SC6 Fake News: Is Todd Kincannon the Target of a Liberal Killer Kitten Death Squad ?

Liberals Put Up Petition to 'End' SCGOP Attorney, But It's Plan B That Concerns Us.  Mr Whiskers Has Your Name and Your Number....


    We apologize for the Phil Collins lyrics - or is it Genesis?  Ahh, who cares?  Like the old joke goes, what do you call 500 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean? A good start... Though we have our moments of disdain for them, attorneys are a necessary thing, and most do good work.  It's funny how when people have a dispute with a person or group, they attack that person's group/attorney instead... A good case of this? SCGOP attorney Todd Kincannon..


    In the wake of Ballotgate, or Jakiegate, whichever you prefer, Kincannon petitioned Federal Court in a limited capacity for a candidate to push back the Primary, due to separate ballots being sent to overseas military voters for Federal and Local races.  While his case was denied (as far as we know), many people felt that Kincannon should have been working for all the candidates. But, his biggest enemies seem to be an anonymous group that wants to 'End' him...


   We received a link from the Four Horsemen Facebook page (where you can sign up as a member - shameless plug!) to Ipetition.com, which included a petition to 'End Todd Kincannon'.  It's pretty hilarious, as they note his 'raciest' rants on Facebook on more than one occasion, using the mispelled 'raciest' twice.  Now, what they mean by 'end' we don't know, but it certainly sounds like a threat, and if there's one thing we do know, it's you don't do an implied threat against an attorney.  As implied as that threat may be, we have heard there is a more real and lethal threat against Kincannon - a Killer Kitten Death Squad!



     Now, we know what you're thinking - 'I've seen this kitten picture before a million times, and it's a joke.'  We ask you this in reply: If there is photo proof like this, then wouldn't you agree that they DO exist??  We've seen them in action before - Mafia Hits, African genocides, and even whispers that Lee Harvey Oswald was telling the truth when he said he was a patsy... Kittens make good assassins: they're small and cute, so no one stops them. They work cheap - give 'em a handful of Meow Mix and a gun, and they're yours.  But mostly, they are more cold-blooded than any animal you'll ever meet... In short, cats are nasty.


    How real is the threat on Kincannon? We don't know for sure, but it shouldn't be too hard.  First, just find out who put up the petition.. Then check their expenditures. If there's any recent purchase of Temptation treats (they're really good - we mistook them for Wheat Chex once), then you've got a conspiracy... Laugh if you want - and we hope you did - but Killer Kitten Death Squads are more than just a cool name for a Rock Band - they're real...


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Explain This: We Make Every Billionaire Leave The United States, But We Make Michelle Bachmann Stay?

The Facebook Co-Founder Takes His Laptop and $3.8 Billion Off to Singapore... And You'll NEVER Guess Why (Sarcasm)..


    You gotta give Eduardo Saverin some credit.  Yes, he may have been the luckiest bastard on Planet Earth when he met Mark Zuckerberg at Harvard and loaned him the $19,000 (and little else) that seeded Facebook into what may soon be a $96 Billion behemoth.  But, he knows when to sue people - and he knows when to skip out of the country to avoid giving all his money away in taxes...


     With Facebook's impending IPO (initial public offering of stock for those of you in Allendale) rising Saverin's 5% stake in the company to about $3.84 Billion, Saverin has decided to do another hopscotch in his lifetime habit of continent hopping... This time, it's Singapore.  You have any obvious reason why?  Uhhhh, yeah.  It's taxes....



     Do the Math... Next year, the top end tax rate goes to 39.6% - the highest in the industrialized world - along with increases in Capital Gains taxes as well... Singapore's Capital Gains tax is - you guessed it - is zero.  Nada. Zip. Nunca... Quite the nice place to live if all your net worth is in the stock market.  Aside from the occasional caning of drunken, graffittiing college students, it sounds like a pretty cool place to hang.  Oh yeah - we forgot Tsumanis and Earthquakes.  


    Saverin, who was born in Brazil, move to the US in 1992, and became a US citizen in 1998, won't be escaping all taxes here.  There is an 'exit tax' citizens pay when leaving, and Singapore does have an 'entry tax' as well, but compared to paying $1 billion in Cap Gains, it's small potatoes.   And the sad part is, it's becoming a common occurance..  And we don't want to blame it on Barack Obama, but....


    Numbers don't lie, and the Super Rich are scared to death of Obama - not only for their companies, but for their personal wealth as well.  In 2008, 235 Americans renounced their citizenship for financial reasons. In 2011, that number jumped to 1780 - a jump of 750% percent.. These aren't just factory workers or engineers.  These are some of the smartest people in the world, and now their money and brainpower will be going to other countries.  


   It's getting pretty bad how corporations and now even people are running for the hills. All the profits are being pushed overseas, and without catching up on that and giving them a clear idea of exactly WHAT our tax policy is, it'll only get worse... If not, the Eduardo Saverins will continue the expatriation... Meanwhile, we make Michelle Bachmann give up her Swiss citizenship?  It just doesn't make any sense to us.


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In a Big Hurry To Do Nothing in Columbia....

Two SC Legislators Mistaken I-26 For a Drag Strip.... And Officer Bobby Is On the Job, Bringing Them to Justice !


    Lost in all of the activity this past Tuesday was the following tidbit that shows us that not everyone has learned from Andre Bauer's example a few years ago during his infamous 'SC2' episode - and how people change - all at the same time...  Call it the Duality of Man:The ability of mankind to improve and not in lockstep.


    While I was going to Greensboro, I called Bobby to alleviate the boredom.  Bobby used to be the world's most aggravating driver: he drove like a maniac at 90 MPH, and he was the most impatient guy behind the wheel ever.  I always joked that I didn't even know if my horn worked, because I never used it.  Bobbo used his like he was a contestant on Jeopardy.. Then a funny thing happened - he had a kid. He's still a bit leadfooted, but the Top Speed has been severely lowered.  Children tend to do it...


    Bob was on his way to Augusta from Charleston up I-26.  While I-26 around Chucktown has plenty of lanes, once it gets past Summerville, however, it's a two lane nightmare... Some guys see Exit 199 like NASCAR waving the Green Flag. Most stick to the 70-75 area, but some go pedal to the metal. Since there are only 2 lanes, tailgating is a nightmare.. And the biggest offenders according to Bobbo?  State Legislators and Senators....


     It was ironic to hear it, but Bob had a problem with two officials flying up I-26 towards Columbia - and for an obvious reason: It appears they were running late.  It was 930, and there was the big Senate hearing on the Ballot Mess.  Maybe they were going there, but they were late anyway.. The sweet thing about politicians in South Carolina is their tag number identifies their seat,and thus, who they are.  The second one, who was not quite aggressive but speeding nonetheless was Senator Yancey McGill.  The first one is a bit confusing...


