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Graham: Smooth transition with Patraeus

June 28, 2010 By

Now that President Obama has tabbed General David Patraeus to replace General Stanley McChrystal as commander of the military forces in Afghanistan, a number of observers are contemplating that some changes will be made in that battle theatre. Appearing on Fox News Sunday, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, says he doesn’t think there will be major changes.  In the interview, Graham states:

I think he will look at the rules of engagement. There is sort of a common view that the rules of engagement hamper military operations and that we have gone too far the other way. However I will leave that up to the general, he (Patraeus) is a master with that kind of stuff. Counterinsurgency will continue. My biggest concern as we go forward is if the civilian side is going to change. We’ve got a dysfunctional relationship between the military-civilian components that’s essential to winning a counterinsurgency.

Filed Under: Military, News, Politics & Government

Knotts issue a non-issue at state GOP meeting

June 28, 2010 By

Reported by Matt Long, SCRN

At its quarterly meeting, the state’s Republican leadership discussed several issues facing the party. And after much talk leading up to the meeting, there was very little discussion about how to handle controversial comments made by a senior state senator.

Despite public pressure from several groups including the Upcountry Coalition of Conservative Organizations, the state’s GOP did not discuss controversial remarks from Lexington Senator Jake Knotts in its meeting Saturday.

Earlier this month, Knotts called both Republican gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley and President Barack Obama “raghead”–a derogatory term usually aimed at those of Middle Eastern descent.

The coalition and Greenville Republican Party Chairman Patrick Haddon held a press conference last week , calling for Knotts’s expulsion from the party. But the leadership did not address the issue at all in its public meeting.

However, one session was closed off to the media and even a few party members. After that session, the gathering was reopened and Chair Karen Floyd asked if there was any new or old business. When there was no response, she ended the meeting.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

SC public schools may adopt new academic standards (AUDIO)

June 28, 2010 By

State education leaders say South Carolina public school students will receive a better education if state officials adopt a proposal for new math and reading standards for each grade level.

State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex says the initiative has been underway for about two years.  He says South Carolina will likely be one of the first 10 or 15 states to implement the new standards.  The standards were developed by educators in the states, not by the U.S. Department of Education.  Rex says the move will make South Carolina students more competitive, even with other students around the world and make the states more uniform.

AUDIO: Rex on new standards (2:11)

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Education, News

Mulvaney calls for Spratt to take tax position, Spratt responds

June 28, 2010 By

Mick Mulvaney, who will face incumbent Democrat John Spratt in the Fifth Congressional District race, is challenging Spratt to take a position on tax hikes.

Mulvaney says the middle class tax cuts will expire soon, but the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 lowered the average middle class tax bill by around $2,000 a year. Mulvaney says Spratt has said it’s not “sacrosanct” to keep the taxes low. But Mulvaney says taxes should be cut even further. He says Washington could pay for more tax relief merely by stopping deficit spending and letting the private sector expand again.

But Spratt says he supports the middle income tax cuts and says he has voted several times to remove marriage penalties in the tax code and to index the alternative minimum tax so that it doesn’t apply to middle income taxpayers. Spratt says he also voted for a 10 percent tax bracket, a $334 billion tax cut over 10 years, and for an increase in the child tax credit.  Spratt says he has always supported the earned income tax credit, which amounts to a tax cut for 50,000 working parents in his district, and has also voted to allow an estate tax exemption for well-to-do taxpayers.

Filed Under: News, Politics & Government, Taxes

Extended unemployment benefits to run out for states

June 28, 2010 By

Reported by Matt Long, SCRN

Congress on Thursday was unable to break a filibuster on a bill that would have, among other things, extended benefits for those who are currently going through long-term unemployment.

At issue is the Extended Unemployment Compensation program, which was created in 2008 and consists of four different tiers. The first tier begins when a person’s jobless benefits run out after 26 weeks. After 14 weeks, a person moves to Tier Two and another 13 weeks gets them to Tier Three.

People in hard-hit states like South Carolina are able to get a fourth tier as well. However,  the extension was not renewed and states are no longer receiving funding for those benefits.

The state Department of Employment and Workforce says any person currently receiving benefits through the program would be allowed to finish their current period of benefits. For example, someone on Tier One would be able to receive all 14 weeks.

Filed Under: Uncategorized
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