The South Carolina House and Senate recently passed a bill that would submit to the people of South Carolina a measure that would amend the State Constitution to allow Lt. Governors to run on tickets with Governors, like Washington does, so called conservatives contend. That alone makes you wonder. People who rail against Washington want Columbia to be more like Washington. We will get into the merits of electing a Lt. Governor and why things are set up the way they are further in this post. But, first we will address the tantrum on social media Governor Haley threw when she found out the State Senate passed the bill effective for 2018. On the surface, it appears the Governor got what she wanted, wise or unwise, conservative or not. But, the Governor was angered by not getting to pick her own running mate in 2014, and launched into hyperbole with a statement that went “they don’t want the girl to get it.” Frankly, the Governor’s remarks are pathetic. Her sophomoric ranting embarrasses her and the state. The fact is fundamental changes to officers of state and federal government have always excluded the current office holders. Why does Governor Haley think she is different? Indeed her ranting makes one think that perhaps the office of Governor ought not to be elected and some sort of state manager should be hired by the General Assembly. I am, of course, using the Governor’s logic to come to that idea. The office of Lt. Governor of South Carolina is part time. It is to most an afterthought. Ken Ard did embarrass himself and the state with his antics, but legislation in the wake of such things has always proven to be shortsighted and rather dimwitted in the long term. When passions run high in public life, thinking things through runs low. The crafters of the State Constitution did not fear some Black man’s election, as the false propaganda of the pro federal government types say. There are papers, there are records. They feared egos and demagogues. They wanted the executive power of the state government to be not only spread out, but for the holders of it to be answerable to the people, not one politician who appointed them. The Lt. Governor, as President of the State Senate, was to be elected by the state at large, sort of a State Senator at large, if you will. The Howard Rich funded crowd will go on about efficiency and things like that. Fair enough. But, under the current structure, South Carolina has not created any George Wallaces or Herman Talmadges. We have not had the corruption seen in places like Illinois and New Jersey. Sure, the people of South Carolina have made some mistakes at the polls. Ravenel, Sharpe, Ard, they come to mind. That said, those mistakes, made by men who were in the political bed with the folks who want to change how our state works by the way, does not warrant us to throw out the structure of our state government. It was the very structure of our state government that protected the people from further harm. Indeed, who are these people who want South Carolina State Government to be like the federal government? Aren’t they the ones railing against the federal government? I believe in the people of this state. I swore to defend its constitution. I think the people are smart enough to elect their own executives, and I believe, that for their protection, South Carolina should not have concentrated executive power like Washington or New Jersey. Indeed, the point of federalism, and of states’ rights, is that we do what is best for South Carolina, not mimic other states or the federal government. When it comes to our leaders in this state, I think of what John Adams once said, “I look around and wonder if you all have gone mad.”
Friday, April 27, 2012
Thursday, April 5, 2012
So the humble man went forward to die for our sins. Your sins and mine were washed away with the sacrifice of the humble son of God.
Think about that man and that day long ago. The Son of God humbled himself and had the courage to go through the torture of crucifixion. Jesus Christ would be beaten, humiliated and nailed to a cross.
Think of that pain. There was the Son of God Himself, whipped by Roman soldiers, and after that whipping, Jesus carried the cross he would be nailed upon up Calvary.
Crucifixion was no merciful or quick death. The nails were driven coarsely through one hand and then the other, and then through the feet. The Son of God hung on that cross and suffered. Then a thorn was put through his side and he was mocked as “King of the Jews” by the Roman soldiers.
How tempting it had to be to our Lord to call down a legion of angels and wipe out those who treated him so badly. Yet, our Lord did not do that. He knew he had to go through that humiliating death to wipe our sins clean with his blood.
Think about what many of us would have went through. Would any of us go through such a painful ordeal for our fellow human beings? After standing and preaching for peace, Jesus met a cruel death. His death was made all that more cruel in that the people he came to save were the very ones who demanded his humiliating death.
What courage Jesus Christ had! Too often we forget the courage of Christ. The story of him taking a whip and running the money changers out of the temple is lost as well as the courage of Christ in his last day. He took a beating that many of us would cringe under. He took the pain of the nails into his flesh. He had the power to cry out to angels to end it, but he had the courage not to do so he could die on that dark day for our sins.
