Hopefully, There Won't Be Any Kryptonite In the Doctor's Instruments, As The King Of Johnsonville Undergoes the Knife Today....
Just a quick note to wish Brad Richardson well during his surgery today.. Actually, it may be over already, but we haven't heard how he's doing, but it can't hurt, right? The former Johnsonville councilman, 7th District Vice-Chairman candidate, and FCGOP Energizer Bunny has had a terrible month or so physically. But, it appears that the doctors at Carolinas Hospital may have finally pegged his problem down, as they're removing his lymph nodes..
It's pretty obvious now that when he was rolling around the convention in a wheelchair last month, he wasn't kidding... It takes a lot to keep Brad off his feet, or at a GOP event. We're just hoping this is the end of it all, and he'll be bothering Dean Fowler at the Treasurer's Office very soon...
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Like Handy Manny, We Bust Out the Tool Box, And Start Working On America's Home Improvement Projects....
We've said before that one thing we admire about Paul Ryan is that he isn't afraid to put a plan out there. Maybe they're not all the greatest plans, but the important thing is they are a starting point. Without putting something out there, Congress doesn't have that starting point. Taxation is something we have spent years working on, trying to figure an equitable, fair and most importantly, realistic plan. I've listened to all the voices, and taken those things into consideration, which seems to be more than Congress has. While there is no magic bullet, here are my opinions of taxes, and what I think is the best plan forward for America - it's businesses and ALL of it's citizens...
What Works and What Doesn't
First, you always have to start off with what is currently being used. If our current system were good, we wouldn't be trying to fix it , would we? That is the primary problem - every year, we add more and more to the tax code. It's great for accountants and tax attorneys, but when a system gets to be over 1600 pages long, it's a mess. Congress IS picking winners and loser with every change and addition. Milllionaires paying less than me is rdiiculous - and that did happen this year..Meanwhile, close to half of all Americans pay NO taxes at all. A system filled with inequities essentially squeezes the Middle Class, and is a mjor cause of why the economy hasn't picked up faster. Say what you want - but the truth is the econ omy picks up when more products are sold, not when a millionaire has more cash in the bank..
I won't go too much into the FairTax again, because anyone who's ever read this blog knows that we are NOT proponents of it. It's inequitable, and it's based on consumption, not on the true ability of a person to pay taxes - their income. We've been listening to them for years, and it's still constantly under revision. We've given up on the FairTax people trying to pound a square peg through a round hole, while making assinine proposals like 'Prebates'. The FairTax was undoubtedly the brainchild of some millionaire who managed to bullshit people who weren't fully listening...
Now, we had started out with the thought of a Flat Income Tax. Of the three, it is the most fair, because everyone pays the same rate based on their income. On the surface, it sounds great, but the problem with a Flat Tax is the rate is virtually impossible to set. Why? For example, lets say you put the rate at 14%, like Steve Forbes wanted when he ran in 1996... It's not terrible for middle or lower class, but it's a bonanza for the wealthy. Taxing the rich at 14% will not sufficiently fund the government. Put the rate higher, and the lower and middle class get slaughtered.
Deductions
Deductions are just like the rest of the tax code - they pick winners and losers. The incorrect part is that few people do these certain actions in order for a deduction. Why? Because it's not worth it.. Do we buy a house for the mortgage deduction, or a Prius for the credit, or send our kids to college to get a 15% credit on it? Absolutely not. It's sad to say, but the only thing that people do for a tax deduction is donate to charity. We're not up for bankrupting every good charity in America (although if we weren't taxed to death, we'd have more money to donate), so it'd be a good idea to leave a little room for them. To us, there is only one good exemption - the single standard exemption.
So, that's all of our problems with the Tax Code... But, at SC6, we don't just bitch about everything - we try to fix them. So, without further adieu, we give you the SC6 Tax Plan...
The Proposal:
Four Tier Income Tax
Rather than a Flat Tax, we're proposing four levels to accomodate the four levels of society: Lower Class, Middle Class, Upper Middle Class and Upper Class. Here are the four rates:
12% Rate up to $50,000 annually
17% Rate from $50001-100000 annually
22% Rate from $100001-250,000 annually.
30% Rate above $250,001
22% for Capital Gains Tax
0% For Estate Taxes
Deductions
Standard deduction of $10,000 per filer, including capital gains.