    Bobby says the tag said '15', and he thought it said Senator, but it's a bit confusing.  Our local Crimestopper said it was a white Buick Lucerne, being driven by an African-American male.  The Senator and Legislator for District 15 are Robert Hayes and David Tribble.  Both are Republicans, both are from Upstate, which would make being in Chucktown pretty distant - oh, and they're both White.  Now, there are a slew of possibilities to choose our Speed Demon from... And do we really care if they get busted or not? Not really.  We just thought it was funny to see that for every person who gets changed by life in a good way, there's one or two that get changed for the worse...


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Today's Kooky Facebook Picture...

      Ahh yes - the old hot air from a politician joke.  But hey, it's still pretty funny, considering the logo DOES fit right on the push button!  Wonder if they have a special stall for politicians to deposit their crap as well???

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Anticipointment: It's Harder the Second Time Around

The Excitement Isn't Quite There Like the First Time Around For The President - Benjamin Martin Can Explain It Best..


   During our 500 mile trek on Tuesday, we listened as always to the POTUS Channel on XM Radio.  It's one of the few places you actually can get into a topic, rather than just skim the obvious without learning anything.  One of the regular guests on the channel is Thom Mozloom - a guy any of you who run a campaign can learn a lot from.  Mozloom's specialty is marketing and branding in politics.  That is, how to package a candidate or their opponent.  As Kierkegaard (or was it Dick Van Patten) said, 'You label me, therefore you negate me.'   A campaign without a positive label for itself is dead. It makes or breaks you....


     During his piece, where he reviews the latest commercials and ads for the campaigns, he came across a term to describe Barack Obama's main challenge in his re-election bid - and it was perfect:  Anticipointment.  A melding of 'anticipation' and 'disappointment', it explains Obama's plight in 2012.  The 2008 campaign was one of those rare cases where a candidate comes through the fog and takes the world by storm, where the entire country gets swept away in the excitement, even to the point of crossing party lines, and voting for him.  Bill Clinton had it to a great deal in 1992, even though he didn't get near 50% of the vote.



    Barack Obama's wave in 2008 was unbelieveable, we all know it, so we'll skip reviewing it.  Even we had a little bit of hope that we may have pegged Obama wrong, and he would turn America around.. The anticipation for him was so great, that it often leads to unrealistic expectations.  In the Mel Gibson movie, The Patriot, Benjamin Martin is teaching his boys to shoot rifles, and he had one key piece of advice: Aim Small, Miss Small.. That is, the smaller the focus, the more likely you are to hit your target.  On the other hand, if you aim huge and in all directions, you are more apt to miss by a large margin...



     Hence, the disappointment part of our term today.  Yes, the base is still just as fired up as always.  That 40% - just like the GOP's 40% - will point to lots of achievements that they wanted.  But, the truth is they don't count, and neither do our 40%.  The part that makes or breaks elections - and this is the part that many in the Republican Party STILL don't get a lot - is that the 20% in the middle is what matters.  The Bobby's I call them: the ones who flap back and forth like a flag in a strong wind.  Those 20% are not jacked up like in 2008.  Enough of them may still go back, but our guess is they will stand on the sidelines until the last minute. But they won't be putting signs in the yard or calling neighbors like they did four years ago.



     When I ran for Congress, there was book by Matt Miller called The Two Percent Solution: Fixing America's Problems in a Way Both Liberals and Conservatives Can Like .   Though we never read it, it was the basis for all of our ideas on running government.  Balancing the budget not nearly as tough as it sounds, and compared to the size of the economy, even small cuts do not submarine the economy like some say.  Of course now, deficits are so bad - mainly to both Democrats and Republicans' unwillingness to compromise - that it may be closer to a 25 or 30% solution... Still, even a ten percent smaller government would cut $350 billion from the deficit. Add a small adjustments (read: tax hikes) to high income earners, and we're halfway there - and that's before any economic improvement adds even more revenue.  It doesn't take much...


     But Barack Obama didn't do this.. He went to be the transformative figure that is legendary, but it doesn't always mean in a good way.  America's problem right now is it's government spends too much, not that it's not taxed enough.  All the tax breaks in the world without spending cuts will not fix America... Aim Big, Miss Big.  This is what Mitt Romney needs to remember.  If he wins, he doesn't need to swing for the bleachers.  America is doing it's part to get the economy back.  They're not free wheel spending on cars, McMansions, 2nd homes or 60 inch Plasma TV's like they used to - they just need to work.  A couple changes (or 'unchanges') will do the trick... Aim Small, Miss Small - and the Anticipointment won't be there.  We like our Presidents quiet...


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Thanks For Putting Me In That Straight Jacket, Joe ....

VP's Gay Marriage Commentary On Sunday Puts Obama In a Position Where He Couldn't Walk the Tightrope Anymore..


     Barack Obama finally came out of the closet today....We always had a feeling about that: the neatness, the love of Soul Music, being Oprah's BFF.  Wait, that's Gayle King...... OK, politically he came out of the closet today.  To us and most objective observers, it wasn't done on his own volition.  After another verbal gaffe by Vice President Joe Biden on a Sunday talk show, White House reporters smalled blood in the water, and went for it. 


    There's little doubt that this was not a planned event by having Biden talk about it first, then see what the reaction was.  Obama was pretty invisible the last couple days. Meanwhile, WH Press Secretary Jay Carney had a giant bullseye on his back.. The obvious split in policy, and Carney's statement that Obama's view was 'evolving' - like Ramapithicus to Cro-Magnon Man - got the Press Corps' juices flowing, and when they see a contraversy, their claws don't let go til you cry Uncle.. Uncle came today..


    Much like the scene from The Breakfast Club, where Claire is badgered about her virginity until she finally screams out 'NO, I never did it!'  The press hounded Obama for an explanation of his Homosexual Evolution - until he finally caved to his personal softball specialist, ABC's Robin Roberts.  Now, was this a maturation over the past three days? We seriously doubt it, although it was hilarious to hear him say he had been asking around for the past year, including chatting about it with his daughters, Sasha and Malia... If he asks his kids about Gay Marriage, that may explain his poor handling of the US Economy.  Maybe it's all the girls' fault...


     Are we concerned about his stance? Not at all.  Just for the record, we are in favor of Civil Unions, just like any other two people who engage into an agreement, but that each state should choose it's own opinion on it.  In short, for an issue that's split 50/50 nationally, the way we handle it as a nation is pretty good.  Nah, we're more interested about the politics of it.. The big question is will it work to Obama's advantage or disadvantage?


