The Unemployment Rate is Up to 9.1%

Looks like we're not out of the woods just yet...

Baseball is Back

It's that time of year again. Spring training is going full-bore, so start packing up your winter clothes and start thinking about dusting off that grill. Baseball is almost here.

Babe Ruth about to do what he did so well.

City of Columbia Backed Loans In Default

So, let's see if I can get this right. Risky companies get turned down for loans then come to the City of Columbia...who loans them money. 19% are in default. Maybe there's a reason that they couldn't get loans in the first place.

Not creditworthy enough for private banks to fund your risky business venture? No problem, the City of Columbia has all this extra taxpayer money just laying around!

Careful! Extreme Cuteness Ahead!

A few weeks ago, we had Kennerly Jordan take some photos of our five-month-old son, Henry. She did an amazing job. She has a good eye for backgrounds, poses, and is very easy-going. She did the entire shoot in about an hour, and her prices are very low for the quality of work that she does.

If you're in the Columbia area and are looking for a great photographer, I highly recommend her. You better book her now before she realizes that she could be charging more.

Here's the photo gallery for Henry.

#TSAFail

Good article on the TSA from a former FBI special agent.

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.

Andrew Breitbart Has Died

Regardless of what you thought of him, this is one of the best epitaphs that I have heard:

"You wish to honor the man? Very well then: take up his sword, and fight as he did."

                                                        -- Joshua Treviño

I hope that when I die, the same can be said of me.

Carolina/Clemson Baseball Series 2012 (AllSouth Scene Setter)

Need to get amped up for the Carolina/Clemson baseball series this weekend? Look no further. I'll be at the Saturday game in Columbia with the family. For more detailed coverage of Gamecock Athletics, go check out Life of a Gamecock.

Need a Cheap Car?

Tomorrow afternoon, the Richland County Sheriff's Department is holding an auction of vehicles that have been impounded. The list of vehicles and other details are here.

Good News, SC Has Money to Burn!

Actually, we don't.

But you can't tell that to State Rep. Harry Ott. Apparently, House Minority Leader Harry Ott has lost touch with reality. He's decided that it would be a good idea to use the State Reserve Fund to pay out a bonus to State workers. No...really.

House Minority Leader Harry Ott says he will try to push through a 1 percent bonus for state workers and teachers in the state budget.Ott said the money would come from the state’s reserve funds

It's amazing. It's the reserve fund. It's for the proverbial "rainy day", not for the legislature to "make it rain" Platinum Plus style, in the form of bonuses. The reserve fund is not for paying bonuses to anyone, let alone everyone. This is madness. We're in the midst of a horrible economy, and Representative Ott has decided to give every single state worker (oh and because that's not enough) and every teacher, a 1% bonus in their salary.

First, not every single state worker (and teacher) does not merit a bonus. I'm sure there a a few folks out there who deserve to be fired, some who don't deserve a bonus, and some who deserve a little more. However, just giving out a bonus without considering each person rewards poor work, discourages hard work, and is just plain wasteful.

Second, did I mention it's the reserve fund? It's to be held in reserve, not paid out to people because we want to encourage them. Even if every single state worker (and teacher) deserved a 1% bonus, you don't use the reserve fund. What you do is make a budgeting decision to not spend the normal budget on something that is an equal amount. You know, analyzing cost/benefit, making priorities, and making decisions - the things that a legislator is supposed to do.

The problem is that our current legislators don't want to tell us "no". There is always more money for everyone, and nothing needs to be cut.

All I want in a legislator is for them to act like the money they spend is their own damn money.

  

Which One of You Is Responsible for This?

Maybe the vehicle loaded with 200 gallons of jet fuel is a bad idea.

Hey! Maybe Obama will apologize for this burning of a sacred NASCAR track!

Do You Care About Lake Levels?

A reader (Dr. Gamecock) brings this to my attention in the form of an Op-Ed about local television. When I first read it, I laughed so hard I almost knocked over my bourbon.

I was talking to someone today about why they always have the weatherman on TV report the lake levels every day. Do we really need to know if the lake level changed by 0.1 up or down. Who cares? The only people who probably care are the ones that live on the lake, and they can just walk out in their back yard and look. Also, is this really weather? Why does the weatherman have to tell us everyday what the lake level is? It is usually about the same every day. 

It is not really news, unless it changed dramatically for some reason, and then the news would be the reason it changed, not the lake level.  With the advent of computers, it you really wanted to know the lake level, just look it up on the internet. There are lots of places to find real time information. I would rather know if there is going to be frost on my windshield in the morning. That is information I could use.  "Be sure to watch our show tomorrow, when we report the latest lake levels." 

WIS Television: Your most trusted news source for lake level reporting.

Seriously, Canada? You're Fired.

I mean, I know that y'all go a little crazy after being snowed in for a few days, but there's no excuse for this:

Police arrested a Kitchener, Ont., father outside his daughter's school because the four-year-old drew a picture of him holding a gun. 

Jessie Sansone told the Record newspaper that he was in shock when he was arrested Wednesday and taken to a police station for questioning over the drawing. He was also strip-searched. 

"This is completely insane. My daughter drew a gun on a piece of paper at school," he said.

Wait, what?  The actual police got involved because of a drawing of a gun? The teacher who called the police should be fired. Not a reprimand, not leave. Fired. The police who detained this guy should be fired. Not demoted, not placed on probation. Fired.

