Columbia Will Be Getting Minor League Baseball (Again)

In a 4-3 vote last night, the Columbia City Council decided to fund the construction of a baseball stadium in the Bull Street Development. Here's what the developer hopes it will look like:

Proposed stadium rendering via Hardball Capital

I'm not exactly thrilled with this whole deal, but I really do wish the best for this project. is a success. I'd love to see a vibrant Bull Street development area, I enjoy baseball, and this picture looks cool. This is one of the times that it would give me no pleasure to say "I told you so."

Come on Columbia. Don't screw this up.

Columbia City Council Gives Initial Approval to Funding Ballpark

Morning, y'all.

My two-year-old son decided that 5:00AM would be a good time to start the morning today, so that kind of meant that I was also obligated to start the day at 5:00AM. As a result, I've been up and at 'em for about two hours now. Breakfast has been made, eaten, and cleaned up.

Columbia City Council Votes to Approve Ballpark at Bull Street Site. Go read the whole thing, but it  looks like City Council is moving forward to give some financial support to the baseball stadium in the form of a municipal bond backed by the hospitality tax.

Also, Carolyn Callahan at WIS had a very good Twitter feed of the whole council meeting. She's the most recent person I've added to my Twitter timeline for local Columbia news. If you're into that thing, you should check her out.

Property Tax Issue Headed to SC Supreme Court

It will be interesting to see how this turns out. 

Basically, (as I understand it) it's a dispute between a property owner and the tax assessor over what the value of the real estate is.

I'll be most interested to see if the Supreme Court issues a narrow ruling that would allow this case to be distinguished, or if they issue a ruling that would have widespread ramifications for property owners throughout the state that believe their property taxes are not being correctly calculated.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

How To Turn $2.16 Million into $0.84 Million

Phil Mickelson can show you how to do this really easily.

Step 1: Live in California.
Step 2: Play golf in Scotland.
Step 3: Win British Open
Step 4: Pay lots of taxes.

I owe how much in taxes?

Seriously, that's a boatload of taxes, and he ends up with $842,700 before paying his caddy! A couple of million bucks ain't what it used to be.

SC Gas Tax Increase?

The SC Legislature is considering raising the gas tax by tying it to inflation. The tax money would (allegedly) be used to maintain roads and bridges here in South Carolina.

It may surprise some of y'all, but I would actually be ok with raising the gas tax if the funds were only used on actual infrastructure projects. Maintaining the roads and bridges is one of the core functions of our government, and I don't mind paying for that.

What I do object to is tying the tax to inflation.That's a cop-out way for the tax to go up in the future passively. You want the tax to go up in the future - fine. Take a vote. That's what the legislature is there for. Each time you want to raise or lower a tax, the legislature should have to take an affirmative vote. Tying the gas tax to inflation is going to result in the tax going up (or maybe down) without our legislature actually doing anything, and that's neither smart nor responsible. No tax should automatically move around.

In short, ensure the money isn't going to be diverted to other stuff, and make the tax a hard number.

City of Columbia To Buy Compress Warehouse

BAD IDEA. The City is going to raise taxes by $7 Million to buy the building and land for $5.65 Million.

The City of Columbia should not be in the real estate market.

Friday Morning News 3-22-13

Happy Friday, y'all.

In the news today, the temporary tax on New York's high-earners has become permanent. Is anyone really surprised?

Also, Colt is making noises about possibly leaving CT due to the anti-gun climate up there. It would be awesome if they relocated to South Carolina. However, I bet the workers at Colt are probably really great, and I would feel bad for them if a few knuckle-heads forced a long-standing company to pull up it's roots and move.

Apparently, people on food stamps don't want to be told what they can and can't buy with them. It seems that Nikki Haley, Mayor Bloomberg, and Michelle Obama all agree that regulating what people eat is a good idea. As I type this, I'm eating a big ol' piece of bacon. So there.

That's all I got for today. Enjoy your Friday.