    Our answer to that is..... Both.  Yeah, it's the chickenshit way out, but it's true.  More than a net win or loss on this, Obama's real effect is that this will throw a little more gas on the fire of an otherwise flameless race at this point.  Yeah, the left is crying hallelujah today, in the hopes of a National bill for Gay Marriage. However, just as much joy as there is on the left, there will be people on the right who just got even more fired up than they were.  He likely just contributed to conceding North Carolina, but he'll gladly give up the Tar Heel State if it solidifies other swing states like Iowa, Virginia, New Hampshire and Colorado.  He knows this will not be as easy as 2008, so dropping a state here and there will be the collateral damage....


   We're sure that right now, Barack Obama is wishing he could put that straight jacket on Joe Biden - or at least a gag on him.  But shit happens... He's tried to make the best of a bad situation.  Whether it works or not - we'll see...


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Greetings From Greensburrah!

Family Biz Takes Us to the Piedmont Region - On an Interesting Day.


    Sorry for the delay.. We promised to tell you where we went last night, but there was a lot going on, so we weren't up for blogging last night.  Yesterday was a long day, because we've been working on helping Pops with his VA benefits, and yesterday was the day we went searching for documentation of everything. No, he doesn't have any of it, and he really doesn't remember what he did where, so it's been easier to just investigate - not easy, but easier.

Downtown Greensboro is pretty cool. Much more cosmopolitan than I thought.  It looks a lot like Charleston - at least for a couple blocks!  In fact, my sister's office is directly across the street from the historic Woolworth's from the lunch counter protests during the Civil Rights movement..





    Luckily, most of the data could be retrieved at the Guilford County Courthouse in Greensboro.  Funny part is, even though I lived in nearby Trinity, North Carolina, I'd never been to downtown GSO... Even funnier, it was the only place I didn't get lost!  Why? Because I used Mapquest in advance. Everywhere else, I thought I knew where I was.... but not quite.


   Actually, the hardest part about the Courthouse was figuring out where everything was, but we got through it pretty quick.  But the day was just starting with the three hr trip there.  I took a lot more pics, but they didn't seem to all download from my phone.  It turns out my sister works 2 blocks away, so we stopped by, but she had clients during lunch, so we made a beeline to our old stomping grounds in Randolph County...

Trinity High School - it's looking just as crappy as when I graduated 26 years ago!

I hate to say it, but I can't remember the last time I stopped by my Mom's grave.  They keep the place up very well though....








    The embarrassing part about yesterday is how many wrong turns I made in places I used to drive though.  Yes, I have GPS in my car and on my phone, but I never use them until the shit hits the fan.  The first two booboo's were easy - I forgot I-85 splits in Greensboro, and they redid the exit for the road that goes through Trinity.  I had to go to Columbia to drop the paperwork off, but Charlotte was where it got real effed up...


   I always came into Charlotte from the South, where I-85 and I-77 just cross and exit. From the North, you HAVE to go from I-85 to 485, then get onto I-77. The mile markers made me think I was well North of the city, so I didn't get an idea until I saw the 'Gaffney 20 miles' sign that I was WAAAAAAYYYY off course.  Then I busted out the GPS, and saw the only way to Rock Hill was through side roads that I'd probably get lost on.  So, I backtracked 30 miles to Charlotte, and onto Columbia.


   Now, the final insult of my own stupidity... I went to my Dad's assisted care facility, and gave the death certificate and divorce papers from my Dad's spouses, then came home.. 475 miles in 10 hours - all starting an ending in Florence.  Then the VA advocate asked where the main packet was?  Well, it was in the folder I had been walking around with all day yesterday - and I forgot to leave it!  So, after all of this, I now will be jumping back in the car to go to Columbia again.. Man, I am stupid!


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Any Question That Rick Santorum Didn't Want to be VP?

'Thanks For the Endorsement, Rick... That's the Exit Door Right Over There - Your Work Here Is Done.'


     Just like most of you, we got Rick Santorum's midnight missive while dozing off to Friends reruns on Nick at Nite.. Our first thought to the e-mail, simply titled 'Mitt Romney', was 'Mitt Romney is WHAT?'.... People don't send e-mails in the middle of the night if it's something they are proud of, or want everyone to see.  Cheating spouses send e-mails to their lovers at times like these.  And Rick Santorum is far from in love with Mitt Romney.


    Yeah, reading it for the first five minutes, our thought was 'Is Rick eventually going to endorse Romney, or is he blowing him off?'  It eventually came, but it took forever, and sounded like one of those notes sent by hostages, telling how well they are being treated by their captors with a gun to their head..  Calling it tepid was being kind...


   After reading it all, one thought became clear to us - actually two.  Mitt Romney will never pick Santorum for Vice-President, and Santorum doesn't want it anyway...  Runners -up rarely gat picked for the Veep slot, because they are he ones who fight the hardest and say the most disparaging things about the eventually nominee.  Do we think Rick Santorum actually meant all the stuff he said in Wisconsin? No... The last days are the most desperate of a campaign, where candidates say almost anything before packing in the tent.  It reminded me of George H.W. Bush getting so worried, he called Bill Clinton and Al Gore 'Bozo's'...


   In all seriousness, I don't see Santorum, Newt Gingrich or Ron Paul hitting the trail for Romney in the Fall - nor would I ask them to.  It just sets up a perfect attack ad campaign for Barack Obama.  We picture a clip of Rick Santorum glowing about Mitt Romney, immediately followed by the Wisconsin clip of him calling 'the worst Republican candidate out there'..  In every swing state in America.  The best thing is for Santorum to fade into the sunset - like he did until yesterday - and let Romney pick his team and go from there.  Santorum will have little to no useful advice to give him. He's given his 'endorsement' finally - now it's time to take a step back.


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SC6 Takes It On the Road Tomorrow - But Where?

Put On Your Thinking Caps, And Guess Where We Are, Gumshoes!


     We apologize for not posting today... There was a ton of non-political work to be done today, then we found out someone will be showing the house tomorrow - right after I cooked a big pot of chicken soup!  So, the casa has been getting douched, along with a fresh drink of agua for the lawn....


    But, tomorrow is a big road trip for us tomorrow - lots to do!  The big question is exactly where will the Avalon be taking us.  We'll give you a couple clues: it's not the Judiciary Committee hearing in the Gressette Building.  Nope, too many politicos and reporters there for us.  Nope... The second clue is this: it's a place that we have never been to in the six and a half years of SC6.  That's all we're gonna say - the rest is for you to guess!


    Check in tomorrow night.... We'll probably have something up by then... And off we go!


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We Told You So ...

Like We Said A Month Or So Ago, Gas Prices Were Peaking.. Uhh, Now For the Bad News - We're About Done With the Relief.


     Time for us to toot our own horn for a minute here...  A little while ago, when everyone was losing their minds about high gas prices, and estimating that we'd soon be paying $4.50 or $5.00 a gallon soon, we were a voice of reason and calm.. The average price was $3.92 nationally, and $3.74 at the local Kangaroo, which is where we get our average prices. And at that time, we had said the worst was over... So, how'd we do?


