Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich participated in the New Hampshire ABC/Yahoo! debate. He discusses the economy, jobs, Middle East, the sacrament of marriage, an American energy plan, and providing for our Veterans.

Learn more at http://www.newt.org

Originally broadcast by ABC on January 7, 2011

Florence County Council just spent $551,443 of taxpayer money for this 1/3 acre … valued at $45,600 on Florence County Assessor’s books.

Florence County Council just bought the land and building at 254 Baroody Street for the purpose of building a new courtroom addition to the current Florence City County Complex on North Irby Street. This new court room annex is necessary to solve the safety problems created by having hundreds of people 11 stories in the air in the current building. The property is the building just east of the Florence Police Department’s fenced yard on Baroody Street and was once a soda bottling plant.

The building is described as being in significantly deteriorated condition and was not carried on the county assessor’s books; therefore the purchase price is based on the value of the land. This property was carried on the Florence County Assessors books valued at $45,600.00.

The Florence County Council paid the outrageous price of $551,443.00 (check # 480580 dated 11/28/11 US funds) for this one third of an acre property.

I am not criticizing that they bought the property to build the new court room annex; I am criticizing the irresponsible paying 12 times more for the property than it is assessed for. Is there something wrong here?

What about the rest of the land purchases “negotiated” by council? The square footage of the land is 15,200 making the land valued at $36.27914 per square foot. This parcel may be the most expensive land in the state of South Carolina. Who would have thought that?

The upside to this is that apparently Downtown Florence is worth much more than we generally thought that it was worth. All we have to do now to increase the downtown property value assessments is to use this sale as the comparable for the purpose of establishing new appraised values for Downtown Florence. There will be no need to revitalize Downtown Florence, just up the property values based on this sale and we will have a geyser of property tax money rolling in.

An unintended secondary effect is that what is referred to by some as the “undesirable element” will be forced out of Downtown Florence because they will not be able to pay these new higher property taxes.

There is no merit pay for county employees anymore and county employees have not received a cost of living raise in four years and budgets have been cut and cut, but Florence County Council can always find money to throw up a wild hog’s ### (rear end). The name of the seller of the property is not the issue, but the obscene purchase price “negotiated” by Council is the issue.

As for those of you who are all talk and do nothing, your perpetual silence confirms your approval of Florence County Council’s actions. You should just sign a blank check and send to Florence County Council and let them fill in what they want to spend. You will find out what they took from you after they cash the check.

I believe that the new annex should be named for General William Wallace Harllee, the Founder of Florence. There is nothing significant named for him and I believe that this is an egregious omission. Also, he died in 1897 and it is not likely any opportunist accusers will come forward seeking fame and fortune.

Remember, government is the only entity that can legally steal from you and they can do it without a gun! They do it with your approval because you voted the culprits into office! The vote by Council to pay $551,443.00 was unanimous.

If you detect anger in my words, you are very perceptive. I am P.O. ed (Properly Outraged).

Murray Jordan
Florence

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Quoted from Catholic Online, by Keith Fournier

Candidate Newt Gingrich: Competent, Consistent, Calm, Convincing and Catholic

I have followed the political career of former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich for a long time. There are few Americans unaware of his role as the architect and “idea man” behind the historic “Contract with America”.

His leadership helped to bring the Republicans to victory in the House of Representatives in 1994. As the Speaker of the House he provided leadership which led to a balanced budget amendment and a period of fiscal stability. He was named an “exceptional leader” by Time Magazine in 1995 for this contribution.

Speaker Gingrich is also an accomplished scholar. He is a history Professor with an earned Doctorate. He is a very intelligent man with a grasp of public policy issues like few others in public service. Over the years I have followed his career, I have been impressed with his willingness to propose fresh solutions for ever challenging public needs.

For example, his proposals in the early 2,000′s for person, family and free market based health care reforms, are just now being given the due consideration they deserve. His genuine concern for those who are in need of medical care is one of the areas where he has not received the recognition he deserves.

The man is brilliant. Anyone who has listened to him in the 2012 Presidential debates – if they are being honest – agrees he is well informed on every issue of public policy. The man is articulate- and he is prolific. He has written twenty three books – including thirteen New York Times bestsellers. He is comfortable with creative ideas and unafraid of big picture thinking.