News Roundup 2-20-13

1. Alan Wilson Has a Good Idea: Whenever someone is adjudicated mentally ill by an SC Court, SLED is put in the loop on that. Ummmm...we weren't doing that before?
2. Gas Prices are Going Up: The price of gasoline is going up, and The State is blaming "speculators".
3. Columbia City Water Prices Going up 8%: So water will cost more. Funny, I wonder why they aren't blaming the evil "water speculators". Also, it doesn't appear that we'll be getting 8% more water.

I'm not in an especially charitable mood today, so this is your blog for the day. If you have any problem with that: Judge Smails has my response.

Phil Mickleson and Incentives

Mountain man and trout reaper @wolverine280 brings us the story of PGA golfer, Phil Mickleson, who has decided that he may need to make "drastic changes" because of the 60% tax rate he faces living in California and facing steep Federal and state taxes.

Look. It's pretty simple. If you can move from California to Florida and save a bunch of money in the process, is it really that hard of a decision? We are all obligated to pay taxes, but we aren't obligated to stay in any particular state. If one state is more tax friendly (and has equivalent golf) why shouldn't Mickleson move? Heck, tons of PGA pros have their residence in Florida. I know that he regrets getting political. He's got tons of fans that he doesn't want to alienate. He can't say what he really thinks, so I'll say it for him: the taxes are too damn high.

The important thing here is that incentives matter. People almost always act in their self-interest. Mickleson leaving California is what is best for him and his family, because he'll have more money to spend on his family.

He won't be the last wealthy person to leave the Golden State in his rear-view mirror.

New County To Be Formed in SC?

Say hello to Birch County? This is officially a silly idea.

Your Taxes Are Going Up in 2013

The GOP controlled House didn't have enough votes to put through the Plan B, that would keep the current tax rates in place for everyone up to $1M in annual income. Accordingly, the vote has been cancelled.

The GOP is definitely the party of dumb. I know enough to know that having the tax rates go up those who earn $1M and more is a better deal than having them go up on everyone. Apparently, the TRUE conservatives just decided that principle is more important. They're wrong. You retreat and take what you can get when you don't have the strength to win a battle. Failing to recognize this is what led to Pickett's Charge. Enjoy your "principle" now boys, you're about to get slaughtered.

If the House had passed "Plan B", the onus would have been on the Senate and Executive to fall into line. However, having DONE NOTHING, the Republicans play right into Obama's hands here. 

Merry Christmas you "True Conservatives". Thanks for being the party of stupid, once again. So, bottom line: Everyone's taxes are going up in 2013. Happy New Year.

Fiscal Cliff Negotiations

Ok, fine. I'm giving up on the the "no politics" rule. President Obama finally came out with his offer to solve the fiscal cliff "problem" that Congress created. It's not really a problem, because that's what everyone agreed would happen. Both houses of Congress and the president all agreed on this horrible event. Let's not forget that. In any event, here's Obama's opening bid:

Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner presented the House speaker, John A. Boehner, a detailed proposal on Thursday to avert the year-end fiscal crisis with $1.6 trillion in tax increases over 10 years, $50 billion in immediate stimulus spending, home mortgage refinancing and a permanent end to Congressional control over statutory borrowing limits.

Ok. Taxes go up, we spend more, and Congress can't control how much we borrow anymore. Wait, what? I get that Obama wants to start with taxes, but he wants to now have more stimulus spending, and Congress won't be allowed to control the debt ceiling anymore. Is this plan supposed to reduce the deficit? I don't really get this at all, except that I'm pretty sure the Republicans are going to cave on this eventually. Here is what I expect to happen:

We'll have moderately long negotiations, lots of bluster, and right before the cliff hits, the Republicans agree to tax increases on high earners, more spending, and some theoretical cuts to be named later...maybe. The GOP will say "This was the best deal we could get". The economy will continue to suck, and the GOP will get blamed for not having even higher tax cuts and more stimulus spending.

Here is what I would do if I were in charge of the Republicans. I like to call it the "Joshua" strategy. (You'll see why a the end.) I know the economy is going to suck as long as we keep spending and taxing. I know the media and the Democrats (but I repeat myself) are going to blame me for it. Either way, if I agree to a deal or not, the economy is going to stay in this horrible shape or get worse. The only question is how do I not be held responsible for the cratering value of the dollar, the higher taxes, inflation, and high unemployment.