    It turns out that $3.92 WAS the peak, and it's been falling pretty fast for a couple weeks now.  As for our Kangaroo, it's down to $3.51 a gallon now - 23 cents off it's peak.  Yeah, another dollar a gallon cheaper would be nice - or even back to the $3.18 we were paying before the whole Iranian Nuclear dustup began - but at least it's going in the right direction...  Fortunately, the crisis has quieted down, along with obvious signs of a slowing economy and settling stock market.   Yes, a rising stock market means more money in the economy, and higher gas prices. 


    Now, the bad news.. It looks like we are just about done with the downward spike.. Why? Real simple  - Summer is right around the corner, and even though not everyone is taking the big road trip, slow economies mean trips to the beach, instead of Summers in St. Barts or Hawaii...  It all goes back to supply and demand.  The demand for gas will increase just a tad once Memorial Day, so expect a slight rise in prices.  That $3.51 could drop another dime or so by Memorial Day, but that $3.50 should be where we'll spend the Summer... You heard it here first.

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Cartoons of the Week...

    It was a bit of a slow week in political news - at least nationally.  Not much new stuff in politics, but it is that dead period where we're just waiting for the conventions.  No, Barack Obama kicking off his campaign yesterday is NOT news.. Left with that, we went for the smaller news. First, we have the Supercalafragilisticexpidalidocious news that British Security will use missiles on building tops for the upcoming London Olympics.. Hopefully, Mary Poppins will not be mistaken for a scud missile....

Meanwhile, John Edwards' trial doesn't appear to be going well, as the only people who appear to be supporting him are his daughter and parents... When elderly heiresses gladly testify against you, you're in trouble.  Maybe Darth Vader will change his mind....





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SE-Iceberg, Right Ahead !!!!!

The Wake From the SEI Debacle Has Left the SCGOP and Dems a Titanic Dilemna... But Our Heart Will Go On! (Cue the Celine Dion Music)...


     Where do we start today?  OK, we'll use metaphors... It was a bit ironic that right next door to the SCGOP Executive Committee quarterly meeting, the opening for the Titanic artifact exhibit was taking place.  It does make a decent equivalent for the mess the SEI snafu has left both parties in, but we have another Bill Paxton movie in mind... How about Twister?  Because just like a tornado hitting an unsuspecting town, all parties involved are trying to find a solution to the carnage that the candidate filing process has been left in for 2012...


     Like we said earlier, we're not going to start blaming people for this whole thing.  Yeah, mistakes were made, and it ended up being a series of top to bottom errors via poor communication - and faith.  Faith that the word from above is always right, which we found out this week, it isn't always...  Today's meeting wasn't scheduled to have this issue discussed, but it no doubt would get it's share of time...

   Yes, for those of us who aren't part of EC, today was BORING... There was a motto Chairman Chad Connelly started the day with - 'Happy Happy Happy'... It's a great sentiment, but on a day like today, Happy took a bit of a back seat to 'Worried, Worried, Worried' - or maybe 'Pissed, Pissed, Pissed', depending on who you were.  Governor Haley stopped by in the clear air of her recent exoneration of any charges from the IRS - and it was clearly still on her mind... Haley asked the party insiders to do their best to quash the naysayers who endlessly attack her.  Her point was it's hard to attract businesses to South Carolina when they are worried the Governor is under duress - and it's taking it's toll on her family.

Next, it was onto the business and committee reports. We were so far away, we couldn't get a decent pic from the nosebleed section, so we went next door and checked out the cool stuff at the SC Museum... For the most part, the SCGOP spent a bit more than planned, but raised a lot more as well, and the good news was they spent below budget in legal costs.... but there is a good chance that a predatory animal is lurking near, ready to attack and devour that legal budget - and the rest of SCGOP's money...



     Eventually, we got to new business, and when it they learned a blogger who had previous issues with Haley was present (no, not us, and not who you might think), they quickly went into Executive Session - and the wait began. 


    When it's the weekend, a lot of planning and discussing is done, but not much happens.  The problem right now is there are only two things that can occur that can be considered either legal or fair.  Finding one that is both is almost impossible.. If everything was done in accordance with the Supreme Court ruling, that is all the SCGOP would have to deal with, but it appears that isn't going on.. Most people just saw the accepted candidate list, but there was also an accepted/declined list. If you look at it, there is ample evidence to think that not all 46 county Chairs played by the book, and accepted their entire candidate list.  Look at the declined candidates list.. It looks like shotgun blasts on the Excel sheet - some counties are blown apart, and others are clean as a whistle, using the same directions. Sounds fishy? It has us wondering..This is a serious problem, because it's technically a violation of a state Supreme Court order. If this is the case, heads may roll...

Another problem is that some challengers went through the same process, and only one in various seats were accepted.  While the EC was inside, we chatted with House 56 candidate Mike Ryhal and Mike Cornett from House 105 (here speaking with Tom Grimes and Marion Chair Eric Fry)... Both have been declined for the ballot, but each has a fellow challenger who were accepted.  With examples like both of these, the further along this goes without being resolved will undoubtedly lead to mass confusion and likely (and ugly) litigation.. While outside the door was not pretty, what we see as the best last hope was going on inside....



     Yesterday, Senator Larry Martin announced that he would introduce a bill that would reopen the SEI filing period for 12 hours, thus giving the challengers an opportunity to right the wrong, and settle this.  Honestly, when we first heard this, we weren't too pleased.  After all, we have respect for the rule of law.  If there are rules, and they aren't followed, then that is too bad. Better luck next time.. However, in light of the reactions by some that seem apparent to us, it gets tougher to believe the rule is being respected....


    Rather than blowing up the entire election process with write-in's, independent and other candidacies, Martin's plan seems like the most sensible way to resolve this, along with the litany of lawsuits that are bound to come.  Hundreds of candidates suing will cause the Primary to be backed up for an uncertain period of time, and spend every SCGOP penny and then some.  Martin's plan seems to avoid that..


   We are not legal scholars by any means, but on the common sense scale, it looks like the best option to us.  First off, it's bipartisan.. It will calm the Democrats down as well.  Secondly, Martin is just the right person to introduce this.  He is the Senate Judiciary Chairman, and he is one of the incumbents who had his only challenger declined on the ballot.  It's a good sign that tells the public that even though the rule was unjust, we'll respect a person's right to run - despite the obvious error made when the Legislature went from paper to e-filing. 


