Welcome to Sanfordville

A second protest against Mark Sanford and his stimulus hijinks is slated to start today at 10:00am in Finlay Park which sits at the base of Governor's hill. The protest will last all day and folks are enouraged to bring tents to make a tent city the organizers plan to call "Sanfordville." For more information see the organizer's website at Indigo Journal.

WIS also has an interview, and the State Newspaper has an AP wire story on the planned protest.

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After row over deaths, Agency reforms itself - but is it enough?

Earlier this year we commended fellow blogger extraordinaire Earl Capps for pointing out the hypocrisy of the Sanford Administration over the lack of oversight at the Department of Social Services. It appears that in the wake of such a travesty of mismanagement and, yes, even death the agency has sought to reform itself.

According to the State Newspaper in light of the unfortunate deaths the agency:

• Issued new, streamlined guidelines on dealing with drugs in families. They take effect Monday and will be an interim change while national experts conduct an in-depth evaluation.

• Made mandatory employees’ completion of a four-hour, online training program by May 15. It had been voluntary for all 1,000 child welfare workers.

• Sought help from USC experts in better evaluating risks of abuse or neglect in all families. This month, the experts will focus on drug abuse.

• Scheduled an April 27 meeting in Columbia with experts from the National Center for Substance Abuse and Child Welfare and the Children’s Welfare League of America to begin an in-depth review of procedures dealing with drugs in families.

• Decided to enact by April 30 new procedures for better communication with the Child Fatalities Review Committee and to document DSS responses to the panel’s concerns.

Since September ...

• Trained 84 caseworkers or supervisors in a new, voluntary course on the dynamics of drug treatment and recovery.

• Trained 159 additional caseworkers and supervisors in the effects of specific drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana and prescription medications. (DSS employs 805 child welfare caseworkers and 194 supervisors.)

• Scheduled three additional training sessions for this spring in the state’s three major cities.

• Trained 88 foster care or adoptive parents in prenatal drug exposure.

But despite all the "reforms," these are only preliminary steps needed to overhaul the beleaguered child services agency. The agency, who has over $1 billion dollar budget has suffered cuts and looks to suffer more as the Governor continues his brinkmanship over the stimulus money. Potential foster parents have complained as much as the employees that the system is to jammed bureaucratically and there are not enough social workers to handle the case loads.

Only time and, and the Governor, will tell whether the agency can modernize, stream line and more effectively protect South Carolina's children.

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QOTD: 'Soft on Crime?'

There's just no plausible explanation for Webb's actions other than the fact that he's engaged in the noblest and rarest of conduct: advocating a position and pursuing an outcome because he actually believes in it and believes that, with reasoned argument, he can convince his fellow citizens to see the validity of his cause. And he is doing this despite the fact that it potentially poses substantial risks to his political self-interest and offers almost no prospect for political reward.

- Glen Greenwald,
Salon: Jim Webb's courage v. the
"pragmatism" excuse for politicians

Jim Webb has introduced legislation in the Senate to form a Blue Ribbon panel to reform the entire criminal justice system, not just Prison. But can this honest commitment to a real problem succeed? What the numbers show is staggering. To quote Webb,

We have 5% of the world's population; we have 25% of the world's known prison population. We have an incarceration rate in the United States, the world's greatest democracy, that is five times as high as the average incarceration rate of the rest of the world. There are only two possibilities here: either we have the most evil people on earth living in the United States; or we are doing something dramatically wrong in terms of how we approach the issue of criminal justice. . . .

For more information, see Webb's National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009.

For South Carolina too the numbers are incredible. Just look at the statistics put out by our Department of Corrections and you'll see that the average daily population alone has doubled in the past 20 years. And it goes without saying that in this state a disproportionate number of those incarcerated are black men. More disturbing, though, our Corrections Department is currently over capacity - as of March 15, 2009 they're at 102% - and under staffed.

One of the ironic potentials of Governor Sanford's refusal to accept the Stimulus money is that the DOC will have to shed more COs, since they won't be able to afford them, and the federal judiciary will order South Carolina to releases at least three prisons worth of inmates, but unlike the Webb Commission, there may not be a discerning process between those who are nonviolent offenders and the folks who really should be behind bars.

Another interesting bit about the Webb bill is that it has the full support and sponsorship at least one of South Carolina's two Senators. Lindsey Graham is listed as a cosponsor of the legislation according to both Webb's site and Thomas, one of only two Republicans.

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It Means Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes....

shoes
Originally uploaded by gemma101679

Remember the scene from the Godfather where they find out that Luca Brasi has been murdered. A rolled up newspaper arrives with a fish in it, and Sonny Corleone doesn't understand until Tom says "It's a Sicilian message. It means Luca Brasi Sleeps with the fishes..."
I had in mind with this post to urge folks to send shoes wrapped in Newspaper to the Governor as a mixed metaphor to encourage him to accept the money.