Let it Burn.

I tell Obama in a public press conference that I am against raising taxes on anyone, and I am against spending more Federal spending. However, I tell him that I am going to give him everything he wants without asking anything in return. He wants taxes? However much he wants on whatever income levels...fine. He wants more Federal spending? Sure. Spend as much as you like. Heck, even have a budget. Or not. Either way, he can simply write down what he wants to do, I'm going to say "Sure, pal. You can do whatever you want, but I'm telling you now that it's not going to work. Don't come crying to me later."

All the GOP members vote "Present", and the bill can pass through the house and senate with universal Democrat support. Obama signs it and everything will be peachy. Or it will burn, and then we get back to basics.

Watch the video below. If you don't know this movie, stop reading my blog, go watch the movie and come back. I'll wait.

Strange game, this "politics". The only winning move is not to play.

Powerball Lotto Simulator

I like a friendly wager as much as the next guy. I enjoy Saturday night card games with the guys, the friendly wager of a few beers on the outcome of a football game, that kind of stuff. However, one thing that holds no interest for me is the lotto.

I don't get any enjoyment out of picking some numbers and seeing if they match other numbers. There's no skill, no strategy, nothing. You just pick some numbers at random. It seems silly to me, and I refer to the lotto as a tax on people who are bad at math, because that's what it is.

If you would like to simulate playing the Powerball, here's a nice little app to keep track of how much you would win and spend. Just click on the "Start" button, and watch the numbers start to roll. I simulated buying two tickets each week for a year, and I lost $276.00.

Anybody hit the big one?

IRS Taxes Olympic Athletes

Did you know that athletes who win medals also get monetary awards? Clearly, the IRS knows about it. The IRS takes about a third of what the Olympics awards each US athlete.

Summary of Obamacare Opinion

Too busy to read the 193 page opinion? Here's a two sentence sumamry:

The commerce clause doesn't allow Congress to just do whatever the hell wants. However, Congress can tax whatever the hell it wants.

You know, Courts are funny. The lawyers get all worked up about a certain issue and the Court comes out and issues a decision on the basis of what everyone else thought wasn't a great argument. That's happened to me before.

Full Opinion Here.

If you don't like people in Congress telling you what to do and taxing you, don't elect those kind of people to Congress. The Court isn't going to save you.

SC Senate Is Considering Raising Employees Wages

Fairness. Hey! We're going to raise your taxes to pay ourselves more.

State workers have not had a pay increase since 2007. Meanwhile, average hourly wages for private-sector workers in South Carolina have increased 9.7 percent since 2007, according to the state Department of Commerce.

“That’s not fair,” said state Sen. Darrell Jackson, D-Richland.

Fairness? I don't recall the public sector workers being laid of in droves during the recession. I also don't think that most of the private-sector folks have a sweet pension. Personally, I think we could fire 25% of the state workers who aren't performing well and give their pay to the 75% who do a good job.

That sounds like "fariness" to me.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/04/26/2250994/sc-senate-considers-4-raise-for.html#storylink=cpy

Columbia City Council District 3 and My Thoughts on Daniel Coble's Candidacy

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed that I had the beginning of a conversation going about my thoughts on Daniel Coble's candidacy for the District III seat on the Columbia City Council. My thoughts are more than 140 characters, so I'm here to ramble:

First of all, I've never met Daniel Coble. I don't know a thing about him other than what is on his campaign website. Accordingly, I come into this without any preconceived ideas about him. All my information about him comes from his website. Also, I don't live in District III, so who cares what I think anyway, right?

Experience: Daniel Coble is a third year law student at USC Law. He's scheduled to graduate this May. I assume he'll sit for the bar this summer. If he passes, he'll be sworn in and admitted to the South Carolina Bar in the fall.

Here's the bio on the website:

I grew up in Shandon, attended Rosewood Elementary, Hand Middle School, Dreher High School, Clemson University (Dean’s List; Student Government; SAE Fraternity) and USC Law School (Journal of Law and Education, Phi Delta Phi, William T. Howell Scholarship), Community Relations Council Board Member.  Clerked at Lewis & Babcock LLP and Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office; Law Clerk, SC House Judiciary Committee.  USC Law School graduation, May, 2012.