Coupled with all of these abilities, Newt Gingrich has a hopeful vision for the future. This defies the stereotypes too often associated with “conservative” politicians. I recall years ago when the amazing rise in communications technology had just begun, I searched for a “futurist” among the ranks of the then “conservative” leaders. I found just such a “conservative” futurist in Newt Gingrich.

However, I must admit that it was his faith journey in later life which made my respect for him become something more, admiration. I have learned in my own life that the past is either a tutor or a millstone. For Newt Gingrich, a man comfortable in his own skin, the past has become a tutor.

This Professor has learned that we are always students. His response to questions concerning his own past reveal the wisdom borne of experience, infused with real faith. It is not how many times we fall down, but whether we get up and learn how to walk…

It comes as no surprise that Newt Gingrich’s poll numbers are beginning to climb. His performance in the Presidential debates demonstrates that he is competent, consistent, calm and convincing. He is clearly Pro-Life, defends the primacy of marriage and the family and society founded upon it and is a passionate defender of authentic freedom. He is also a man with ideas and the ability to articulate them.

The pundit class is finally beginning to take the candidacy of this intelligent and gifted man seriously. He shows calm in the chaotic displays called debates and stands out. In an age filled with crisis, suffering under ill informed and ineffective leaders, such calm and competence are refreshing. Visit the Gingrich campaign’s web site and see where he stands on the vital issues.

There’s more to this article, well worth reading. Newt’s website includes much more, of course, especially his stands on the issues.

http://www.newt.org/callistas-canvas/candidate-newt-gingrich-calm-compassionate-convincing-catholic

The Ides of March is directed by George Clooney who headlines along with a powerhouse cast that includes Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei and Jeffrey Wright.

Sharing the writing credit with Clooney and frequent collaborator Grant Heslov is Beau Willimon, a former political operative who turned his experience working for Hillary Rodham Clinton, Howard Dean, Bill Bradley and others into “Farragut North,” a play named after a Washington, D.C. Metro stop that is this film’s source material.

The setting is the March Ohio Democratic primary, with 161 convention delegates at stake, and the man is Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling). He is not just the spokesman for the surging Gov. Mike Morris (George Clooney); he is a true believer, someone who has “drunk the Kool-Aid” and is convinced that the candidate is a principled man who could make a difference in people’s lives.

And no wonder. The governor is an off-stage character in the play, but as portrayed by Clooney, Morris is the kind of fighting liberal a lot of Democrats wish Barack Obama would be. Potential Republican viewers, however, need not worry: This is too bleak a world for anyone to come off as completely heroic.

Meyers’ boss, exceptionally played by Hoffman, is campaign manager Paul Zara, a rumpled veteran of half a dozen presidential campaigns. Going toe-to-toe with him in an equally strong performance is Giamatti as Tom Duffy, the manager for Morris’ main rival.

If anything, Duffy is even more cutthroat than his opposite number, telling Meyers, whose skills he admires, that Democrats should emulate the Republicans: “They’re tougher, more disciplined than we are. It’s about time we learned from them.”

Not lacking in guile or toughness are the other key players. Tomei is Ida Horowicz, a hard-driving New York Times reporter who is as ruthless and cynical as any of the people she covers. And Wright is appropriately enigmatic as another presidential candidate trying to make the best possible deal for himself.

And then there is Molly Stearns, an intern on the campaign who is young enough to think she’s sophisticated when really she is not. Played with energy and panache by Wood, Stearns doesn’t hesitate to set her cap for the press spokesman and the flirtation between these two is nicely credible.

The reviewer didn’t particularly like the movie, but having spent time volunteering with many campaigns in the past from city council to presidential nomination, I enjoyed it. It could have been longer though, and it certainly leaves room for a sequel. See what you think.

Charles Napier, the tough-guy character actor best known for roles in ‘The Blues Brothers,’ ‘Philadelphia,’ and ‘Rambo: First Blood II,’ died on Wednesday at age 75.

