Check the funnies from TownHall.com
Thought for the day: a method that fails repeatedly
may possibly be wrong.
Posted 8:15 p.m., Thursday, May 1
Sanford: Senate drops ball on immigration reform, calls on voters to make voices heard
I'm writing to ask for your help on illegal immigration reform in South Carolina. We've been through a couple of months of mark-ups, hearings and debate and now stand at the proverbial one-yard-line.
More than anything, whether you're for or against immigration reform, I think that one thing we could agree on is that while we ought to have fewer laws on the books, the laws that exist should be enforced. If they are ineffective, or in fact unenforceable, then we ought to change them. What we have currently is an immigration policy both at the national and, by extension, at the state and local level that isn't enforced.
I've had numerous conversations with House and Senate members, and received several hundred calls and emails from those of you across the state who care deeply about illegal immigration. I hear you loud and clear, but it seems like the Senate does not.
Here's where things stand now. Yesterday, the Senate dropped the ball with their supposed immigration reform, a compromise bill that appears tougher than it actually is. But, I think if enough people make their voices heard, that could change. In the bill that passed yesterday the Senate put in fines that seem severe, but federal law says clearly that these fines are unenforceable. The Senate's bill also sets up a separate and costly South Carolina worker verification process that's based on a swiss cheese federal law (called I-9) currently being flouted by millions of illegal immigrants.
Given that the I-9 program has been ineffective to date, we favor E-verify. E-verfiy is a system enforced in five states that would require employers to confirm that their workers possess a valid South Carolina driver's license, or require them to use the online E-verify system to corroborate their legal status. When states use E-verify requirements, in contrast to the I-9 process, they're getting results. Arizona, for example, is reporting that illegal immigrants are already self-deporting from the state – in no small part because of E-verify.
Fortunately, leaders in the House have dedicated themselves to including an E-verify requirement – and not an option – in their version of the bill, and that's where you come in.
Would you make your voice heard? If you care about illegal immigration reform, we'd simply ask that you call or email your Senator and House member, or if you have the time, come to the Statehouse in Columbia on Tuesday, May 6, as the General Assembly goes back into session that day. Tell them in person that you want serious illegal immigration reform, because your voice will make the difference in whether or not we get real reform this year.
Posted 8:40 p.m., Wednesday, April 30
Gov. Sanford blasts Senate Republicans on Immigration Bill
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Governor Mark Sanford today issued the following statement on the Senate’s passage of their immigration “reform” bill:
“We’ve had meetings, numerous phone calls and letters back and forth with Senate Republicans over the past couple of days about the need for a strong electronic verification system * but it’s clear now that while many in the Senate talk the talk on this front, few walk the walk,” Gov. Sanford said. “The failure by the Senate Republicans to pass the kind of bill we talked about is made worse by two things. One, the so-called filibuster that led to this compromise makes a complete mockery of what most people understand filibuster to mean. If Senate Republicans really wanted reform, they should have made the Democrats hold the floor until midnight, the next day, or the day after that. But this ‘done in time for cocktail hour’ filibuster really calls into question how serious some Republicans ever were about reform.
“Two, once again the Senate failed to take a recorded vote on this compromise * a form of political cowardice that’s all too common in Columbia in the way it doesn’t let voters see which Senators to hold accountable for their actions. One might suggest that the only alternative is for every voter who cares about meaningful immigration reform to hold the entire Senate accountable until individual Senators have the courage to stand up and make known what they believe.
“In contrast, we’re confident that the House, unlike the Senate, will follow through in passing the type of bill they’ve said they would * one that contains e-verify, without the loopholes. In that regard, I’d once again compliment Chairman Harrison, Speaker Harrell and others in the house who’ve worked so hard to make sure that immigration ‘reform’ in our state is in fact immigration reform.”