Ok. I think he's about 24 years old, so that means he went straight from Clemson to USC Law School. There's nothing wrong with that. In fact, that's exactly what I did, what my wife did, and what hundreds of other practicing lawyers did. It's evidence that he clearly wants to be a lawyer, and that's great. I'm a lawyer. Nothing wrong with that.

He lists his clerkship at a very well-respected local law firm, the local solicitor's office, and clerking for the SC House Judiciary Committee. If he did that during law school (as most students usually do) I assume he split a summer along the line, because that's three clerkships in two summers. Again, nothing wrong with that. It's a great resume for a 3L. It is certainly better than mine was when I was a 3L.

However, he's running for City Council - not head of the Student Bar Association. He's not even a baby-lawyer yet because he won't be a baby-lawyer until after he passes the Bar and is admitted in the fall. He hasn't even commenced his legal practice yet. I'm sure he'll find a job because he's a smart guy who has a sterling resume. However, he doesn't appear to have an offer yet (or he's not disclosing it on his website). Again, all I have to go by is the website.

On a visceral level, I have an objection to a 3L running for City Council. In my opinion, that's presumptuous. He's not yet complete with his education. He has not practiced for one day. If you're in favor of Daniel Coble, you're conceding that having the life experience of being employed (any any occupation) in a full-time position is irrelevant to qualification for City Council. If you're ok with that, great. I'm not.

Why Is He Running: Ok, so we have a 3L running for City Council. Why? What does he want to do? Per his website:

My generation is skeptical about government but not about public service.  We know things must change.  The old ways of governing no longer work.  My approach to problems facing District 3 are based on having lived in the district all my life, knowing the neighborhoods and the people I want to serve and bringing fresh ideas to Columbia.”

Things must change? What things? The old ways of governing no longer work? What does that even mean? What is he talking about? His approach is based on living in the district "all my life"? You know, if I was only 24 and running for City Council, my main selling point wouldn't be Hey! I've lived here all my life! You know, since 1988!

Issues: (Public Safety) Hey! Coble is in favor of public safety. Me too. Is anyone in the race against public safety? If so, don't vote for them...unless you're a criminal. "Funding the police department is vital, but we must also remember that we live within realistic budgets." I agree with this 100%. Spending money is ok, but obviously, we don't have a bottomless pot of gold. So far, so good. What else?

Until we can expand the police budget over the long term, we have to focus on the short term and the resources we have at hand.  This means investing in three specific areas:

• Parks- Our parks bring our communities neighbors together, which means that they have to be a friendly and safe place to be.  These parks must be properly patrolled at both day and night.  Signage should be up showing the park rules and hours and also no profanity if that is the rule.  I also want to make sure our park manager of each park is known in the community both by local leaders and local police officers.
• Pedestrians- Everyone should feel comfortable in their neighborhoods, whether they are walking around the block or walking to their car.  I will work with local neighborhood leaders and police so that we know where the high crime areas are and will be able to focus our resources and energy in those areas.
• PACE- None of these ideas will work without full funding and support of our Pro Active Community Enforcement Team.  The PACE Team fosters and grows community relationships between neighbors and community PACE officers.  Over time, I would like to see more officers put on this team so that our current ones are not stretched thin.

Having a safe environment is the strongest selling point of any city.  Chief Scott, along with many other officers, are turning the morale our department around and continuing to make our police force something to be proud of.

Wait, what? We're just starting from the assumption that were going to expand the police department budget over the long term? I'm not necessarily against that, but I don't like that we're assuming that as our first principle. In any event, yes...patrol parks, keep people safe, and arrest the bad guys. It would be more helpful if Coble would identify the problems, rather than just say: Let's patrol more! More signs! It makes me feel like he doesn't really know what the problems are.

