A Small Note of Support for Gov. Sanford

So, he had an affair; big deal.

Sanford, unlike so many others on the right (as recent examples Vitter, R-La, Craig, R-Id and Ensign, R-Nv.), has not used faith as a keystone of his candidacy and term of office. At least. as far as I can remember, he has not aggressively worked to deny gay rights or promoted himself as a warrior for christ etc. Now, part of the reason may simply be because in South Carolina you don't have to work that hard to put these laws in place, but his actions, at least from my perspective were far less vile that those of many others on the right.

Sanford's affair is not nearly as hypocritical as the actions of so many of the other fallen on the right were. Yes, he relied the religious right for votes, yes he appointed their leaders to various positions in the government and yes he talked in their language (as he did when confessing today), but he was not really one of them. He was an anti-government libertarian and loathed public education but while he dabbled in religion he was not driven by it.

So while I opposed most of his policies, felt that most of his ideas are somewhere between foolish and idiotic and still think he is one of the worst state governors in the country, this affair is, on any level other than his family's,nothing of import. It does represent a personal weakness but we all have those and I will not condemn a person for that.

Ensign bragged about his promise keeping, Viter framed almost all his policy arguments around using the government to promote his religious beliefs, Craig voted against gay rights for decades, while engaging in homosexual activity. Their falls all involved specular hypocrisy. Sanford's actions don't come close to this level of disgrace or two faced behavior.

So I will say this, his cheating on his wife is, in the grand scheme of things, not a big deal. It is a personal issue and like Clinton's affair, not worth worrying about simply because Sanford, like Clinton,(and unlike Ensign, Viter and Craig) didn't seem to spend a lot of time and energy trying to figure out how to get his policies into the homes and bedrooms of others.


UPDATE

OK, so maybe he is as big a hypocrite as Viter, Ensign and Craig

UPDATE II

It appears the I will need to avoid any trivia questions about South Carolina politics in the 90s.

During the 90s Mark Sanford demanded that two politicians involved in affairs resign their elected positions, so his options are now very limited, resign or be a typical republican hypocrite


Tags
Sanford, South Carolina

Our House Is Burning Down

And we are offered stale failed old ideas.

Governor pushes budget cap, ending corporate income tax, proposes truce with Legislature

...

Gov. Mark Sanford outlined a mix of new and old ideas in his annual State of the State address he felt would improve the state economy, improve education and streamline state government.

Lets see what our leadership has offered. He wants more tax cuts, school choice, a budget cap and more power for the executive branch. That sounds a whole lot like it Stanfords plan when things were working well. This is an amazing one size fits all solution, no matter what it happen in our state, nation or world, these are the steps we need to take to advance. The economy is going great, cut taxes and give us state paid access to private schools, economy is tanking, well, lets see, lets cut taxes and give us state paid access to private schools.

In addition, these ideas sounds a lot like what we have been doing in DC for the last few years, and we all see how well that worked out.

What I find most interesting is the insistence on more tax cuts. In light of the impact of last years tax cuts, they were the direct cause of our current budget crisis,.

Economists suggest that worst effects of national economic downturn have yet to hit state

The hundreds of millions of dollars that have been cut thus far this year from the state budget have more to do with recently approved tax cuts than the faltering economy, state economists say.

Ominously, they think the worst of the nation’s economic problems have not yet hit South Carolina.

it takes great courage (or a firm adherence to dogma over reality) to continue to push this idea when considering the national economic situation.

I guess they think that our the last tax cuts were so successful that another is obviously a great idea. Of course you have to understand the goal of those who want these cuts, they do not like government, they want to kill government, and the surest way to do that is to keep it so poor it is impotent that it is useless.

and it appears to be working.


Tags
South Carolina, Tax

An Amazing Fact About South Carolina Politics

One man orchestrated over half a million dollars in donations to candidates in the primaries.

And he doesn't even live in the state.

So just how badly does NYC millionaire Howard Rich want our state to be a "foothold state" for the privatization of public schools? How badly does he want a state house that will pass his voucher and tax credit agenda?

...

A total of 37 candidates got a total of over $579,000 through the funding scheme. $419,000 of that came from at least thirty entities using an address at 73 Spring St., New York City.

We should just put a giant for sale sign up at the state house, at least it would be an honest reflection of how we operate.