Charitable deductions allowed, capped at 5% of total income.
That's it. What we were shooting for was setting a plan where everyone contributes even a little bit. The exception to that would be the $10,000 exemption. Why? A couple reasons.. First, if you're pulling in less than $200 per week, you need every penny you can! After that, you're paying something, but not a ton. Another winner from the deductions is the two earner family.. By filing separately - because there is no incentive to file together - they earn two exemptions. So the college , mortgage , EITC and other bullshit is incorporated into it, without making rules to pay favorites.
The rates for all are lower, but with the loss of exemptions, it should counteract that. The Upper Rate is dropped from 35% to 30%, which is higher than the lower level, but each group can drop it by 5 points with charitable donations... Capital Gains are treated similarly to income, with exempting the first $10,000 for ordinary people cashing in 401k's and stock...
The main focus of it is to make a Tax Plan that is simpler, fair and realistic, and we think we are very close. I know the one complaint is I've heard from FairTax people is it makes illegal workers pay tax too. True, but I'm not in favor of screwing 180 million taxpayers to catch 11 million in the net too. It's like ObamaCare - lots of bad things happen when you try too hard to make the net catch everybody..
Feed back would be nice, as with any proposal we make. We are compromisers, and the worst that could happen is we get a good suggestion. Our track record on things like this is pretty solid. In 2004,we pitched tax credits for new hires, and soon after we passed it to him, Mark Sanford sent it to Columbia. Barack Obama is now proposign a similar plan, so we must have been on the right track. We think we're on another one here as well. All over the place, I hear Democrats say they are not opposed at all to a Flat Income Tax. If they like that, they should love this. All it needs is the CBO to confirm f the rates are correct, or if it needs tweaking to be on target...
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All the Money's Going Into the House Right Now....
Like most people waiting on job training to start, money is pretty tight right now.. I know, times are tough all over. It's been pretty dull around here, so to keep myself from sleeping 24/7, I've been bringing the yard back to spec, so someday it might sell... So far, no luck, but the cash to do the bigger things I'd like to - redo the counters, replace the deck - isn't there. Given that, we've been polishing the pig a bit as best we can.
50 bales of pine straw - with another 15 to go, retaining wall block all over the place (155 so far), and as you can see in the picture, repairing bare patches of grass everywhere. No, yardwork was not Ben's forte - but you never get good any somethign you never do, right? The front has that needed curb appeal again, so now the back is the focus. Just keep raining this week, baby!
With all this, homeowners insurance, a trip to New York, and probably having to buy a recliner so I can watch TV without reacting to per dander on the docket, dropping another $100 to mingle in Columbia will have to take a second seat. It would have been great to make more new friends, but there will be other opportunities... have a burger and a shag for me!
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Florence City Councilman Attacks Bruce & Lee Foundation... His Next Target? We Dunno - Mother Teresa? The Dalai Lama ?
If Ed Robinson weren't so detestable, he'd be funny... The Florence City councilman and challenger to Mayor Stephen Wukela, is a concundrum - a living, contradictory dichotomy of himself. He has survived on council for decades by making himself appear as his district's sole champion, while at the same time denying projects for his own people. It's pretty simple: in politics, you always need an enemy. If you have none, who can you blame for you troubles? Or worse - if you admit someone is listening to you, you beome irrelevant. And no politician EVER wants that...
That might have been so in previous councils, but from all appearances, Mayor Wukela has tried to be helpful and patient with Robinson. It's pretty ironic, considering that Wukela is easily 20+ years younger than Ed... He's even given what Robinson asked for - a basketball complex, with a price tag of $4-7 million - and as you read from P-Luv's post last month, Robinson killed it, on the grounds that it wasn't enough...So, whenever the Don Quixote of District Two can't find anything with Council to complain about, he looks elsewhere...
This week, he might as well have complained that God himself was biased against his area of town, because he went after The Dr. Bruce and Lee Foundation - aka, the Foundation That Saved Florence From Itself. It's a private trust that has given grants to virtually EVERY civic endeavor in the past decade, starting with the Library. Basically, they get requests for various projects, and approve those that are worthy. It's pretty simple - they focus on projects that do the most good for the most people, and they do a great job of it. Only a moron would attack a private group that gives you free money... Apparently, Ed Robinson - uhhhh - isn't bright.
