South Carolina Politics

[Spartan]

I see where you're coming from, but I think that ultimately all they needed to do was hold the meeting in Laurens. With your logic, where do you stop? Businesses in Columbia and Charleston would be affected too, so should they hold a meeting in those cities? IMO, the Upstate is in a better position with its interstate system in this case because it has built in redundancy. SCDOT would never close I-85 in this manner, or 26 south of Clinton either.

[BrasilnSC]

^ And I think that was part of their reasoning. I-26 still provides interstate access to the Upstate. All Charleston has is I-26, so closing that would put everyone, commuters and visitors, on local roads. I do agree that a public meeting should have been held in Greenville, since 385 terminates there. But again, we are only talking about the Northbound lanes here, it's not like the entire interstate will be shut down. Southbound traffic will be business as usual. It would have been quite a task replacing the NB bridge from I-26 onto I-385 while maintaining traffic. I think keeping it open and having a work zone with lane closures would have caused much more of a headache and for 3 years .

[GvilleSC]

I see where you're coming from, but I think that ultimately all they needed to do was hold the meeting in Laurens. With your logic, where do you stop? Businesses in Columbia and Charleston would be affected too, so should they hold a meeting in those cities? IMO, the Upstate is in a better position with its interstate system in this case because it has built in redundancy. SCDOT would never close I-85 in this manner, or 26 south of Clinton either.

I think that's unreasonable. I'm not insisting on meetings for every county. That would be very redundant and unnecessary . However, if we're addressing one set of detour's concerns (in Laurens), why not the main detour route via 26 to 85 to 385? One additional meeting in Greer would make sense to me.

[gman430]

I'm all for saving taxpayer dollars but for Andre Bauer to say this right after a major earthquake devasted Haiti and with the United States in the middle of a deep recession is uncalled for: http://www.greenvill...on-aid-to-needy

[CorgiMatt]

He wasn't talking talking about newly unemployed people or the people of Haiti. He was talking about the generational poverty trap that government assistance with no strings has caused in our nation. I'm as socially liberal as they come, even radical, but I'm fiscally conservative and believe in helping people help themselves, not in creating a money-gobbling monster that gets only bigger and bigger because those in the poverty trap keep multiplying through reproduction while continuing to think they are owed something with no clue as to how to get out of the trap. The only thing Bauer did wrong was use reckless rhetoric to make his very valid point.

There are people who the more you do for them the less they do for themselves. Jane Austen

[Spartan]

Its another reason why I hope he doesn't make it past the primaries.

[gs3]

He wasn't talking talking about newly unemployed people or the people of Haiti. He was talking about the generational poverty trap that government assistance with no strings has caused in our nation. I'm as socially liberal as they come, even radical, but I'm fiscally conservative and believe in helping people help themselves, not in creating a money-gobbling monster that gets only bigger and bigger because those in the poverty trap keep multiplying through reproduction while continuing to think they are owed something with no clue as to how to get out of the trap. The only thing Bauer did wrong was use reckless rhetoric to make his very valid point.

There are people who the more you do for them the less they do for themselves. Jane Austen

Well said. It goes back to that old saying, "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he eats for life". If children are getting free lunches at school on the taxpayers dime, then yes, the parents of those children should be an active part of the childs education. The public is not here to raise the children of this generational poverty crowd....the parents had the kids, its the parents responsibility. G-man, not sure what Haiti even has to do with this. Haiti is its own country....not part of the US....they aren't part of this discussion.

[gman430]

Joe Wilson, Mark Sanford, and now Andre Bauer. When will the fun ever end with politicians in this state? I see Andre's mouth did the talking instead of his brain again: http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20100131/NEWS/1310307/Records-don-t-support-Bauer-s-remarks-on-needy

[Spartan]

What kind of prudish people are we electing in South Carolina? No alcohol sales on holidays? That is a major step backwards. Hopefully this doesn't pass.

The Herald-Journal

[gman430]

This is in regards to the Air Service Incentive and Development Fund bill which is currently in the senate. You can read what the bill is about here: http://www.greenvill...ould-help-state Below are a few quotes from this article I thought were very interesting: http://www.thestate....l#ixzz0kXJKk2Zg

When only seven senators voted with Grooms, it triggered two angry lectures from the podium by Grooms and an exchange of accusations, including a charge by a Midlands senator that the proposal was engineered by some Upstate lawmakers to bring a new air carrier to Greenville, not necessarily to benefit airports statewide, as Grooms had argued.

In the Senate, it was pulled out of Grooms' committee and placed on the calendar, where it drew the objections of three Columbia-area senators and the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. Hugh Leatherman.