Tags
South Carolina

A Typical Slice Of South Carolina Stupidity

Like most of the news stations in the US, our here in Columbia have message boards where you can comment on each news story. The recent disagreement about and eventual approval of a gay-straight alliance for the school has generated alot of discussion, some of which makes is clear just how stupid and uninformed many or our residents are. Here is a truly frightening example:

Let's not forget that this nation was founded on Christian princples. This nation is allowing the minority to rule. As a parent I do not want educators teaching my children about the gay life style,or allowing my tax money to fund such a thing. Homesexuality is a choice not a right, it is an abomination against God! No wonder this country is falling a part. I for one think poverty, health care issues, homelessness amongst a few can be solved and handled without sacrificing this great christian nation of ours.

In only 90 words we find a mountain of stupidity.

Let's not forget that this nation was founded on Christian princples.

A common lie of the uneducated or dishonest christian. Our nation was founded during the enlightenment, or the age or reason. Our founders were looking for a form of non religious governance. The had countless options to force religion into the national mix and didn't do it a single time. The few time religion is mentioned it is to push religion out of government.

Our nation was founded primarily by Europeans, and they had basically christian heritages, but when building our nation they looked to logic and reason not the christian religion to craft the laws of our land.

This nation is allowing the minority to rule.

I am not sure how allowing gay students to from a club, like allowing chess players, or bible studiers or cheese lovers to form a club is letting them rule. One of the basic points of our laws is the protection of minority rights. It is quite simple, if the government allows some to do it, they have to allow all. Anyone who has done any reading of the history of our land knows this. It is a shame the this commenter is so uninformed.

Only those who are frightened about no longer being able to use the power of the state to deny rights and freedoms to others hold on to this stupidity.

I do not want educators teaching my children about the gay life style,or allowing my tax money to fund such a thing.

More stupidity on parade. The school is not teaching a single thing about homosexuality, this is an after school club. Your tax money is funding this club to the exact same extent as that they are funding the FCA or meet at the flag poll, which is about zero dollars. That said, homosexuals exist and I see no harm in their existence being acknowledged (and can anyone tell me, what the heck is the 'gay lifestyle'. Every gay couple I know has a lifestyle about as exciting as mine. They go to work, pay their bills, etc. I see nothing that unique in the lives of all the gays I know).

Homesexuality is a choice not a right,

Someone should have been paying attention in science class, or at lease done a little research prior to spouting off. Homosexuality is no more a choice that heterosexuality is, we are attracted to who we are attracted to. The only argument is; Should everyone, no matter what their sexual orientation, have the same rights.

it is an abomination against God!

Some rather backward Christians spout off this point of view, but there is little logic to their arguments. Other Christians see homosexuals as part of gods creation and see no sin in how they were created. In either case the argument is not relevant to the issue of how the state should relate to gays, since the state is designed to be neutral on religious issues, and this persons view on a homosexuals place in society is clearly motives by religious bigotry.

great christian nation of ours

Just to make this point clear, while we are a nations of Christian, we were not created as nor are we now a Christian Nation.



Tags
GSA, South Carolina, Stupidity

S.C. Cigarette Tax Is Dead

The Governor killed it and the house could not override his veto. This should not be a surprise to anyone. Stanford is not one to have his own ideas ignored.

What is depressing is the dishonest excuse Sanford used to justify his veto.

Gov. Mark Sanford vetoed the plan. Sanford said the cigarette tax — an estimated $160 million — could not match the rising cost of medical care.

“It jeopardizes taxpayers and the people who depend on Medicaid,” Sanford said.

This is an argument that I can support and at times can be a good reason to veto any bill using funding of this type. The plan would establish a annual expenses for the government, while not assuring a continued corresponding revenue stream. We all have to keep in mind that one of the major benefits of raising the cost of cigarettes is it tends to reduce consumption and discourage new smokers. The end result could be established programs facing a shortage in funds due to a decline in smoking.

This could mean that in a few years the program benefits may have to be reduced, or alternate funds would have to be found to continue them.

But, in Sanfords case this excuse is just a lie.

He threw this veto, not because he opposed a hike in the Cigarette tax, he supports this, but because this version helps the wrong people. Stanfords plan, as I remember it, involved using the income from the Cigarette tax to fund a tax cut for the richest people in South Carolina. The fact that he supports this use of the potential tax revenue, and opposes the House plan, makes it clear that his excuse is a load of bull. In either case (Medicaid or Tax Cuts for the rich), the state will have to address a shortfall in income if and when cigarette consumption falls.