You're fired.

Actual Valor, Stolen Valor, and Harm

First, a great example of actual valor via Blackfive:

As an aside, whenever I see video of Reagan, I realize how small our current President is by comparison. 

In any event, this video an example of valor. It illustrates what appeasement brings, and what happens when you refuse to be an appeaser. People who don't like the military often fail to realize that the peace they enjoy is because other people are ready to do what is necessary. Too often, we fail to realize how much is being done by our military so we can sit back and complain about politics, the weather, and go about our lives. They can't have too much recognition for what they do. Which brings me to the stolen valor...

The Supreme Court just heard oral arguments in the case of US v. Alvarez, which is a challenge to a 2006 law that made it a crime to make false statements about being awarded a military honor. Alvarez had lied about receiving the Medal of Honor, and challenged the law on first amendment grounds.

As a threshold matter, regardless of whether you think the law passes constitutional muster, this guy Alvarez deserves a tarring and feathering. He's a scumbag. Someone who lies about being awarded a military honor is pretty much as low as it gets (for me).

However, it's an interesting question that he poses: "Do you have a protected first amendment right to knowingly tell a lie about yourself?" The Supreme Court seemed unpersuaded that this sort of speech had much "value". I agree with that. However, what is very hard for me to articulate (as it was for the Government) what exactly the harm is. Speech can be punished where there is a harm; perjury, defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, etc.

However, the harm done by asshats lying about being awarded military honors is more diffuse. There isn't someone that you can point to and say: "That person has been harmed". The veteran who charged up Iwo Jima to be awarded his medal has not lost any of his honor. Maybe one of my intrepid readers can articulate the harm, but for me, I'm comfortable with "I know it when I see it". For me, there's absolutely no value to this speech, it isn't likely to chill any legitimate speech, and the Congress thought there was enough harm being done to pass a law (because Congress is so wise, right?).

For all you lawgeeks, you can read the transcript of the oral argument here. If nothing else, read it for the hypotheticals that the Justices throw at the lawyers. I went into this transcript very confident that this  would be a legitimate law, but now, I'm not so sure.

Seen on Twitter

Edison didn’t sell light bulbs by having Congress penalize candle makers. Behavior modification via punitive taxation fails every time. Via @shellsuber

Damn right.

CWP Instructor Accidentally Shoots Student

A Spartanburg Police Department deputy accidentally shot a student at CWP class because someone violated both Rule #1 and Rule #2.

Smith was teaching a course at the Chesnee American Legion during the firing portion of the class. Sheriff Wright said the victim was standing next to another student who was having trouble with the grip of her .22 caliber pistol.

Sheriff Wright said the instructor was unaware the pistol was loaded and accidentally shot the victim in the arm and into her side.

Jeff Cooper's gun rules are for your safety and for that of your team. They are not flexible. You don't get a pass simply because you're experienced or an instructor. Either obey them or you are history. Is that clear?

How to Make an Old-Fashioned

[H/T Garden & Gun]

Global Warming Projections to be "Revisited"

Hey, breaking news! The guys who predicted global warming climate change got some things wrong. Apparently, the planet is a complicated thing, and it's tough to model it with your TI-82.

"Everyone seemed to think that August heat waves and drought would have major effects on grass productivity, but we couldn't find any," says Prof Joseph Craine of Kansas State uni, describing research on prairie grasslands carried out at the US National Science Foundation's Konza Prairie Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site - one of a network of US government monitoring stations used to assess climate effects.

According to new research published by Craine and his colleagues, both droughts and heat waves generally have much less effect on the mighty grasslands of America than previously thought. Heat waves in particular need to happen during a specific two-week period to have any real consequences for grass growth in a given year.

Yeah, so apparently, warmer weather doesn't just automatically kill all the grasses in Mid-West America. Why is this important to the computer models, you ask?

These results are significant as until now projections of the possible effects of predicted climate change have assumed that droughts and heat waves would always have an effect on ecosystems - and that in turn would lead on to carbon level changes leading to more temperature rises and so on. These assumptions may now have to be revisited.

Revisited, you say? You know, that's what I'm going to start saying when I get something totally wrong. "What's that? The Cubs didn't win the World Series last year as my computer model predicted? I guess I'll have to revisit some assumptions I made about Kerry Wood's arm.

Revisiting. It's the new: "Oops, we got that totally wrong."

Not All That Glitters is Gold

Yesterday, I received a tip that the South Carolina Legislature is taking a bill to committee that would make all gold and silver legal tender for all debts in South Carolina. I was totally unaware that such a bill existed.

After doing a bit of digging, I found the most recent version of the bill.

The crux of the bill is that "Any person may employ gold or silver coin, or both, as legal tender in this State under its laws for payment of any debt to which that person is a party."

I get that people are worried about the prospect of inflation. I get it. But, is this a realistic solution? It seems like this is going to create more problems than it solves. My reading of subsection (E) is that you don't have to accept gold or silver if you don't want to. So what is the point of this bill? It seems like you can basically have a debtor and creditor agree that the medium of exchange will be gold or silver. Ok, so who benefits from this?