    Yeah, we'd all like to go back to last month, and do this right. Or maybe when the change to e-filing was made... But, no one in the SCGOP has a Time Traveling DeLorean with a functioning Flux Capacitor or Mr. Fusion power system.. We believe that belongs to Mr. McFly in the Hill Valley City Council out in California.  All we can do is fix today.  The SCGOP has been working hard to resolve this, although we can't really see how they can.  Sure, this will be a net loss for them, in that they will take all the blame, and get none of the credit if it all works out.  But, the important thing is that a solution comes out that is fair, with as little (or no) litigation as possible. To us, the Martin Solution is it.  Whether a group of incumbents, too many of whom benefitted from the Supreme Court decision, will see the light, and right this wrong...


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It's Derby Day, Baby !!

     Yeah,  I know - it's a picture from Belmont Park.  But hey, I took this picture myself from Belmont Day back in 2010. Not bad, considering the flash takes about 2 seconds.  Everytime you see a post from us on Horse Racing, expect to see this pic...


    It's one of our favorite days in sport - Kentucky Derby Day!  Horse Racing has been a part of my life since I was born.  If you've never been to see it, you are missing out on something special.  Some sports move faster. Some last longer.  But no machinery or ball compares to the beauty and sheer physical perfection of a horse.. Each is different in look and personality. Seeing them from up front, joined by 100,000 other people - and betting cash on it - is unlike any other sport. 


    The Kentucky Derby is a sick 2 minutes of 27,000 pounds of Horse and Jockey moving at 40 mph.. Favorites don't always (if ever) win, because it's such confusion, even the best horse can get caught in traffic or bumped in a race this crowded - and that's the sad part.  Even though the owners, trainers and jockeys get another chance, a horses greatness is measured solely on this race, and they never get another chance.. In five weeks, a no-name horse today could be worth endless millions, simply by taking the Derby, Preakness and Belmont.  Take only two of the three, and you're nothing...


    It's a couple minutes til post time, so we need to pick a winner.  We're going with Gemologist.  He hasn't lost, he's won at this distance, and he has a ton of room coming from the Number 15 post, so he won't be getting mugged at the gate, when all the shit happens.  Favorite Union Rags is a solid second, and Daddy Nose Best finishes third..


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They Say It Always Happens In Threes .....

The Beastie Boys Adam Yauch And All-Pro LB Junior Seau Leave Us Feeling Quite Human This Week, But It's the Passing of An Old Boss of Ours That Is the Saddest..


     More evidence that we're getting closer and closer to that age.  It sometimes seems like a million miles away for us sometimes, especially when your Dad's odometer is on it's way to hitting 88... However, this week snapped us back into mortality again, and two people you kind of grew up with died - joining one who you ACTUALLY grew up with...


    We noted the Beastie Boys impact on a lot of people in my generation. They were virtually the only Rap group that gets played on Alternative Rock stations now.  Adam 'MCA' Yauch was the deep one of the group: he directed films, and was very involved in helping Tibetian Monks as well, in addition to the slighty raspy vocals he did with the Beasties.. His three year battle with cancer that started in his left salivary gland was well publicized, but he stayed in the public eye a lot...


   On the other end, we're still wondering what happened with Junior Seau, but these things happen when you spending 25 years running full speed head-first into 300 pound athletes...  Traumatic brain injury is starting to really come to the forefront as more examples like his occur.. You might have never heard this, but 9 members of Seau's 1994 Chargers team that went to the Super Bowl have died - with none of them seeing their 45th birthday.  Strange indeed.  Whether brain injury had anything to do with this is still speculative, but hopefully we'll find out.

    As big as these might seem, it's always the people closer to you that affect you more.  Last month, I found out that one of my bosses from my old college job at Robert Moses State Park on Long Island, Howard Leffhalm, was suffering from throat cancer, and wasn't expected to live.  He moved to High Point, NC after retiring, and unfortunately, he passed away this week.  I didn't think it so much at the time, but I had a lot of fun working at the beach.  Being in the sun all day, working alongside fellow hot college girls was great.  I couldn't say that all of my bosses were the best. For a place where 'Life's a Beach' was the motto, some of them took the gig much too seriously.  Howard was the Anti-Boss... He was easygoing, never overstressing, and gave us all a person to learn from in dealing with the public.  State Park employees get yelled at a lot, because everyone thinks they can do what they want, since they pay taxes.  Howard taught us to take it all in stride, and just enjoy the job and the friends we made there.  Dozens of us still keep in touch - 25 years after working there - including Howard's kids. 

     He will be laid to rest back in New York, and I hope they drive him past his Superintendent's residence one last time. It would be fitting for him to cross over that span from the mainland, go around the water tower circle and go through the place where he spent his career, and where he influenced hundreds of lives of young people at just the right time...  We love you, 602!



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The Magic Number Is In For an Obama Re-Election or Romney Win..

Is It Going to be Obama or Romney in November?  We Don't Know Yet, But We Have the Key Number... And That Number Is 8.1%.


     Two and a half months ago, we discovered what we felt was the most compelling data to determine whether a candidate is going to win or not.  While everyone was getting airtime for pulling GDP, Approval Polls and Gas Prices, we actually found a stat that was much more solid of a predictor.  The unemployment rate.  But, not just the overall employment rate, but the CHANGE in that rate in the six months preceeding the Election.


     We pushed the information all over the place - and it kind of fell on deaf ears.  Maybe if we were a Poli Sci professor or a noted economist, we'd get more props for finding an indicator that flat-out kicks the shit of any other's when you simply look at the data empirically.. The only response we got was from Tim Farley of POTUS, who called the post 'interesting' - which is usually codepseak for 'whatever'.  Of course, it was a little early, because in February, we didn't have that number to measure. Now we do...  It's 8.1%.


   If you want to check out our original post, click on here... But, if you'd rather have us just explain it to you again, we'll oblige.. While the overall unemployment rate was a decent indicator, it wasn't perfect. The ruling party was 7-3 overall for any unemployment rate under 6%, and 1-3 if it was over 6%.  Good, but far from rock solid data.  Nope, the telling data is the net change in the unemployment rate from April to October.  Here are the numbers for all the elections since 1948:


  

Year     Unempl. Rate            Change       Win/Loss

1948          3.7%                     -.2              win

1952           3.0                      +.1              loss

1956           3.9                       -.1              win

1960           6.1                      +.9              loss

1964           5.1                      -.2               win

1968           3.4                      -.1               loss

1972           5.6                      -.1               win

1976           7.7                 no change         loss

1980           7.5                     +.6               loss

1984           7.4                      -.3               win

1988           5.3                      -.1               win

1992           7.4                   no change        loss

1996           5.2                      -.4                win

2000           3.9                      +.1               loss

2004           5.5                       -.1                win

2008           6.5                     +1.5              loss


    The data doesn't lie, and it this case, it's virtually perfect.  If the unemployment rate drops at all, the party holding the White House went 8-1, with the only exception being 1968, when LBJ dropped out, Bobby Kennedy was assassinated and the Democrats went with their third string choice.  On the other end, if the unemployment rate rose or even didn't change, the party holding the White House went 0-7.. If anyone can pull up a better indicator than 15 of 16, with an obvious asterisk on the one exception, we haven't seen it.  We cast the gauntlet down for all other 'experts' to beat us... Good Luck, Suckas!!!