The difference is; the House plan taxes the poor to provide medical care for the poor, while Sanfords plan would tax the poor to aid the rich. You see, one of the harsh truths about the use of tobacco products, the poorer you are the more likely you are to smoke. The end result: We have the lowest tax on cigarettes in the nations, That we are in the top 10 state in tobacco product use in past month among persons aged 12or older, We still have grossly underfunded Medicaid system and we will have to readdress this issue in 2009.

I see this as another failing of the state government. I fear that of all the issues involved in this the only failure that Governor Sanford sees is the failure of the richest South Carolinians to get another tax break.



Tags
Cigarettes, Sanford, South Carolina, Tax

Some South Carolina Senators Making Sense

The Senate is trying to address illegal immigration. Most of the efforts have been basically useless and focused on punishing the poor sap looking for a better life. This approach is penny wise and pound foolish, and does nothing to reduce the problem.

The latest Senate proposal on the other hand is a step in the right direction.

passed a plan that would impose fines up to $10,000 for knowingly hiring a worker in this county illegally.

This is a small step down the path that may, with time, make some difference. Its greatest weakness is this proposal is way to easy on the employer, and the 'knowingly' phrase is a huge loophole.

If the US wants to stop immigration, the only path that will work is to eliminate employment opportunity. The immigrants are only doing what free market capitalist and the Horatio Alger fables have told us we are all suppose to do, work hard and take risks to get a better life. No matter what punitive actions we take against this population, as long as there is a demand for their services they will come.

The only way to eliminate employment opportunities is to make the risk of hiring undocumented aliens so high that no one will risk it, and the terms of the current proposal is to weak. We need to look at fines for the companies that run into the hundreds of thousands, if not higher. We need fines for the officers and the managers of these firms that are at least five times higher that the ones currently proposed, and jail time should also be considered. Companies that hire subcontracontractors that hire these workers must also held accountable, again into the hundreds of thousands of dollars with fines and jail for officers and managers who are involved in the process.

If this step is taken, we will see a reduction in immigration, because the only reason that the vast majority of immigrants are coming here is to get some work. Every other step we take is a waste of time and money. We, as a state and nation, are best served by abandoning them, they don't work.




Tags
Immigration, South Carolina

Forcing God On South Carolina

Our Senators, always looking for ways to waste time and money, have produce two more silly and potentially costly pieces on legislation in their continued efforts to use to power of the state to jam Christianity down the throats of the citizens.

The SC Senate is now acting in an effort to allow the use two traditional dishonest christian ploys, and both are mistakes.

PUBLIC PRAYER: The state Senate has approved a bill that would allow prayers before public meetings. The legislation says public bodies can adopt policies to let members take turns giving an invocation, elect a chaplain or create a pool of speakers from faith groups to offer the prayer. The bill also calls for the state attorney general to defend public bodies if they face constitutional challenges.

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RELIGIOUS DISPLAYS: The Ten Commandments could be displayed in South Carolina schools and courthouses as long as they are posted with other historical documents like the Bill of Rights, under a proposal a Senate panel took up Thursday. No vote was taken. The legislation, approved by the House last year, would allow the Judeo-Christian cornerstone to be displayed as long as it is posted with a dozen documents that influenced U.S. law and government, including the Constitution and Pledge of Allegiance.

The proposal about public prayer is just foolish. The Federal courts have been consistent on this issue, it is not allowed. No law, passed by any state, has the power to override Federal standards. All this proposal will do is expose the state to the cost of defending foolish local governments, like Great falls, when they decide to be stupid.

The second one is most likely legal but still foolish. The argument goes that the 10 commandments are part of the bedrock standards that our nation was founded on. If you actually look at the 10 commandments, it is clear this is utter foolishness. Of the commandments, only 4 seem to have any historic legal standing in the US. These are Murder, Thief, Adultery and Lying. The trouble with trying to tie this into the history of law in the US is, these are basically universal concepts that are found in all societies no matter their faith construct. Two (or three) more of the commandments deal with personal behavior and thoughts, and have no relevance to our judicial history and no mention in our founding documents. These are honoring your parents and coveting your neighbors possessions (and spouse). The other ideals in the commandments are not found in our founding documents and in many respects run counter to these.

