Please tune into WSPA-TV (News Channel 7) at 7 p.m. tomorrow night, April 23, to watch all 4 GOP primary candidates for SC Governor debate LIVE at the Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg. The debate will last for one hour and will also be web streamed beginning at 6:55 p.m. (for those not living in the Upstate) at WSPA's web site http://www2.wspa.com/; their chat room will also be open. Very limited seating is still available to be part of the studio audience.
A good friend who epitomizes the American Dream and I attended our first Tea Party on April 15th. My friend who immigrated to the U.S. from Europe after World War Two obtained a college education and earned an Engineering Degree and then entered the U.S. Air Force. He courageously served our country as a pilot in Vietnam and has had a very successful career following his retirement. I also served my country as a young Marine and though I was never in harms way it was a life changing experience. We both enjoyed the event and admired the commitment and respect displayed by so many good citizens. Today I received an email from a dear friend that included a link to the following YouTube which is well worth watching.
As President Mubarak returns to Egypt after his latest health crisis a new face is on the scene. Mohamed El Baradei who is internationally famous as the head of the IAEA has returned to his homeland and is seeking to replace Mubarak. His candidacy is stirring up great excitement and we can only hope that democracy will prevail. There is a little debate going on in Egypt as to who is the most well known Egyptian. My own thought is Omar Sharif but perhaps my wife has colored my thinking! Here is what the Egyptian Chronicles had to say. Enjoy the video.
The following article by Erick Erickson appears on Redstate. It makes excellent points about Nikki Haley and the comments on the article are very much worth your time. We need new conservative leaders and Nikki needs your help.Please contribute to her campaign.
As you know Nikki Haley is running for Governor of South Carolina. She has been leading the charge for roll call voting. The following link will take you to a Fairtax Organization message urging your action.
This link will take you to another sad tale exposing the way Congress does its business. Unfortunately both parties have engaged in this sort of shenanigan over many years to the detriment of our country but never have the stakes been as high as they are on Obamacare. We are already encumbered by a massive unfunded liability for Medicare and it will only get worse. There are many problems with the current system. Reform is needed but the plan being muscled through Congress is a disaster. We can only hope that love of country and pressure from irate consituents will move a sufficient number of elected officials to block the arrogant misuse of power that the Obama administration and some elected officials in Congress are displaying.
I have posted the following link to the latest poll in the South Carolina Governors race. While Nikki Haley places 4th it is interesting to note that a large number of those polled are undecided. Nikki's numbers are improving daily and as people get to know her I expect that many of the undecided will move to her. Please spread the word. If you haven't already done so check out her website: http://www.nikkihaley.com/ and email the link to your friends.
Almost 8 years of my Foreign Service career were spent in Egypt. It holds many great wonders and I found the Egyptian people to be warm and generous. For the most part they were also pro-American even though our support of Israel often gets in the way. I have followed an Egyptian blog for several years and I have mentioned before that I don’t always agree with it’s contents but I do admire it’s editor. She did a piece today that sardonically reports that Cairo is listed in a report about 7 mega-cities of the world that have severe economic problems and as aconsequence could be a threat to global security. I understand her frustration with the present government of Egypt but I have not seen any viable alternative. There is a fair amount of support for the Muslim Brotherhood which has been officially outlawed in Egypt but I believe that the election of any government with a religious base would be “out of the frying pan into the fire.”
Whatever party is in charge the fact is that unless and until Egypt can manage its population growth there is little chance for improving the lot of average Egyptians. I first spent time in Egypt in 1954 and the population at that time was around 23 Million. Today it is 73 Million! I believe the Egyptian government promotes birth control practices but based on the statistics they obviously are not very effective. Egypt does not have that many natural resources and this kind of exponential growth is unsupportable. Rather than just simply wishing for change of leaders I believe that the young activists could accomplish more by supporting practical programs such as birth control.