On this Easter weekend, enjoy yourselves, enjoy your loved ones and remember that brave man who took the beating and the humiliation so we all could have our sins washed clean in his blood, the blood of the lamb.
Sinner that I am, I am proud to proclaim my devotion to the man who gave up so much to save us all. It humbles my heart to think what Jesus endured for me and for us all. Jesus Christ is Lord! I proclaim him as my Lord and Savior without apology. If the PC crowd does not like that, well, I just don't care. Happy Easter and don't forget the courage and sacrifice of Christ.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
9) How long before another South Carolina elected official ends up a subject of the Daily Show or Entertainment Tonight.
8) When a windshield bully will strike again and force me to make my insurance company pay for a new windshield for me. Those windshield bullies are everywhere. The radio ad tells me so.
7) President Palin
6) The average I.Q. of the United States Congress
5) What Mormons drink at a Tea Party.
4) How the world would react if Lt. Governor McConnell presided over the State Senate in his Confederate officer uniform.
3) How many people who the public helped to educate now want to attack public education
2) I hope President Obama is better at picking winners and losers in international affairs than he is at picking basketball.
1) Just what part of a chicken is considered the nugget?
8) When a windshield bully will strike again and force me to make my insurance company pay for a new windshield for me. Those windshield bullies are everywhere. The radio ad tells me so.
7) President Palin
6) The average I.Q. of the United States Congress
5) What Mormons drink at a Tea Party.
4) How the world would react if Lt. Governor McConnell presided over the State Senate in his Confederate officer uniform.
3) How many people who the public helped to educate now want to attack public education
2) I hope President Obama is better at picking winners and losers in international affairs than he is at picking basketball.
1) Just what part of a chicken is considered the nugget?
Voting Under the Influence is among the most critical blogs of South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. Haley remarked on her facebook page that blogs daring to criticize her were being paid to do so.
VUI can not speak for other blogs. But, we are not paid by anyone. In fact, no one involved with putting this blog together gets paid by any political interests. We simply see things as they are and present things as we see them. Everyone involved with VUI makes their living through other means. This endeavor is out of love and concern for this state.
Perhaps that notion is foreign to Haley (R-Rich and friends), but there are some people who love this state and its people and put themselves out there, not for personal financial gain or personal political gain, but just to do the right thing, to call it like it is.
Further, this is America. Blogs like VUI have a right to criticize, to question, to be a thorn in the side, so to speak, of those with power. That is the American way. It is disturbing that Governor Haley seems to contend that such voices should be silenced if they are aimed at her. That notion of Governor Haley's is even more outrageous when one considers that she benefited not only from the campaign contributions of the Howard Rich gang and the Georgia port folks, but from paid bloggers singing her praises.
Perhaps that is Haley's new definition of conservative government. Government should be limited unless it can be used to silence critics. Perhaps there are some paid critics, like there are paid champions of Governor Haley. But, VUI is not paid by anyone to blog our opinions, period. Not one penny. And, we say that Governor Haley and her staff are immature, ignorant of how government works, irresponsible and arrogant. As the second President of the United States, John Adams, once stated, "facts are stubborn things."
And, the dadgummed thing about facts, you can not buy them. They are just there for the world to see.
VUI can not speak for other blogs. But, we are not paid by anyone. In fact, no one involved with putting this blog together gets paid by any political interests. We simply see things as they are and present things as we see them. Everyone involved with VUI makes their living through other means. This endeavor is out of love and concern for this state.
Perhaps that notion is foreign to Haley (R-Rich and friends), but there are some people who love this state and its people and put themselves out there, not for personal financial gain or personal political gain, but just to do the right thing, to call it like it is.
Further, this is America. Blogs like VUI have a right to criticize, to question, to be a thorn in the side, so to speak, of those with power. That is the American way. It is disturbing that Governor Haley seems to contend that such voices should be silenced if they are aimed at her. That notion of Governor Haley's is even more outrageous when one considers that she benefited not only from the campaign contributions of the Howard Rich gang and the Georgia port folks, but from paid bloggers singing her praises.
Perhaps that is Haley's new definition of conservative government. Government should be limited unless it can be used to silence critics. Perhaps there are some paid critics, like there are paid champions of Governor Haley. But, VUI is not paid by anyone to blog our opinions, period. Not one penny. And, we say that Governor Haley and her staff are immature, ignorant of how government works, irresponsible and arrogant. As the second President of the United States, John Adams, once stated, "facts are stubborn things."