He was a favorite of director Jonathan Demme, who cast him as the judge hearing Tom Hanks’ case in ‘Philadelphia,’ Michelle Pfeiffer’s hairdresser in ‘Married to the Mob’ and…

… as one of the cops gruesomely butchered by Hannibal Lecter in ‘The Silence of the Lambs.’

Years after his role as Tucker McElroy in ‘The Blues Brothers, Napier would reportedly get stopped by fans quoting his memorable line: “You’re gonna look pretty funny trying to eat corn on the cob with no f—ing teeth.”

In ‘Rambo: First Blood II,’ Sylvester Stallone threatened personal payback to Napier’s character with the line, “Murdock, I’m coming to get you.”

http://blog.moviefone.com/2011/10/06/charles-napier-dies-75-obit/

Citizens group protest possible hiring of Rusty Smith, call attention to discretionary funds

Brenda Harrison
Editor

The Florence County Citizens In Action held a press conference in the front of the Florence City Complex on Monday, Sept. 19, protesting the possible hiring of Florence County Council Chairman Rusty Smith as county administrator and calling attention to financial decisions made by council which they say are detrimental to the public.

“We are asking that the future administrator be chosen from the most qualified of the (over 60) applicants and are asking that the current county chairman Rusty Smith who is seeking the position not be chosen,” commented Licia Stone, secretary and spokeswoman for the group.

“If Mr. Smith is chosen, we feel that financial decisions that are detrimental to Florence County will continue.”

The decisions they refet to involve keeping and spending monies from individual discretionary funds which all together totalled over $3.2 million in April of this year.

“We were told there was not enough money to balance the county budget this year and for this reason, drastic cuts had to be made in Florence County,” Stone noted.

The cuts included possible layoffs in the sheriff’s office, a three percent cut to all departments, closing the manned garbage drop off centers on Tuesday and Thursdays, and not giving county employees a raise.

County employes have not received a cost-of-living raise in three years, nor a merit raise in eight years, Stone said. However, she continued, county council members received a 25 per cent two-part raise in January 2007/2008. The chairman’s two-part raise was 40 percent, she added.

“These were concealed pay raises that the Citizens In Action disclosed to the public on Aug. 24, 2007,” Stone said.

According to a June 1 newspaper article, Stone continued, a deficit of roughly $900,000 in accommodation taxes and waste management price increases, resulted in a lack of funds for employee raises, possible employee layoffs and cuts to public services.

With over three million dollars in the discretionary funds available at the time the budget was discussed, council members could have tapped these funds to balance the budget, she said.

“This money could have balanced the budget, eliminated the loss of deputies, eliminated cost cuts of all departments, given employees pay raises, and kept the manned garbage drop off centers open on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

What are these discretionary funds?, she asked.

“The councilmen don’t like the term ‘discretionary funds’, but that is exactly what they are. Over a million dollars is allocated to them each year and they spend it at their discretion. These funds are allocated from the general fund and are not budgeted, audited, and no interest is earned. Unspent funds are rolled over year after year and often the largest sums are spent at election time.”

Annually, each councilman receives about $50,000 for his paving fund, $35,000 for his infrastructure fund, $19,800 for his in-kind fund and a little more than $42,000 for his utility fund. For all nine councilmen this amounts to about $1,323,000, Stone noted.

“This annual allocation is $423,000 more than the $900,000 in lost state accommodation tax collections,” she said.

In order to gain a broader view of how the councilmen spend their discretionary funds, The Citizens In Action, under the Freedom Of Information Act, requested and received copies of one councilman’s discretionary expenditures for 2008, 2009, 2010 and the first four months of 2011.

“Because it is expensive and time consuming to get the details of these expenditure records, we have begun with one councilman,” Stone explained.

As an example, Stone listed some of the expenditures for Councilman Mitchell Kirby. These included $14,200 to purchase seven used vehicles – four for the Town of Timmonsville and three for the Timmonsville Rescue Squad; over $25,000 for replacing lift station pumps; repairs to a baseball facility; reimbursement to the Town of Timmonsville for payments to Rural Development; $33,000 to apply MBC stone to the roads inside Byrd Cemetery; repairs to the former Timmonsville high football stadium; computer and printer for the Town of Timmonsville; and $18,000 to the Town of Timmonsville for sewer system assistance.