    Now, the obvious question is what do we think will happen?  We're not sure... There are lots of things that affect unemployment - new hiring, people re-entering the job market, all the upcoming tax changes and ObamaCare.  Looking into the crystal ball, 8.1% is as easy a starting point as any President has had to deal with.  However, the economy is clearly starting to sputter.... Only 115,000 jobs were created - over 25% less than the Dept of Labor has estimated, which is a BAD, BAD sign.  No change to a slight increase is possible, and if that's the case, Game Over...


   It'll be interesting over the next few months, and our prediction will become more solid as Election day gets closer.  It's simple - if voters think the country is going in the right direction economically over the long term, they will stay put with Obama.  If the Hope reveals no Change, then Mitt Romney takes hold of the White House... Just remember it - 8.1%, 8.1%, 8.1%....


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Today's Kooky Facebook Pic...

     Now, you may be wondering exactly WHY I'd have this on the blog... That's easy.  It gives you an idea of how I grew up, and how much different people in New York can be from those in South Carolina.  You see, this is from the page of a girl. That I went to elementary, junior high and high school with... She's now in her 40's..... with three kids!  Girls from Long Island may have scratchy voices and mouths like truck drivers, but they're pretty funny.. Like I always tell them, you can take the girl out of Brentwood, but you can't take the Brentwood out of the girl!

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SC Supreme Court Ruling and Rebuff Makes Candidates Whine and Leaves Ballots Looking Like Swiss Cheese ...

Get It?  Wine and Swiss Cheese ??? By the Way - Where Is My Candidate On the Ballot This Year, and His SEI Copy?


     Just when you think you've seen everything that could possibly happen in elections and politics, South Carolina shows that we can still screw stuff up with the best of 'em!  Hanging Chads, dimpled Chads... now we give you the Swiss Cheese Ballot.  Why Swiss Cheese? Because the ballot is full of holes - you know, where the candidates USED to be!


    If you know anything about us, you know that legal matters are not our strong points.  We often have to ask other people what is going on, and then do our best to sift through all the BS, and try to judge how things are.  We're sure most of you here in Palmetto State politics already know what the deal is, but if you're in Canada, Germany or an area of Allendale County that hasn't gotten cable TV yet, here's what's up..


    When candidates in South Carolina file for elective office, they have a Intent letter, and also a Statement of Economic Interest form, or SEI.  The SEI essentially tells the SC Ethics Commission where you make your money, and where your money is, like which company stock you might have, etc.  It is a pretty telling form, so filing it is mandatory - but how you are correctly filing it is where a slew of candidates effed up.  Big Time...


   You see, a 1992 law required all candidates to file the Intent and SEI forms in printed copy together when filing.  Seems easy enough, and it was for a long time.  We did it ourselves twice without incident, but when technology came to Columbia, it confused more than one candidate.  How? Well, the SEI form is now available to be filed online, and it seems like all of the candidates from both parties did that, but many did not make a paper copy of the SEI and file it with the Intent form.   Up go the Red Flags !!!!


    All across the state, candidates either thought or were told that e-filing the SEI was enough - and the Ethics Commission decided that was faulty thinking, and any candidates who didn't turn in the paper copy were disallowed from the ballot.  Obviously with little time before the ballots all across South Carolina need to be printed, the grievance went to the SC Supreme Court.  In a 5-0 ruling, they said the rule is the rule, and they upheld the Ethics Commission decision.  Candidates and party leaders from both sides howled, and they got a second hearing today.  Once again, the Supreme Court told them to go home and cry about elsewhere... Game Over, it would appear.


   Now, the little nugget we didn't include yet is where the real problem is.  You see, this only affects challenging candidates eligibility... Why? Because all incumbent officeholders have ALREADY filed the SEI's previously.  So it's pretty obvious that even if a current officeholder completely forgot to file an SEI, they are already on file, and they get a pass.  Does it sound fair? Of course not.. Is there anything people can do? At this point, it appears to be no.  The only course to change this at any point would be for the State Legislature to revise the law, but that isn't going to happen.  The reasons why are obvious: first off, it's too late to do anything for 2012. Secondly, why would they EVER change a law that gives them a distinct advantage?



     That is what the SEI dispute really comes down to unfortuantely - the difference between how things SHOULD be, and how they ARE... Yeah, in a perfect world, an online submitted SEI form should be considered good enough.  The Ethics Commission has it in their records, so the reasoning for the paper copy is unclear to us.  But, it is what it is... The fact of the matter is running for office is a series of jumping through all the hoops - even the stupid ones.  If the rule says you need the paper copy of both at filing time, you need it. The rules are in the books, and it's up to the candidates to know it... We didn't say it was fair.


    Yeah, it seems almost like a modern version of Jim Crow laws, except the challengers are the ones being mistreated.  But, the rule has been on the books for 20 years, so you learn to do it.  We're sure at first a long time ago, someone tried to take a dump in a toilet without pulling the seat cover up first.... it's a hard lesson learned, and now possibly hundreds of candidates from both parties just learned it - along with county Chairs and State HQ's from both parties.  



    The best thing we can say about this is we all learned a lot this week.... Years from now, new candidates will be asked if they copied their SEI Forms, they'll ask why in confusion - and us oldtimers will wax on about the Great SEI War of 2012.... and the Swiss Cheese Ballot!   What kind of whine - uh, wine - goes well with Swiss anyway?


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SC6 Fake News: Jim Clyburn Discovered To Be a Substandard Democratic Robot !!

Recent Short Circuit and Spouting of Typical Democrat Talking Points Forces Party to Admit He Is a Cyborg From Planet Partisania....


     (AP-Orangeburg) - The political world was rocked when it was revealed today that 6th District Congressman James Clyburn (D-Wherever it best suits him - Sumter, Columbia, Santee) is not an actual person, but a preprogrammed robot developed years ago by the Democratic Party to spout partisan talking points for his party...


     The revelation stemmed from a recent event by the Orangeburg Rotary Club, where Congressman Clyburn was a featured speaker.  Things seemed to be going normally for Clyburn, where he pushed his skills for pushing up our National Debt by repeatedly hawking for earmarks and tax increases.  However, problems arose when he started taking questions. Apparently, Clyburn mistakenly took the Q&A session as a game of softball in a town where he is literally bronzed - but he misjudged and a fatal flaw in him was exposed...