Transparency is sadly lacking at all levels of government and the Obama administration has been relentless in its pursuit of imposing its agenda on a country that rejects much of it and most especially Obamacare.. He promised openess and transparency and what have we been given? More of the same kind of rotten back room deals he so eloquently and and I might add hypocritically condemned while campaigning. Promises need to be kept!
Transparency in government has become the buzzword in politics and the South Carolina Policy Council does an excellent job of fighting for it here in South Carolina. Aiken City Councilman Dick Dewar has done a great deal to increase government transparency here in Aiken, South Carolina and our elected officials have given it their full support. Gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley has been the leader on transparency at the State level and we also applaud her efforts.The following link will take you to the Bauer story.
Comments on the South Carolina Gubernatorial race from Ed Giobbe
In a time of extraordinary economic and financial stress, the race for Governor of our State is extremely important. The new Governor will set the agenda and direction of South Carolina for years. At the recent Aiken Republican Club debate with four candidates it was obvious that three of them were simply more of the same.
Gresham Barrett missed 30% of the votes in the House of Representatives in 2009 and has already missed a number of votes so far this year. His excuse for being absent is that he is running for Governor. Will he continue to be an absentee Representative in 2010? That's not what we hired him for and not what he gets paid for. He told us that he was for God, the Second Amendment, and Right to Life, none of which are issues in the race. He failed to address the crucial issues that face SC. Platitudes and no substance.
Henry McMaster and Andre Bauer were poster children for the status quo. They also failed to speak to the issues. Amazingly, both of them, in response to a question by Dick Dewar, concerning the leadership of Bobby Harrell and Glen McConnell, emphatically stated that they always received full cooperation from the Legislature and always got what they asked for! These two are simply more of the same and business as usual. It is the good old boy game of get along go along that has characterized the Legislature for decades. What you see is what you get, a wink and a nod. In addition, Andre Bauer recently equated helping the poor with feeding stray dogs. What is he running for, dog catcher?
Nikki Haley is the proverbial breath of fresh air. She introduced and passed legislation requiring recorded votes over the objections of the leadership and was punished for it. She favors raising the cigarette tax, governmental restructuring, eliminating the Budget and Control Board, tax reform and eliminating the hundreds of millions of $ of special interest sales tax exemptions. She addressed the three major issues that are absolutely crucial to our state- restructuring, taxes and education.
South Carolina can no longer afford to be hampered by a state government dominated by a legislature motivated by special interests and self preservation. The legislature has been dragged kicking and screaming into the 20th Century and continues to be the Enfant Terrible in the 21st. If we really want a better state government, then let's ask the hard questions and demand specific answers. The usual platitudes and trite phrases of smaller, more efficient government and lower taxes have been uttered by politicians since the first caveman ran for office. It's time to hold their feet to the fire and demand some answers. l
We are all anxiously awaiting President Obama's state of the union address.My personal opinion is that we are in desperate condition and only a real changeof direction can save us. I opposed President Obama's election because I had studied his background and associations with terrorist William Ayers and his America hating preacher. The only upside to his election was that America proved that skin color was not important. His message of hope and change though ill defined was brilliantly delivered and 53 percent of Americans elected their first black President. After he was elected I naively believed or perhaps only hoped that he would strive to be a President for all the people. Unfortunately this has not been the case and despite the strong messages that have been sent to his administration from Americans of every political persuasion it sounds as though he and his team of czars and other far left leaners are determined to prove that big brother knows best. I hope I am wrong!
The WSJ has an excellent report on Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts. The tea is in the harbor- next the Revolution. A center right coalition of Americans will rescue their country from those undemocratic forces that are trying to take us in the wrong direction. Thank you Scott Brown and the citizens of Massachusetts for the inspiration.