As much as I like the idea of throwing a shoe at him, there's no need to get arrested (because you know he'd press charges) and hear him whine like he did before the last election when he 'burned his eyes' because of stage lights. But then again, the hacks and neanderthals he surrounds himself with wouldn't get it.

But operation "Shoe Drop" isn't going to be necessary, because the professional organizers are doing what they do best... organizing.

Next week on April 1st there's going to be a protest at the State House to encourage the Governor to leave the gun and take the Cannoli, to accept the Stimulus money and put it to work in a proactive way for the folks of this state. So come out from 5:30 to 6:30 and,

Tell the governor to quit grandstanding at our expense!

If the governor does not sign the stimulus agreement by April 3, SC will have to lay off thousands of teachers, public safety employees and increase tuition at our colleges and universities.

Join teachers, public workers, students, and your neighbors who are facing cutbacks, layoffs and increasing debts to tell Sanford:

Governor, it's OUR money!

Instead of pouring our money into bailing out wealthy bankers, we need government investments that create new jobs, provide health care and quality education for all, end the foreclosure epidemic and support sustainable, clean energy.

As with everything these days, there's a facebook group you can visit to sign up and attend. But apparently the other metropolitan areas aren't to be left out. Via Indigo Bunting,

Support the Stimulus Rally
When: Tuesday, March 31 from 12:15-1:15 p.m.
Where: Brittlebank Park, Charleston (180 Lockwood Blvd)
Contact: StimulusRally@gmail.com

No word yet if Greenville-Spartanburg area (and the rest of Jesus Land for that matter) will participate, the ratio of suburban white Christianist-Republican to everyone else is such that it's doubtful.

But hey, if you can't make it to the rally -- you can always send him a shoe.

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An eye towards 2012

Thanks to Phil Bailey and the SC Senate Democratic Caucus for drawing our attention (no pun intended) to Charleston City Paper's Weekly Cartoon by Stegelin for this gem of an image.

But for those of us living in the mire, and specifically for those who are to be directly affected by the Un Gov's posturing, perhaps this is a more appropriate image - because ultimately none of these political ploys are funny or cute.
The UnGovernor's eye, like that of Sauron is so fixated on the Constitutional equivalent of the "ring of power" in 2012, kept making the news rounds this week pushing his 'rejection' of the Stimulus.

All it's proven to do was make him as unpopular as Tolkien's Villain as folks within and out of the state rally to push back against his idiocy.

It's time to poke the eye out.... that or throw a shoe at the bastard.

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Newt Gingrich to be confirmed

a Catholic according to the NYTimes Magazine who had an extensive interview with him,

A Baptist since graduate school, Gingrich said he will soon convert to Catholicism, his wife’s faith.

No one has come forward to answer my question on Gingrich and his future relationship with the church over his three prior marriages. As I said before if he hasn't been baptised it's one thing, but if he previously has... this is a huge stumbling block.

Speaking of politicians flirting with Catholicism... Governor Sanford who's wife and kids are purportedly Catholic attended mass with his family in Columbia this past Sunday at St. Peter's Parish in downtown Columbia.

The Governor who is Episcopalian did something unusual and, theologically though not politically, scandalous - he communicated.

Is Sanford a crypto-Catholic? Is he in the process of conversion? (for cynicisms sake that would be politically opportune) Or, more likely, is this a case of oops the Governor doesn't know better?

From Catholic.com,

The guidelines for receiving Communion, which are issued by the U.S. bishops and published in many missalettes, explain, "We welcome our fellow Christians to this celebration of the Eucharist as our brothers and sisters. We pray that our common baptism and the action of the Holy Spirit in this Eucharist will draw us closer to one another and begin to dispel the sad divisions which separate us. We pray that these will lessen and finally disappear, in keeping with Christ’s prayer for us ‘that they may all be one’ (John 17:21).

"Because Catholics believe that the celebration of the Eucharist is a sign of the reality of the oneness of faith, life, and worship, members of those churches with whom we are not yet fully united are ordinarily not admitted to Communion. Eucharistic sharing in exceptional circumstances by other Christians requires permission according to the directives of the diocesan bishop and the provisions of canon law. . . . "

Scripture is clear that partaking of the Eucharist is among the highest signs of Christian unity: "Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread" (1 Cor. 10:17). For this reason, it is normally impossible for non-Catholic Christians to receive Holy Communion, for to do so would be to proclaim a unity to exist that, regrettably, does not.