Apparently somebody didn't inform the lawmakers in Columbia that the bill is designed for ANY commercial airport in the state NOT just GSP. It can be used by Charleston, Greenville-Spartanburg, Columbia, Myrtle Beach, etc. Thoughts?

[krazeeboi]

I think it was a dumb move to tack on that legislation to the cigarette tax hike, which is already a contentious issue. So now it's even more likely that the much-needed benefits that the cigarette tax hike would have provided, particularly Medicaid funding, won't be realized.

[krazeeboi]

Looks like the Senate is expected to make the 50 cents cigarette tax increase law today, after the House overrode Sanford's veto. The tax increase will raise a projected $135 million annually to be spent on state-run health care programs.

[Spartan]

'bout friggin time.

[goodbye]

With the 2010 state primary election happening this coming Tuesday, and after quite a bit of homework (more than just campaign websites) on the available options, below are the candidates I am currently leaning toward supporting in some of the important statewide races. What educated advice can you offer that would convince me to reconsider giving support to any one (or more) of these candidates? Likewise, do you have any advice regarding the races in which I am currently undecided? Which candidates do you think would be best suited to fulfill the duties of each political position?

Governor: Undecided

Lt. Governor: Bill Conner

State Treasurer: Undecided

Attorney General: Robert Bolchoz

State Superintendent of Education: Brent Nelsen

U.S. Senate: Jim DeMint

Regional level election

U.S. House of Representatives District 4: Trey Gowdy

[Spartan]

Despite the accusations against Nikki Haley, she would still get my vote for the Republican nominee for Governor if I lived in South Carolina. I like her overall message, and quite frankly I think she is the only one who is not overly radical. Henry MacMaster would be my runner up. He's sharp (plus his accent is old school).

[goodbye]

Thanks. I was leaning toward Haley until learning that she has refused to be completely transparent in defense of her self-proclaimed innocence. I would be less apprehensive had she made every effort to clear her name. Her family relationship is more important than (and critical to) her political career, in my opinion. If she had made every effort to remain completely open in her defense against the allegations, then I would not hesitate to vote for her on Tuesday. However, her decision to withhold evidence that may shed additional light on the case (perhaps even help to clear her name) has raised a red flag in my mind.

Now, can anyone help with the State Treasurer race?

Any other opinions about the Governor race? I am still undecided at this point in time, although Haley is out of the picture until she shows the citizens of South Carolina that she is willing to be completely transparent.

[hub-city]

Did anyone watch the Sheheen and Haley debate? I'm a conservative, but will not be voting for Haley. She seems to have certain "talking' points and are going to get those in no matter what the question is. She seems clueless.

[Spartan]

Unfortunately no. Haley just gets sketchier by the day though.

[goodbye]

Unfortunately no. Haley just gets sketchier by the day though.

Apparently you can still watch the debate on WSPA.com. It was pitiful for both sides, in my opinion. Sheheen leaned too heavily on his character attacks against Haley and her alleged ties to the current State House administration. While this undoubtedly helped him win the debate, I came away feeling betrayed by a sense of hypocrisy.

[vicupstate]

Apparently you can still watch the debate on WSPA.com. It was pitiful for both sides, in my opinion. Sheheen leaned too heavily on his character attacks against Haley and her alleged ties to the current State House administration. While this undoubtedly helped him win the debate, I came away feeling betrayed by a sense of hypocrisy.

If you follow politics closely, as I do, you know that 80-90 % of the legislature, GOPers included, are pulling for Sheheen to win. He would have much less trouble working with Republicans than Haley will.

Haley is Sanfraud in a skirt, plain and simple. We can do better.

[goodbye]

If you follow politics closely, as I do, you know that 80-90 % of the legislature, GOPers included, are pulling for Sheheen to win. He would have much less trouble working with Republicans than Haley will.

Haley is Sanfraud in a skirt, plain and simple. We can do better.

Should we trust the legislature? I dislike Haley as well and am equally uncertain about her honesty.

[vicupstate]

The legislature welds the power. Either you work with them, or you stalmate. We have tried the stalmate thing for 8 years. It hasn't worked too well, or at least not any better.

[krazeeboi]

This is NOT the thread for national politics.

[hub-city]

I must have missed something. I thought we were talking about state politics. someone must have posted something that I didn't read. ow well... back to the govenor's race...

[gs3]

WOW! Looks like South Carolina just made history by electing our first woman governor. After years of white, male, good old boy, we should be proud to see the sexism bridge has been crossed. Not only a woman, but a woman of Indian Sikh heritage.

Most channels are calling Haley as the winner.