback to the community. At that time, Senator Brownback announced that he would be running for President of the United States. He expressed his support for pro-life, the institution of marriage between a man and a woman, securing the borders with real immigration reform, and protecting ourselves from terrorists. I had the opportunity to tell him that I recently read Culture Warrior by O Reilly and was amazed at how far our society has deteriorated. My questions to him were: How did Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg (D) receive 97 votes in the United States Senate for her confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court? (50 votes were from Democrats and 47 from Republicans) This individual was the chief counsel for the ACLU, an organization which is attacking all our basic beliefs and guaranteed rights.

Why was Republican pro-life nominee Samuel Alito able to muster only 54 votes for his confirmation? Brownback then stated that he was in favor of responsible judges who upheld the Constitution and did not reinterpret it as they went along. Based on what I heard, I became a believer in this man.

Senator Samuel Brownback, (R) Kansas, has marched this past weekend in the pro-life rally in Washington, DC against the Supreme Court decision of Roe vs Wade (1973). Where were the other candidates on Saturday?

In my opinion, Senator Samuel Brownback would be the best choice to win the South Carolina Republican Primary. There is no duplicity in his message.

Bob Dowd
Taylors, SC

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

annexation manipulation

Ya’ll probably aren’t surprised by this bill since it has been discussed on the backbench for a while. Annexation manipulation is a tactic used by municipality owned utilities with outside boundary customers. Some of these utilities are requiring a signature on an annexation agreement before service is given. S. 289, if passed, eliminates this strong-arm tactic. The rhyme annexation manipulation reminds me of that Saturday morning cartoon, “conjunction junction, what’s that function”. I’m not a poet, so any rhyme on this crime would be good. Help me out!

http://www.scstatehouse.net/sess117_2007-2008/bills/289.htm

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Morgan the gymnast

Here is my daughter Morgan at her first gymnastics meet. Unfortunately, I had to work in the pharmacy Saturday. I am blessed with 3 great kids!

Friday, January 12, 2007

Bryant Endorses Brownback for President



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASENEWS RELEASE
January 11, 2007Contact: Rob Wasinger
Brownback Gains Endorsement of Key South Carolina Social Conservatives

"He is the genuine conservative in this race and someone we can trust."

Columbia, SC - U.S. Senator Brownback received endorsements today in South Carolina from two key social conservative leaders. State Senator Kevin L.
Bryant of Anderson and Mr. Hal Stevenson of Columbia have agreed to join the
upcoming South Carolinians for Brownback Steering Committee.

"I've always been impressed with Senator Brownback as he is right on the mark on both the fiscal and social issues," stated Senator Bryant, "Brownback has what it takes to unite the Republican Party and lead us to victory. His message will be very well received here in the Palmetto State."

Senator Bryant is a leading conservative in the South Carolina legislature, firmly opposing abortion and same-sex marriage. Brownback visited Bryant's district in December, as he spoke to physicians about healthcare and visited veterans at an Anderson nursing home. Senator Bryant is married with three children.

Mr. Hal Stevenson of Columbia recently completed his term as President of the Palmetto Family Council. He is a businessman, a husband, father of five, and previously led Alan Keyes South Carolina campaigns in 1996 and 2000.

"I've known Senator Brownback for many years. He is the genuine conservative in this race and someone we can trust," said Stevenson.
Senator Brownback expressed appreciation for such support: "Senator Bryant and Hal Stevenson are well respected leaders of the conservative movement in South Carolina. Their support will be a great help in spreading my pro-life, pro-family, pro-freedom message to the people of South Carolina."
PAID FOR BY BROWNBACK FOR PRESIDENT, EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE NOT PAID FOR AT TAXPAYER EXPENSE

email: http://ym/Compose?To=info@brownback.com
phone: 785-220-2615
web: http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=qyuxi8bab.0.j6rwi8bab.lmx6x9bab.7&ts=S0216&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.brownback.com

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Pre-filed Bill S. 0084 ultrasound requirement

Before an abortionist can perform the procedure on a patient, they must verify the baby's gestational age with an ultrasound, they must review the ultrasound pictures with the mother, and the mother must sign an informed consent that she has reviewed the ultrasound pictures. This language simply builds upon current abortion language in the code. This bill has support among those called “pro-life” and “pro-choice”. I am told by those in crisis pregnancy centers that when an ultrasound is viewed, most patients (an estimated 85%) choose life.http://www.scstatehouse.net/sess117_2007-2008/bills/84.htm


Friday, January 05, 2007

Pre-filled Bill S. 0126 gives pharmacists freedom to exercise moral objections

Except for pharmacists, all other health care providers are exempt from involvement in procedures because of moral objections. Being a druggist myself, I have a personal issue here. This bill includes abortion inducing medications, but has broader implications. For example, several years ago, one of our pharmacists refused to fill prescriptions for a patient simply because the patient was being overmedicated. The prescriber had the patient on several drugs within the same therapeutic class. I remember him saying “Look hear Doc, you’ve got this girl on enough dope to drop an elephant!” I’d like to see protections for druggists exercising their conscience.http://www.scstatehouse.net/sess117_2007-2008/bills/126.htm

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Bravo to Anderson County Council


I’m excited to see the Anderson County Council starting off on a good foot.
1-A Forensic Audit: In a losing effort, Bob Waldrep, Cindy Wilson, & Ron Wilson voted for a forensic audit. This would bring clarity of the financial management (or mismanagement) of the taxpayers’ money.

2-Rescinding the reversal of the Blue Laws: Larry Greer, Bob Waldrep, Cindy Wilson, & Ron Wilson voted to rescind the previous council on a reversal of the Blue Laws.

It looks like the Council is making a conservative turn. Again, Bravo!

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Pre-filed Bill S. 0086 Caitlyn's Law

This bill is named after Caitlin Elizabeth Wooten.
http://www.spiritofcaitlin.org/caitlinslaw.htm
She was a victim of murder in Oklahoma by an assailant released on bond even though he had been charged with kidnapping. We want to ensure that criminals caught in the act of kidnapping, pointing a weapon and threatening to kill another person would be presumed to be a danger or prove that they can be released to the community or denied bond. It conforms the code with the State Constitution by allowing a judge to deny bail to a person charged with a violent offense after considering the weight of the evidence and the nature and circumstances of the offense. Also, this bill defines kidnapping as a violent crime.http://www.scstatehouse.net/sess117_2007-2008/bills/86.htm