According to a SCNow.com article ,
The Foundation gave the city $160,000 to purchase the old Kress building, where a new Tennis Center will be built. Yeah, a Tennis Center to us sounds like coddling a bit to the upper crust Florence Tennis Association - where many of them meet. But, if they are able to make it a regional center to become profitable, it could work. Most black kids don't play tennis, so I could see Robinson's half-point, but when you personally kill the Basketball Complex in your own neighborhood, who do you have to blame but yourself? Well, in Ed's mind, the Foundation is still a good place to start...
Robinson argued that gifts from the private Bruce and Lee Foundation aren’t equitably distributed. He said they should promote the whole city.“I know what I get from the people in my district,” Robinson said. “They agree that the Bruce and Lee Foundation doesn’t represent low income people fairly. “Just look at the city’s growth areas,” said Robinson. “It’s grown in certain areas and is a total disaster in others. I’m just asking this council to work with me. I’ve gone to the Bruce and Lee Foundation a number of times, but nothing has happened.”Wukela alluded to the $160,000 gift in the Community Block Development Grant area, another topic of discussion. He said “that (the CBDG area) is certainly a depressed area.”“All the black folks in that area are getting kicked out,” Robinson responded. “The ones who need the help the most are getting the least. We need to incorporate everybody in the growth of the city. The city should be run by us, not the Bruce and Lee Foundation.”
We don't know what projects Ed pushed to the Foundation, but there is a rule: if the Foundation has the money, they can do with it what they like - and you haven't made a good case for you what you want. They aren't trying to run the city, but it appears Robinson is trying to run the Foundation. Good luck with that... It is a pretty good-sized windmill to battle, but even Don Quixote had Sancho Panza helping him. Ed is on his own on this one. It takes brass balls and stupidity to attack those that give you free money, but that's Ed...
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West Florence High Is a Very Friendly Place For Local Jay Jordan, But There Was Plenty Else to Wonder About and Analyze....
The much anticipated premier event for the Florence County GOP finally took place Monday night. After months of planning and promotion, the first 7th Congressional District Candidate Debate went on at West Florence High. While the event was sold out, the was probably about a 25% no show, which is not unexpected. After all,tickets were only five bucks, so not making it isn't like you were blowing NFL tickets... The Florence GOP did a good job with the event. It went pretty quickly, and we only had one question, which we'll get to later.
Before we get ahead of ourselves, we'll start at the beginning.. Like most events, there was a pregame. This one was at Redbone Alley, courtesy of Andre Bauer. It was pretty good, but then free wings always are. Scott Maleryck and I had a long conversation about the race, which was cool, because I'm usually a quick hitter - most people can only tolerate me for two or three minutes max....
We apologize for not having any pics from the debate inside. Everyone was kind of cordoned off, so the candidates were a good 75 feet away. All we have for you are pics from the predebate minglefest. Here Tom Rice is with two of his supporters. Hey Guys - you're on the intrenet!
Andre Bauer chats with Betty Dowling, while Randal Wallace is engaged with two of Andre's team members... Then, it was time to get inside for the debate..
Welcome to my special digs - the Blogger table, which was basically me, and the Special Security guy you see to the left. Yes, I felt very special in the corner.. Hey, I had more room than the REAL media people. No, I don't bring my laptop or even a pen - I just watch, then make shit up afterwards....
OK, onto the play-by-play... We'll just headline each main point, then summarize briefly.
Was It The Tribe has Spoken, Or American Idol?
Eight of the nine candidates were there (Katherine Jenerette had a schedule conflict), but we could have been there all night, so the FCGOP decided to have an Elimination Round after an hour. We wondered how they would count 450 votes during a five minute break, but what they did was take the votes BEFORE the debate started. Basically, three of the candidates were knocked out before they started, but we guess there weren't a ton of options....
And In the Pickle Barrel... The Four Horsemen??
I got to chat with Bill Pickle for a minute or two during the break, and he suddenly got the idea that I had wondered for a while - he should have me on his radio show. Far be it for me to suggest it uninvited, but DUH!! I suppose I could hold up an hour if I give my life story, along with my brilliant Unemployment Rate/Election theory, but then I thought getting all of the Four Horsemen on together would be awesome. Of course, Tom would likely lose his job for being on air, but it could be worth it....