I can see why a creditor, who really believes the value of paper money will fall would agree to be paid only in gold or silver. If the value of the dollar plummets, it helps out debtors, right? Let's say you make a Promissory Note today for $100,000, to be repaid over a period of 30 years. If the value of the dollar drops by 50%, then you can essentially repay the loan for half of it's actual value. That's a windfall for the debtor, and the creditor has to eat the loss.

So who's driving this legislation? I can't imagine it's the banking lobby. It just doesn't make sense to me in any logical manner. If two parties wanted to contract for payment of a debt in gold or silver, (or #2 pencils for that matter) what's to stop them? Do we need a law specifically authorizing this?

Maybe someone out there can drop some knowledge on me, because I'm not seeing why this is so important. On a practical matter, I can't imagine going to a restaurant and paying for my food in gold or silver coins. I mean, the kids who work at some of these places have a hard enough time making change for my $10 bill. Now we're going to require them to start weighing, measuring, and determining the value of my proffered gold coin?

Maybe I'm just too simple to understand the logic behind this bill, but it seems like another classic case of our legislature doing something we don't really need them to do.

A photo of Bill 4128's main lobbyist

Opening Day (Gamecock Baseball)

Spring is breaking free of winter's icy grasp: baseball has begun.

Liam Neeson: Badass

For your Friday viewing pleasure, I bring you: Liam Neeson.

The Federal Government Would Like to Inspect Your Child's Lunch-Box

This is simply amazing. It sounds like something out of The Onion. But it's not.

RAEFORD — A preschooler at West Hoke Elementary School ate three chicken nuggets for lunch Jan. 30 because the school told her the lunch her mother packed was not nutritious. 

The girl’s turkey and cheese sandwich, banana, potato chips, and apple juice did not meet U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines, according to the interpretation of the person who was inspecting all lunch boxes in the More at Four classroom that day. 

The Division of Child Development and Early Education at the Department of Health and Human Services requires all lunches served in pre-kindergarten programs - including in-home day care centers - to meet USDA guidelines. That means lunches must consist of one serving of meat, one serving of milk, one serving of grain, and two servings of fruit or vegetables, even if the lunches are brought from home. 

Ok, so let's address a few things. First, what the hell is the Federal Government doing by inspecting children's lunch-boxes anyway? In the debate about where we can cut some of the Federal Government, these people need to be the first to be given the pink slip. The Federal Government has absolutely no business in inspecting and deciding what is and what is not an acceptable lunch that a parent packs for their child. None.

Also, did the Federal Government solve all of the more important problems, leaving the food in children's lunch-boxes as the important issue of the day?

On the substance of the issue: the Federal Government (in their infinite wisdom of what constitutes a healthy meal) gave the pre-schooler "three chicken nuggets"? On what planet are chicken nuggets a healthy alternative to anything? That's moronic. Chicken nuggets? Really? It sounds like this isn't really about nutrition.

This is getting out of hand. If I was a parent of a child in that school, I would be furious. Teach my children to read, write, and do math. Stop looking in my child's lunchbox. This sounds like something that would take place in Soviet Russia. The insidious nature of this problem is that it's so well-intentioned...but we all know there that goes.

You can have my lunch-box when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.

Most Corrupt City in USA

The votes are in, and Chicago is the winner of the "Most Corrupt City" award.

New Orleans has demanded a recount.

Happy Valentine's Day

How would the Man in Black celebrate? Probably by running from the cops.

Justice Breyer Robbed!

This seems like it was kind of a close one and could have been much worse.

Police confirmed that on Thursday (Feb. 9) night sometime after 10, a masked intruder wielding a machete robbed a sitting U.S. Supreme Court Justice at his Golden Rock vacation home. 

According to information reaching this media house, the robber stole a total of about US$1200 and fled the scene without further confrontation.

The Judge, The Observer was told, is a regular vacationer to the island and was traveling with his wife and several friends on this sojourn.

Here's the local newspaper story. Wow. Can you imagine how close we were to Obama having another SCOTUS appointment and in an election year? I'll have to start following Breyer's opinions now to see if he's a little harsher on any appellants who were machete-wielding robbers. Cert denied, bro.

The Current State of Racial Politics in the USA

I voted for him because he was white. ’Cuz that’s why other folks vote for other people — because they look like them,” he recently told us. “That’s American politics, pure and simple. his message didn’t mean [bleep] to me."

My thoughts and explanation below the fold.

Some Cool Gun-Related Shirts

They're fairly simple and to the point. If you've seen my Twitter Photo, you can probably guess that my favorite one is:

 [H/T Uncle]

The State of Political Argument Today

Brad Warthen nails it, again. Also, we at Permanent Press applaud the use of Monty Python in making any point.

Makeup Tips from Italy

The Italian Army, that is.

Friday Happy Hour

I've been in Court most all week, so the blogging has been light. Still gotta pay the bills, and the blog doesn't bring in the Benjamins. So anyway, for your Friday viewing pleasure, I present:

Pro Golfer Does the "Cabbage Patch"

Should the US Government Have a Budget?

When asked about this issue by ABC correspondent Jake Tapper, the White House Press Secretary, said this:

TAPPER: So therefore, the Senate should pass a budget as well.

CARNEY: I don’t have a –

TAPPER: I’m asking.

