1) South of the border (SOB) 2nd Annual TEA Party
2) House Judiciary Committee meeting May 6, 2008
3) SC House approves budget, bill heads to conference committee
4) Motorcyclist Take Over State House
5) Senate supports plan to raise cigarette tax
6) Loved ones welcome Guard troops home
7) Aggressive action is needed to resurrect 4th Amendment rights
8) WOUNDED WARRIOR POKER RUN
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1) South of the border (SOB) 2nd Annual TEA Party
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South of the border (SOB) 2nd Annual TEA Party
May 16-18, 2008
Come enjoy a weekend with brothers and sisters from SC, NC, VA, and TN
For more information call Don Ard at 803-847-0327 or SOB at 843-774-2411
Freedom fighters tailgaiting at the 700 block behind the convention center
Friday May 16th:
6:00 PM - Parking lot social cheap food and cold beverages! Each room has a 2 carport to get out of the sun and weather.
Saturday May 17th:
9:00 AM - Kickstands up for Marion Fox Trot! Festival/parade all day!
6:00 PM - Cheap food again.. Plus beverages!
Sunday May 18th:
11:00 AM - Kickstands up for the Annual North Carolina Protest Ride
Please share this information with other freedom loving bikers! SOB is more fun than Myrtle Beach and much easier on your wallet too!
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2) House Judiciary Committee meeting May 6, 2008
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House Judiciary Committee meeting May 6, 2008
2:30 p.m. Room 516, Blatt Building
By Ralph Bell
H 4309 which is the no parole bill was first on the agenda Representative Merril Smith discussed this bill and after several comments representative Rutherford started asking more and more comments about this bill. After more than an hour of this discussion Representative Rutherford suggested to table this bill so that they could get on with all the other bills on the agenda. He actually read every single bill with its description that was on the agenda and when he got to S 111 he first said that he thought it was a good idea to take a right on red. Then he realized it was a left. At this point we started thinking we would run out of time but that was the least of our worries.
Representative Crawford made a motion to read the previous question which would have to be approved by a majority vote. After the vote was taken Representative Crawford did not get a majority vote so Representative Rutherford said “since Representative Crawford tried to shut me up I will now read the whole description of H 4309” and went on and on. At this point I went in the hall to talk with Representative John Scoot who is running to replace Senator Kay Patterson who is retiring. We talked for at least 15 minutes and even talked about the red light bill that was on the agenda.
Well Representative Scott went back in so I decided to let Reb and Bad Bob know I was going back to work since this hearing was going over two hours. As soon as I went in I was shocked to hear them talking about S 111. Apparently they made a motion while I was outside that Representative Rutherford’s allotted 10 minutes was up after he talked for over 45 minutes.
Well of course Representative Rutherford had some issues with S 111 and did not like the 2 minute time limit and thought it should say a reasonable amount of time. Now I looked over at Reb and he either got a fast sunburn or is ready to explode. I am having stomach acid rush up into my mouth. Bad Bob was our only hope since he still had a cool look on his face. Did I mention this was also a packed room full of all kinds of paid lobbyists and newspaper people?
After Representative Merril Smith explained that it was put in as a compromise from DOT Representative Rutherford let it go. Next Representative Scott who I had talked to in the hall for 15 minutes asked why did it have bicycles and mopeds in it and why can they not just get off and walk across the crosswalk. He wanted to remove them completely. Well after all the many days/weeks of following this bill on its many adventures here we sat with the possibility of three amendments?
They first took a vote for the amendment that was made in the subcommittee hearing to remove the single loop and replace it with all traffic control devices (this is not the exact wording). Which passed.
Next a vote for Representative Rutherford’s amendment to remove the 2 minutes. This was tabled.
Next a vote for Representative Scott’s amendment to remove bicycles and mopeds. This was also tabled.
In the end S 111 was voted favorably and will be onto the floor. We also made sure to get with both Representative Scott and Representative Rutherford to explain this bill and that we do not need any changes which they both agreed to vote yes (I hope).
Now I would like to say that all the hard work and many handouts that Reb has done this bill still needed his ever watching eye and this goes to show how important it is that we make every effort to follow these bills all the way through the process just as Reb has done.
Ride free,
Ralph Bell
Midlands Area Coordinator
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3) SC House approves budget, bill heads to conference committee
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FF Note: Only the immigration bill seems to stand in our way to pass S111. Make those phones ring at the statehouse.
SC House approves budget, bill heads to conference committee
By JIM DAVENPORT - Associated Press Writer
COLUMBIA, S.C. --
The South Carolina House approved final amendments to a $7 billion budget Thursday after agreeing to many of the cuts the Senate adopted last month.
The amended budget heads now to a conference committee for the Senate and House to work out differences.
House Minority Leader Harry Ott said Democrats had a victory in keeping the House from increasing spending for college research projects by cutting $10 million from K-5 education programs.