CMRTA: In any event, whether he was 24 or 84, here's why I won't be supporting Mr. Coble:

As the capital of South Carolina, it is imperative that Columbia have a fully functioning and modern public transportation system. [Actually, no it's not. Columbia is a sprawling city where the parking is plentiful, the roads are wide, and everything is spread out. Columbia isn't Chicago, or Manhattan. And that's good.]  The CMRTA is essential to sustaining and growing our economy and making sure that Columbia is the leader of this state. [Essential? Hardly.]

It is essential that we have a long term funding source for the CMRTA, which is why I fully support the penny referendum. [We need to tax everyone more to pay for the bus system]  The penny sales tax will allow for Columbia and other regional partners to fully invest [every time he says invest, he means spend money] in this system and let everyone see that we care about all of our residents. [What is this crap about showing people that we "care"? I care about not funding a bus system that cannot cover its own costs because of inherent flaws in the bus system model.]  I will take a leadership position in pushing for this referendum  and travel our city expressing some of the ideas I would like to see:

• Regional Cooperation- Our bus system will thrive as long as we continue to work together and share resources. [Share our resources? I think you mean spend more of our tax money.]  We will have to work with the local governments on both sides of the river to ensure that everyone is chipping in and paying their fair share. [Fair share? Where have I heard that before? What if the "other sides of the river" don't want to pay for the bus system? Lexington has already said they don't want it.]
• Changing the Attitude- I want to see our bus system integrated with the University’s so that all of our citizens are sharing the same public transportation.  I believe that this will not only change the attitude and vision of CMRTA but will help grow and shape our economy by allowing students to travel all around the city. [This is a HORRIBLE idea. I mean really bad. USC students aren't going to want to ride the bus "all around the city", especially, when you make them ride with other non-USC students.]
• Public Safety- Another way I believe we can change the view of our bus system is to ensure that everyone feels comfortable and safe when riding.  This means have lit and properly patrolled bus stops.  I would also like to invest in something similar to the “Yellow Shirts” that patrol the Main Street area.  These men and women do a great job of creating a comfortable atmosphere of reassurance. [People don't ride the bus in large numbers because it's not practical in Columbia. The problem is not a lack of yellow-shirted bus-captains.]

Passing this referendum will not be easy as we saw just a few years ago. [The people are against it, but I'll force it through, because I know what's best.] I will work with our County Council and well as the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce to express my support for this referendum and the benefits it can have for our city.  A viable public transit system is critical for our city, and I will work as hard as I can to ensure CMRTA has the funds it needs. [I won't hesitate to spend as much of your money to keep the failed bus-system around for as long as possible.]

After this, I won't fisk the rest of his "Issues", but they can be boiled down thusly:

1. Spend money on "green energy".
2. Spend more money to build walkways and paths along the river.
3. Spend more money on the arts.
4.  Be exceptional.

MY THOUGHTS: Here's what Columbia City Council needs to do: Fund the police, fire, water, and the other municipal departments...you know the basics. Fill in the potholes, arrest the criminals, put out the fires, and keep the peace. It's not sexy, but it works.

I don't want Columbia to be "The greatest city in the Southeast". I'm fine to be Columbia. I don't want this to be Austin, TX. Austin's slogan is "Austin: Keep it weird". I'm comfortable with Columbia; we don't need to try to be some other place. I kinda get the feeling he doesn't like Columbia the way it is.

Columbia: Keep it Columbia.

The Christmas Tree Tax is Here UPDATE: Tax Delayed

The President has decided to implement a $0.15 tax on all Christmas Trees. 

President Obama’s Agriculture Department today announced that it will impose a new 15-cent charge on all fresh Christmas trees—the Christmas Tree Tax—to support a new Federal program to improve the image and marketing of Christmas trees.

What in the world is going on here? This is insane. I haven't seen any polling on this, but my guess is that Christmas Trees have a higher favorability rating than the Federal government. Christmas Trees don't need a marketing campaign - their image is fine. Also, a new Federal program to improve the image and marketing of Christmas Trees is a prime example of things our government does not need to do.

Stop. The. Insanity.

UPDATE: The tax is now being delayed. (Because they realized how much people hated it.) The government will either try to re-implement it after time passes, or they'll just let it die.