CARNEY: Well, I don’t have an opinion to express on how the Senate does its business with regards to this issue. The fact is because of the negotiations over the debt ceiling that resulted in the Budget Control Act, we have an unusual situation here in that the top lines for the budget going forward have already been set and agreed to by Republicans and Democrats alike.

TAPPER: So the — I’m not actually asking your opinion, but the White House’s opinion, because it’s the White House’s –

CARNEY: Well, I mean, I don’t have a –

TAPPER: The White House has no opinion about whether or not the Senate should pass a budget? The president’s going to introduce one. The Fed chair says not having one is bad for growth. But the White House has no opinion about whether-

CARNEY: I have no opinion — the White House has no opinion on Chairman Bernanke’s assessment of how the Senate ought to do its business. What the president believes is important is that the Budget Control Act that was signed into law by him last year provides the top line spending caps for the coming budget, and he will obviously meet those in the budget proposal he puts forward. And he looks forward to the Senate acting on the policy initiatives contained within his budget that will reflect the priorities he laid out in the State of the Union and also will reflect the priorities he laid out when he put forward his deficit and debt reduction proposal back in September.

Whoa! Why is this a question that you need to "dance around"? Is it controversial to say "Yeah, Jake, the opinion of the White House is that we would like a Budget for the Federal Government". Who would have a problem with that? Isn't that what Congress does? I'm pretty sure they even have committees and stuff for the budget. They're called the "Senate Budget Committee", and they even have  a snazzy website.

I kind of have an opinion. It's....that we should have a budget. If the Senate doesn't do a budget, I have a question for all the Senators:

Public Transportation is not a "Right"

In the ongoing saga of the CMRTA, Richland County Council agreed to toss more taxpayer money into the abyss. It's just $775,000 of your money, so no worries, right? The funny sad part is that this amount still won't cover the bus system's operating deficit for very long.

Apparently, a group of constitutional law scholars showed up to be heard at the council's meting.

A contingent of 10 passengers and advocates attended the meeting, encouraging County Council to reach an agreement with the city to cover the funding gap. They said public transportation is a basic service, like police protection, water and sewer.

“We demand our share,” rider Mamie Jackson said. “We should not have to come and beg for a basic right.”

Wait, what? When did having a bus system become a "basic right"?

Ok boys and girls, just to recap: "rights" are given to you from your creator. A government neither gives rights, nor can it take them away. The government provides services, benefits, and privileges. That's it. It's really not that complicated.

Public transportation is a simple service that has costs and benefits. It costs money to operate public transportation. The problem we have is that the bus system isn't self sufficient. The money earned from those paying the bus fare isn't covering the cost of operating the system. That's the basic problem. The question that our County Council needs to answer is how much annual support does the bus system need, and is it worth it to pay that much money?

It's cost/benefit analysis.It's not a right, it's simply a service that we need to decide whether to provide or not.

It's really depressing that we have citizens who believe that public transportation is a "basic right", but that's where our culture has gone. There are simply people out there who believe that they are entitled to things like this, and to have others pay for it.

Read dmore dhere: http://www.thestate.com/2012/02/08/2144657/richland-pays-the-fare-for-bus.html#storylink=cpy

Wordless Wednesday

Presented without comment.

Tim Tebow and Tom Brady Register to Vote in Minnesota

ID? We don't need a Voter ID law. That's so stupid and racist. There's no way that voter fraud could actually exist.

Well...maybe there's a small chance it could exist. You'd have to get past all sorts of levels of scrutiny and checks. You'd have to be a diabolical mastermind...or maybe just fill out some forms.

[H/T Insty]

Lock It Up

Good advice.

Clint Eastwood Super Bowl Ad

Here's the ad:

The ad's basic message is "We're tough. Let's work together and get things done." Great. I think everyone in America is ready to get things done. The real fight is: What should we be doing?

Should we be increasing the government's role in our life, or should we be decreasing it? Should we be spending less money, or should we continue spending? These are the core fights that keep America from pulling together as a team. We haven't decided which end of the rope to pull on yet. Some days it seems like we never will.

Wild-Eyed Christian Says Jesus Inspires His Public Policy Decisions

 Apparently, Jesus is in favor of the Healthcare Reform Bill and Dodd-Frank. Who knew?

"And so when I talk about our financial institutions playing by the same rules as folks on Main Street, when I talk about making sure insurance companies aren’t discriminating against those who are already sick, or making sure that unscrupulous lenders aren’t taking advantage of the most vulnerable among us, I do so because I genuinely believe it will make the economy stronger for everybody. But I also do it because I know that far too many neighbors in our country have been hurt and treated unfairly over the last few years, and I believe in God’s command to 'love thy neighbor as thyself.'"

Here's my problem: I'm fine with people living their life according to the Bible, the Torah, the Koran, or even The Essential Calvin & Hobbes Treasury. Whatever you want to be your personal guide in life is fine with me. However, your personal belief system is pretty much irrelevant to whether you should use the coercive power of government to come down on one side or other of a public policy debate.

When I see Obama invoking Christ to support his public policy position, he sounds like the folks on the other side of the aisle who invoke Christ in support of anti-gay marriage legislation. They both sound like buffoons.

Additionally, I'm pretty sure that Christ's teachings of caring for other people was supposed to be through charity and done voluntarily. I don't recall Jesus advocating for people a requirement that the wealthy people of Bethlehem pay more money to Caesar so Rome could implement a unified healthcare system and administratively deal with the issue under a single system.