The House had originally set aside $30 million in grants for endowed college research programs at Clemson University, the Medical University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina.
But in April, the state's economic forecast showed the state would collect less in taxes than expected, prompting the Senate to cut $180 million from the budget, with half of that in a reserve fund typically used for one-time spending programs. The Senate cut the grant program to $10 million, but House leaders wanted to double that by tapping public school spending.
Public schools should be the priority, Ott said. "We thought that was not a good use of dollars."
Ott still had concerns about the reserve fund's spending plans.
The $90 million cut left $34.5 million in that reserve. The Senate put $21 million into covering rising school bus fuel costs, $10.5 million into an early childhood education program and $3 million into paying for November's elections.
The House dropped the $10.5 million and instead spent nearly $5 million on a new high-speed data network for research universities and hydrogen fuel research; $5 million on tourism grants; and $1 million for dredging around the state's ports.
Senate Finance Chairman Hugh Leatherman called taking money from public education for projects "the most appalling thing I've ever heard come out of any legislative body."
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dan Cooper defended the spending on hydrogen research.
"They're for economic development for the future," he said.
And Cooper says the state needs to continue promoting tourism, a key segment of the economy, in spite of tough budget times.
Some of the public education reductions Leatherman cited are covered elsewhere in the budget by shifting money around, Cooper said. He noted $14.4 million was taken from an account set up to build a new state farmer's market. They also stripped $10 million from a competitive grant fund used to cover water, sewer, economic development and tourism projects.
Cooper noted that public schools end up with $95 million more in the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. But most of that is tied to annual increases required by law in what the state pays on a per-pupil basis for education.
Elsewhere, public schools took $34 million in reductions to a host of programs, including those for the academically gifted, preschoolers with disabilities and the arts. Spending there is directly linked to the state's slumping sales tax collections.
And with diesel fuel prices staying above $4 a gallon, the state is likely to fall short on money for the basics of covering the costs of getting students to schools.
"I expect they'll probably be running a deficit next year unless they find money from other accounts," Cooper said.
The Senate didn't wait for the House's final action on the bill before voting to reject the amendments and send the bill to a conference committee. Leatherman said "there's no way under the sun" the Senate would accept the House's changes.
Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell said the House was "trying to take this thing and turn it into a legislative grocery bag."
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4) Motorcyclist Take Over State House
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http://www.wltx.com/FYI/story.aspx?storyid=61643
Motorcyclist Take Over State House
COLUMBIA (WLTX) – Motorcyclists from all over the state came together on Sunday at the State House for “Motorcycle Awareness Month.”
ABATE, a state motorcyclists' rights organization, along with the South Carolina State Senate, House of Representatives, and the Governor’s office have declared May as “Motorcycle Awareness Month.”
On Sunday afternoon, riders came together on the steps of the State House for numerous presentations, including a presentation to Governor Sanford, naming him “Legislative Freedom Fighter of the Year.”
Representatives Joe Wilson, Nikki Haley and Mac Toole along with Senator Jake Knotts were on hand for Sunday’s event.
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5) Senate supports plan to raise cigarette tax
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http://www.thestate.com/local/story/398678.html
Senate supports plan to raise cigarette tax
By JOHN O’CONNOR - joconnor@thestate.com
The S.C. Senate on Wednesday approved a 50-cent-per-pack cigarette tax increase that would help a quarter of the state’s uninsured find or buy medical coverage.
About half of the $159.8 million raised would expand Medicaid services to low-income families and the disabled, while the other half would pay insurance premiums for low-income workers.
The proposal also includes money to help children and adults quit smoking or avoid starting the habit.
Senators voted overwhelmingly — 33-11 — to increase the tax, but the proposal still must win approval from the House and survive a likely gubernatorial veto. The state’s 7-cents-per-pack tax, lowest in the nation, has not been increased in 31 years.
Nonetheless, supporters of raising the tax said the Senate plan was a good first step toward addressing the state’s estimated 700,000 uninsured.
“It’s a long time coming,” said Sen. Joel Lourie, D-Richland. “The Senate took a strong position for health care today — for future South Carolinians.”
Opponents of the plan scored a small victory when they successfully argued the tax should not increase automatically each year according to inflation.
But opponents failed to convince lawmakers that Medicaid insurance for the poor didn’t need the funds and that some money should be set aside for tax breaks.
Lexington Sen. Nikki Setzler argued the plan to index the tax created an ever-increasing charge on smokers. “It’s an uncapped increase on the surcharge for cigarettes forever,” Setzler said.
Opponents of the plan never offered an expected proposal to use cigarette tax revenue to cut income taxes. Sen. Chip Campsen, R-Charleston, said such an idea was “not possible.” Campsen asked to use some of the revenue to raise income-tax brackets, but that proposal was rejected.