Another reason that many non-Catholics may not ordinarily receive Communion is for their own protection, since many reject the doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Scripture warns that it is very dangerous for one not believing in the Real Presence to receive Communion: "For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died" (1 Cor. 11:29–30).

There are exceptions but only in the gravest of instances.

This of course isn't meant as the normal chidding we direct towards Governor Sanford. In fact we think it's great that he respects the faith of his wife and children and in a show of support and devotion to them attends the liturgy of their tradition. That is wonderful, should be commended and encouraged. In fact though we disapprove of his communicating we pray and encourage him with the hopes that he does join the Catholic fold.

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Joel Sawyer will probably quit

The phone lines at the Governors office will probably be ringing off the hook over the next few days - and not just from the grissled SC residents pissed about unemployment benefits.

Rush Limbaugh is going to send his flying monkeys after SC Gov. Mark Sanford for insulting him. How did Sanford insult him? He said he hoped this Administration doesn't fail.

From HuffPo, h/t PhilBaily

In an interview with Real Clear Politics Sanford had this to say,

I don't want him to fail. Anybody who wants him to fail is an idiot, because it means we're all in trouble. ..

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Unemployment: Fingers pointing at Sanford

It appears that events are rolling rather quickly down the slippery unemployment slope outside the Governor's Office. A number of news stories are starting to point the finger at Governor Mark Sanford.

Why is this?

Based upon The State Newspaper's article by Noelle Phillips, it's a complicated issue around three (3) aspects:

-Too many untrained workers who lack the skills wanted by employers who are hiring

-Too few jobs in rural areas

- And, some Sanford critics say, the state's failure to attract enough new jobs

Interestingly all three issues fall within the governor's key cabinet agency tasked with job creation and workforce development. Instead of focusing on the jobless rates over the past years,

Sanford instead attacked the SC Employment Security Commission (SCESC) and its reporting of unemployment rates.

Now with the state's unemployed seeking jobs and need for workforce assistance, the governor is attacking the SCESC on the lack of funding for unemployment benefits. However, public documents appear to prove that the SCESC informed both the governor and the state's legislature on the shortfall two-years ago.

Why is Sanford focusing on the SCESC?

Some legislators have called this a "smokescreen"tactic. Quoting Senator Phil Leventis:

None of these questions [on the SCESC] has been answered satisfactorily by

Sanford, which raises the possibility that his cries for transparency are a

smokescreen. In this drama, Sanford casts himself as the hero of the taxpayer

against some evil bureaucrats.

Ultimately leadership must take accountability for not working to resolve potential skill gaps, limited jobs in rural South Carolina and new business (and job) recruitment.

Looks like the 'smoke' may be lifting, it may be an interesting week for Sanford at the capitol.

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QOTD: Sanford is completely out of touch

It’s just another example of how Gov. Sanford is out of touch with the people of South Carolina. As many others have, Mark Sanford has lived a privileged life, one that nearly all of South Carolina could only dream about. He does not know and has never known what it is like to be in the situation many South Carolinians find themselves in today. However, the difference between the governor and many other wealthy citizens is that he does not care about the predicament facing the average, hardworking South Carolinian. There is no doubt that the governor, from his ivory tower of comfort, can pontificate about political philosophy until the cows come home, but what he cannot do is look into the eyes of the average South Carolinian and understand the meaning of the word “struggle.”

- Representatives Ted Vick (D-Chesterfield) and

Boyd Brown (D-Chester), The State.

I'm proud to be a Cheravian.

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Reefer Madness? Commerce Secretary's "Smoke" and Mirrors latest in Sanford "High" Unemployment Scandal

:::Update Below:::

First it was the report that Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps had come to Columbia and spent most of his time in a marijuana and drunken stupor.

Then came the report that the Federalis are planning on using the South Carolina National Guard to investigate and dismantle any possible connection between drug smuggling, gangs and terrorism.

Now the Commerce Secretary has come forward and stated that one of the reasons for South Carolina's third in the nation unemployment rate is the number of failures associated with on-the-job drug screening and more pointedly failures of pre-employment drug tests. In fact it's the pursuit of this information that has been cited as a point of contention between the Administration and ESC. The State reports,

Taylor's request for that data was at the center of Sanford's Jan. 22 threat to fire the commission's three members if they don't deliver the information by midnight Monday. Taylor said the information is critical to putting people back to work and putting money back into the jobless claims trust fund. Taylor says he's hearing that part of the challenge in helping people find work can be linked to job-seekers flunking pre-hiring drug tests, but he did not provide data to quantify the problem.