Saturday Open Thread

So you can rest up for the big game tomorrow.

The Real Reason Glaciers are Retreating

You know all the people wringing their hands about global warming causing the glaciers to retreat? Well, it turns out there may be another explanation about why glaciers are not as big as they used to be: People are stealing the glaciers!

No, Carmen Sandiego isn't to blame, although it sounds like she would be a likely suspect. Police have someone in custody, though:

Police in Chile have arrested a man on suspicion of stealing five tons of ice from the Jorge Montt glacier in the Patagonia region to sell as designer ice cubes in bars and restaurants.

What kind of person wants "designer ice cubes" anyway? In any event, I guess this is still a "man-made" ecological disaster, but instead of people driving SUVs being the culprit, it's those dastardly ice thieves.

First they came for the glaciers, what's next?

Susan G. Komen Fund Breaks Ties With Planned Parenthood

UPDATE: Komen Fund changes their mind, begs forgiveness, will continue to fund PP. That was fairly short-lived. I wonder if they'll refund the money to all the pro-life people who donated to Komen in the last 24 hours...

Here's the problem I have with most liberals: If you don't support their pet causes with your money, you're the enemy.

Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, has depicted Stearns’ probe as politically motivated and said she was dismayed that it had contributed to Komen’s decision to halt the grants to PPFA affiliates. 

“It’s hard to understand how an organization with whom we share a mission of saving women’s lives could have bowed to this kind of bullying,” Richards told The Associated Press. “It’s really hurtful.”

Planned Parenthood has the mission of "saving women's lives"? That's news to me. I thought abortion was kind of...the opposite of that.

National Signing Day

College Football is a year-round sport in the South. While all the Yankees up north are watching hockey, and the Mid-Westerners are watching bouncey-hoops, the SEC is recruiting all the football talent. Today is the culmination of that effort: National Signing Day. All eyes now turn the fax machine in each Athletic Department's office, where signatures of high-school players are eagerly awaited.

Life of a Gamecock has full coverage of the Gamecock Football 2012 recruiting class, and EDSBS has their typical humorous slant. Enjoy.

DIY Party Barn

Inexpensive and wonderfully done. This may inspire me to work on a backyard project of my own.

Who Do Your Twitter Followers Belong To?

There is a Federal District Court case pending here in South Carolina between a former employee and his former employer over his Twitter followers.

The Mount Pleasant company reviews mobile devices like phones and tablets. PhoneDog sued Kravitz in July, saying for the former writer owes them $340,000 for taking 17,000 Twitter followers with him when he left in 2010.

The company says that, when Kravitz resigned, he changed his Twitter name from PhoneDog_Noah to noahkravitz and kept his 17,000 followers. The company says the followers should be treated like a customer list, and therefore PhoneDog's property.

I don't know any of the details involving this, but if the Twitter account he had (PhoneDog_Noah) was something he did for the company, as part of his employment, I think the Plaintiff has a solid case. If the Twitter account was simply something he did on his own time, then I think it's a shakier case.

All in all, I'm really surprised that 17k followers is worth $340k. Maybe I should work on upping my Twitter following some.

Attention Kindle and other E-Reader Owners!

According to this guy, you're not a "serious reader".

I think, for serious readers, a sense of permanence has always been part of the experience. Everything else in your life is fluid, but here is this text that doesn’t change. … 

Someone worked really hard to make the language just right, just the way they wanted it. They were so sure of it that they printed it in ink, on paper. A screen always feels like we could delete that, change that, move it around. So for a literature-crazed person like me, it’s just not permanent enough.

In other news, Jonathan Franzen has come out against word-processing in favor of the traditional moveable type on the ol' Guttenburg press.

High-Tech Publishing

Zac Brown Band Coming to Columbia

I rarely go see live music, unless it's a festival and there's more going on, but the Zac Brown Band is a group that I might actually go see when they come to Columbia, SC on March 23.

At least we can be confident they won't cancel due to health issues like Merle Haggard did.

Don't Try to Rob a Waffle House in Spartanburg, SC

I don't want to make too much of a generalization here, but I'm going to anyway. If you don't like it, start your own blog. There are different kinds of people out there.

I'm thinking about the differences between people who go to...say an expensive French restaurant and a Waffle House.

The folks who go to an expensive French restaurant are probably likely to be wealthy, have lived a mostly insulated life, like to go to the symphony, and are members of the local country club. They are not very likely to be carrying concealed weapons because they have lived mostly insulated lives, and are content to call the authorities from their iPhone when needed.

The folks who go to a Waffle House are probably likely to be people who have been working all day at the factory/shop, or doing some other sort of actual labor. They don't put up with much crap, since their boss has probably been riding them all day, and they just want to eat their food without having to pay very much for "atmosphere". They're likely to have a bit of an "independent" streak.

Accordingly, if I'm going to rob a restaurant, I'm probably not going to rob a place where there are some Alpha-Males hanging out. However, someone hadn't done the proper analysis.

A Roebuck man - less than two hours into his 19th birthday - entered the Waffle House on Chesnee Highway with a gun and attempted to rob the restaurant before a customer fired his weapon, killing the teen, authorities said Saturday.

