Read the article from Moore’s campaign: http://www.schotline.com/moore083106.htm

Read a rare objective piece from USA Today: http://word.truthintheword.org/uploads/USATODAY.pdf

Tommy Moore’s campaign has jumped on Governor Sanford for inaction on the Domestic Violence agenda. Although Domestic Violence continues to be on the forefront of much political action, the issue continues to be mischaracterized by special interests. The politicization of the Domestic Violence issue promotes key myths:

1. That domestic violence is an issue of concern to women only.
Once elected governor, he angered women’s groups when he delayed signing a domestic violence bill…

Gov. Mark Sanford eliminated funding for his own Commission on Women…t’s been instrumental in domestic violence issues…

2. That men are never the victims of domestic violence.

“Stronger gubernatorial and legislative leadership could move that process forward and save more women and children from harm.”

3. That money must be spent in order to effectively address the domestic violence issue.
…Sanford was one of three U.S. House members to vote against the Violence Against Women Act, which authorized $3.6 billion over five years…

4. The effect of domestic violence on men is not worthy of study.
“South Carolina again leads the nation in the rate of women killed by men”

In reality, the domestic violence special interests seem to tag along with some definitely liberal and socialist issues: ” South Carolina ranked low in categories including women’s political participation, employment and earnings, reproductive rights and health.”

I’m all for reducing domestic violence, but until the issue is addressed without the myths and political baggage, little meaningful progress will be made.

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Read a rare objective piece from USA Today: http://word.truthintheword.org/uploads/USATODAY.pdf

In an expansion of our ongoing relationship, eBay and Google have agreed to work together in ways that complement our companies’ strengths. Google will become the exclusive provider of text-based advertising in search results on eBay sites outside the United States. eBay plans to continue its longstanding advertising relationship with Google and work closely to optimize its online campaigns to help shoppers find eBay listings.

In addition, Google and eBay will work together to deliver “click-to-call” advertising functionality on eBay and Google sites in the United States and around the world. “Click-to-call” functionality enables online consumers to initiate an Internet voice call to merchants or advertisers directly.

[What the fat?  Would anyone want to use click-to-call?  Since the caller is already online, why not just look at the item description on the web page?  Why not just send an email?  Does eBay really think all their sellers are just sitting around waiting for annoying people to call them over their computer? Seeesh!]

The companies will start testing initiatives of the agreement beginning in early 2007, after the 2006 holiday shopping period.

Just in case you still think illegal criminal residents from Mexico (and similar countries) are our Amigos, you have another chance to change your mind.

The vulgar, anti-American crowd that gathered at the Post Office in Maywood, CA hoisted the Mexican flag and spewed their vulgar anti-American hatred and contempt during their reconquista demonstration.

Read the article at Malkin’s Blog

Just in case you still think illegal criminal residents from Mexico (and similar countries) are our Amigos, you have another chance to change your mind.

The vulgar, anti-American crowd that gathered at the Post Office in Maywood, CA hoisted the Mexican flag and spewed their vulgar anti-American hatred and contempt during their reconquista demonstration.

Read the article at Malkin’s Blog

“The Justice Department has estimated as many as 25 percent of women could be raped or experience an attempted rape while attending college.”

Read the article HERE

It’s the way of all levels of American governmnet: lie.  By deceiving the people into accepting property tax relief (which is in reality an increase), local governements are now emboldened to raise local taxes because of all the “extra money” people supposedly will have from property tax relief.

Remember the days before the lottery?  Remember how low college tuition was in this state?  With the advent of the “education” lottery, tuition costs have skyrocketed exponentially above the assistance lottery funds contribute to education!  That’s right - just as the education lottery accomplishes the opposite of its popularized effect, tax relief in South Carolina (even if it were genuine) propels an exponential overal net increase in taxes!

Read the article HERE

http://www.scpolicycouncil.com/publications_article.aspx?category_id=5&publication_id=58

We’ve read about how the politicos in Greenville have a new grandiose plan to pay for extravagant and wasteful recreation facilities by raping the customers of restaurants in the county with a 2% tax. Well, I was surprised to read that York County is doing the same thing, except not for recreation - for the useless Visitor’s Bureau and for creating an identity for the county (”We have nothing crying out to visitors that they’ve crossed the border and are in York County.” — Bennish Brown, executive director of the Rock Hill/York County Convention and Visitors Bureau, on the need for welcome signs).

I’ll tell you what, if you’re paying 9% tax on your meal, I sure hope you’ll get a little bit more for your money than a couple signs that say you’re in York County!  Someone over there needs to follow the money.  I bet it’s like Greenville where the Council serves only to fill the pockets of their family and friends.

Read the article HERE.

The State newspaper continues to illustrate a preponderance of ignorance in it’s article, “No easy explanation for S.C. dropout rate.”

This article attempts to put a perplexing face on a very simple problem: social values.  With a failing education system that refuses to teach simple morals and ethics and parents who don’t spend the time and effort to provide moral and ethical guidance for their children, the exceedingly high dropout rate in South Carolina is perfectly understandable.

To start with, consider the utter worthlessness of South Carolina’s government education system.

Although not the magical panacea presented by many, the restoration of decency and propriety in our state will - over a generation or two - go a long way to solving this problem (and many others).  For quicker solutions, implement tuition tax credits so some of these dropouts can go to a decent school.  Amazingly enough, there’s no evidence that this study includes any data from private schools.  Yep, if the parents are paying money out the wazoo for their children to go to a good school, you can bet they won’t accept their children wasting it by dropping out!