And while Taylor would argue that he couldn't provide the data because the ESC doesn't provide him the information (circular logic?), anecdotaly I have had persons in economic development confirm that drug use is a cited factor in unemployment causation in South Carolina (you don't say?) BUT it's not so great a factor, nor is it the most pressing causal effect for South Carolina's unemployment. For that you'd have to look at worker training, which is - you guessed it - the purview of the Department of Commerce.

What this is ladies and gentlemen is yet another distraction from the abysmal failures of this administration. Now I don't pretend to know the mind of Mr. Taylor, that would make him utter such a supercilious statement. One thing is for certain, such public statements, which are admittedly 'unpopular,' as the Secretary knew they would be, do nothing but further damage South Carolina's efforts to draw business to this state.

Interestingly enough no Republican (i.e. consultant firm mouth piece) has commented on this gaffe, I wonder why that could be.

:::Update:::

The State link above for was the temporary story yesterday evening. The Newspaper ran a more indepth story this morning with contributions from AP writers. Taylor sticks his foot even further down his throat as he exclaims,

People have the perception, Taylor said, that when a worker loses his or her job in South Carolina, it is because a plant closed or the person was laid off. “I don’t think that’s the case,” he said.

Employees sometimes are let go because of absenteeism or for other self-induced reasons, Taylor said, which may include drug use or alcoholism.

And while that may be true in 'ok' economic times - at this point with the economy tanking it's absurd to even suggest that such 'self-induced reasons' explain or even come close to explaining the unprecedented unemployment in this state. And folks who are in touch and experience the loss around this state know that at worst this is yet another wild, subversive, paranoid and not to be sustantiated theory of Secretary Taylor or at best just another distraction by a FAILED Administration.

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You have been weighed and are found wanting.

Earl Capps is leveling some righteous anger towards the hypocrisy of the current Governor and his Administration.

And while it's easy for folks to pin my motives to Partisanship because I choose to affiliate with the party opposing the Governor, Mr. Capps is a Republican - yes a REPUBLICAN - and in standing up and uttering against Sanford and his ilk, Mr. Capps has drawn the ire of his own co-politicists throughout the Palmetto State. A prophet indeed.

How exactly does Mr. Capps issue such divine utterances, calling his party - calling our state back from the wilderness, the madness and slavery of political entitlement and civic apathy? In civil discourse, by asking prescient questions and covering the stories that the mainstream media - driven by the whispers and misdirection of various factions and consulting firms - are want to cover. And by goading us, not only other bloggers, but state officials and ordinary citizens.

Like the Prophet Daniel, Earl has seen the writing on the wall, he has deciphered the words and has found the actions (or rather inaction and misactions) of this Administration wanting on the scales of competent governance.

So take the time to read the following two posts by Mr. Capps and don't sit idly by - but do something. Call your representative, or call the Governor and voice your displeasure with the way he's managing our Government and our state.

DSS problems challenge the credibility of Sanford's restructuring agenda

For the six years, Governor Sanford has engaged in considerable political posturing over the issue of restructuring. However, in looking at the part of state government which is already under his control, one has to wonder if Sanford can be trusted with control over any part of state government.

One example is the state’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, which some jokingly refer to as “PRT – Prosser’s Rarely There”, referring to Chad Prosser, he agency’s director. Another is the Department of Corrections, an agency which has long been ignored, underfunded and understaffed, especially during Sanford’s tenure, creating unmanageable conditions which have become the subject of numerous complaints and lawsuits.

The worst example of Sanford’s “do as I say, not what I do” approach to governance has been DSS, where the failures are counted in the lives (and sometimes deaths) of children who have been let down by this poorly-run agency. When twenty-nine month old Samuri Hayes died in DSS custody, some asked why Sanford was silent about the problems in the agency.

During the trial of the former DSS Finance Director, along with seven co-conspirators, questions have been raised about the financial accountability of that agency. Strangely, Sanford, who is usually all about "accountability" has rebuffed calls for investigations into the agency.

But there's even more hypocrisy in how DSS is being mismanaged under this administration. Reports indicate that the state lags far behind the rest of the nation in child support collections. According to the ACES website, South Carolina's collection rate was only 44% of child support due, lagging far behind the national average of 53% - roughly 25% worse than the national average.

This is due in part to the failure of DSS to modernize its child support system. California and South Carolina were the only two states to not meet new federal standards, for which the feds were providing funding. As a result, the
South Carolina agency was penalized $47 million about one-tenth of last year's budget shortfall which Sanford complained about. We've been told by legislators that another $30 million in penalties may be levied before South Carolina's system can be made compliant.

Instead of trying better manage his part of state government and avoiding these fines by demanding DSS meet higher standards, Sanford, who loves to rant about frivolous lawsuits, responded by filing a frivilous lawsuit of his own to avoid being held accountable by the feds.