  The former House Majority Whip, who has been reduced to Nancy Pelosi's lap dog in recent years, took a question from former Lt. Governor candidate and newly minted SCGOP 6th District Chairman, Bill Connor.  Connor commented that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff noted that America's greatest security risk is it's National Debt.  He then asked Clyburn with him talking about endless spending, what plans did the Congressman have for reducing America's debt... Suddenly, Clyburn seemed to short circuit in every way.



    The Congressman gave a monotoned 'We...must....tax....the Rich.....and ...... Wall Street.... must .....pay.... their fair share".   He then seemed to freelance a bit more and stated Congress should 'Amortize the Debt' so it's not an immediate problem.  By 'amortizing', Clyburn meant to PUSH BACK paying off the debt to future years - and generations.  Suddenly and stunningly, Clyburn began to smoke and spin around in circles, arms flailing and repeating 'amortize....amortize....amortize' over and over again - until he finally partially caught on fire and shorted out.  This public fiasco forced the Democratic Party to admit the scam that has been played on South Carolina for the past 41 years...



     A DNC insider, who wished to remain a figment of our imagination, laid out the entire scheme.  It seems Clyburn is a Cyberdyne T-22,  which was a crude cyborg prototype , approximately five models before the T-100 used in the original Terminator film, and a precursor to Lee Majors' 'Six Million Dollar Man' in the mid-70's.... Essentially, Clyburn is a Human-Cyborg hybrid, where an actual human's brain was replaced with a preprogrammed computer to give standard Democratic answers to all questions.  According to the fake source, the plan was part of an agreement between the DNC and former Governor John West.  The deal was simple: West finds a guinea pig for the implant, and he recieved an Ambassadorship.  Enter Jim Clyburn - Superborg!



   At the time, it seemed like a great idea, but as the source revealed, there were fatal flaws that would rear it's ugly head in time... 'You see, this was 1971 - computers were total pieces of shit!  The implant Clyburn got was only a receiving and response program.  That is, his brain was given only a set list of questions and standard answers.  Learning software wasn't developed then, so he's kinda like Emilio Estevez's jock character in 'The Breakfast Club' - he can't think for himself.'  For decades, it has been hidden by limiting Clyburn's appearances to crowds with the IQ's of a TV informercial audience (Clap, Look Surprised, Shake Your Head in Approval and Mouth 'WOW!!), but the occasional exposure of this had been seen in previous sporadic events.  Our source admitted 'To be honest, I thought this would have been figured out decades ago. How those morons at MSNBC never noticed is beyond me'.



    Since the recent event, Clyburn has been kept out of sight, his future uncertain.  Normally, a broken computer (note, we didn't say Supercomputer) would simply just go to the local Best Buy for an upgrade, but even the DNC knows that the American public won't stand for this.  So, it appears we'll have two more years of Clyburn's binary chip following orders from his CPU to 'vote Yes or No, Jim'.... It's simple science - Input Garbage, Output Garbage.



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Today's News of the Obvious: More Teens Are Smoking Pot

Jeez Dude, Look at the Size of That Marley !!!!

    Just in case you've been living in a cave the past decade or so - welcome to 2012!  It seems like as long as there has been Man, there have been teenagers.  As as long as there are teenagers, they will be doing some drug they aren't legally allowed to.  It's a fact.. Maybe not all of them, but a lot of them..  The harder drugs always seem to be in cycles.  When I was a teen, mescaline seemed to be popular.  Then by college, the richer kids had cocaine.. By the mid 90's heroin took command as the 'it' drug - that is, until half of Seattle died.  But, through it all, there have been two constants - Alcohol and Marijuana....


    Teen drinking has always been pretty steady, but Pot usage among kids is starting to become an almost regular habit.  A study out today showed that 27% of all teens smoke Pot (or Grass, or Weed, or Mary Jane, or Chiba, add your own here) on a regular basis.  Even more scary, 1 of every 10 kids smoke it at least 20 TIMES a month!!!  That is pretty stunning, even to us.  But maybe it shouldn't... I thought I was just getting old and thinking every other kid seemed like a total doofus, but I guess Mr. Hand was finally right - ALL kids are on dope!


     I'm no prima donna here.  Yeah, I have smoked a joint or two in my life.  I stopped in college, after a particularly stoned/paranoid incident in a foot of snow on the way back to campus.  Truth is, I never bought it - I only did it if someone had it.  Why? Because I was a retard when I was stoned... sitting silently in the corner, totally zoned out. No enlightenment, no relaxation - just 'duh', so I stopped.  But, if you're doing it 20 times a month, you're dependent on it, and that's a problem...


    Why the rise? Well, it's a cultural thing I think.  Not to sound stodgy, but there are tons of movies and musicians that flaunt Pot use, and it does have an effect on impressionable kids.  Seriously, you think kids' lives are so stressful they have to resort to Pot to cope? We don't think so... But, the illegality of Pot does give it more allure as well - and that has us wondering about whether it's time to regulate it.


    I was watching 'The Five' and it was a funny dialogue they had on it... Liberal Bob Beckel - who admits to doing every drug that ever existed - was against legalizing and regulating it. Why? Becuase he is convinced that Marijuana does lead to doing harder drugs. Whether or not there are studies to back that up, I don't know.. Meanwhile, conservative Greg Gutfeld was full bore in favor of regulating it.  Why? Because making it legal allows you to control WHO can use it, and the concentration to stop superpowerful pot.. In short, teens have a harder time getting alcohol becuase it's legal and regulated, and marijuana would be the same.  Yeah, people still make moonshine, and some will still grow pot - but if they're getting paid to grow and sell it, the illegal crop (pun intended) will die out.. Maybe, maybe not.


    These are all opinions, but the real problem right now is too many kids are smoking too much pot.  It's cheap, and a slow economy doesn't help either.  Don't think so?  A friend of mine who smoked weed almost daily, recently quit because she got a job, and didn't want to lose it over a positive drug test.  Our guess is most kids will outgrow the phase, and go straight.  But, anyone who spends any time at all in public can see that there is a segment of society walking around stoned 24/7.  That is the danger of giving everyone the green light to light up a doobie.  We knew we forgot a nickname!  


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What a Surprise - The Only 'Healthy' Food We Eat Is Bad For You!

Scratch Canned Soup Off of the List - It's BPA-D For You Too..


     We think it's time we just flat-out STOPPED eating... For those of you who read us often, you know we've had some potentially long-term health issues lately: higher cholesterol, bad allergies and an elevating Liver Enyzme count.  When you get hammered from all directions like this, you end up having to seriously alter your diet...


    We'll be the first to admit, we don't always eat right.  We love burgers, chicken fingers and pizza.  Also, we will eat whatever is in front of us, so a major part of keeping our caloric intake down is to make single portions, which often are prepared and packaged.  No, the processed ingredients and sodium aren't good, but salt is not a problem for us, so we trade that off....  We thought the sole good thing we had in our diet was soup.  Until now...