 Read the article HERE

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Posted on Wed, Aug. 23, 2006
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No easy explanation for S.C. dropout rate
Study rules out single parents, poverty, tough graduation criteria
By BILL ROBINSON
brobinson@thestate.com

* Monitor Group’s report (10-page pdf)
* Study’s findings
* Charter schools fare poorly in study

South Carolina’s worst-in-the-nation dropout rate cannot be explained by high poverty levels, the number of single-parent households, or rigorous graduation requirements, according to a study commissioned by S.C. business leaders.

The report released Tuesday also contained good news.

Scores on a nationally recognized test show S.C. elementary and middle school students made gains over the past decade, the study conducted by the Boston-based Monitor Group says.

The challenge, Greenville banker Mack Whittle said, is to figure out ways to sustain that momentum into high school and beyond “without relaxing our standards.”

Whittle, chief executive officer of Carolina First and the past president of the S.C. Chamber of Commerce, arranged for the bank’s foundation to underwrite the study on behalf of several business groups.

The goal, Whittle said, was to capture an unvarnished picture of South Carolina public schools.

The report says: “The quality of student performance in the state is typically on par with the (national) average, and improving more rapidly, whereas the quantity of students produced is well below the U.S. average, and falling further behind.”

Whittle said the coalition of business leaders he represents sought a study that would show how the state’s school system stacks up against other states.

“This was not done for political reasons,” Whittle said. “We now have a benchmark” that has identified “the areas where we need to spend more time on.”

The consultants focused on identifying statistics that would allow for national comparisons, but did not analyze existing programs or strengths or weaknesses of policies.

Because standardized tests administered annually to students in grades three through eight are unique to South Carolina, those scores cannot be compared with the performance of children in other states. The same is true for high school exit exams.

So the Monitor Group compared scores of fourth- and eighth-graders on reading/language arts and math tests sanctioned by the federal government. Scores on the SAT, a college entrance test roughly two-thirds of college-bound South Carolinians take annually, were part of the formula.

Gains on both have been dramatic, although the lower grades rank at the national average and the annual SAT average score remains among the nation’s lowest.

“We’re not the worst in the country,” Whittle said. “We’re making some improvements.”

The consultants also looked at eight studies and determined the most accurate estimate of South Carolina’s graduation rate is 53 percent, although others have put it at 50 percent or lower.

South Carolina requires high school graduates to complete 24 credits. It is one of four states with that standard. The standard is frequently cited as a possible reason for the state’s high dropout rate, but the study dispelled that theory. Other states with similar course requirements have better graduation rates.

The Monitor Group also took into account poverty, parents’ education, single-parent families, racial mix and absenteeism — all factors that could be compared state-to-state — to gauge how South Carolina’s graduation measured up nationally.

It found:

• Eleven states “have more children in poverty, but still have a higher graduation rate.”

• Twelve states had a better graduation rate in cases where the head of the household is a high school dropout.

• Nine states with high teen pregnancy rates had better graduation rates.

State Superintendent of Education Inez Tenenbaum said the report was no surprise.

“It’s good to have an outside group look at it,” she said. “It verifies where our strengths are and where we need to improve.”

She and Whittle pointed to recent state-sanctioned initiatives targeting truancy and curriculum changes to make high school instruction more relevant to individual student interests. Both are in the early stages.

Tenenbaum also said she plans to lobby the Legislature to fund programs that do a better job of prepping students for college.

Whittle said business leaders plan to update the report to monitor scores, but didn’t say what further involvement the business community might have.

The failure of South Carolina’s government (public) education system has been well documented over the past three decades.  The major deficiencies are as follows:

1. Low academic standards
2. High failure rate on student evaluations
3. High emphasis on accommodation of perverted social, political, and personal issues.
4. Academic equivalency used to raise percentage of graduates.
5. Waste of time and money.  Spending $10,000 or more per student per year to accomplish failing results is a visible indicator of corruption and incompetence.  The student’s time is wasted going to school to learn little except how to use condoms, how to be a sodomite, and how to be a marxist socialist.

Responding to the inadequacies and indecencies imposed upon our youth by the government education system, many have joined the call for school vouchers or tax credits.  Their plan is basically to introduce a free market system into the educational world.  Vouchers or tax credits would accomplish several feats:

1. Parents with students not enrolled in government school would no longer be required to finance it.  In reality, those that choose private education are required to pay twice for their student’s education.  If no services are being received from the government schools, no payment should be required.  Yes, that does also go for all people who have no children attending government schools (old people, people with grown children, people with no children, businesses, etc.).  Why not allow all parents to be responsible for the education of their own children?
2. Allow parents to decide what school their children will attend.
3. Increase the availability of private education.  I’m convinced that economic reasons account for the presence of the majority of students enrolled in government education.  Vouchers / tax credits for tuition would allow more people to choose private schools.  The increased demand would precipitate the opening of more private schools, thus increasing the choice, the competition, and the quality of education available in the state.
4. Force government education to conform to higher standards or close.  The Democrats (especially) have repeatedly charged that those who are in favor of school choice are in favor of closing government education.  This by itself is an implicit admission that the politicians themselves are aware that the system will collapse if more people have more choice.
5. Improve the education and moral standards of the entire state over time.

In light of the compelling reasons to offer school choice, The State reports that the issue of vouchers / school choice is not likely to influence this year’s election.  The newspaper points to the primary results to illustrate the truth that the proponents of school choice are powerless to effect change in South Carolina.

As is the case in most just causes in the USA, those who support reforms in education lack effective leadership, and therfore lack action.  While the majority seems to clearly support school choice, very few are willing to mobilize, putting their support into action.  It’s a shame that the state of our politicians is so morally vacant, but nonetheless the necessary reforms will never become reality until these corrupt men and women feel the heat from the voters.

Read the article HERE.