UPDATE- The first sign that the White House has heard the message comes from David Axlerod
As the whole world looks on at the horror unfolding in Haiti many may be too distracted to pay enough attention to the Massachusetts senate race; Massachusetts has always been a progressive state with many independents and they hold the key to defeating this awful health care bill. Health care does need to be reformed and many good ideas have been bruited by politicians on both sides but the shameless trickery now taking place is not the way. Such important legislation must have bi-partisan support and that has not been sought in any reasonable way. The old saying "power corrupts......" comes to mind. The following report gives me some hope that the patriotic citizens of Massachusetts will once again cast a deciding vote for the good our wonderful republic. MA Senate Race- New Poll, Brown Leads « Liveshots
Please show your support for those who oppose the Democrats' health care bill.
My Friend,
Early this morning at 1am, the Senate voted 60 to 40 in favor of moving the Democrats' health care bill forward. The final vote to pass the bill is scheduled for Christmas Eve, and I pledge to you that I will not only continue to cast my vote against this bill, but will actively fight it every step along the way.
Democrats have used Bernie Madoff-style accounting to assess the cost of health care reform. And when this bill becomes law, the reality of higher taxes and Medicare cuts for seniors will settle in on the American public.
President Obama made a promise when he campaigned for president to sit down and negotiate health care reform with Republicans and Democrats. He also promised C-SPAN cameras would be in the room. But, that was all campaign rhetoric. This disastrous health care bill was negotiated behind closed doors and Republicans were never brought into the negotiations.
The result is a health care bill supported by 60 Democratic Senators, but opposed by 60% of the American public.
My friend, we must resolve today to do everything in our power to continue fighting against the government takeover of our health care system. My fellow Republican Senators and I have done everything in our power to stop this legislation, but the reality is that Democrats have 60 seats in the Senate and we have 40 seats. I'm turning to you, as a voter and constituent, to exercise your power today.
Every vote in the Senate is critical to stopping legislation like this health care bill and that is why Country First PAC is dedicated to supporting and electing candidates to office who share our values. Your support for Country First is crucial to our efforts on these candidates' behalf, so I ask you follow this link to make a contribution to Country First today.
I will always honor every promise I make to you. And today, I promise that I will continue my fight against this health care reform bill until the very end. I thank you for your support along the way and look forward to continuing our work towards real government reform.
Sincerely, John McCain Chairman, Country First PAC
P.S. We have just begun to fight, my friend. I will continue to stand up for the American people who do not support the Democrats' health care reform bill. And I need your help to support candidates who join me in opposition to these policies. Please follow this link today to make a generous donation that will help Country First PAC financially support candidates across the country who will work towards real government reform. Thank you.
Paid for by Country First PAC Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee www.CountryFirstPAC.com
The following fair and balanced letter from clear thinking Jet Beckum appears in the Aiken Standard today.The answer to his question" when will these politicians wake up" is clear. Not until you the voters send them a very clear message. Term limits would be good but probably not achievable. So the only thing to do is find better candidates and throw out most of the incumbents.Support the Tea Party Express. It is making a difference!
There are a few more thoughtful letters in the Aiken Standard today. One is about the current problems at SRS by Bob Garvin and the other is from Pete Seaha in answer to a Liam McGinley letter. Both are worth reading. Go here to read all the letters and comments.
In Thursday morning's Aiken Standard our local politicians seemed surprised by more budget cuts. Roland Smith, I quote, "There's not a thing we can do about it."Bill Clyburn: "I'm disappointed because I thought the budget would be on an upswing." Shane Massey: "Five percent (cut) is more than needed."
When will these politicians wake up and get in the real world? This country has been in a serious recession since the fall of 2006 when we turned over the federal government to Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. I'm not excusing many of the other party who surely contributed to this downfall, but the facts are since 2006 businesses have been promised nothing but more taxes, more interference and harassment. This has not only happened at the federal level but also at the state and local levels.
Ask any building contractor, any Realtor, or any small-business owner if they think the government has aided them in the past three years and I don't mean a handout. Let's take one at a time - our Aiken County School Board, Chairman Christine Harkins was quoted as saying, it's a good time to spend $150 million for our schools."