Next Time, Just Let Mel Pennington Ask All the Questions
We gotta say, WPDE's Tim McGinnis SUCKED, particularly in the first round. Not that it might have mattered much, but his questions to Renee Culler and Dick Withington were double-barrelled shotgun blasts, not actual attempts to find out about the candidates. He asked Culler about her Nacogdoches Problem, and he seemed to question Withington's mental balance. Not that they don't contribute to deciding whether to vote for them, but when you get two questions, and that's one of them, you just sank them. Granted, neither handled them well, but it ain't easy to look good when you get asked those questions.
Florence County Councilman James Schofield wasn't a lot better... His questions dragged on longer than the answers from the candidates. It was basically like he was giving his own opinion in the question by stating the reasoning for a position. Waaaay to long - just ask the cliff notes version next time. The saving grace was Hartsvegas Mayor Mel Pennington. He was the most interesting by far. He joked a couple times with the candidates, stating that he missed Jay Jordan's 32nd birthday because Jordan forgot to invite him, and catching two candidates passing notes during the debate. More importantly, he just asked questions and was fair...
The Jay Jordan Lovefest Begins!
Going into this, a very important point was forgotten by us - we were in Florence. That was corrected from the very beginning.. Culler and Randal Wallace received decent applause for their opening statement. When Jordan spoke, the place erupted - and it stayed that way all night. It was like half of Florence Baptist Temple showed up for the debate. Bauer was a clear second choice for applause, but it wasn't close. Jordan could have answered questions about his favorite sandwich or Boxers/Briefs, and they would have gone crazy.... The Straw Poll results weren't even worth staying around for - it was Jordan's crowd, which he needs. If he doesn't pull Florence, he is toast.
Don't Quit Your Day Job, Fellas..
Master of Ceremonies Phillip Lowe decided to end the debate on a different note, by asking the Final Five to tell their favorite joke. Chad Prosser basically deferred by joking that he can't tell a joke, Tom Rice bombed, Randal Wallace's delivery was iffy, and Andre Bauer told the Old Lady and the Peanut joke that we saw coming from a mile away. Jay Jordan gave the best delivery, although the joke escapes us right now.. Personally, our favorite is the Bill Clinton at the Ballgame joke.
OK, those were the things that caught our attention the most, but the most important thing was the debate itself. Below, we give our unofficial grade on each candidates performance. Granted, debating doesn't always correlate with winning, but we'll see...
Renee Culler
Like we said, McGinniss' first question wasn't exactly fair, and Culler started out OK, and ended OK, but she lost it in the middle. I always have a soft spot for the little guys - the ones who don't have a manager telling what they did wrong and right. I advised her not to attack other candidates by name, and she did at first, but she then went on the Chad Prosser-DeLinda Ridings insider trading tangent that she's done before. It's not the best argument, and it got the crowd buzzing, but not in the good way. I asked her after what she was doing, and she admitted she took my adivce for 30 seconds, then just went for it.... C-
Dick Withington
Withington was doing OK in his opening statement, although he went long giving the family history of the Withington clan, but he did give organized points on why he should get your vote. After that, it got messy. During the Culler-Prosser mess, he asked to rebutt Prosser, and was stopped. Why ? Because there was no rebutting, which apparently he was the only one in the auditorium who didn't know that. McGinniss' second question about his saber-rattling (literally) and questioning the stability of Horry County Chair Johnnie Bellamy were handled badly. We've talked to Bellamy a few times, and the pot is calling the kettle black a bit here.. C.