Posted 11:10 a.m., Tuesday, April 8
Ann Coulter to speak at Furman April 16
Furman University's Conservative Students for a Better Tomorrow is pleased to announce that we will be hosting best-selling author Ann Coulter for a lecture on why "Liberals are Wrong about Everything" Wednesday, April 16, at 7 p.m. in Furman's McAlister Auditorium. The event will be free and open to the public, and we would like to extend an invitation to you and other conservatives to attend the event.
You can find the complete details on our web site at www.furmancsbt.org/coulter.aspx, where you also have the opportunity to sign up for an exclusive booksigning with Ann. We'd ask that you forward this information on to your conservative organizations or anyone else that you think would be interested--we'd love to have a capacity crowd.
You can also learn more on the Facebook event page here, and remember to invite your friends. Please arrive early as seating is limited.
Christopher Mills
CEO, CSBT
www.furmancsbt.org
Posted 7 p.m., Thursday, March 27
Gresham Barrett: not good to be a conservative Republican
in Washington now
Gresham Barrett, third district congressman from South Carolina, addressed the Greenville County Republican Women’s monthly meeting March 27 at the Poinsett Club.
“If you are a conservative Republican, and if you are in Washington right now, it ain’t too good,” Barrett said, relating how he just voted against the largest budget in history passed by the House, which contains a $643 billion tax increase. It increases spending. It increases unfunded liabilities and grows the government, he said. President Bush has said he will veto the budget, and the House will get another look at it.
“In the short term, I don’t think history is going to be very kind to George Bush,” Barrett said, “but I think in the long term it will show that he stood in the gap in this nation when we needed someone to stand in the gap. He is one of the finest men, I don’t always agree with him, and I have told him that, but he is one of the finest, most honorable Christian men I have ever met.”
Barrett spoke about his hopes to make South Carolina energy independent. Fifty-four percent of South Carolina energy comes from nuclear, he said, and the state can be an energy leader, whether it is nuclear, clean coal, bio-ethanol, bio-diesel, wind, solar or hydrogen.
Barrett, who returned from visiting Iraq and Afghanistan three weeks earlier, said “it is unconscionable for me to know that we could possibly have a president of the United States, Barack Obama, who has never been to Iraq and who has never been to Afghanistan.” You cannot know what is going on over there until you see it firsthand, he said.
Barrett praised Gen. David Petraeus, commander of coalition forces in Iraq, for the relative security in Iraq including Anbar province. “The soldiers, the sailors, the airmen make you all proud.”
Barrett said that the 2008 race is split right down the middle as far as ideology goes. “If you support less government, if you support less taxes, if you support overhauling the tax code, if you support keeping the country safe, if you support you making the decisions in health care, you making the decisions with your children, you making the decisions with your family, John McCain is the clear choice.
“If you support higher taxes, if you support more government, if you support universal health care, socialized medicine, if you support the government telling you what you can do and how you can do it … Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton are your choice.”
He predicted that it would be hard for the Republicans to take back the House in 2008, though he thinks the party can pick up some seats. In the Senate he predicted the GOP would lose two or three seats. He hopes for a Republican president with veto power and a House that can sustain a veto.
Barrett is often spoken of to succeed Gov. Mark Sanford when his term ends in 2011.
Virginia Boney awarded GOP women’s internship
Virginia Boney, a junior political science major at Furman University, was awarded the Dorothy Kabis Internship for this summer at the National Federation of Republican Women headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.
Boney was one of three nationwide to receive the six-week internship. She was honored at the Greenville County Republican Women’s Club meeting March 27 at the Poinsett Club. The internship provides housing, roundtrip airfare and a small monetary allowance.
Boney is active in the Furman College Republicans and worked in the Mitt Romney presidential campaign last fall and winter.
Kabis was president of the National Federation of Republican Women from 1963 to 1967. She served as treasurer of the United States under President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1971.
