I'm Out of the Closet......

It was a little surreal this morning when I was doing my usual surfing. After check e-mail and the local news, I went to SC Hotline to discover that I had been "outed". I'm sure Rod Shealy intended to get some traffic over to my blog - from what I know, I have spoken well of Oscar Lovelace and Andre Bauer. When these things happen, you worry for the first hour that everything is going to crash in, and newspapers will start calling to ask why I am doing such an "unpoliticianlike" activity, like blogging. I realized not much would come of this for the usual reason - WHO CARES??!!! Honestly, not very many people outside of the 6th District counties care if I run or not. Outside of SC Hotline, most newspapers and TV stations don't print or attend any event that I have. So why bother blogging? Because blogging is by far the best way I know to discuss issues with people who actually care enough to talk. I have probably driven newspaper editors in South Carolina crazy with all the letters I send - and about 90% don't get printed. Meanwhile, they print a daily dose of "Bush Lied" , "The New Bridge is Beautiful" or "People Drive Too Fast" letters. It does frustrate oneself after a while. When they won't print you, blog 'em. Robert E. Lee always had less troops and less support than his opponents, but he would always outflank them to get an upper hand on the battlefield. Blogging is my flanking manuever. It's the only medium where money and influence does not matter. It also will let me give the Brad Warthens and Harry Logans of the world a break, so they should be grateful too! So there, I'm out of the closet, proud of my naked Republicanism and identity. Don't expect me to stop criticizing Clyburn - chances are I know much more about him than you do. Information is power, and I welcome alternate views. For those who find success solely by winning in November , don't waste your time trying to heckle me with losing - I couldn't care less. Read the blog from my first day, and you'll know what this is about. I hope you enjoy the blog.

Sorry Katon, I'll Keep My $100......

Everyone get their invitation from the GOP for the Legislative Kickoff party? I went to last year's and my advice is - save your money. For $100 , you get to hang out in the same room with your state Representatives and Senators for an hour. The problem is, a lot of them aren't there ( my Rep. was MIA ), and they really don't want to talk to you anyway. Chances are, you'll get stopped by his/her Chief of Staff and tackled to the ground before you get a word with your Senator. Sure, it's a fundraiser for the State Party, but give me my moneysworth please! Last month, I went to the Charleston County GOP Christmas Party, and for $20 we went on a cruise with dinner, live music and dancing ( Good Job Cyndi!). I'll pay $125 for the Elephant Banquet once a year, but I'm passing on this one. Here's a few suggestions on alternative uses for the $100: 1. Pay a little extra on the credit card bill from Christmas 2. Play 1-5 rounds of Golf ( depending on the course ). 3. Go to the movies about 10-12 times ( not including soda or popcorn). 4. Sponsor an impoverished kid for 3 months, and keep Sally Struthers from crying. 5. Buy a pasta strainer, 8 taplights, a neck pillow, a flowbee and a slew of Space Bags! 6. Purchase some kids books and donate them to a local library or Head Start. 7. Pay 7 months premium of a $250,000 10 year term life insurance policy, and protect your family's future ( 35 yr. old male, non-smoker , married). See me for details.

Hope the New Building has a Toilet, Cause I Don't !!

I've been reading the Orangeburg T&D lately. They've had a nice series of articles on the real problems in the area. Apparently, there are a whole slew of people who don't have indoor plumbing or electricity in the city and county, some within a few hundred feet of the SC State campus. Meanwhile, on campus, SC State is breaking ground on the $70 million dollar Clyburn Transportation Center, all paid for with Federal Tax dollars. Now, we've all had to live without electricity, but if you want true deprivation, try living without water sometime. I did once. I visited my brother, and he hadn't paid the water bill in about 2 years. After about 4 hours, I paid the $300 myself just so I could brush my teeth again! It seems to me that we have some people with really mixed up priorities down there. Before we go building a Taj Mahal ( and at $70M , you can bet it will be), could we make sure the people in the city limits don't have to poop in an outhouse first?