Jim Mader
We've been telling you guys this for months, but Jim Mader is a solid, well-grounded guy who needs to find a job when all of this is over. He probably was the second best at getting his point across, and if the elimination were done after the first round, he may have snuck in. He did well on McGinniss' 'what makes you think you're qualified' question, but he could have rammed that down his throat. Aside from that, he was organized, clear and hopefully left the Florence crowd liking him better. This field is too crowded for him to win, but he'll have a future somewhere.. B+
Randal Wallace
Randal let us down a little bit tonight. He wasn't as clear on his vision as he was during GOP meetings, but wasn't terrible by any means. He just seemed a tad off his game, and the down home charm he has didn't help a lot when the message gets garbled. In a race jammed with three guys who have similar resumes, he didn't break from the pack. C+
Tom Rice
To his credit, Rice raised his personality for the bigger crowd. He is often too reserved, bordering on dull, but was better than we'd seen him before. Still, that put him in much the same position as Wallace - still in the pack. Again, his answers lacked the specifics that we look for, and there was something he said that we remember as being flat-out wrong. Wish we could remember what it was. Next time, we'll take notes... C+
Chad Prosser
His best moment was probably his defense of DeLinda Ridings, which he said he was glad South Carolina was a Right to Work state, where he could hire anyone he wanted... He was a bit more organized and clearer than Wallace and Rice, but his presence lacked compared to Jay Jordan and Andre Bauer tonight. Not bad, but he could do better. B-
Jay Jordan
For months, we have said that Jay has been too mice of a guy during the events he's attended. He often lets people running for lower office dominate the time, and he'd just listen. Tonight, backed by a crowd clearly in his corner, he was much more confident and had better presence. Yes, he did get a few softballs thrown his way (he was asked TWICE about term limits, when he made his position clear the first time - were we listening, Tim?), and he talked a bit in generalities, but it was by far a good night for him.. B+
Andre Bauer
As great a night as Jordan had, Bauer was clearly the best at the debate. Like most times, he was well-prepared (his opening statement was exactly 2 minutes on the nose), clear, razor sharp, and most importantly, went into more detail than any of the other candidates. The best example was when the Final Five were asked what specific thing would they do for the other region of the District that they didn't live in. The other four grazed around the topic, but Bauer mentioned opening a Free Trade Zone in the Pee Dee to assist in the production of a Natural Gas vehicle developed by a South Carolinian... Specific enough for you? No doubt Jordan won the Straw Poll, but Bauer proved why he is leading in the polls. A-
It's 1:45am, and that's how we saw it tonight. Congrats to the Florence GOP for putting on a good show tonight, and to all the people who decided to get involved and enable themselves to make an informed decision...
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Bank of America's Mortgage Settlement With Obama Administration Is Another Example of Rewarding Bad Behavior....
It's kind of funny sometimes... In the aftermath of the mortgage and financial meltdown of 2008, I've realized two things: First is we reward bad behavior over and over again. The second realization? I can't catch a frigging break... The latest proof is from Bank Of America's announcement of their settlement over mortgage issues.
B of A has said they will be sending out letters to 200,000 of it's mortgage holders to reduce the principal balance of their mortgages as a penalty for foreclosing on some of it's customers. The amounts they will forgive depends, but there are no caps on the purchase amount, so they're admitting they will be subsidizing some knucklehead's McMansion..
Now, why does this bother me so much - more than the usual amount? It's because my mortgage is through Bank of America, and I would have easily qualified for assistance, with one exception - my roomie and I put paying the mortgage ontime as such a priority, that we aren't LATE ENOUGH...
We'll review for a second here. Ben and I bought our house in 2007 for $165,000 - pretty much at the top of the market, but it was still cheaper than renting. During that time, I've quit or been fired five times, and Ben lost his job twice. I'm waiting to go back to school, and he just got a job (in Pennsylvania) for minimum wage. Despite all of these mishaps, this is how many days late we've been late on the 60 payments - Zero. How? Easy, we did whatever we had to, despite both of us having car payments, credit cards, etc.. Whatever it took, including both of us selling motorcycles, pulling cash from his 401k from ten years ago, and me moving to New York for work for 2 years. You do what you have to...
Well, one of the prerequisites is that you must have been 60 days late or more as of January 1, 2012. So all we had to have done is stop making payments, like all the dummies who overbought, and we'd have gotten a major reduction on what we owe. Enough to be able to sell it now, like we've done for the past year, without an offer.. Why? Because housing values have dropped the value to $150,000, which is probably below what we owe on it...
Before I whine too much here, I will say this: I never asked for any help. If I planned on keeping the place, which is still a possibility, I'd rather get my interest rate dropped from the 6 3/8% we currently pay, to the 4% available now. That'd save us about $250 a month, but I doubt we'd get a new loan with the income instability, plus refinancing when you're selling is stupid. Nope, I am responsible for any debts I owe, and I will continue to pay them - on time. We didn't overbuy, but if we did, Bank of America would gladly be giving us tens of thousands of dollars in principal reductions. Apparently, dummies who can't live within their budgets are now deemed the same as the huge banks, like B of A - they're Too Big to Fail...
