IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Post and Courier (Editorial): Don't delay Cabinet reform
Sunday, March 25, 2012
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2012/mar/25/dont-delay-cabinet-reform/
Five weeks have passed since the state Senate approved a Department of Administration bill, and sent it to the House for its consideration. At this point, the bill appears to be the single best chance for improving accountability and efficiency in state government this year. Now that the House has finished its work on pension reform, it should take up this essential reorganization proposal.
The DOA bill should not be dead on arrival again this year.
The House repeatedly has passed legislation in previous sessions to create a Department of Administration that would assume responsibilities for human resources, procurement, property and fleet management, and information technology.
Those are all executive-type functions that should be handled by a Cabinet agency under the governor. The new department would supplant the State Budget and Control Board, a mixture of statewide elected officials and legislators that is anomalous in the nation. It's past time to jettison the B&C Board.
House Speaker Bobby Harrell has said he is committed to advancing the DOA bill this year, but reserves the right for the House to study it and make necessary changes. Fair enough. Given the House's experience with DOA legislation, it should be able to proceed in a timely manner.
It's highly unlikely that the House will agree with every element of the Senate bill. And most of those sticking points presumably can be worked out in conference committee -- assuming that the DOA bill doesn't languish in the House as it did last year in the Senate.
In 2011, the Senate didn't get to work on the bill in earnest until the final few days of the session, and by then it was too late to complete it. Remarkably, senators took up the legislation soon after they returned this year, and produced the bill now before the House.
The pension reform proposal reached by the House last week was a major advance on resolving a long-standing financial liability facing the state. The House should add to its reform record this year with legislation to create the Department of Administration and, if possible, to reform the state highway commission.
Given that the Senate already has advanced legislation with which the House ought to be thoroughly familiar, the first focus should be on the DOA reform to provide more efficient and more accountable governance.
As Rep. Chip Limehouse, R-Charleston, says, "We should get on with it and pass it."
The Budget and Control Board is emblematic of much of what is wrong with South Carolina government. The Legislature should take the opportunity to replace that sprawling agency with a streamlined Cabinet model.
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THE AIKEN JOURNAL-Covering Politics in Aiken, South Carolina,the Nation and sometimes the World.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Walker’s Recall Showdown - Brian Bolduc - National Review Online
A super article on the fight of a super Governor. Walker is the man!
Walker’s Recall Showdown - Brian Bolduc - National Review Online
Walker’s Recall Showdown - Brian Bolduc - National Review Online
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Yucca Mountain: NRC Safety Review
The National Regulatory Commission (NRC) has concluded a safety review of Yucca Mountain, proposed as the national nuclear waste repository. Although not yet released, the review concluded that the site meets all regulatory requirements for permanently storing the nation's radioactive materials. President Obama formerly ordered Secretary of Energy Steven Chu to withdraw the application to the NRC for licensing Yucca Mountain for this function after more than ten billion dollars and over 30 years have been spent studying and testing the site's appropriateness for this function. Although it can be argued that no engineered environments on earth are older than around 4,000 years (e.g. the Early Kingdom Egyptian pyramids), we can be confident, given the NRC's findings and the extent of testing conducted on the mountain, that it would secure the nation's nuclear waste for at least a few thousand years. Further, even though the President and Secretary of Energy have ordered the mountain to be dropped from consideration as a permanent repository for the nation's nuclear waste, all the studies and tests indicate that it is the perfect candidate as an interim storage site. In fact, the Blue Ribbon Commission (BRC), appointed by President Obama to identify alternatives to Yucca Mountain for America's future energy planning, actually recommended that one or more interim storage sites be identified while research and development improves on nuclear waste management technology. Hopefully, ongoing research will provide resolutions to this problem within a few decades. Research and design efforts in the areas of transmutation and fast reactors which leave lower levels of waste in terms of radioactivity, volume and half life are looking hopeful for the waste dilemma, which some have predicted since the 1970s will be the downfall of the nuclear energy industry unless resolved. In the meantime, since the Obama administration refuses to acknowledge Yucca Mountain's appropriateness for the designated national repository, there would seem to be no language or data indicating that the mountain is not the best candidate for a new designation: interim storage site.
Senator Lindsay Graham, and others, have also raised the issue of what is to become of the $35 billion which South Carolina and other states have been charged to build "the repository to nowhere". Senator Graham and others have introduced a bill requiring the president to either open Yucca Mountain or rebate the $35 billion to the ratepayers who contributed the fund. South Carolina's portion, built through charges for monthly electricity, would come to some $1.3 billion.
Either way, it looks as though there is finally some positive news for the daunting problem of the nation's nuclear waste. Whether or not Yucca Mountain is an appropriate site for permanent storage of the waste, it certainly must be considered as the leading candidate for an interim storage site. Research and development efforts currently on the drawing board should soon show the way to environmentally responsible, and logical, technologies for handling the waste. Once the waste can be safely secured, the nuclear energy industry will have overcome a serious obstacle to its role in the nation's energy future. Finally, South Carolina may receive rebate monies to the tune of $1.3 billion if the Obama administration sticks to its opposition to open Yucca Mountain.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Obama & 2016
An extremely informative movie is coming this summer - Dinesh D'Souza - Obama & 2016.
Dinesh D'Souza is the author of many New York Times best sellers…and President of King’s College NY .
The movie is produced by Gerald R. Molen, who also was producer of the Academy Award-winning Schindler's List and a number of other films.
It explains in plain language who Barack Obama really is, what he stands for, and the dangers of his being re-elected for another four years.