Improving Roads Good, Lining Politicians Pockets Bad..

I was commenting on a posting by Will Folks at The LaurinLine, and I mentioned the tax hike for roads, so maybe it's time I listed my concerns. The gist of it is that Sen. Hugh Leatherman (D-, I mean ,R-Florence) has proposed a 1 cent increase in the Florence County Sales Tax. This would help fund about $138 million in taxes, which would be matched by $250 million in taxes from the State Infrastucture Bank. All this would be used to improve roads in the county. While all this sounds like a good idea, and the roads sure need fixing, I do have a couple concerns. While it is a politician's duty to push a proposal that he feels is good for the area, Leatherman is going overboard on this one. This is ALL he talks about, and the way he talks about the SIB, voters are left with the impression that this will be the only chance to ever get the funds. The Senator points to his position as Finance Chair as the county's only opportunity. Now, I am still in my 30's, so there can be other chances for funding in my lifetime. I guess if I were 73, I would be concerned about the timing. The main question I have is ' Who is getting paid?' This is where the fish stinks, and not only at the Senator. Florence County and City are filled with politicians who make their money on highway construction. One contract would make each of them a millionaire. This all looks like a redistribution of wealth from the taxpayers to those sitting in office , via their companies. While the contracts will no doubt be bid upon, that can be skirted around pretty easily - ask any Mafia boss. While it sounds like I would be against this proposal, guess again. The fact is Florence County lags far behind the other areas in the state as far as road quality, and this is the best way to catch up. While most people know that some will benefit greatly, it will benefit the area as a whole. I doubt that 15,000 jobs will be created like they are estimating, but with 8.8% unemployment, even 1/10th of that will help. As long as you let a politician know you're not stupid, they will avoid doing the wrong thing.

Seriously, Pray for the Coal Miners....

I'll get a little personal here. I've been watching the news about the coalminers in West Virginia, and I'd like to ask you to pray for them tonight. It's personal because about 95 years ago, my grandfather came over from Italy to work in the mines in Pennsylvania, and my uncle joined him. It's such a bad job, that my dad left Pa. when he was 13 to avoid the mines. If you ever want to see a crappy job, work in a mine sometime. It's filthy, cold and extremely dangerous. As advanced as technology has become, they still cannot 100% protect miners from entrapment from things like a bolt of lightning. One minute, you're doing your job, the next, you're stuck 250 feet underground and 2 miles deep with no food, water or air, waiting helplessly for someone to save you. When you go to bed tonight, be sure to include them in your prayers. Thanks!

Soprano's Dr Melfi: She's No Carleton Sheets

Today's quick tidbit. I was reading an article about Lorraine Bracco, who plays Dr. Melfi on " The Sopranos ". In it, she states that she has never invested her money in stocks, bonds or any standard form of investment, putting her money exclusively into Real Estate. It's worth noting that Bracco filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in 1999 for owing over $2 million to the IRS. Next time you think about asking her for financial advice , FUHGEDDABOUT IT!!!!!!!! Might I suggest a more balanced portfolio......

It Ain't Easy Down Here.......

Since it is the Holidays, I'll take a day off from politics. I spent a great evening out last night in Downtown Charleston last night on one of those dreaded "first dates". We had a drink at McCrady's - a very yuppie-esque wine/cheese/tapas places with brick walls and funky couches. I will tell you one thing: the looks you get when walking into a bar or restaurant with a beautiful woman about 3 inches taller than you ( in heels) are priceless! Next , dinner at Bocci's. Very small, but the food was excellent, and pretty reasonable. In Florence, the only place that has Sun Dried Tomatoes is the salad dressing aisle at Harris Teeter. Anyway, it nice to find out that there are still normal, funny and very sexy women out there, if you look hard enough. Tomorrow, I plan on buying some new heels for my dress shoes!