 A customer, who is a concealed weapons permit holder, thwarted the robbery by pulling his gun and attempting to hold the men until deputies arrived. When one of the men pointed his gun at the customer, the patron fired, killing the teenager.

 As you can see, the CWP holder, was probably just sitting there, eating his hash-browns when some punk kid rolls up to the Waffle House and tries to rob the place. It sounds like the CWP holder, rather than just blasting the would-be robber, simply attempted to hold the guy there. Unfortunately for would-be robber, the CWP holder didn't want to die. If you're holding a gun on a bad guy, and he turns his gun to bear at you, it's pretty much game over for someone.

Moral of the story: Don't rob places. However, if you have to rob a place, don't do it in Spartanburg, SC. The good guys are everywhere, and the local sheriff encourages the good guys to carry.

Alternate moral of the story, per the Spartanburg Sheriff:“The way you get shot by a concealed weapons permit holder is you point a gun at him,”

The Walking Dead (Might Be Voting)

The SC DMV says the people are dead. The SC State Election Commission says they're not. You think this would be fairly easy to figure out, right?

In any event, SC House Rep Rick Quinn pretty much captures my thoughts on the matter:

“You guys have got to fix whatever is going on, communication-wise,” said state Rep. Rick Quinn, R-Lexington. “Otherwise, I’m going to start assigning blame. It’s very troubling. We have to have belief in the process. If not, it’s going to hurt voter confidence.”

Also, if there are zombies out there. I may need to stock up on some ammo. If you're looking for something to do the job on the undead, I recommend Hornady Zombie Max. Yeah, you heard me right.

May I see your Voter Registration Card, please?

Read 

 

Alldkfjdmore here: dhttp://www.thestate.com/2012/01/26/2128459/charge-of-dead-voters-disputed.html#storylink=cpy

Dreaming of the Beach

It's only January....and I'm already thinking about going to the beach. Instead of being at my desk, I would rather be here:

USS Laffey Returns to Charleston

She's back. If you haven't heard the story of "The Ship That Would Not Die", you should read the whole thing, but here's a selection below the jump:

2012 State of The Union

Another State of the Union Address tonight. I heard that Justice Alito was going to show up with a vuvuzela and get some payback. Personally, I'd rather watch an hour long DVD of Chicago Cubs fielding errors. However, if you do want to watch, here's your bingo card.

Booby Traps of the Vietnam War

Pretty amazing/scary stuff. Going down those tunnels had to be about the worst thing you could possibly be ordered to do. At least the guys storming Omaha Beach didn't have to do it in the pitch black dark with only a flashlight and a sidearm.

[Via: Uncle]

Why Newt Won SC

Everyone in the media has been trying to figure out why Newt won South Carolina. They've been grasping for something to explain the surge. For the most part, the main "reason" all the pundits have been fixating on is Newt's attack on "the media".

The John King and Juan Williams fireworks were showy, but I don't think that's what resonated. The media has been contorting themselves into knots trying to square the circle of the "Open Marriage" attack with what they stereotype South Carolina as: evangelical, redneck, parochial dummies.

The media, always so self-fixated, went with the "Newt attacks the media" line to explain the surge. That wasn't what won the primary. What won the primary was Newt's fierce defense and advocacy of the value of work. He very clearly drew the distinction between the Democrats as the party who will give you a hand-out, and the Republicans as the party that's going to find you a job and tell you to work for it.

It's the difference between the dignity of work, earning money from the sweat of your brow - and the person who is always acting as a victim, and looking for an easy path.

"I'm going to continue to find ways to help poor people learn how to get a job, learn how to get a better job, and learn someday to own the job."

That was what resonated. This is America. Most people want to work. Most people want to have the dignity that comes from standing on their own two feet and not take government charity, assistance, or whatever you want to call it. People want to be able to look back and say: I did that.

Newt articulated the argument and drew the distinction clearly, succinctly, and did so with fire. He's the only guy up there with any fire. That plays a role as well. People want their candidate to be fired up.

Also, don't underestimate the frustration that most conservatives have a being told their candidates are stupid, sound like hicks, can't be nuanced, are rednecks, and are just generally hicks. Newt is the guy that Republicans can vote for and be fairly confident that these attacks (attacks they have suffered through for at least 12 years) will not score against Newt. Say what you will about him, he's no dummy, and he doesn't sound like ol' Billy Bob the Cowboy when he speaks. That goes a long way.

We'll see how Florida goes. This thing is a long way from over.

Newt Wins South Carolina

Hear the roar.

Could this be the start of something? I think it might be.

Friday Happy Hour

The Old Fashioned:

1 large and uneven slice of lemon peel
1 rough-cut brown sugar cube
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 dash Regan’s Orange 
Bitters No. 6
No more than 1 oz. water
2 large ice cubes
2 oz.  bourbon
Small triangle of orange slice for garnish

Add the lemon peel, sugar cube, and both bitters into the bottom of an old-fashioned glass. Using a wooden muddler, begin to muddle the ingredients firmly but not violently in the bottom of the glass, working the muddler in a circle. The tapered shape of the glass allows you to perform this task with ease.

Add the water, and continue to muddle for a bit longer. Add the ice and then the bourbon. Stir with a spoon. Float the thinly sliced orange on top of the drink (not wedged onto the side of the glass), and serve.