When children are dying, millions of dollars are being stolen and tens of millions are being lost in unnecessary penalties, the Governor's silence is puzzling indeed. If this was taking place in some part of state government that was not under the Governor, every resident of the Riverbanks Zoo would be likely be under imminent threat of abduction for use in press conferences to lambaste the guilty parties.

The ongoing problems at SC DSS serve as yet another example of the difference between the often-empty rhetoric and craven political thuggery that has defined much of the Sanford administration and the real reform-oriented leadership that this state desperately needs.

and the follow up for this post is Earl's post on State House freshmen demand answers from SC DSS.

For this particular one you'll just have to go to Earl's site to read it, and I can't encourage you enough to do so!

For more of my own writing about Sanford, which is usually about his abysmal record on 'economic development,' click here.

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Connecting the Dots

This week I took a bit of a pause on my political writing and just permitted time to read what others were writing and discussing. Part of this was to highlight some aspects of South Carolina and "connect some dots."

On Monday Karen Owens, President of the Silver Crescent Coalition, wrote an Op-Ed in The State stressing the need for the Palmetto State to improve education, especially towards manufacturing. By Thursday, Noelle Phillips wrote an article address the future jobs that South Carolina should be striving towards jobs needed in the future. In addition, she provides a quote from USC President Harris Pastides:

"Ladies and gentlemen, we're all waiting for a rebound, an economic rebound," Pastides said. "When it comes, we need to have an educated work force, a technically trained work force."

So who leads the charge on this educated trained workforce? Some would say those involved in education, such as the state's technical colleges and universities. That is partially true.

But I gleaned on interesting insight that worker training is needed on all levels, especially those with little education and must acquire the necessary skills. This percentage represents a sizable portion of the state's workforce and the ones likely to experience unemployment first.

So who is responsible for this workforce training? Governor Mark Sanford. Where can one find the leader in this workforce training? At Governor Sanford's Department of Commerce.

Then what is Sanford doing? He and the Department of Commerce are instead attacking the state's Employment Security Commission over the unemployment numbers and the access to confidential data.

Instead of solving the problem, it appears the governor is using "smoke & mirrors" to deflect criticism from his poor management. Including the poor management he has conducted with the Department of Social Services, the debate around SLED, and now the state's high unemployment rates.

It appears that the buck does not stop at Sanford's desk. Instead, it goes wherever he points his little finger.

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The Little Guy Push's back: who's really to blame for the high unemployment and lack of economic development?

The Governor and his cronies, ever out of touch with the citizens of South Carolina, are mounting an effort to blame anyone and everyone for the economic woes of the state except for themselves. To accomplish this they have enlisted their sometimes, but always sloppy, mouthpiece FITSNews to 'shovel the shit' as they say.

But the little guy is pushing back. Where the governor and at least one, politically aspirant?, crony wish to blame the troubles of this state on the SCESC for the high numbers of unemployed South Carolinians, others are opening their eyes and saying no: that's not right.

And for once in South Carolina politics this isn't a partisan issue. There's no divide with the Governor and the Republican party on one side and the Democratic Party on the other. Folks on both sides of the aisle are waking up and realizing - these recriminations and distractions have to stop. People of good will from all political persuasions are realizing that the Governor and his friends, whether they be his favourite Cabinet Heads or his pet and partner organizations, are making us fall for the old okie-doke, they've been bamboozling us for the past several years and we've drank it up like kool aid because we've felt powerless to do anything about it, we've simply shut up and taken it.

It's good to know that - no more.

On the political side of things it's good to see the opposition, who is in the extreme minority in this state find a voice, and actually stand up and do something or say something. Check out John Land's Op-Ed from the State Newspaper. From the Op-Ed:

It is difficult for me to draw a conclusion other than that the governor cares about the bad numbers but cares nothing about the underlying cause or the devastated unemployed. He fumes about the statistics and threatens to deprive out-of-work South Carolinians of the financial assistance they so desperately need. It doesn’t take much to reason that if the number of unemployed continues to rise and we do not increase the revenues that supply our unemployment compensation fund; we will run out of money. By the way, the gap between our state and the nation has decreased in recent years because national unemployment has gone up, not because ours has gone down.

He rails against the commission and says there is something wrong with its record-keeping, that it exhibits poor management and that it’s out of control. To be sure, there is not a single agency that can’t stand to improve, and that includes the Employment Security Commission. But it is more than strange that an agency the governor finds so lacking in every regard was chosen as the service contractor by nine of the state’s 12 workforce investment regions. The Workforce Investment Act program is one of several the governor has improperly removed from the commission and placed with his Commerce Department in his failing attempt to control the numbers. Sadly, these efforts resulted in three dozen or more program employees joining the ranks of the unemployed.