Watch this 14 minute video including a brief preview of the movie, which came out in February for CPAC and share it with others.
It has already been seen by over 27,000 people. Within a very short time it will have been seen by millions!
Excellent!!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Vaughters to seek Young's House seat | Aiken Standard
I was pleased to see the following news in the Aiken Standard today. As most readers of this blog know, Jane and I served together on the Aiken City Council for 8 years. Jane is a solid conservative of strong character and firm convictions. She will never "go along to get along"as unfortunately too many of our long serving politicians do. Jane will be a strong voice for Aiken and all of South Carolina in the SC house and I am grateful she has chosen to run.
As reported by the Aiken Standard:
Read more: Vaughters to seek Young's House seat | Aiken Standard
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution
As reported by the Aiken Standard:
Former Aiken City Councilwoman Jane Vaughters announced plans on Monday to seek the House District 81 seat vacated by S.C. Rep. Tom Young.
Vaughters, who served as an at-large member of City Council from 2001 to 2009, said she made the decision to run because she believes changes need to be made.
Vaughters, who served as an at-large member of City Council from 2001 to 2009, said she made the decision to run because she believes changes need to be made.
"I feel that South Carolina has to be fiscally responsible, and I have a record of looking at expenditures and letting the voters know what expenditures are going to be made, so they can make some kind of intelligent decision," Vaughters said. "We have to fulfill our current obligations and not continue to increase expenditures when we can't meet the existing obligations."
Vaughters said she believes there is also a need for more transparency in government, targeted instead of across-the-board budget cuts and not burdening small businesses with increases in taxes and fees.
She also said she did not seek a third term on City Council because she believes in term limits for office holders.
Vaughters said she believes there is also a need for more transparency in government, targeted instead of across-the-board budget cuts and not burdening small businesses with increases in taxes and fees.
She also said she did not seek a third term on City Council because she believes in term limits for office holders.
Read more: Vaughters to seek Young's House seat | Aiken Standard
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Tea Party Express Reports from Wisconsin
Posted by Dick Smith (online) on March 10th, 2012 | Edit
We had an eventful couple of days in Wisconsin between braving an old fashioned mid-west snow storm and debating Wisconsin Democratic Party communications director Graeme Zalinski.
Between the two, we are still trying to figure out which one blew the most air.
We have been warning you that our opposition in the Recall can not stand on the facts because the truth is not on their side. The only thing that they can resort to is banging pots and pans and screaming their tired stereotypes and lies.
But even we were shocked by the behavior and disrespect that Wisconsin Democratic Party communications director Graeme Zalinski showed to our chairman Amy Kremer on Wisconsin Public Television’s Here and Now.
The lies that he said were offensive, but the condescending way in which he said it was even worse – video to come shortly.
Here are a few samples that give you a taste of his rude behavior and lies:
“Its shocking that this governor would embrace these out-of-state corporate extremists like the Tea Party, people with southern drawls from confederate states (a reference to Amy being from Atlanta)”
When Amy was asked a question by the moderator and it was her turn to speak, he just kept yelling:
“Well Yee-haw”
“Get out of our state, get out of our state!”
We have seen some heated debates about ideology, but never have we seen someone that claims to be a professional act so immaturely, offensively and with such a lack of respect for another human.
After his performance on the program, things got worse when he went to Twitter and said:
If you are as upset as we are about this type of behavior and want to help us defeat people like this and the cause they represent, please send a message by making a contribution today.
As always, if you prefer, you may also make a contribution via mail, by sending a check to:
Tea Party Express 8795 Folsom Boulevard, Suite 103 Sacramento, CA 95826-3720
Between the two, we are still trying to figure out which one blew the most air.
We have been warning you that our opposition in the Recall can not stand on the facts because the truth is not on their side. The only thing that they can resort to is banging pots and pans and screaming their tired stereotypes and lies.
But even we were shocked by the behavior and disrespect that Wisconsin Democratic Party communications director Graeme Zalinski showed to our chairman Amy Kremer on Wisconsin Public Television’s Here and Now.
The lies that he said were offensive, but the condescending way in which he said it was even worse – video to come shortly.
Here are a few samples that give you a taste of his rude behavior and lies:
“Its shocking that this governor would embrace these out-of-state corporate extremists like the Tea Party, people with southern drawls from confederate states (a reference to Amy being from Atlanta)”
When Amy was asked a question by the moderator and it was her turn to speak, he just kept yelling:
“Well Yee-haw”
“Get out of our state, get out of our state!”
We have seen some heated debates about ideology, but never have we seen someone that claims to be a professional act so immaturely, offensively and with such a lack of respect for another human.
After his performance on the program, things got worse when he went to Twitter and said:
 Graeme Zielinski (@gjzielinski) 3/2/12 2:04 PM How offensive that @GovWalker is bringing crazies from the Confederate states up here to meddle in our elections.
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Graeme Zielinski (@gjzielinski) 2/29/12 8:44 AM @GovWalker‘s Tea Party group sure loves the “N” Word. Must be the @WisGOP nod to Black History Month.
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We can not let the left get away with stuff like this, it is unacceptable!
Donate $25, $50, $100, $250, $500, $1000, or even more! Click here to contribute now!
Share This Message on Facebook & Twitter!
As always, if you prefer, you may also make a contribution via mail, by sending a check to:
Tea Party Express 8795 Folsom Boulevard, Suite 103 Sacramento, CA 95826-3720
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shareshare
Posted in National Monday, March 5, 2012
School Choice Message from SCRG
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Friday, March 2, 2012
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