Guess who pays the highest rate of school taxes? Not parents, but your local businesses. The City Council and mayor instead of reducing taxes on businesses, continue to spend more tax money on questionable projects and more government controlled groups such as the Aiken Corporation. Our County Council instead of making this county attractive to all businesses (existing ones) are secretly giving away tax money to The X- Project. While the same thing goes on at the state level - read Sen. Ryberg's column in Thursday's Aiken Standard.
Why anybody would be surprised to learn that businesses can not supply government's insatiable appetite for more taxpayers' money is beyond my comprehension.
If our business community does not prosper, then we had better accept the fact that we will not build more schools, and cuts in government programs are just beginning.
The following letter from Nikki Haley speaks for it self. We do have a good slate of gubernatorial candidates but I believe Nikki is the one who can bring about real reform and transparency. She fought hard for it and was punished by Speaker Bobby Harrell for her audacity. You can learn more about her here.
"One of Us"
Dear Friends,
If there's anything that the roller-coaster that was 2009 has taught us, it's that the 2010 elections matter. They matter on the state level, and they matter on the federal level.
When heading to the polls next June, we have a choice to make - a choice that will determine the direction we take as South Carolinians and as Americans.
Redstate founder and conservative activist Erick Erickson gets that - and earlier this week he made his choice:
"There are several good people running in South Carolina, but all of them are products of the Republican Establishment. ... Then there is Nikki Haley. She worked in her parents’ small business. She knows first hand the way government screws the little guy. She is not a big business supporter, but an entrepreneur's best friend. Nikki Haley is worth supporting.
Nikki Haley is one of us. Now we need to stick up for her and fund her. If you have money, give it. If you have time, give it. If you have prayers, offer them up. Let's pray for her, fund her campaign, and work to get Nikki Haley elected as the next Governor South Carolina."
Please join Erick and the many others across South Carolina in supporting our campaign. There is so much potential in our state, so much that we can and must do to make South Carolina a better place to live, work, and raise a family.
I have every confidence that we will get there, but I need your help. We are in the midst of strong push this December to show a strong dollar amount by the end of the month, so please contribute to the campaign, whether you can give $500, $250, $100, or even $50.
You will be part of something that makes you proud – and changes South Carolina forever.
The following letter appeared in the Aiken Standard today. Should you want to see the letter and any comments on the Aiken Standard web site go here The letter was in response to the Aiken Standards excellent editorial regarding the Ginny Allen caper. To read the original story and the many comments about it go here
11/13/2009 11:14 AM Bring all involved in case to justice
I was astounded to read in the Aiken Standard today that the case of Ginny Allen, who has admitted her involvement in an election scam involving Senator Ryberg, Jason Whinghter, Tom Young and Scott Singer, was being handled in a pretrial intervention process. This matter has been under investigation for more than a year. The idea that Ginny Allen might be let off with an apology letter and some minor community service is unacceptable, unless she has cooperated fully with the investigators and named her co-conspirators. If so, their names must be revealed and they too must be charged.
The letter below from Dick Smith was published in the Aiken Standard on Dec. 18, 2008, and is included herein as it laid out the facts right after this event occurred. It appears to me that the political system might be protecting its own by letting Ginny take a cushioned fall for the more powerful culprits. Citizens are sick and tired of the games that politicians play, and there must be transparency in government. We have made some progress in Aiken but there still is a long way to go. If we are outraged by the duplicity of politicians in Washington, then we must address corruption in our own backyard. If he has not already done so the County Solicitor should demand the names from Ginny and publicly charge all the culprits so that some faith in government can be restored.
“Who was hurt by election calls?
“With reference to the editorial concerning election law violations I agree completely that “it is time that laws dealing with election mischief are dealt with as felonies.” However, I most emphatically disagree with your statement that the “intended result of the election-eve deception was not realized.” Except for Ginny Allen and her-up-till-now undisclosed co-conspirators none of us can know for sure what the intended result was. It should be quite clear to the objective observer that the only person hurt by this reprehensible ploy was Scott Singer. Certainly there was no chance it would in any way affect the outcome of the Whinghter-Ryberg race since the polls showed Ryberg with more than 70 percent of the voters backing him. Ginny Allen, as an astute political operative, certainly knew that a last-minute attempt to hurt Senator Ryberg would be a waste of time and money.