Emphasis my own. Thank you Senator Land for elucidating and demystifying some of the facts in this ongoing kerfuffle.

Another voice goes further though. Blogger Earl Capps a proud low country conservative 'fisks' FITSNews for shoveling the smelly stuff for the Governor et al. And he does it in a manner that is civil and knowledgeable, qualities often missing from Mark Sanford's trumpeters. In this case, the Governor and his ilk, blaming the ESC for not placing folks with jobs, Earl explains why. First he explains,

Workforce Investment Boards, which oversee the One Stop Centers, are oversighted by Governor Sanford’s Department of Commerce, NOT the ESC.

Then he goes on to highlight the further misrepresentations of the Governor concerning One Stops,

Maybe that's a problem, but he needs to direct it to the Governor's office for an answer. Since they're not doing anything about dead kids or embezzlement at SC DSS, another Cabinet agency, maybe they'll have time to take his questions.

But that's not the only hole we saw in what he said. There were more.

The attempt to compare X number of openings to Y number of unemployed is not a good means of comparison. Many of those jobs are part-time or “executive pay” insurance sales scams, employers who fail to report they filled an opening (as an HR person, I’m guilty of that mistake more than once), etc., it’s going to look bad. If they were well-paying jobs, they often use recruiters or paid advertising to reach more targeted audiences in the first place.

The One Stop and ESC staff are generalists with no ability or resources to reach out for candidates, such as trade publications and professional networks, or specific industry knowledge. They try to fill everything from fast food to warehouse to construction trades with whoever walks in the door and they often won’t be able to fill needs as fast as a private recruiter, or as well, for a more skilled or advanced position.

South Carolina has long had a shortage of skilled labor to fill many positions, which is a big reason why jobs aren’t getting filled. A lot of companies choose not to come to this state, and others leave, because of the lack of skilled workers. The Lowcountry WIB recently set up a welding training program to help retain a defense manufacturer and won national recognition for the program all because the company could not find sixty welders - something that was shocking given the large population in the Charleston area.

This is what we're up against - a state which is not competitive with workforces in other states, and in some cases other nations. There are problems which deserve a close look and questions must be asked - one of which is why ESC even exists as an independent agency and not folded into some cabinet agency along with what the One Stop centers do. There are no easy answers or quick fixes and taking misinformed potshots isn't helping us get any closer to solving these problems.

Again, throughout emphasis was my own. Still, strong words from a guy who knows his stuff and is a leader in his own right in the low country. Look for more from Mr. Capps in the near future on dispelling other distractions created by the Governor and his friends, especially in regards to the corruption in the executive branch which is killing this state - and in at least one case, literally - and his investigation why the Governor is insistent on blaming others, from the legislators on down to the individual citizen, unemployed or not.

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SC Senate GOP Harumphs the closing of Gitmo

The Republican Senate Caucus at the State House is trying to pass a resolution asking President Obama to not place detainees in South Carolina. Sen. Cromer who initiated the measure said today:

“Closing the detention center at Guantanamo Bay is the wrong move for our country, it is better to have enemy combatants housed outside of the continental United States,” says Senator Cromer. “We have been very blessed over the last seven years, in that we have not had another terrorist attack in our country, but moving current detainees into the United States is just inviting trouble. And, I am certainly opposed to using the Charleston Naval Base as an alternative location. I hope Washington will hear this message. We must proceed with extreme caution, when it comes to this matter of national security.”

With that kind of silly logic it's no wonder two planes were flown into the WTC - the terrorist were only trying to spring Ramzi Yousef from jail. SC legislators are falling into a lazy line of rhetoric. To quote TPM:

Most of the Republicans' "not in my backyard" talking points rely on ginning up fear that housing detainees in U.S. prisons would make the facilities into magnets for terrorist attacks from outside. GOP rhetoric on the issue also suggests that the most dangerous of Guantanamo's current occupants, estimated to number between 50 and 60, would pose a significant escape risk if housed in the U.S. -- although little to no data has been offered to support that claim.

The bill will most likely pass and while it's symbolic for them and within their GOP cocoon, it won't make a damn. And as I see it, it shouldn't. I can't help but wonder if there's a subtext here to Cromer's plea. Already we're seeing that the ultimate fear once one accepts that the base is closing is that these detainees will obtain - wait for it - rights. Already a republican congressman is screaming in hypothetical that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed could become a citizen with detainee tranfers from Gitmo. I can see the image this creates in deepest reddest South Carolina as the cogs creekily crank yet produce nothing worthwile.