    Chicken Noodle, Minestrone, Veggie Beef, Tortilla Soup - to us it was about the only thing that provided the one healthy thing we were willing to eat - vegetables!  Heat it up, toss in some extra mixed veggies, and we were ready to rock it vegan style!  Now, we hear that canned soup and veggies are potentially harmful... And the black health bullseye is on our back again.


     Recently, a study found that the liners of canned foods are made with Bisphenol A - or BPA.   It's a plastic that has been linked to heart disease and obesity, and up until recently, it lined almost all soup and canned food cans.  How much was in the cans?  A recent test had people test their BPA levels before and after eating canned soup after five days, versus five days of fresh soup. The BPA levels were 1.1 decigram per litre before and after eating fresh soup.  After five days of eating canned soup, it was 20.8 dcg/ltr... WOW!!


      Now, not being one to overreact, we don't know if 20.8 is an unsafe level or not, but it did scare the canned food industry to react immediately.... Campbell's is introducing a BPA-free can liner, and it can't get here soon enough for us.  Guess we'll have to check out the packaged soup section too, although we're scared to death at seeing how much it costs..  Either that, or get off our butts, open the frozen veggies we have, and cook those!  As if not having a beer since St. Patrick's Day wasn't bad enough...


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We Become the Model of Consistency ...

Batter Up !!  We Keep Blogging, and You Seem to Be Sticking Around


     Just a quick note of thanks from the Stats Department... While April wasn't our all-time high for hits (topping the 101,000 hits from Scarlett Johanssen in September will take some work), it did help us reach another kind of high: For the first time ever, we cracked 20,000 hits in three consecutive months!


     Usually, we post and take a vacation, which causes our readers to check us out, and eventually forget about us like a Bangkok Hooker... But, our new found consistency has shown us that, unlike what some of our detractors think, we are stronger than ever!  It's no secret why.. We were in New York for 2 1/2 years.  We returned with a bang in late January, and suddenly February, March and April are among our best months yet! 


    Yeah, we cast our net out a little wider, so we've made new friends - and that always helps.  We'll keep trying to make SC6 the Blog of Record for telling it how it is in politics, by simply giving you the story, and letting you make up your own mind - unless you disagree with us, of course.  The best way is to keep us up to date on any events coming up, and we'll do our best to be there..  Thanks again, and stay tuned!


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The Battle Between Dean Fowler and Florence County Council Hits the State Courts...

The 12 Year Mexican Standoff Between the Florence County Treasurer and County Council Ends Up With Ruling in Superior Court...


     There are few surer things in politics than rivalries and eventually outright contempt.  Most of the time, it involves people from across the aisle, but sometimes it involves an entire branch or body of government.  While some may question bringing these things up, our thought is when the problem is so well-known amongst everyone, what's the big deal? That is definitely the case of Florence County Treasurer Dean Fowler and Florence County Council - namely, Chairman Rusty Smith...


    The trail of blood (political blood, not actual) is long and messy here.. Fowler, the first countywide Republican ever elected to office, has been Treasurer for the past twelve years.  He replaced the previous Treasurer, who had been mired in scandal for years, involving various infractions. By the way, that man was Rusty Smith's father, who has been deceased for years now.  Time has not ended the feud... Fowler was a darling of the old Citizens in Action group, who made a job out of putting a fined-tooth comb to County Council.  Thye almost singlehandedly caused the county to include the $30 Road Use Fee as a separate item in the annual car tax bill...


   We'll be honest here.... We are friends with Dean Fowler. He was very helpful to us on our 2006 Council campaign, because we both share a love of transparency. And if there is one thing that has long been missing from Florence County Council, it is transparency..  I found it stunning that virtually nothing would be discussed in public, but rather in closed session, then Council would come out and just vote - without public discussion.  It was stunning, and I'm afraid to say it was constant between both party members of Council...


   Oh, there's more as well... Fowler was a tight steward of Florence County's funds, and he has made a pretty good business of keeping the expenses down... My personal favorite one was leasing county officials (yes, they get county-paid cars) Toyota Camry's, instead of the old and more expensive Crown Victoria's Rusty Smith has been used to.  True story....


   But, we are all unfortunately not perfect, and Fowler's flaw (if you wish to view it that way) it that he is hardnosed and always willing to butt heads with whoever is blocking what he thinks is right. And County Council has been at odds with him for over a decade now.  No, it's not just Rusty Smith and the Democrats.  He's had tiffs with Ken Ard and James Schofield as well... It's a sad fact: spend enough time in politics, and you will have enemies. It just happens... And eventually, they'll take you to court.


   A couple weeks ago, the 12th Superior Court of South Carolina had to decide a few longstanding issues between Fowler and County Council with regards to the width and available duties of the Treasurer position.  Basically it involved two facets: could the Treasurer use delinquent tax funds for anything other than recovery of delinquent taxes. Secondly, was the Treasurer able to negotiate contracts, spend department funds or grant salary increases without Council or County Administrator approval...  Not that the hearing was done totally fairly.  The county spent $100,000 on their attorneys, while Fowler was not given approval for counsel, and had to spend $7000 personally to properly represent his department.


    Surprisingly, there were no clear precedents involving countywide officials and what approval was needed for their own budgets.  So, the case was presented - and unfortunately for Fowler, and possibly Florence taxpayers, the County prevailed on all counts.  We can kind of understand not using the Delinquent Fund for any other uses. Granted, if it's just sitting there, not being used, the temptation to use it for overall good would be there.. As for the decision regarding all approval on contracts, spending and pay raises, that gets a little tighter....


    Yes, no one wants to see a rogue department in any governmental agency go wild... However, this decision leaves the Treasurer - and all other countwide officials - in an almost impotent position to run their department.  Funny thing - from what I remember, Council can vote on their own pay raises, but all other employees need their consent?  It's a bit ironic - the part timers (and that's what Council is) control all the power, but the full-time employees have none?  Does that really make any sense?



   Like most disfunctions in government, the whole problem appears to be political motivated.  Council and Fowler have been at odds for 12 years now, to the point that even the Republicans on Council tried to recruit a challenger for Fowler this year... But, according to the Circuit Court, Fowler's wings appear to have been clipped - unless he appeals. Then it continues on.  Like we said, Fowler is a tough, but hardworking public servant.  He has his faults, but he tells you what he thinks. Unlike most politicians, he has a very small filter between his thoughts and his speech. It's good for voters, but bad for him politically.  As far as who is being the most forthright, we think that's easy.... This is a 19 minute interview Dean Fowler did in his office with the Morning News' John Sweeney.  It's straight through, and at no point does Fowler seem to have to search for an answer or bullshit... It's tells you a lot about the guy, and why the decision may be a bad thing for Florence County voters..



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aoeTVzueuY


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