Posted at 7:50 p.m., Wednesday, March 19
North Greenville University conducts Christian Worldview Week
Dr. Tony Beam speaks
By Thomas C. Hanson
TIGERVILLE—North Greenville University conducted Christian Worldview Week March 17 to 19 by inviting four speakers address students and visitors.
Tony Beam, vice president of student services and director of the Christian Worldview Center at NGU, directed the event, which was co-sponsored by First Baptist North Spartanburg.
Dr. Ergun Caner, president of Liberty Theological Seminary, started the event March 17 by addressing how Christians must be prepared to confront the teaching and rapid spread of radical Islam. Caner, a former Muslim, has written 14 books including When Worlds Collide, on the subject of global apologetics and defending the Christian faith. For more information, visit Dr. Caner’s web site at www.erguncaner.com.
That evening, Christian apologist Dinesh D’Souza, author of the New York Times best seller What’s So Great About Christianity? was the keynote speaker. D’Souza, a former policy analyst in the Reagan White House, has written eight best-selling books. Visit his web site at www.dineshdsouza.com.
Frank Reich, former National Football League quarterback, spoke on the evening of March 18. On Jan. 3, 1993, during the playoffs, Reich led the Buffalo Bills to score 38 second half points to beat the Houston Oilers after trailing 35 – 3 early in the second half. It is often called the greatest comeback in NFL history. After the game, Reich gave all the glory to Christ, quoting the lyrics of the song In Christ Alone.
Reich, now president of Reformed Theological Seminary and pastor of Cornerstone Church, both in Charlotte, spoke about how to effectively present the Christian Worldview in the public arena. Reich encouraged the audience to know what God has called them to do and to be assured of God’s presence with them.
Christian Worldview Week wrapped up on the morning of March 19 with an address by Dr. Ronald Marks, associate professor of chemistry and physical science at NGU. Dr. Marks spoke on how believers must be prepared to answer the arguments against the existence of God that come from the scientific community.
Calvin Hunt, formerly of the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir and now a Dove Award nominee in his own right, was worship leader. Hunt testified to how God delivered him from a crack cocaine addiction and how his Christian daughter was murdered by her boyfriend.
Frank Reich addresses group
Posted 9:40 a.m., Tuesday, March 18
This by the way is my 53rd birthday, and the 171st birthday of Grover Cleveland, 22nd and 24th president of the United States.
Check out the web site for Bobby Harrell, South Carolina speaker of the House, for updates on this legislative session.
Posted 6:25 p.m., Saturday, March 15
Sarah Drawdy will officially announce her candidacy for solicitor in Anderson, South Carolina, on Monday, March 17 at 11 a.m. at Tuckers Restaurant on Clemson Blvd. Check out her website. It is the best political website I have ever seen. It was created by BTintermedia.
Posted 11:25 a.m., Saturday, March 1
Bob McLain (left) and former mayoral candidate Billy Mitchell
Bob McLain asks: Could 2008 be worse
for GOP than 1964?
By Thomas C. Hanson
GREENVILLE, South Carolina—Is the Reagan era over? NewsRadio WORD’s Bob McLain asked Greenville County Republican Women at the Poinsett Club Feb. 28.
McLain was quoting former House Speaker Newt Gingrich who said, “It’s time to redefine the nature of the Republican Party in response to what the country needs.”
McLain asked: “Is Newt Gingrich right, and is the Reagan era over?” He said that conservative philosophy itself is not antiquated and that Reagan brought a sunny optimism to conservatism, the bright, shining city on a hill that exemplified all that is good about America.
He spoke about how Democrat Lyndon Johnson defeated conservative Republican Barry Goldwater in 1964, taking 61 percent of the votes, and asked: “Might it be an even worse defeat for the GOP in 2008? Frankly I think the possibility exists.”
McLain noted that voter preferences are shifting with 50 percent of Americans identifying themselves as Democrats, 36 percent as Republicans. Independents favored Democrats by 18 percent in the 2006 elections.
McLain asked: Does choosing an electable candidate mean sacrificing conservative principles on the altar of realpolitik, exchanging Reagan conservatism for populism that has broader appeal in the 21st century?
Gingrich, conservative writer George Will and others seem to be saying that the GOP cannot avoid redefining itself. “I think they are missing an element to this,” McLain said, comparing this strategy to the New Coke of the 1980s or the Edsel of the 1950s, which failed because consumers rejected the products.
McLain contended that the conservatism is still strong, but the product is suffering from lack of a strong brand advocate.
“The idea that the Reagan era is dead stems from a poor job of selling the ideas that Ronald Reagan stood for. Unless and until the GOP can find someone who can express those ideas with the passion and conviction of Reagan, his era will be over. It will have died in the name of practicality and so-called electability,” adding that “if the GOP is selling a watered-down populism as an alternative to what the Democrats are selling, they may meet the same fate as New Coke.”
McLain noted that Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic frontrunner, is not running as a politician, but as the leader of a messianic movement with flowery prose and speeches that inspire audiences. Obama, like Reagan, is a visionary passionate about his ideals. “We just don’t know what ideals specifically Barack Obama favors at this point,” McLain said. “He hasn’t had to talk specifics on issues.”
When asked whether he thought presumed GOP candidate John McCain would be helped by naming South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford as his running mate, McLain said that though he likes Gov. Sanford, he doesn’t think Sanford would influence national voters that much. He suggested that the country is heading toward another 51 to 49 percent election, which means that independent votes are going to decide the winner. He said the ticket needs someone who could help carry Florida and Ohio.
He noted that this election is going to be crucial in a number of aspects, the war on terror and nominations to the Supreme Court, and also that if a Democrat wins the White House, attempts may be made to restrict talk radio.
In response to a question, he said Condoleezza Rice would make a terrific vice presidential candidate bringing a lot to the table—conservative values, being a woman, the right age, and that she is African-American.
McLain’s talk radio program airs in the afternoon on WORD 1330 from 3 to 6 Monday through Friday.
Posted 5:40 p.m., Friday, Feb. 8
Frist: fix Medicare before Social Security
Taylor Hall (left), president of the Furman College Republicans, welcomes former Sen. Bill Frist.
Greenville, South Carolina—Former Senate majority leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) spoke to about 350 Furman University students and guests at the Younts Conference Center Feb. 7.
The event was sponsored by the Furman College Republicans, and the group’s president, Taylor Hall, introduced Frist before his address.
Frist said that Medicare will go bankrupt in 2019, before Social Security does so in 2040. Medicare is the largest unfunded liability, he said, and we must address it first. He said that the United States spends more per capita on health care than any other nation.
“Over the next 40 years,” he said, “the explosive growth in your health care costs will wipe out all real per capita income increase you might otherwise enjoy.” He noted that reform will occur in health care and that the problem can be fixed. He said that 18,000 to 20,000 uninsured people die each year.
Frist did not seek re-election in 2006 keeping a pledge to only serve two terms in the Senate. He said he would like to see more officeholders not be career politicians.
Republicans have 22 seats up for re-election this year, and the Democrats only 12. That coupled with a call for change from many in the country means it is likely that the Republicans will lose seats both in the Senate and the House.
The United States Senate is a minority-driven body, he said. If a party has 40 out of 100 votes, that party runs the Senate, not in terms of scheduling, but that is where the power is. However, the House is a majority-run body.
Frist predicted that if Sen. Hillary Clinton is the Democrat presidential nominee, the Republican candidate will win. However, if Sen. Barack Obama is the Democrat candidate, it is a toss-up.
Frist is a heart surgeon and practiced medicine for 20 years. He makes annual medical mission trips to Africa and Asia.
Posted 8:50 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 10
Here is a report from Radio Canada about the South Carolina primary. Click on this link and then click on "Le Reportage de Frank Desoer." I introduced reporter Frank Desoer to several people for him to interview here in South Carolina. It is in French. Please let me know what it says. You will hear Drew Conley, pastor of Hampton Park Baptist Church; Samuel Harms, chairman of the Greenville County GOP; at 8:55 you will hear Betty Poe, then president of the Greenville County Republican Women's Club; at 10:34 you will hear Bob Dill, publisher of the Times Examiner; and at 11:18 you will hear Patty Stoner, Greenville GOP activist.
Walt Brashier donates land to Phoenix Center
for adolescent treatment campus
Charles E. Shipman (left) of the Greenville County Alcohol and Drug Commission applauds land donation by T. Walt Brashier at a Phoenix Center board meeting Dec. 21. Photo by Thomas C. Hanson
By Thomas C. Hanson
Greenville businessman T. Walt Brashier donated 20 acres of land near the Furman University golf course to the Phoenix Center for an adolescent treatment facility to serve residents of Greenville County and the Upstate of South Carolina.
Brashier met with the Phoenix Center board Dec. 21. The Phoenix Center is the legislated authority on substance abuse for Greenville County. It is the county’s largest provider of treatment and prevention services.
The adolescent facility will fill a growing need for assistance in treatment for teens and families challenged by the disease of addiction, according to Mary K. Irby, interim executive director of the Phoenix Center.
The Phoenix Center was awarded $6.2 million by the state for the adolescent treatment facility, but had not found land that was affordable or appropriate for the location of the facility before Brashier’s donation.
Posted Dec. 21
Sanford proposes optional flat tax,
to be offset by cigarette tax increase
By Thomas C. Hanson
GREER—Gov. Mark Sanford traveled to Greer Dec. 19 and other South Carolina cities to unveil a proposal that will be included in his executive budget, aimed at simplifying and lowering state income taxes.
The Greer event took place at the Greer Flooring Center on North Main Street. In attendance were state representatives Joseph G. Mahaffey, Rex Rice, Phillip Shoopman and Garry Smith.
The proposal would offer South Carolinians two options for paying their taxes, starting in 2009: to either pay the current 7 percent rate and be eligible for current deductions, or to pay a flat tax of 3.4 percent with no deductions.
The measure would mean about $107 million in tax relief, offset by a 30-cents-per-pack increase to the cigarette tax.
The flat tax would put South Carolina more in line with other Southeastern states' income tax rates. Sanford said that at 7 percent, South Carolina’s rate is effectively the highest in the region.
"Whether you're looking nationally or internationally, the bottom line is that marginal rates matter in terms of bringing jobs and investment to our state,” Gov. Sanford said. “As well, we think this plan has a host of benefits when it comes to improving the quality of life for thousands of South Carolinians by impacting the cost of smoking, and therefore the rate of smoking."
Seven other states currently have a flat tax, Gov. Sanford said, all well below South Carolina’s top marginal income tax rate of 7 percent.
Posted 9:30 a.m., Friday, Dec. 7
Check out the Arm Chair Republican, a blog by Lanny Grant of Liberty, South Carolina.
http://thearmchairrepublican.blogspot.com/
Archive of previous posts
Scripture of the Day
Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, But those who deal faithfully are his delight (Proverbs 12:22, New American Standard Bible). Check out BibleGateway.com.
Quote of the day
"Perhaps one of the most important accomplishments of my administration has been minding my own business. Calvin Coolidge, president of the United States from 1923 to 1929." Quote archive.
Thought of the day
Those we look down on do not look up at us.
Joke of the day
THESE ARE ACTUAL EXCERPTS FROM STUDENT SCIENCE EXAM PAPERS
Charles Darwin was a naturalist who wrote the organ of the species.
Benjamin Franklin produced electricity by rubbing cats backwards.
The theory of evolution was greatly objected to because it made man think.
Three kinds of blood vessels are arteries, vanes, and caterpillars.
The dodo is a bird that is almost decent by now.
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