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Rarely do we have a Facebook picture that actually involves politics, unless it's a cartoon or e-card, but we got a big surprise this weekend.. You see, this is my friend from Jr. High and High School, Kristine. Had I known she would end up this hot, I would have done something about it a while ago... Then again, picking them in advance was never my specialty.
From what I know, Kristine could care less about politics, but she lives in the Business District of Manhattan, so she has a lot of cop buddies. One of them was among five NYPD officers to receive a National Award from President Obama at the White House last week, and he invited her as his guest. Smart Cookie.. This is a shot of Kristine standing in front of the Presidential Podium. Yes, I'm jealous.... As I told her, eight years in politics, and I can't even get a visit to my congressman's office. Meanwhile, she's one step away from 'Testing 1,2 - Testing 1,2 - Yo DC, what up?' Luckily for her, Secret Service neither tackled her - or tried to rent her out...
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To Avoid Blank Ballots Like This - Minus Incumbents - Challengers Start Getting Signatures, But We're Not Sure the Right Groups Are Behind It.
To few people's surprise, neither the South Carolina Legislature or Senate were able to pass a bill to correct the stupidity of the SEI requirement for a paper copy. As stupid as it is, it is pretty clearly stated in it that that is the rule. So, even though it was not brought up by Jakie Knotts' lackeys to the SC Supreme Court, the court's job is to rule on the law, not to rule how 'things ought to be'. That is the job of the elected officials, and they are the ones that failed. Twice. First by nor correcting the snafu when it was written, and the second time this week. It is an obvious mistake, and how a few members were unable to fix it is beyond us. Do we think there are some in Columbia that thought 'why should I allow a challenge to my seat, when I can kill it today'? Unfortunately, yes....
Left with little other choice, the 200 plus challengers are left with one choice - to get on the ballot by petition for November. They won't have the Republican or Democratic symbol by their name, but at least they'll be there. However, getting 5% of the registered voters in their area to sign the petition isn't the easiest thing, but it is workable. It takes organization to do it, and a solid plan. One group has set up to do that, but we're not 100% sure it's the right group to be in front on this.
The campaign is called Operation Lost Vote, and it's an effort of the RINO Hunt Group, headed by Harry Kibler from the Upstate area (where else?). Why do we have questions? Well, for starters, we question everything. However, there are other obvious questions we have. First off, in their website mission statement, they incorrectly blame this on the SC Supreme Court. Though Knotts' complaint didn't bring up the paper copy, the Court's job is to interpret the entire law, which it did - and correctly so. Don't hate the court for ruling against you. Hate the politicians for not writing the bill right or fixing it, for the Election Commission for not advising correctly, and for the State Parties for blindly following the wrong directives, in that order. If you can't even interpret the ruling correctly, I'm not sure I want to follow you guys...
Secondly, the RINO Hunt group hits us not as group that wants to get all the challengers back on the ballot - just the ones that they want on it. RINO is a flexible term - too flexible to us. Go in the dictionary or the GOP handbook, and show us a clear definition of what a RINO is. We foresee not every single Republican getting signatures, but a select few. For example, Florence County without a doubt to us will have their GOP challengers taken off the ballot. I've advised Bill Pickle of my opinion of that, and I'm not sure it registered. Is Operation Lost Vote going to help them?
Yeah, we are staunch Republicans, but the fairest way to do this is to get EVERYONE back on the ballot - and by everyone, we mean everyone. Even Democrats. When things went sour in the State House, our first thought was to organize all the county parties together - both Democrats and Republicans - to set up booths at various locations to get these challengers who were unfairly treated, and get them ALL petitioned. Picture Tea Party activists, League Women Voters and the local NAACP chapters lining people up, with the request that they sign the petitions for ALL the challengers? Wouldn't that be something?? A petition signature isn't like a vote, where you can only do one,and it's legal...