Critics worry that using the tax revenue to expand Medicaid eventually could require the state to pay the rising cost of the program. To help allay those fears if the bill becomes law, said Sen. Thomas Alexander, R-Oconee, the bill would not begin paying for health-care coverage until a year after it took effect. That would allow a balance to build in the account funding the health insurance.
The bill still faces two major hurdles before it could become law. The House approved a 30-cent increase last year, but tied it to cutting the sales tax on groceries. Last year’s state budget eliminated the grocery sales tax, and House leaders have been skeptical of spending cigarette tax revenue on health care.
Likewise, Gov. Mark Sanford has promised to veto any bill that does not cut a second tax as much as the cigarette tax is increased.
The Senate achieved the two-thirds majority needed to overturn a veto Wednesday, but it is unclear how strong support for the bill is in the House.
Advocates were happy to take the next step. “I think the Senate spoke loud and clear,” Lourie said. “I hope the House will see fit to agree or approve something.”
Reach O’Connor at (803) 771-8358.
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6) Loved ones welcome Guard troops home
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http://greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080507/TRIBUNETIMES01/805070316/1072/YOURUPSTATE01
Loved ones welcome Guard troops home
By Nathaniel Cary
TRIBUNE-TIMES WRITER
Families and friends wore yellow ribbons and waved American flags May 1 at the National Guard Armory in Fountain Inn as they welcomed members of the South Carolina Army National Guard 218th Infantry Brigade home from a yearlong tour in Afghanistan.
Some citizens lined Main Street in Fountain Inn, while others waited outside the armory as police cars and an array of motorcyclists with the Patriot Guard guided the bus through town, carrying the soldiers to their final drop-off point on their journey home.
Spouses and children screamed to catch their loved ones' attention as the bus pulled up to the armory. Inside, the 20 men and one woman returning from duty filed in to a standing ovation and stood at attention, stone-faced but fighting back smiles.
Following a short ceremony, the troops were released to their families, and Candee Silvers ran to her husband, Sgt. Derrick Silvers.
"It's a relief," Silvers said. "It was a good tour, but I'm glad to be home."
Candee said it was "chilling" watching the bus pull in behind the motorcycle and police brigade and that it was "wonderful" to have her husband home.
"It makes me feel good to know that America is doing something for another country, and it makes me feel good to be a soldier and to serve my country," said Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Adams of Union.
First Lt. William Hardison's mother greeted his return, along with his cousins, whom he said surprised him with their visit. Hardison served with a police mentor team, training the Afghan National Police and participating in missions with them.
"I'm glad to be here, really," Hardison said. "I'm glad to see my mom."
It was a bittersweet welcome home celebration, as members of the brigade remembered fallen Sgt. Shawn Hill of Wellford, who died Jan. 2 in Afghanistan, as well as two other members of the 218th who died during deployment, Sgt. Edward Philpot and Staff Sgt. James Bullard.
About 200 soldiers from across the state arrived at Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina the week before and were sent to Fort Bragg for post-mobilization processing. Those soldiers were bused to armories in Fountain Inn, Darlington, North Charleston and West Columbia May 1.
The 20 soldiers who arrived home in Fountain Inn were some of the 1,600 South Carolina Guardsmen mobilized in January 2007 for training at Camp Shelby, Miss., and deployed to Afghanistan in April 2007. Their mission was to train the 140,000-man Afghan National Security Forces made up of the national army and police.
The 1,600 Guardsman deployed in support of NATO's Operation Enduring Freedom makes it the largest single-unit deployment since World War II.
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7) Aggressive action is needed to resurrect 4th Amendment rights
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http://muckrakerreport.com/id592.html
Aggressive action is needed to resurrect 4th Amendment rights
April 23, 2008 – Are rights really rights if any or all branches of government can grant themselves, or each other, exceptions to the rights so that each or all may justify violating the rights of the people? Can rights be outweighed in balancing tests? Does the Bill of Rights allow for exceptions to rights such as “unless outweighed by a compelling state interest”?
... read more at http://muckrakerreport.com/id592.html
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8) WOUNDED WARRIOR POKER RUN
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WOUNDED WARRIOR POKER RUN
MAY 31, 2008
Starting Point and Registration: Thunder Tower Harley Davidson of Columbia
Ending Point: The Corner Pocket (Piney Grove/ I-26)
Cost: $10.00 rider $5.00 for passenger
First bike out 12pm Last bike out 2pm. 50/50 drawing, Door prizes, and cash prizes for best and worst hand. Free food for all registered riders.
All clubs and colors welcome!
ALL PROCEEDS GO IN SUPPORT OF THE FT. JACKSON WOUNDED WARRIOR PROGRAM!
Sponsored by Warrior Brotherhood Veterans MC
Rain make up date Aug 30 2008
For more info call
Columbia Area: Cliff 803-234-8717 or 240-210-0452
Sumter Area: Ken 803-983-2220
http://aw2portal.com/Mission.aspx
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