Best Oyster Bars in the South

It's that time of year. It's nice and chilly, football is over, and there's miles and miles to travel before the sweetness of spring brings baseball back to us.

It's time to find some oysters and get your boys together. However, if you don't want to host an oyster roast yourself, Garden & Gun has put together a list of the best oyster bars in the South.

Note: The list does not have any South Carolina places, as it mainly focuses on the Gulf-area.

Happy Birthday Robert E. Lee

It's Robert E. Lee's birthday today. If you're in the Columbia area, you can see his personal Bible at the SC Relic Room.

We Didn't Really Need Jobs or Oil Anyway

Yeah, I guess this was pretty predictable. Instead of having the oil go through the Great Plains, the Canadians are going to have to pipe it over the Canadian Rockies, load it onto super-tankers, with ship captains who probably like to drink too much and like to play "slalom" with the icebergs (See video below), and refine the oil in China.

Yeah, great move. 

Columbia City Council Decides to Ignore the First Rule of Holes

Rule #1: If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.

Columbia City Council decided Tuesday to turn over $618,000 more to stop an impending 65 percent cut in bus service, a move that council members say will keep buses running into mid-summer as normally.

Yay! For a mere $618k more, we can allow the bus system to continue losing money for a few more months! The Columbia City Council are geniuses. It's a good thing they have a money-tree ignorant taxpayers who continually provide the funding for CMRTA.

City Councilwoman Tameika Isaac Devine said that County Council members “still don’t see their responsibility” to a robust bus system.

 Actual bus riders were unavailable for comment on whether they should pay more.

Columbia City Council voted unanimously to approve the new money with the condition that it can be spent only on maintaining service. “It should not go for lawyers or marketing,” Councilman Daniel Rickenmann said.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/01/18/2118074/city-bus-riders-spared-deep-service.html#storylink=cpy

 Yeah. Heaven forbid we have any lawyers look at the contracts related to the bus system. Just give us more money, and don't pay any lawyers to deal with a $3.8 million bus system. Oh, and we don't want to market the bus system either. That might result in more people riding the bus.

At County Council, seven people implored the body to come up with money to stave off service cuts.
“I’m counting on y’all,” said Jose Carter, who’s been riding the bus the past four months while his car is in the shop.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/01/18/2118074/city-bus-riders-spared-deep-service.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/01/18/2118074/city-bus-riders-spared-deep-service.html#storylink=cpy

There, there...you poor baby. The local government is here to take care of you. No personal responsibility required. Just come in and promise to vote for us so we can continue to take care of you. In all seriousness, who has a car "in the shop" for four straight months? I call bullshit on Jose Carter.

Read more here: http://www.thestate.com/2012/01/18/2118074/city-bus-riders-spared-deep-service.html#storylink=cpy

Call the Police

Bill O'Reilly mugged our native son, Dick Harpootlian. It was brutal. You remember the first time Rocky fought Clubber Lang? It was like that. Much like Mr. T, I felt pity for Mr. Harpootlian.

SC Debate Thoughts

Despite having lived in South Carolina my entire life (excepting college and law school) I've never been to Myrtle Beach, but that's another post. Therefore, all five of the remaining candidates have something on me there. Or maybe I have something on them.

In any event, the debate in Myrtle Beach, SC was a wild one. The crowd was so loud with cheers and boos that I think they might have been serving alcohol during the debate. If not, they should start doing so, but maybe not in South Carolina. A quick breakdown:

Newsweek Looks in the Mirror

[H/T JohnnyE]

You Better Watch Your Kids In Here

That ought to teach you.

I Need to Know Where this Motel Is

The Crime Dog...

...says you need to work on your fundamentals.

The SC GOP Primary is Upon Us (These are my demands)

During my day today, I've heard three different radio ads (all negative) from either candidates or a PAC, my television has been swamped with political ads since last night. Also, I believe most of the candidates are here, and all the national press is in town. There's so much political activity in the air, you can really almost smell the bullshit.

I'm prepared to be pandered to for the short time that everyone is here. These are my demands:

1. Stop running political ads during sporting events on TV. I watch sports to get away from y'all.
2. Do not call me on the phone. Ever. (If I want to hear from you, I will go to an event).
3. Stop talking about social issues. If you get a question about a social issue, tell the questioner that we have bigger problems to deal with and move on.
4. Quit asking me for money. (I didn't ask you to run for President.)

If any other South Carolinian has demands, feel free to let me know. I'll add the good ones.

$918 Million Surplus Is Less Than It Seems

A few million here, a few million there. Pretty soon, you're talking real money.

I'm confident our legislature will do their best to waste it.

Haley Says She Will Veto New Helmet Law

I understand where she's coming from. I really do. I hate people telling me what to do.

On the other hand, I also support seat-belt laws. Everyone, regardless of their age, is required to wear a seatbelt while riding in a car. We've all agreed, as a society, that we're going to do this. I just don't really see a distinction in making motorcycle riders wear helmets from making car riders wear seat-belts. Both are easy things that are proven to make people safer.

I understand the principle of not wanting the government to constantly be your nanny. For instance, the decision on how much salt to put in my food is my own - not Mayor Bloomberg's.

I guess you have to draw the line somewhere between no laws and too many. This is mine. If the legislature (speaking for the people of SC) votes to require motorcycle riders to wear a helmet, Nikki Haley should sign the bill.