[H/T: Insty]

#OccupyColumbia

So, we've got about 75 people sleeping on the front lawn of the capital here in Columbia. Awesome. Why are they there? Are they upset about unemployment? Are they upset about our foreign policy? Or maybe it's one of those controversial social issues like abortion or gay marriage.

The protesters are part of demonstrations taking place across the country that criticize the influence of corporate money in politics, tax policies that favor the wealthy and policies that don’t show good stewardship of natural resources. -The State

 Well, isn't that special. Let's take these three issues in turn:

1. The influence of corporate money in politics. Corporations are groups of people working together to make money. They donate money to candidates who support their agenda. This has happened since the dawn of democracy. It's not a new phenomenon. Read your history books, kids. If you don't like it, you're not going to get very far by protesting the corporations. They should be protesting at Capitol Hill and at the White House.

It's like this. If you have a friend who drinks too much, you don't go protest the liquor store for selling him booze. You try to convince your friend not to drink too much. There's always going to be someone who will sell him alcohol. It's the same thing with money in politics. If you don't like it, hold the politicians accountable. They are the ones you vote for, not the donors. Finally, if you're really upset about the contributions of big Wall Street banks, guess who the #1 recipient of money from Goldman Sachs is? Also, if you don't like the bank bailouts, maybe you should join the TEA Party, bro.

2. Tax policies that favor the wealthy. Currently, our main federal tax system is based on your income. The more you earn, the higher your marginal rate. However, the tax code is full of deductions, loopholes, and exemptions that are the result of the government trying to encourage or discourage certain types of behavior. Example: The government wants people to own homes (for some reason) so they encourage it by making your mortgage interest deductible. Same with having kids, same with donating to charities, and so on and so on....If you don't like this system of taxation, what do you propose? Simply raising the marginal rates? That's not really going to change much since you'll still have the swiss cheese of the deductions and exemptions. If you really want to change the system, you need to make the tax code simple.

3. Policies that don't show good stewardship of natural resources. All three of these points are broad, but this point is really vague. I'm not sure what they're upset about. Are they upset that the internal combustion engine is the most efficient way to power a car? Are they upset that America is too large and spread out for efficient mass-transportation? Are they upset that the wind doesn't blow all the time, or that it's not sunny all the time, making wind and solar pie-in-the-sky ideas at this point? We have an EPA that seems more worried about CO2 levels than anything else. Also, what does Wall Street have to do with this? Doesn't the guy over at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue have a small role on what America does as far as natural resources are concerned? I think you're protesting the wrong people, bro.

Why a $16 Muffin is Significant

At first, I thought the $16 muffins that our Department of Justice was buying was just a funny anecdote. The problem is, it would be funny if it wasn't my money. My taxes pay for this nonsense, and no one even thinks to say: 

"Hey man, our bad. We'll try to spend your money a little more wisely going forward". No apology. Nothing. They're not really even sorry.

And now you want tax increases? Quit wasting my money on crap, and then we can talk about raising your allowance.

Most of my readers are pretty savvy when it comes to money – i.e. you don’t go blow your money on worthless crap. That’s because it’s your money and you worked your ass off for long hours to earn it. That’s pretty much how everyone feels…I hope.

But anyway, one of the big problems with a big government in general (among many others) is that the government bureaucrat sees his account as just numbers on a page. He didn’t work for the money, it’s not his. It was just magically given to him from Congress, and he’s not going to spend it as carefully as you or I would – and that’s just human nature. It doesn’t make him a bad person, it’s just how it is. When I hear about folks at the DOJ spending $16 on muffins I think “WTF, would they spend $16 of their own money on a muffin”? Obviously, the answer is no.

So now the President is saying that we need to raise taxes. This is insanity. It’s like having a friend who spends all his money on cocaine and then doesn’t pay his mortgage comes to you for some extra cash. You know he’s a cocaine addict. Do you just give him more money in hopes that he does the “right thing” and pay his mortgage? You certainly don’t want him to be homeless. But you also know that if you give him a thousand dollars in cash, he’s just going to go buy an eight-ball on Friday night and still skip his mortgage payment. What does a good friend do?

You check him into a rehab clinic. Our entire Federal government needs to go to rehab. The spending is so over the top it’s really starting to piss me off.