And, the dadgummed thing about facts, you can not buy them. They are just there for the world to see.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
South Carolina State Representative Thad Veirs resigned and is out of the House. But, that does not mean there are not more brat like representatives from Howard Rich.
Today's brat in the SC House is Rep. Eric Bikas (R-Rich/Haley) Apparently, Bikas and Representative Josh Putnam were "dressed down" for "dressing down" in the House Chamber a couple of months ago. Putnam, (R-Rich-Haley) apparently decided he would dress better and show up to work. Bikas went home and stayed.
Fair enough. If a member of the South Carolina General Assembly feels that he in good conscious can not be a part of the body, then he has every right to resign. That said. Rep. Bikas and the Rich-Haley pitchman Will Folks go on about how the Speaker treated Bikas, etc. as justification of sorts for Bikas sitting at home the past two months and drawing a pay check from the people of South Carolina. Bikas even flipped flopped on whether he would return his pay to upstate television station WSPA. Yet, Bikas is a product of so called South Carolinians for responsible government.
There lies the problem. Since a billionaire with kooky ideas and his friends decided to take over the small state of South Carolina, South Carolina has elected officials who are incredibly irresponsible and short sighted. Further, though they claim to be for limited government, the efforts to use taxpayer money to subsidize private entities has never been higher. That is big government at its worst, picking winners and losers in the private sector.
And, far too many of those elected in the wave of out of state cash and well paid wordsmiths have been long on ego and short on sense. But, even more sinister is their arrogance. Rep. Eric Bikas stands as a shining example of it. Bikas refused to work for the people for two months out of his own petulance, and is arrogant enough to think the people should pay him to do so. Bikas sums up the Rich/Haley crowd and shows what is wrong with South Carolina today.
Today's brat in the SC House is Rep. Eric Bikas (R-Rich/Haley) Apparently, Bikas and Representative Josh Putnam were "dressed down" for "dressing down" in the House Chamber a couple of months ago. Putnam, (R-Rich-Haley) apparently decided he would dress better and show up to work. Bikas went home and stayed.
Fair enough. If a member of the South Carolina General Assembly feels that he in good conscious can not be a part of the body, then he has every right to resign. That said. Rep. Bikas and the Rich-Haley pitchman Will Folks go on about how the Speaker treated Bikas, etc. as justification of sorts for Bikas sitting at home the past two months and drawing a pay check from the people of South Carolina. Bikas even flipped flopped on whether he would return his pay to upstate television station WSPA. Yet, Bikas is a product of so called South Carolinians for responsible government.
There lies the problem. Since a billionaire with kooky ideas and his friends decided to take over the small state of South Carolina, South Carolina has elected officials who are incredibly irresponsible and short sighted. Further, though they claim to be for limited government, the efforts to use taxpayer money to subsidize private entities has never been higher. That is big government at its worst, picking winners and losers in the private sector.
And, far too many of those elected in the wave of out of state cash and well paid wordsmiths have been long on ego and short on sense. But, even more sinister is their arrogance. Rep. Eric Bikas stands as a shining example of it. Bikas refused to work for the people for two months out of his own petulance, and is arrogant enough to think the people should pay him to do so. Bikas sums up the Rich/Haley crowd and shows what is wrong with South Carolina today.
Friday, March 23, 2012
This blog made reference to possible increased costs to the taxpayer because of role unions might play if the state school bus fleet is privatized. Charleston County served as an example. Yet, that is the not the big hidden cost to the taxpayers that is not mentioned in all the talk about choice and freedom.
In the bill, the State Department of Education will turn over facilities to school districts. That might sound good to some who do know understand the way things work. Those bus facilities have enjoyed being exempt from DHEC standards on things like gasoline and oil spills because they are owned and operated by the State Department of Education. They are facilities that sit as potential money pits with the environmental issues that have already happened.
The problem is school districts are not exempt from DHEC laws and regulations. School districts will simply be given “junk” at a big cost if the bill to privatize school bus services comes to be. Literally overnight, local school districts will be strapped with cleanup costs that taxpayers will have to pay for.
It is a puzzling thing. It shows how Nikki Haley and General Zais and their supporters in the General Assembly do not think things out. In their zeal to supposedly limit government and give choice, they will create more government cost, either through unions or environmental clean ups or both. Let us be frank. More expense through a state tax or through a local school property tax is still more cost for government. The cost of cleaning up the now exempt facilities alone will hamper public school districts in a way that is unprecedented.