Lets start with the first (or first and second, depending on the version of the commandments you care to use); I am the Lord your God, You shall have no other gods before me, You shall not make for yourself an idol. In many respects the constitution was implicitly putting a man made document ahead of God. Our founding fathers were creating a nation of law and those laws were the laws of man, not God. The other two are; You shall not make wrongful use of the name of your God, Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. I don't think that either of these commandments can be found to be reflected in any of the documents that our nation was founded on.

So we have 4 commandments that apply, but these ideals are expressed in almost every society, and are commonly found in non christian societies. The argument that they had anything to with the establishment of law in the US is weak is best. 2 of the commandments deal with internal thoughts and behavior to relatives. It is difficult if not impossible to see any tie between them and the laws of our land. The last 4 deal with our relationship with God, and it can be argued that the founding of the US as a nation where law is supreme is in violation of the ten commandments.

To try to sneak the 10 commandments into governmental buildings on this basis is dishonest, silly, time wasting and indicates a lack of understanding of the history of our country. So, it is the perfect way for our elected officials to spend their time.

Maybe, one day, we will focus on education, or health, or infrastructure, or employment, but for now, we will keep trying to find way to force God down the throats of the people of the South Carolina.





Tags
Faith, South Carolina

Fridays Places To Visit

The serial dishonesty of the anti ACLU crowd is pointed out at Panda's Thumb.


Barbecue & Politics looks at South Carolina politics, astroturf 'grass roots' groups and the money that Howard Rich pumps into his favored candidates.


The ironic meeting of Free Markets, Ayn Rand and the bribes being paid to force college students to read Atlas Shrugged are discussed at Crooked Timber.


At FiredogLake, a look at President Bush's dishonest proposal to reduce combat tour time in Iraq.





Tags
ACLU, Economics, Iraq, South Carolina

South Carolina; Fighting Hard For 50th

A couple of news stories about the SC state budget clearly define what is wrong with our state.

Fearing tight economic times, and trying to act in a proactive nature, the Senate has cut millions from the state education budget.

Details of the budget released Friday afternoon show spending eliminated or cut for young adult education, hydrogen research, computer systems at The Citadel and a College of Charleston science center.

This is a huge mistake. We can not afford to continue to cut our already grossly underfunded educational programs if we want want real long term economic growth here is SC. But what makes this action far more than the normal political stupidity we face, it is how these folks are handling their own pension program.

IT’S BAD enough that our part-time legislators want to sweeten up their uber-generous legislative pension system — the one they shouldn't even have to begin with, the one taxpayers subsidize at three times the rate we subsidize the pensions for career state employees, the one that lets legislators draw a larger state paycheck after they retire than they do while in office, and even lets them keep growing that pension at taxpayer expense even after voters kick them out of office.

But the House is poised not only to approve the plan this week, but to do so without a bit of debate. That would have happened on Thursday, but for a procedural delay. And the Senate might not be far behind.

Yep, 3 time the state contribution rate for real employees, higher pay upon retirement (or being voted out of office) and all done without debate, while cutting other vital programs because of 'tough time ahead'.

Disgusting, isn't it.



Tags
Education, South Carolina, Tax

Signs Of The End Times Here In South Carolina

I almost agree with one of our states most foolish politicians. It seems that Mike Fair is proposing a tax increase on adult oriented magazines. I have always considered the old fashioned sin tax a reasonable means of raising income. I myself would have aimed this money into the general fund, not into a specific program but this is one Mike Fair proposals that could be workable.

I wonder how he feels about another sin tax the state should be considering? I suspect that in this arena where he may be a touch more reluctant to embrace the whole sin tax concept.



Tags
Mike Fair, South Carolina, Tax

Is Lap Dancing Really This Important

Here in South Carolina we have bad schools, underfunded higher education, a failing medical delivery system, a sick and undereducated population, bad roads and countless other problems to deal with; So which of these issues are our legislators focusing on now?

Lap Dances

Exotic dancers would have to stay six feet from strip club customers and those businesses would have to close at midnight under a bill being considered by House lawmakers.

and why is a 'Tennessee-based lawyer' leading this effort?






Tags
South Carolina, Legislating Morality

A Rough Week For South Carolina

We are making a name for ourselves, but it isn't one that most if us would embrace.