Hitler is Told of Clemson's Loss in the Orange Bowl

Chief of Police in Madison, WI Doesn't Understand Why People Want Guns

A few months ago, Wisconsin started allowing it's citizens to start carrying concealed weapons. (Better late than never, but whatever.) Ann Althouse has more on the story of the obstacles being placed in their way. However, the Chief of Police in Madison is less than thrilled. Here's what he had to say:

"What I can't understand is how come we have not evolved beyond the point that the best way to protect ourselves is a gun? How come we cannot come up with something that is less destructive and less permanent."

Wait, what? Yeah, that's the Chief of Police. The guy in charge of the police. Who are supposed to fight crime. With guns. Presumably.

I can't understand why have not "evolved" to the point where there's no crime. And this guy's job is to fight crime. How did he get to be the Chief of Police? He sounds like a hippy-dippy 20 year old in a 2:00AM dorm room smoke session.

Henceforth, in an effort to stop crime in a "less destructive" and "less permanent" way, the Madison police should only carry little yellow flags around. If they see a crime, they can throw a flag on the ground and issue a ticket. I'm sure that will work.
UPDATE: Welcome SayUncle readers!

Father Denied Access to NICU by Jay-Z and Beyonce

I would be furious if this had happened to me. I'd probably also file a lawsuit and try to pick a jury with all parents.

Neil Nash-Coulon of Bedford-Stuyvesant says hospital security kept putting the hallway on lockdown to accommodate Beyonce’s visitors.

“They should have been more strategic with where they put her,” Coulon said. “You can’t cordon off the [Neonatal Intensive Care Unit]. These are small newborns who need care, and you’re just going to take over the hospital like you own it?”

The hospital says because of privacy issues, they can not confirm that Beyonce gave birth there on Saturday. Reports indicate the singer and husband Jay-Z paid the hospital around $1.3 million for an entire floor.

This guy's wife just had premature twins which had to go into the NICU. That's stressful enough. However, to add to this stress, he was denied access to see his wife and kids because Jay-Z and Beyonce were on the same floor. If Lennox Hill sanctioned this in any manner, the hospital should be crucified.

[H/T Insty]

CEO of RyanAir Throws Rocks at the EU Technocrats

You know those silly lecture panels that academicians, bureaucrats, and politicians like to attend so they can pat each other on the back and figure out ways to spend more taxpayer money? Well, the EU had an "Innovation Panel" in Belgium, and someone accidentally invited the guy from RyanAir who is an actual innovator.

The presentation he gives is great, because he essentially tells everyone in the group that they are the problem. It's about 17 minutes, but it's worth watching. He's a very compelling speaker.

Word of the Day (Orange Bowl Edition)

Clemson loses to West Virginia in the Orange Bowl, 70-33

Word of the day to describe how Gamecock Nation is feeling today: schadenfreude

I Don't Think This is Allowed

Our President has determined that he will be the one to determine when the Senate is and is not in recess. According to some document (that Ezra Klein says is very old and confusing) I don't think this is a legitimate move. Here's the relevant part of the Constitution of the United States (Article II, Section 2):

The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session. (emphasis mine)

As a necessary condition for the President to make a "Recess Appointment", the Senate has to...you know...actually be in "Recess". What is "Recess" you ask? No, it's not when Chuck Shumer challenges Marco Rubio to a game of tag outside while Joe Liberman plays on the swing-set. It's actually a defined term. Recess is when the Senate is on break, and they aren't holding sessions. The funny thing is...and you're really going to laugh...is that the Senate isn't in recess right now. The Senate is actually holding pro forma sessions.

pro forma session - A brief meeting (sometimes only several seconds) of the Senate in which no business is conducted. It is held usually to satisfy the constitutional obligation that neither chamber can adjourn for more than three days without the consent of the other.

However, the Executive Branch has unilaterally decided that pro forma sessions don't really count, so it's going to simply exercise the power to appoint people as if the Senate were in recess. The problem is that this (1) is simply a violation of the Constitutional power granted to the Executive Branch because the Constitution doesn't say anything about being "essentially" in session or not; and (2) despite the Constitutional problem, it sets an extremely bad precedent. I wouldn't want a conservative President to do something like this over the objection of a Democrat-controlled Senate. It's simply an over-reach by the Executive Branch.

I'm sure that even Dick Cheney is amazed at this expansive view of the Executive's power. However, I bet that the Senate will be too chicken to confront the President on this issue. The Democrats may be the party of evil, but the Republicans are the party of dumb.

Light Blogging Day

Not feeling so well today, so it's going to be a light day.

In the news, it looks like Romney won by eight votes in Iowa. Anyone still want to talk about how voter fraud is a "non-existent problem"? A few votes one way or the other can be significant.

In any event, hope you are feeling better than I am.

Gamecocks Win 11th Game in Captial One Bowl Victory Over Nebraska

Every year, I tell myself that I am not going to go to a bowl game. Every year, I succumb to the siren song of the warm weather, the holiday weekend, and the prospect of seeing something special.

This year, I received an offer I couldn't refuse. I am lucky enough to know an intrepid pilot willing to fly me to/from Orlando in his Cessna 172 for the Capital One Bowl. All I had to do was get a ticket for him also. Bada bing, I'm going to the Capital One Bowl. Photos below the jump: