Senate Debate June 4

The Spartanburg Tea Party is hosting a debate for the contested Senate races on Monday June 4. This is just another “save the date” email.

Our debate format will be a head to head format with senate candidates in each race fielding questions from a panel of invited guests from several Spartanburg/Greenville organizations such as Greenville 912, Citizens for Efficient Government. Just regular folks asking questions that regular folks want answers to before we vote for a candidate.

I’m very thankful that Ryan Colburn is handling most of the the details of the debate!

SO mark your calendars, details to follow as we get closer to the event.

May 18, 2012   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

Monday is the public hearing for County Budget

Monday’s County Council meeting is your opportunity to speak up about your county budget. There will be a public hearing on the budget during the general meeting.

I know some of you have taken a look at the budget and have questions and comments. What I hear from Council is that THEY always hear that nobody gets their say and they never listen.

This is your time to speak and for them to listen.

Our Council has been increasingly transparent with budget workshops and special issue meetings being held publicly, not every county council takes those steps.

Transparency is a two-way dynamic. If you’re not there to participate, we can’t have any impact on the process.

ETA: here’s a link to the budget.

May 18, 2012   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

Darn that school choice for the impact on public schools!

The Voice for School Choice reports that school choice has indeed impacted public schools in Florida. Just not in the negative way the anti-parental choice educrats whine and complain it will!

A Florida study by the NAEP, or “The Nation’s Report Card” reveals that since 2003 in Florida, a school choice state:

- 4th largest gains in the nation for black students.

- Largest gains for low-income students across the country.

- Number one nationally for gains by students with disabilities.

Currently, over 37,000 low-income students, and almost 23,000 disabled students take advantage of tax credit – funded scholarships to attend private schools. Far from harming public school performance (or funding), Florida’s state schools are demonstrating real, chartable growth in educating disadvantaged students.

Hey SC Senators …

If this is truly a debate about what is best for students, especially students with special learning needs, and students from low-income families, the doesn’t it make sense to pursue policies that are proven to help them?

May 18, 2012   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

GOP Freshmen press for Holder Contempt Charge

YOU GO TREY GOWDY!

Matthew Boyle at The Daily Caller:

Six House Republican freshmen have written to Speaker of the House John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor demanding they bring a resolution holding Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress to the House floor for a vote as soon as possible.

The members — Reps. Ben Quayle of Arizona, Tim Griffin of Arkansas, Sandy Adams of Florida, Tom Marino of Pennsylvania, Dennis Ross of Florida and Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, all freshmen on the House Judiciary Committee — asked Boehner and Cantor to move as quickly as possible on this and bring the resolution to the House floor for a vote soon.

“Eric Holder was the attorney general when U.S. border patrol agent Brian Terry was killed by criminals using guns linked to Operation Fast and Furious,” they wrote to the GOP leaders. “As the heads of the Department of Justice, he is responsible for all activities within the department.”

May 17, 2012  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

County Council Meeting Monday

Committee Meeting 3:30
General Meeting 5:30

Every third Monday your council meets to take up the issues of running local government and spending … or saving … local government money. Your money.

These meetings are open to the public!

So when in three months something comes up in the paper or on our website that causes you to say “Hey! Where’d that come from? Why did THAT happen?” … I tell you now … it was discussed in a public meeting that you were invited to.

Here are some of the agenda items for Monday. See anything you’re interested in hearing discussed?

Community Development Citizens Advisory Committee
(that may be something you’re interested in)

Water and Sewer Advisory Committee
(or that)

Receive information and take desired action in reference to a Resolution qualifying the property known as Converse Plaza Shopping Center for standard redevelopment incentives as provided for in the Intergovernmental Agreement approved in 2009, also known as the Business Corridor Redevelopment Program
(they’ll be talking about this)

Receive information and take desired action in reference to the Accommodations Tax Advisory Committee
(Accommodations Tax?)

Receive information and take desired action in reference to an Ordinance to amend Section 3.03 Manufactured Homes and Section 3.04 Manufactured Home Parks in the Unified Land Management Ordinance
(Does that impact you?)

AND OF COURSE they’ll be taking up the budget again.

See you Monday?

May 17, 2012   Posted in: Uncategorized  One Comment

Common Core Update

From Jane Robbins:

Well, we lost in the SC legislature. Yesterday Sen. Fair offered a budget proviso that would have suspended funding for the Common Core federal takeover, but it was voted down by the Democrats (except Sen. Setzler) and a number of Republicans (the good guys are the ones who voted Nay, below):

Ayes 29; Nays 13
AYES
Alexander Anderson Campbell
Cleary Coleman Courson
Cromer Ford Gregory
Hayes Hutto Knotts
Land Leatherman Leventis
Lourie Malloy Martin, Larry
Massey Matthews McGill
Nicholson O’Dell Rankin
Reese Ryberg Scott
Sheheen Williams
Total–29

NAYS
Bright Bryant Campsen
Davis Fair Grooms
Martin, Shane Peeler Rose
Setzler Shoopman Thomas
Verdin
Total–13

So, we’ll regroup over the summer and try to do some more education and training on the issue, both among legislators and among the general public. This issue isn’t going away. Thank you for all your help!

Jane Robbins

May 17, 2012   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

Corbin Meet and Greet in Landrum

May 17, 2012   Posted in: State Senate Races  No Comments

Election Commission will not put Shealy’s name on the ballot

As reported by Andrew Shain at The State:

The S.C. Elections Commission said today that Katrina Shealy’s name cannot appear on the June 12 primary ballot despite being certified by the state GOP executive committee on Wednesday.

The commission said the ballots became official with the names submitted May 4. Shealy had been decertified along with more than 180 other candidates who county parities found had not submitted copies of their statements of economic interest when they filed for office.

The state GOP voted to certify Shealy in her bid to unseat Sen. Jake Knotts of Lexington in the Republican primary because she said she had the form when she filed but was not asked to submit it by county party filing officials.

The state election commission said that would not change the ballots next month.

May 17, 2012  Tags:   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

Jim Lee Residency Challenge “Politically Motivated”

Shawn Drury and Hal Millard reporting at Mauldin Patch:

The hearing featured arguments from Kincannon and Lee’s lawyer Stephen Brown.

Kincannon emphasized that the protest was not personal, but based on fears that the seat could be lost to a Democrat in the event it was determined later on that Lee does not live in District 8. “If the Republican Party nominates Mr. Lee, a Democrat will automatically become the state Senator from that district,” Kincannon said.

But Brown said the protest was strictly a political ploy on behalf of Sen. David Thomas, the incumbent. “David Thomas has been successful in having the line drawn around the home where Jim Lee had lived in District 8 for 15, 16, 17 years, so he is no longer in Senate District 8. That part is true.”

“Gerrymandered out of his district, Lee picked up his family and moved in to an apartment back in the newly redrawn District 8 — back to the district he lived in when he filed. He went to the voter registration office and changed where he’s registered to vote, he changed it with the DMV. He even changed the tax on his home, so instead of being taxed at four percent, the owner-occupied tax .. he changed it to six percent, non owner-occupied tax — the higher tax. He did all of that — guess what? — before he filed.”

Speaking to Patch after the hearing, Lee minced few words. “This was purely politically motivated. There wasn’t any evidence presented. They cared so much about it, even the person who brought the protest didn’t show up. So it was purely politically motivated and designed to take people’s attention and resources away from running this campaign. I can only assume that someone who is associated with the 8th District race has seen some polls and is not happy with the outcome of those polls and tried to everything they can to derail our candidacy.”

May 17, 2012  Tags: ,   Posted in: Uncategorized  7 Comments

Cibby writes a Letter to the Editor!

Click here to see it online at SHJ.

They are literally “thick as thieves” in Columbia these days, stealing my vote, for starters, and I’m mad. If people are to be free, it is mandatory that their elections reflect the will of the electorate.

There currently exist two sets of laws dealing with getting one’s name on the ballot. Why? Incumbents are not a protected species and do not deserve special treatment. Each election cycle should begin fresh, with every would-be candidate filing the same set of forms on the same deadline.

South Carolina voters should fire the legislators who created this mess as well as the justices who upheld it. The time has come to “man up” and hold real primaries and elections.

Cibby Krell

May 17, 2012   Posted in: Uncategorized  2 Comments