“The facts are that Senator Ryberg, upon learning about the fraudulent calls, immediately issued an angry statement denying any responsibility for them and denied supporting any candidate. Senator Ryberg also requested SLED to investigate. As a consequence of this angry statement many voters may have assumed that Scott Singer had sponsored the calls. To correct this misapprehension Senator Ryberg issued another statement on June 12, wherein he “declared his belief that the other candidate for office mentioned in the illegal call, County Councilman Scott Singer, was not involved in the phone call.” For some reason this statement was never published in the Aiken Standard. Meanwhile critics used this spurious charge to cut into Singer’s well deserved good reputation and high favorability ratings.
“I for one am glad SLED has investigated and is continuing to investigate this matter. Let us wait until all the facts are in before we rush to judgment as to the effectiveness of the calls. – Dick Smith”
It is obvious the only candidate who could have been hurt by this illegal act was Scott Singer, and the only one who could have benefited was Tom Young. Since Tom Young denies any involvement we should take him at his word, but it is entirely possible that without his knowledge one or more of his supporters worked with Ginny. It is interesting to note that Ginny’s letter of apology only explicitly absolves Senator Ryberg. Aiken’s citizens deserve to know the truth.
So now after a year, the citizens and voters of Aiken need to know the facts of this case and be assured that “business as usual” politics will no longer be tolerated in Aiken.
Hello from Bakersfield, California!!! Lloyd Marcus here, writing to you from the Tea Party Express II: Countdown to Judgment Day. Yesterday I had the privilege to be on Fox News Channel where I was asked to respond to attacks on the tea party movement that have been made by Janene Garofolo. Friends - I was blunt in my response and I encourage you to see and hear what I said - HERE. You can find where our upcoming rally stops will be at our website: http://www.TeaPartyExpress.org
We’ve killed a bad immigration bill that would have given amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants.
We’re leading the fight to stop earmarks and to end the Congressional Favor Factory.
We’ve fought bank bailouts, automotive industry takeovers, and a “porkulus package” that’s putting us even more in debt to foreign nations like China.
We’re currently fighting tooth and nail to protect the private market against a borderline socialist health care proposal.
And needless to say…we’ve really stirred up a hornet’s nest. Now those hornets are looking for someone to sting, and they’re flying toward me. President Obama and his liberal allies will stop at nothing to silence their opposition. Just look at their recent attacks on Fox News!
That’s why they’ve moved into South Carolina early. The Democrats are setting up shop, funding candidates, and training new ground troops to attack Congressman Joe Wilson and me.
We cannot sit back and let it happen. We must continue our vocal opposition to big government while fighting for the conservative principles our founding fathers proudly stood on to create this great nation.
I’m happy to announce that State Republican Party Chairman Karen Floyd is as committed as I am. We’ve teamed up and today we’re ready to formally announce that Victory 2010 is open and ready for business.
Victory 2010 will be the grassroots machine that helps propel our efforts in this next campaign. As in years past, it will run our phone banks, register our voters, organize our door-to-door drives, direct our absentee ballot efforts and get out our conservative message.
In addition to my reelection, we will have a whole slate of candidates to help including Congressman Joe Wilson.
Make no mistake about it… President Obama will be dumping a boatload of money into the Palmetto State and the South Carolina Democrats are already organizing under the direction of the President’s former campaign operation. We can’t wait to simply respond to their attacks and play defense for the next 12 months. This election is too important. We must take the offensive right now.
We just opened our Victory 2010 account and we need to rapidly build up our resources. Will you help us take the battle of ideas to voters? Will you help us fund the Victory 2010 effort to recruit, organize, and activate conservatives all across the state?