Lindsay swoons. Mark Stammers, the GOP congressional members jump behind the couch as Henry Brown has a heart attack. Jim DeMint, well it's Jim DeMint and there's nothing scarier than Jim DeMint - even compared to Jihadiis. And the Senate GOP Caucus is left with nothing to do but Harumph.

To prove how ridiculous such a fear is we don't have to get literary and quote the dialogue between St. Thomas More and Roper from a Man for all Seasons just to illustrate why applying the law of this land is important - although I will:

Lady Alice: "Arrest him!"

Sir Thomas: "For what?"

Lady Alice: "He's dangerous!"

Roper: "For all we know he's a spy!"

Daughter Margaret: "Father, that man is bad!"

Sir Thomas: "There's no law against that!"

Roper: "But there is, God's law!"

Sir Thomas: "Then let God arrest him!"

Lady Alice: "While you talk he's gone!"

Sir Thomas: "And go he should, if he were the Devil himself, until he broke the law!"

Roper: "So, now you give the Devil the benefit of law!"

Sir Thomas: "Yes! What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?"

Roper: "Why, yes! I'd cut down every law in England to do that!"

Sir Thomas: "Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned 'round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down--and you're just the man to do it, Roper!--do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then?"
"Yes, I'd give the Devil the benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!"

But even if you can't pick up on logic about the necessity for maintaining the law and obedience to the law (or don't want to) then consider this from Jeff Leiber, on the application of said law of this land on terrorists. From his diary titled The Addled Squirrel Rule of Conservative Thought at Daily Kos,

The first photo is, of course, of Timothy McVeigh, who killed 168 people in the deadliest act of terrorism within the United States PRIOR to the September 11. Mr. McVeigh... with full access to all that inconvenient legal crap... was tried, convicted and, on June 11th 2001, executed.

If that doesn't TERRIFY YOU FOR THE SAFETY OF AMERICA (and maybe you need an example of someone more FOREIGN SOUNDING) we then move to Ramzi Ahmed Yousef who was one of the planners of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

Mr. Yousef made it OUT of the United States before being captured in Pakistan (hey, this is getting WARMER isn't it) and flown back, where he was, shockingly, TRIED AND CONVICTED (without having to stack a single deck) and is now serving time at Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado.

Finally, in the category of personalized horrific acts NOT HAPPENING ON A FICTIONAL TV SHOW (a 24 reference), we have the disturbing and deeply disturbed... Jeffrey Dahmer.

I won't go into the awful, horrible details beyond saying that he raced right on past "beheading" to "ingesting" and yet, again, a court of twelve Americans was able to try and convict him (and in a side-note that is sure to make YOU, if not ME, thrilled, he was murdered in prison).

Three cases... all adjudicated in an American court with the American system set up by the founding fathers of America in the likely probability that bad shit happens.

So that's why I was questioning what happened to all the Republican talk about Patriotism and the moral superiority and global commitment etc etc and what not that we've heard from the Republican party for the past eight years which has now melted away into Nimby Pimby Pussitude.

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On South Carolina and Refuse

It's becoming ever more apparent with each passing day that South Carolina doesn't mind being the nations land fill and will find a way to profit from it. From Nuclear to household waste the Palmetto State is quickly becoming the Putrefaction State. But in doing so again we're utilizing one of the three R's and making it profitable.

This week I read in SC Biz Mag that:

Southeastern Petroleum has announced it will invest $30 million in Chester County to build a new manufacturing facility and create 24 new jobs. Southeastern Petroleum recycles used motor oil into base oils that are then used in the production of lubricants. The company expects to produce up to 10 million gallons annually from the Chester County facility, according to a statement.

And speaking of recycling refuse and making money off of it... Guantanamo Bay is slated to be closed within a year. I find it outrageous that our Republican (Republican = Jesus Wrapped in an American Flag with a Rifle, a pack of Marlboros standing atop a moose in front of his hummer = the epitome of patriotism) leadership would not consider bringing the terrorist goons to Charleston's Navel Brig.

But it's not just our leaders, across the country Republican Politicians with huge military prison installations are saying not in our back yard despite the opinions of their less than sheepish constituents. From the Kansas City Star:

An informal survey Thursday on the streets of Leavenworth found reactions ranging from confidence that the Army would continue to keep the community safe, to concerns that the city would be visited by new dangers and its name become synonymous with terrorist incarceration.
“The question that comes to my mind is how secure it will be,” said Timothy Swan, the owner of Alpha Geek Computers in downtown Leavenworth.
Anita Maynard, owner of the Queen’s Pantry shop, feared the transfer of prisoners might too strongly reinforce Leavenworth’s image as simply a prison town at the expense of its other attributes — such as being home to a college for mid-career Army officers.
Dianne Hawkins, a homemaker married to a soldier, said she had confidence that if the detainees came, the Army could keep things safe.
But that security question was key for Brendan Sheehan, who runs a bicycle shop in Leavenworth. If he were assured that the town would stay safe, Sheehan said he could imagine an economic boon.
“That’s that many more workers here in town,” he said. “That could mean more customers.”

