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Spratt: Slow down on health care reform

August 13, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Fifth Distrist Congressman John Spratt says all lawmakers on Capital Hill–and those in the Obama Administration– need to slow down and think through things. He supported not voting on health care reform until after the August recess.
Spratt says health care reform is a work in progress. He says he understands the concern of people who don’t like the idea of a Washington-based health care system. But he notes that half of all health care in the US comes through the federal government, including Medicare, Medicaid, the Children?s Health Insurance Program, Tricare Standard, Tricare for Life, Veterans Health Care, Military Health Care, Indian Health Care, the Public Health Service, and the Federal Employees Benefit Program.

But Spratt says before deciding on a plan, they should choose among the best proposals in the House, Senate, and White House. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Health & Medicine, Military, News

Gang bust seizes large amounts of drugs

August 13, 2009 By Leave a Comment

The state’s largest gang arrest continues as Federal state and local law enforcement have seized more than a $1 million in cocaine, cash and guns. Suspects are still being rounded up while some have fled.FBI Special Agent in Charge, Dave Thomas says this kind of widespread gang infiltration begins with the most vulnerable part of the population.

“Children at a very young age are affiliating with gangs and starting to wear the dress and starting to go out and deal drugs,” said Thomas. We have to be able to do something to stop that early on.

“If not, it’s going to be a continuing problem.”

The drugs are linked back to two Mexican cartels, says U.S. Attorney Walter Wilkins, who has worked closely with the US-Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, better known as “ICE.”

“We arrested eleven individuals that were here in the country illegally from Mexico who have direct ties to the Sinaloa cartels and the Los Zetas in Mexico,” he said. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, News

NFB of SC convenes in Spartanburg beginning tomorrow

August 13, 2009 By Leave a Comment

The National Federation of the Blind of South Carolina is meeting in Spartanburg this weekend for a statewide convention. Over 300 attendees are expected. President of the NFB of SC, Parnell Diggs, an attorney in Myrtle Beach, says that most in attendance are visually impaired. He also wanted to stress the difference between National Federation OF the Blind and the Commission FOR the Blind.

“The Commission for the Blind is probably the outfit that you’ve heard of in Columbia that provides rehabilitation to the blind of the state,” said Diggs. “Well, the National Federation of the Blind is the blind speaking for ourselves. We are not just doing things for blind people, we are blind people.”

Diggs also made it clear that blindness does not limit what the vision impaired can accomplish. “Blind people are good at history, some are good at math. Some people are mechanics and some are lawyers, and yes, when I say mechanics, there are blind mechanics out there…musicians….there is a guy in Myrtle Beach who owns a taxi company. He doesn’t drive but he is the owner of one of the biggest taxi services in the Myrtle Beach area,” he said.

One of the topics to be discussed at the convention is literacy among blind children. “Unfortunately, only 10 percent of blind children are being taught braille in public school classrooms in South Carolina and across the country,” stated Diggs.

“I think it’s because some people think that blindesss is such a bad thing that they try to steer children away from braille and, instead, opt fro books in ditigal format that they can just listen to, or very, very large print.”

Diggs says it will be an eventful weekend. “So we’re very excited about the 300 people here who will be able to partake of all of the things that will be going on. Not only the business meetings, the division meetings, and the committee meetings taking place tomorrow (Friday), and the receptions and some of the social opportunities as well because blind people like to socialize as much as anybody else,” he said.

The convention takes place from August 14 to August 16 and with a banquet scheduled for Saturday night.

Filed Under: Human Interest, News

McMaster: Questions need answering

August 13, 2009 By Leave a Comment

State Attorney General Henry McMaster sent a letter Thursday morning to the State Ethics Commission asking for an investigation on Governor Mark Sanford’s use of state aircraft.

“Because all of these questions have been raised, they need to be officially answered. But, there is a statue: any and all aircrafts owned or operated by agencies of the state of South Carolina shall be used only for official business, and they don’t have any exceptions on there are anything,” says McMaster.

Governor Mark Sanford has sent his own letter that claimed two points he believes proves a recent article false. The governor says he has used the state plane less than his predecessors, and secondly, that out of the 353 hours flown over the last six and a half years, the media has questioned only two percent of his flights. He says reporters write what they want, and that isn’t right. [Read more...]

Filed Under: News, Politics & Government, Transportation

Governor’s letter confronts recent article

August 13, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Governor Mark Sanford has admitted his wrongdoing: “I messed up. I tried to say sorry to as many different folks as I’ve could and I’ve been in the process of trying to move on, but I guess this world has its share of critics and I’ve certainly accumulated mine over the years and they smell blood in the water and they’ve been charging ahead with a lot of interesting things since then,” says Sanford.

In a statement released by the governor, he wrote 800 words of apology and defense. The letter, that consisted of points that were taken out of context, spoke of reporters and the tactics they have used to give the information they want, not the whole truth. For example, Sanford said: “When reporters, who are supposedly there to simply report the news, do these sorts of thing in telling the story they favor, it isn’t right- and it seems to me this past weekend’s story on airplane travel falls along these lines.” [Read more...]

Filed Under: News, Politics & Government, Transportation
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