Now, if Governor Haley and General Zais just simply loathe public education and kids getting a shot at decent life through it, let them come clean and say that. After all, they seem all too eager to grab every dollar from education. They will not admit it. Instead, they will both rake in big campaign dollars doing the bidding of donors with self-interested notions, all the while not doing the homework , so to speak and not realizing that what they support is something that will actually cost taxpayers more money overall. Who knew that Governor Haley and her supporters in the legislature would fight so hard to bring us higher taxpayer costs via unions and environmental costs? But, hey, they will get their contributions.
There lies the real problem. For whatever reason, South Carolina elected a Governor, a Superintendent of Education, and some members of the General Assembly who seem dimwitted in thinking things out about how their policies will really affect this state. The campaign cash created them. It blinds them. It created pundits who walk lockstep with them. People who voted to make government cost less have ended up with leaders who will make government cost more. The only difference is the added costs will go into the pockets of folks who put them in office.
South Carolina was rated one of the most corrupt states in the United States recently. And, that is no surprise. Our leaders are not for limited government, they are for big government that benefits theirs. The school bus issue is just another example of it. They hide behind words like choice and freedom, but as the second President of the United States, John Adams, once said, “Facts are stubborn things.”
In the bill, the State Department of Education will turn over facilities to school districts. That might sound good to some who do know understand the way things work. Those bus facilities have enjoyed being exempt from DHEC standards on things like gasoline and oil spills because they are owned and operated by the State Department of Education. They are facilities that sit as potential money pits with the environmental issues that have already happened.
The problem is school districts are not exempt from DHEC laws and regulations. School districts will simply be given “junk” at a big cost if the bill to privatize school bus services comes to be. Literally overnight, local school districts will be strapped with cleanup costs that taxpayers will have to pay for.
It is a puzzling thing. It shows how Nikki Haley and General Zais and their supporters in the General Assembly do not think things out. In their zeal to supposedly limit government and give choice, they will create more government cost, either through unions or environmental clean ups or both. Let us be frank. More expense through a state tax or through a local school property tax is still more cost for government. The cost of cleaning up the now exempt facilities alone will hamper public school districts in a way that is unprecedented.
Now, if Governor Haley and General Zais just simply loathe public education and kids getting a shot at decent life through it, let them come clean and say that. After all, they seem all too eager to grab every dollar from education. They will not admit it. Instead, they will both rake in big campaign dollars doing the bidding of donors with self-interested notions, all the while not doing the homework , so to speak and not realizing that what they support is something that will actually cost taxpayers more money overall. Who knew that Governor Haley and her supporters in the legislature would fight so hard to bring us higher taxpayer costs via unions and environmental costs? But, hey, they will get their contributions.
There lies the real problem. For whatever reason, South Carolina elected a Governor, a Superintendent of Education, and some members of the General Assembly who seem dimwitted in thinking things out about how their policies will really affect this state. The campaign cash created them. It blinds them. It created pundits who walk lockstep with them. People who voted to make government cost less have ended up with leaders who will make government cost more. The only difference is the added costs will go into the pockets of folks who put them in office.
South Carolina was rated one of the most corrupt states in the United States recently. And, that is no surprise. Our leaders are not for limited government, they are for big government that benefits theirs. The school bus issue is just another example of it. They hide behind words like choice and freedom, but as the second President of the United States, John Adams, once said, “Facts are stubborn things.”
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
9) I love to fire people. Isn’t that the GOP way?
8) Come on Tea Party folks, I don’t have any Black or Gay friends. Yee-haw ya’ll.
7) Money. Money. Money. I got more money than Donald Trump and better hair than he does.
6) I made it clear I do not care about poor people.
5) Like most American workers, I too am a son of a father born in Mexico.
4) Come on who do you want as national weatherman during a big hurricane? I got Weather Channel charisma.
3) Why are these people still here? I mean, I got the money, the looks, and the organization, do you really think some quack doctor or some fat white guy from Georgia or some guy who thinks sex with his own wife is a sin can beat Obama? Good grief what do I gotta do? God help us, they all drink caffeinated beverages.
2) I am Mormon. Resistance is futile.
1) My Etch-a-sketch is better than yours.
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