We have teachers fighting in school halls, we have police making high speed pursuits thought apartment playgrounds, and intentionally running down fleeing suspects, our highest ranking member of congress makes us again wonder is it what you can do, or how well you are connected, and we have a horse abuse story on the front page of the paper.

Some might consider these string of events unusual, but for those of us who live here, it isn't a real surprise.




Tags
South Carolina

Polling South Carolina Style

Compare and contrast.

In our house all we have gotten are push polls, republican vs republican. A classic example of one I got was very similar to this one.

Most are automated, the one I got today was with a real live person. The the breakdown, as far as I can tell at my house has been.

Huckabee bashing McCain, McCain slamming Huckabee (live), Unknown attacking Huckabee, Romney(maybe) denouncing McCain.

nasty, very nasty polling going on in the Republican primary.

My mother has noticed the same thing, but yesterday a new camp was heard from. A live democratic pollster called. She was asked if she was going to vote and what primary. When she said she was a likely Democratic primary voter, she was asked who she favored. She responded that she was undecided and very happy with all three leading candidates. The pollster then asked to who she would lean to if she HAD to vote today.

She replied Edwards, and the caller thank her for her time, advised they were calling from Obama for President and encouraged her to keep considering Obama, and be sure to vote next week, even if ti was for Edwards.

The Democrats have a week to get nasty and it is possible that if she had replied Clinton the script may have called for a push poll attack. That said, she was so surprised by the call she had to call me to relay the details.

Lets hope the Democratic contenders can avoid the blood bath that is going on among the Republicans.

Over at Daily Kos, do we have another creative attack on McCain?

Tags
Push Polls, South Carolina

In A Stunning Development

The State Board of Education did something positive.

Today, in a stunning reversal of votes, the State Board of Education approved the Miller/Levine Biology Textbook that was under scrutiny. The vote went from 9-7 (vote in December) in favor of dropping the Miller/Levine textbook to 10-6 in favor of keeping the textbook on the list.

Now it is time to remove S.C. PIE and Mike Fair's absurd 'teach the controversy' language from our science standards. Science must be taught correctly, without the stupidity that some self professed Christians want thrown in based on their faith.

In Florida a local district decide to take the other path and in the process has shown the world just how poorly educated and ignorant that they are. It is a rare and banner day in South Carolina, we can cheer ourselves for doing something wise and can then sit back watch the leaders in another state do something inane at the same time.

Working Hard To Keep South Carolina Stupid

That seems to be the goal of S.C. Parents Involved in Education and some of our local school boards. It appears that, despite clear and mounting evidence that abstinence focused sex education doesn't work, Lexington district 3 wants to add this to the foolishness to the class room.

The Batesburg-Leesville area schools could vote tonight to adopt the Worth the Wait program, a Texas-based initiative that is beginning to spread to parts of South Carolina. At least six districts, including Lexington-Richland 5, use the Worth the Wait curriculum, said Sheri Few, president of S.C. Parents Involved in Education.

It is a perfect storm of stupidity; A group co founded by our anti-science, home schooling state board of education president, promoting the potential selection of a failing education style from a company that whose circuilia is deeply flawed.

According to a report recently released by the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS), the Bush administration is funding three sex education programs that provide misinformation and foster fear and confusion. The three curriculums SIECUS reviewed are "Passion and Principles," "Worth the Wait," and "Navigator."

.....

All three of the programs promote abstinence until marriage and exclude any meaningful discussion of safer sex. As SIECUS notes in their report, the curriculums argue against the use of condoms, promote fear and guilt in adolescents, and contain blatant religious messages.

This type of decision making is what assures that the students of South Carolina schools can look to many more years, if not generations, of being ranked at the bottom of the national educational performance. Teaching bad information, promoting false information just assures continued failure, to steal an old computer term, garbage in, garbage out.

How Did I Miss This

Our Governor publicly professes his scientific ignorance,

COLUMBIA, S.C., Jan. 31 (UPI) -- South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford says he believes intelligent design should be taught in his state's public school classrooms.
...
College of Charleston physics professor Bob Dukes and biology associate professor Robert Dillon Jr. criticized the governor for his statements. They told the Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier there aren't "chinks in the armor of evolution," and Sanford's citation of the second law of thermodynamics was also incorrect.

and I don't notice it for 11 months.

Well, at least I know fully understand why he appointed a home schooling, intelligent design promoting supporter to the South Carolina Board overseeing public education