“We have only shown how one councilman chose to spend a portion of his discretionary funds, but we hope that it proves that every penny spent of the discretionary funds, whether wisely or unwisely, is a joint system of jurisdiction between nine councilmen. It is a joint effort because each decision, whether wise or unwise is unanimous. In this way, each councilman has individual and complete control over a large portion of public money,” Stone continued.

“It is important to remember that the allocations always receive unanimous approval. There is little if any discussion and often, the item voted upon is added to the agenda on the day of the council meeting,” Stone continued.

“In a totally undemocratic procedure, in which the vote is guaranteed to be unanimous, each councilman alone can make the decision as to how millions are spent. How the large sums are spent also impacts each councilman’s reelection efforts,” she noted. “This flawed procedure has been in effect for years under the leadership of council chairman Rusty Smith, who has now applied for the position of county administrator,” she concluded.

The Florence County Citizens in Action is a local government watchdog group.

http://www.florencenewsjournal.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&subsectionID=2&articleID=6366

I have been made aware of a terrible injustice being done by a local company regarding the foreclosure on a home in Florence.

One of my customers here in Florence had their private disability company cease payments to them after years. Social Security disability is taking years right now to get approved so they are no help for the current situation. As a result they got behind on the house payments for the home they’ve lived in 20 years. They were approved for the federal program to save their home, with the federal government catching up the back payments and up to 12 months of future payments.

Formerly American General, Spring Leaf, the mortgage company, has declined to accept those funds and instead has filed foreclosure. Their stance is that they do not want to participate in the program. American General has also declined to do a modification loan to reduce the payment to help them stay in the home. I don’t understand this, except that the house is worth much more than what is owed on it.

This is very CRUEL! Money is Money and I don’t see why they refuse to accept the payments just because they are coming from a government program designed to stop foreclosures against people who have lost their income due to this economy instead of coming from the homeowner. I think the public needs to be made aware of this! I am sure the person I know is not the only one this is happening to. This is grossly unfair.

To add insult to injury, American General was informed three months ago when this person applied for the program. They ceased any foreclosure activity while waiting on the approval, but have now decided one week ago after he was approved that they would not accept the funds. You can tell I think this is terrible.

I’ve just talked with someone in our local state Senator’s office who tells me that even though the programs are in place to help people who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own, a lot of private mortgage companies/banks refuse the funding and opt for foreclosure instead.

Surely there is a story here! I think the names of companies/banks that refuse to participate should be made public — especially the banks that took federal funds to bail them out when times were tough!

Shelby Jenerette / Carolina Mail Box
Florence, SC

Texas Governor Rick Perry is dragging his feet but if he gets into the race he may be my eventual pick. Here’s a little basic info about him from Wikipedia:

James Richard “Rick” Perry (born March 4, 1950) is the 47th and current Governor of Texas, having held the office since December 2000. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998, he assumed office as governor in December 2000 when Governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full terms in 2002, 2006 and 2010, an unprecedented feat in Texas political history. With a tenure in office to date of over 10 years, Perry is the longest continuously serving current U.S. governor.

In June 2011, Perry appeared on the Fox News Channel and told host Neil Cavuto that he was “certainly giving it the appropriate thought process.” Referring to his previous statements about not being interested in running, Cavuto asked what had changed. Perry responded, “Six weeks ago, this was not on my radar….” But since then, his wife and supporters have asked him “to give this a second thought” as “our country is in trouble.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Perry

For more information:

Rick Perry on the Issues: http://www.ontheissues.org/rick_perry.htm

Rick Perry Invites US Governors to ‘Prayer and Fasting’ Rally: http://www.christianpost.com/news/rick-perry-invites-us-governors-to-prayer-and-fasting-rally-50897/

Rick Perry’s Gardasil Problem: This situation began in 2007, “But if he runs for president, the fight over his decision will be waged anew in places like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. With apologies to Tip O’Neill, when you run for president, all (local) politics are national.”

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/06/04/rick_perrys_gardasil_problem_110089.html