I wished it were the SCGOP and SCDP handling this, but no one has come forth to do it, so it's being done by subgroups. Maybe at tomorrow's introduction, they'll put all of this to rest.... However, I'm afraid it's going to be a totally anti-GOP incumbent effort, who's only purpose is to get RINO's like Knotts punched out in November. My advice is this: if you think this rule is unfair, then it is unfair to all the challengers, then apply the remedy to all of them. It's the right thing to do, and it would show the fed up voters that both parties can come together for the good of the people. No, we're not holding our breath either, but all it takes is a phone call to the other party...
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Just a quick note to wish all our Mom readers a Happy Mother's Day, and to those Moms of the rest of our readers. We do have female readers, right??? For those of you who know me well, know my Mom passed away a long time ago. The time leading up to today is always a little tough. Mom passed away on April 5th, and she was born April 22nd.
It may sound strange, but it's actually good that it went in that time frame.. It's always sad to think about her dying, and her birthday is a little happier, but it does remind me that she left pretty early. Mother's Day, however, is a celebratory day.. It's the day I get to think about all she did for me, how funny and kid she was, and how much I try to emulate her - minus wearing dresses, of course!
As soon as I finish posting this, I'll get on Facebook, and wish all my Mommy friends a happy Mother's Day. Enjoy the day.... and don't forget to call your Mom!
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Great week for political cartoons this week.. I don't think we've ever done this, but there were so many really good ones this week, that we picked four! It seems like we've been doing a lot of Obama bashing this week. Hey, we try to cut him a break, especially in the case of Gay Marriage - or in this case, Shotgun Weddings, courtesy of Joe Biden's mouth... Wondering if he's on any talk shows this week?
With 342,000 less people looking for work, it's no surprise that Uncle Sam's clothes seem a little lighter. It could be his gut is getting a little rotund as well..
Remember SchoolHouse Rock? Well, it looks like it's back - but in a more realistic tone... We always wondered why they never did one on filibustering... 'Filibust-rin' - it's here to stay. Just keep on talking til the bill goes awaaaaaaay!'
Sadly, the world of children's book lost a giant with the passing of Maurice Sendak, who died Tuesday, four days after suffering a stroke. Even I know 'Where the Wild Things Are', and I never read. Sendak was the idol of every kids' book writer for decades. He will be missed.....
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It's the One Day the Sports World Focuses On the Pee Dee... Then They Forget About Us For Another 364 Days.
Yes, it's the big day at Darlington - The Southern 500! We have a new sponsor for the next five years - Bojangles and their yummy, spicy chicken - but it's still the Southern 500... After a period of time where we all worried whether there would be any races at Darlington anymore (remember Rockingham, my friends), things to have stabilized a bit....
Would we rather still have two races a year at The Lady in Black? Hell yeah... but there was a problem with having the two races annually. Ticket sales were poor, whereas one race a year ensures an annual sellout, especially when it coincides with Myrtle Beach bike week. Call it the Everyman's Paradise... Also, while the March race was usually pretty decent weather wise, it was very early in the season. Most casual viewers watch Daytona, then forget about it til later in the year. However, the Labor Day race to us was a disaster...
What was wrong with the Labor Day race? Well, for starters, it was on Labor Day. Everyone is going somewhere for the weekend, not the racetrack. Worst of all was the shitty weather... Late Summer in Darlington is friggin' oppressive - it's hot, muggy and wet. Remember in the early 2000's - right before we lost the race - that three year period where every Labor Day race was delayed or shortened due to rain? We did... We went to two of them. Mother's Day Saturday night under the lights was a stroke of genius. Tonight's forecast? Mid 70's and low humidity at racetime... Perfect. And it doesn't interfere with Mother's Day visits. Good call...
Yes, we'd love to see the $30 million extra influx to the Pee Dee's economy with two races, but one is better than none - and the negative things external to the race are now positives. We seriously debated going for the first time, but money is tight, so we'll maybe invite some friends to watch. As for the race, we'll go with the hot hand, and pick Greg Biffle. As long as he doesn't blow his famous temper, he runs The Track Too Tough To Tame as well as anyone there, and he's on the pole... As for Danica Patrick's first race, she's being realistic - she just wants to finish! We're guessing she won't. The funniest part were the Facebook comments from guys saying 'I'm right next to Danica!!' Guess that means that she could feel the boners on her leg.... Gentlemen - and lady - start your engines!
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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'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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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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