And Charleston has held highly sensitive terrorists before. As one reader of Andrew Sullivan's blog said of Charleston:

I lived in Charleston: the Military Brig in Charleston, South Carolina is in the town of North Charleston, SC, where the mayor drives around town with police/military scanner, heavily armed looking for crime to stop (I'm not joking). Nevermind that the Charleston airport abuts the Charleston Air Force base (home of Military airlift
command) and could be secured fairly quickly. In order for a detainee to make it from the military brig to the airport, he would have to cross swampland unprepared. The area surrounding the Charleston area is cypress swamp (that goes for miles around the city) full of gators, wild hogs and poisonous snakes and the residential areas are full of people armed to the teeth (with a hair trigger, a state rep got into some hot water for getting drunk and shooting at some power line workers he thought were thieves, he wasn't charged). Keeping them there might be a good idea. They've kept Padilla and others at that Charleston brig for years with no complaint.

I don't get it, if you're big enough and man enough to spend 10 billion dollars a month and sacrifice the lives of more than 4000 American Servicemembers and believe that our Military and our Country is the best the God has ever created: why be a big sloppy, flappy - well you get the picture - about this. Shouldn't the military, which we so implicitly trust and owe our freedom to, be able to handle 200 some odd folks - guarding them and making sure they don't escape into a swamp with animals most of the detainees have never seen before (if they're from Afghanistan especially)?

Is it sooo wrong to increase the number of jobs in your state by an increase in military or FBP employees, who - are higher paid than their state or local counterparts, many times by double (which means that much more of an increase in purchasing power and money being pumped into economy)? Or is the patriotism only skin deep? Is it not really an issue, belief or an ideology worth putting your name on the line about?

Jim DeMint, Mark Sanford, Lindsay Graham, or Henry Brown care to respond? I doubt it.

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Sanford's Contradictions

One of the state's newspapers has an Op-Ed piece by Carol Fowler, pointing out a number of faults with the governor's recent "State of the State" address. This one caught my attention:

Sanford claimed in his speech to have predicted our economic turmoil. If so, he did not consult his appointed expert in such matters. On Oct. 20, 2008, Commerce Secretary Joe E. Taylor proclaimed the state was recruiting business at a record pace, "despite what you hear about the state of the national economy." In South Carolina, he said, "Withholding tax collections are up, indicating that more people are working and/or making more money."

By the latest report from the S.C. Employment Security Commission, there are about 182,900 unemployed South Carolinians who might disagree. The state, which tended to have a lower jobless rate than the nation in the 1980s and 1990s, has been worse on that score every year since Sanford took office. In November, when the U.S. jobless rate was 6.7 percent, South Carolina's was 8.4 percent -- its highest rate since September 1983.

Wow, that's since I was born...

Note that the state's Department of Commerce reports "announced jobs and investments" which typically are based upon five-year projections from companies. These projections can change and may reflect the issues with the state's unemployment rate.

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Is the Governor suffering from the reverse midas touch?

It seems everything Governor Sanford touches turns to lead, and in the souring economy all the lead is acting like dead weight that may drag down his chances at a 2012 run for President as much as continuing to send South Carolina beyond the toilet and into the septic tank.

The latest victim of the Governors unfortunate curse? SLED. The State Newspaper has an in depth - though still cursory - article on the mishaps and apparent malfeasance at the "storied law agency."

Stay tuned....

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Mini Commerce Chiefs? - Too many in South Carolina?

Within Governor Sanford's 2009-2010 Executive Budget, one could perceive that the governor dislikes the legislature's current involvement in economic development and wants to be the leader in this effort. On page 58 of the governor's executive budget:

"No longer will a piecemeal, localized approach at economic development, led by 170 mini-Secretaries of Commerce suffice to bring South Carolina into 21st century economic realities."

Hmm….To whom is the governor making this reference?

Let's see…. There are 124 members in the S.C. House of Representative and 46 members of the S.C. Senate. If we learned our math from South Carolina's school systems, the equation would be as follows:

124+46=170

One can assume, based upon logic and math, that the Governor is likely referring to the 170 members of the S.C. General Assembly. Now the real questions:

• Do the legislative members really want to be a miniature version of S.C. Secretary of Commerce Joe E. Taylor?
• Did the governor make an insult or compliment ?

Just some interesting if not casual observations about what is yet another volley in the endless, bitter, internecine battle between the Republican Legislative and Executive Branches.

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