Climate change: The truth is STILL out there

Contributed by Warren Mowry

The ongoing debate over regulation of “greenhouse gases” and the attempts of the EPA to bypass Congressional legislation by regulating emissions has reached a head recently.  Given the overwhelming number of scandals related to the “scholarship” surrounding climate change activism and the outright fraud associated with much of its statistical analysis, it is somewhat of a surprise that this continues to be a viable issue.  But because it is part of the Left mantra, it does.

Is ‘The State’ falling down on the job?

Contributed by Michael Gass

The State newspaper in South Carolina is cracking the whip; unfortunately, you won’t find evidence of this in their editorial pages. You won’t open your paper and find the headline, “GOP continues to strangle SC services.” You won’t find an editorial eviscerating Gov. Nikki Haley for wanting to eliminate all personal and corporate income taxes at a time when the state already faces a $829 million dollar budget shortfall. You won’t find a reporter from The State on the doorstep of the Republican Party headquarters demanding solutions. No, The State newspaper has instead cracked the whip on commenters on their web site. Taunting, you see, is an offense worthy of having your posting privileges blocked. 

GOP ’12 Top Ten: February

Contributed by Shell Suber

Last month I posted my ranking of the “Top Ten” likely GOP presidential candidates. Well, a whole entire month has passed and so here are my new rankings.

Current rank. Name (Last month’s rank) – Comments

1.  Mitt Romney (1)  - Name recognition and money give him frontrunner status, albeit tenuous. A polished candidate and persuasive speaker but his former strength (healthcare) is now seen as a weakness.

2. Mike Huckabee (3) – Well known and generally perceived as a very likable, decent man, which is accurate. But is he presidential enough for voters?

3. Haley Barbour (4) – If you listed ALL the favors owed to ALL the other candidates by Republican leaders throughout the country, Barbour’s list would be longer. The more Republicans hear his plainspoken style, the more they will like. (Disclaimer – He’s a friend.)

Do I need I.D. to join the L.W.V.?

Contributed by the misplacedmtnman

After much debate and discussion, the South Carolina House of Representatives approved a measure that would require citizens to present some form of photo identification before voting in an election. Republicans assert the new law would cut down on voting fraud, but Democrats disagree, saying it is unnecessary and will disenfranchise minorities, seniors and those with lower incomes. (In other words, the very groups that the Democrats use all over the country to steal elections.)

Roll Call Voting Up to Senate – Again

Contributed by Eric K. Ward of The Nerve

It’s déjà vu all over again regarding members of the General Assembly voting on the record.

Or is it?

Just like last year, the S.C. House has passed a roll call voting bill in a rare unanimous vote. Rep. Nathan Ballentine, R-Richland, is chief sponsor of the bill, H. 3004.

And, also like last year, that measure now heads to the Senate, where its prospects are not necessarily as bright but could be better than in 2010, when roll call voting legislation died in the upper chamber.

Last week, the day after Gov. Nikki Haley took office, the House acted swiftly on Ballentine’s bill, bypassing the committee process to approve it with no dissenting votes.

“Civility” equals censorship

Contributed by the misplacedmtnman

I should have known better. Thumbing through a State paper delivered to me free of charge on Monday, I was reminded once again why I don’t subscribe to this moribund medium of misinformation. Out of the five “Letters to the Editor,” three of them were sanctimonious, hand-wringing pleas for the end of the“climate of hate,” the “vitriolic rhetoric that led to the tragedy in Arizona,” the “poisonous rhetoric coming from America’s right wing.” One letter declared, “As the Messiah of the mindless, [Rush] Limbaugh is as guilty as if he had pulled the trigger himself.”

Pelosi plotting her return?

Contributed by Warren Mowry

I posted the following article from The Hill on Facebook today and, as always, got many very interesting, entertaining, and insightful comments. The title tells it all: “Dem Campaign Chief: Goal is Making Pelosi Speaker Again.”

While one of my friends questioned whether their goal should be to do right for the American people, I am willing to give politicians a break on that score. However, the very idea that Americans will be comforted by the return of Nancy Pelosi to two heartbeats from the Presidency is in itself worth a belly laugh. And I am clearly not alone. I steal this in its entirety from one of my friends:

Bill Would Cap Payouts to School Superintendents

Contributed by Rick Brundrett, Senior Investigative Reporter, www.thenerve.org

In March 2009, the Marlboro County School Board in a split vote approved buying out then-Superintendent’s Alisa Goodman’s contract for $400,000, throwing in another $10,000 to cover her attorney fees, according to published reports.

S.C. Rep. Phillip Lowe, R-Florence, says that never sat well with him. On Wednesday, he introduced a bill (H. 3297) that would ban the state’s 85 school districts from offering severance packages to fired superintendents exceeding the superintendent’s annual salary, unless approved by district voters in a special election.

“I understand that there’s a contract, that there’s a need to do something,” Lowe told The Nerve last week. “But not a golden parachute. This is public money.”

Derivatives explained in beer

Contributed by Shell Suber

Got this email from a friend. Not sure who wrote it or where it got started. Does anyone really know where these things come from?

Somehow, when you make analogies of the economy with drinking beer, it seems to make sense.

Understanding Derivatives – a Primer

Heidi is the proprietor of a bar in Detroit.

She realizes that virtually all of her customers are unemployed alcoholics and, as such, can no longer afford to patronize her bar.

Election editorial prompts letter

Contributed by Shell Suber

A few weeks back, The State printed an editorial in the wake of the election while public discussion of voting was still on everyone’s minds. It was their position Alvin Greene’s vote total was evidence South Carolina needed to do away with the straight ticket option on voting machines.

The full editorial: “Stop encouraging voters to abdicate decisions” – Nov. 23, 2010.