By Paul M. Weyrich (from freecongress.org)
                                         
There has been a major development in the State of Georgia yet the so-called mainstream media has completely ignored it and even the alternative media hardly has covered it. This past week Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue signed into law the most expansive school-choice program in the nation.
                
Unlike similar programs in other States, this program has no demographic restriction. All students are eligible for private school scholarships. The State Legislature set the cost of the school choice budget at $50 million. If the demand is similar in other States that amount likely will rise considerably. All pupils K-12 are eligible.
               
The program is similar to that which was enacted by the State of Louisiana and continues a trend imposing no eligibility requirement for the scholarships. Originally only inner-city students in failing public schools were eligible for school-choice programs. But now Arizona, Vermont, Ohio, Maine, Illinois and Iowa all impose no eligibility restriction. Read the full article

http://kevinbryant.com/2008/05/28/true-immigration-passes-the-senate-goes-to-house-for-concurance/

STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINATHE SENATE

For Immediate ReleaseMay 29, 2008 Bryant Comments on Ultrasound Bill Signing Ceremony Columbia, SC – Senator Kevin Bryant (R-Anderson) joined pregnancy crisis center representatives from around the state, and the governor today at a ceremonial bill signing. The bill requires physicians to share an ultrasound image with expectant mothers prior to any decision to terminate a pregnancy.“Governor Sanford, by signing this bill today, will reduce the number of abortions in South Carolina,” says Senator Bryant. “This legislation will save children’s lives, and I am humbled to have been part of the fight to get here.” Senator Bryant, who submitted the original ultrasound bill last November added, “When I filed this bill, I could only hope for this outcome. Now the bill is law, and lives will be saved. I am very proud of our achievement” Senator Bryant went on to say, “My primary concern has always been unborn children and their mothers. This legislation is about them and their need for love and support. This is my finest moment in Columbia, and I thank God for the courage to see this fight through.”

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House Votes to Sustain Cigarette Tax Veto

Expanding Government Entitlement Program is Not the Answer

(Columbia, SC) – Today the S.C. House of Representatives voted to sustain the Governor’s veto on the cigarette tax increase/Government entitlement expansion bill. House Speaker Bobby Harrell took the floor to speak in favor of sustaining the veto.

Speaker Harrell said, “Today, over half of all births in South Carolina are paid for by Medicaid. This tax increase will greatly expand that number and also entitle children living in households with an income of $54,000 to have their health care coverage paid for by taxpayers through this Medicaid expansion. Medicaid was created to be a safety net for the poor – $54,000 a year is not poor.

“What kind of message are we sending to our state’s future generations? Using this tax to expand a government entitlement program will set up an expectation of non-responsibility and establish an entitlement society. These children will grow up being taught that it is the government’s job to care for them. We will be setting up an entitlement system that will most likely never go away, and will certainly never fully pay for itself. Ronald Reagan said it best, ‘The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this Earth is a government program.’

“I do believe we need to raises our state’s lowest-in-the-nation cigarette tax, but I feel we must do so in a responsible manner. That is why I will work during the off-session on a plan that will raise the cigarette tax to assist South Carolinians in gaining access to health care and insurance coverage. But we will do so in a responsible, sustainable manner that involves the private sector, not an expansion of government entitlements. In this plan, we will take the time to properly evaluate and debate the best method in which to do that, instead of throwing together a plan in the eleventh hour of the legislative session.”

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As usual, the bias in the liberal media shows its true colors with this headline: “Anti-abortion license plates unveiled for SC cars” in today’s La-Socialista (The State). We all know it’s not anti-anything that drives us conservatives in the General Assembly. It is our pro-life wish to honor the sanctity of life.
                         
On a related issue, Governor Sanford will hold a ceremonial event for the already signed bill calling for ultrasounds to be offered to expectant patients wishing for an abortion. We all know that the viewing of an ultrasound gives women in desperate situations information for a more informed choice. As many as 85% of women that view an ultrasound chose to honor the dignity of the child and carry the child to term.