Gov. Nikki Haley: House GOP fighting to protect S.C. from fiscal disaster of Medicaid expansion
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Governor Nikki Haley today released the following statement regarding Medicaid expansion under ObamaCare:
“I want to thank House Speaker Bobby Harrell, House Ways and Means Chairman Brian White, State Rep. Murrell Smith, Chairman of the budget subcommittee on health care, and the House Republican Caucus for fighting to protect South Carolina from the looming public policy nightmare and fiscal disaster that is ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion.
“If history has proven anything, it’s that there is no such thing as a temporary entitlement program, and as House Republicans recognize, ObamaCare will be as bad a policy three years from now as it is today.
“I look forward to continuing to work with Director Tony Keck and members of the General Assembly – who understand that simply giving people a Medicaid card doesn’t make them healthy – on solving our state’s health problems and delivering the most health for the least cost to all South Carolinians in the weeks, months, and years ahead.” -###-

We’re just eight months in, but 2011 has already proven to be the most exciting year for school choice to date. Thirteen states and D.C. enacted or expanded school choice options for families, leading The Wall Street Journal to proclaim 2011 “The Year of School Choice.” But just what is school choice?
Heritage’s new education video tells the story of two towns: Choiceville and Districtville. Choiceville has a variety of supermarkets, each specializing in something different. Supermarkets compete to attract customers, increasing quality for everyone.
But it’s a different story in Districtville. In this town, residents pay their monthly grocery bill into a common fund, which is then distributed to individual grocery stores. Consumers are assigned to a store by district, and may shop only at that store.
Does this sound absurd? The education system in America works much like Districtville.
Children are assigned to their local public school based on their parent’s zip code. Many families cannot afford to pay property taxes to support their local public school plus private school tuition, so if their child’s assigned public school fails to meet his needs, parents often have few options. Lack of competition means public schools have little incentive to improve, which contributes to the stagnant achievement levels and graduation rates across the country.
School choice, by contrast, allows parents to spend their education dollars, like their grocery dollars, where they see fit. Parents can “shop around” to find the school that gives their child the best education.
Where would you rather live: Choiceville, or Districtville?

Drone Legislation and the #Constitution by Kelsey Farnham
Drone operators say rapidly evolving drone technology is already reshaping disaster response, crime scene reconstruction, crisis management and tactical operations. They add that drones can be extraordinarily useful, from crop monitoring to water management and a whole host of emergency and life-saving functions.
But politicians’ concerns speak to mounting questions about just how and when such powerful technology should be used. Critics of U.S. domestic drone use worry about privacy and safety.
This all began when Senator Rand Paul repeatedly requested additional information from Attorney General Eric Holder concerning whether “the President has the power to authorize lethal force, such as a drone strike, against a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil, and without trial.”
Eleven states have now introduced legislation to regulate the purchasing, and usage of domestic drones. Some cities are considering banning them altogether. These bans would directly conflict with federal regulations from the FAA but are being discussed on Tuesday of next week. Discussions would include creating “No Drone Zones” as well as forbidding law enforcement offices from purchasing drone technology.
South Carolina’s drone legislation was recently introduced in the House. It prohibits the use of drones without a warrant. It makes mass surveillance on just anyone illegal without a warrant or a sufficient criminal cause. It would also require that photographs of people that are taken by drones be destroyed unless they’re part of an authorized investigation. “It’s a privacy issue and it’s a bill of rights issue. We are protected by the bill of rights to not be searched on our own property without a warrant,” said Rep. Dan Hamilton.
Whether drones will aid law enforcement in keeping U.S. cities safer, the topic needed to be brought forward and opened up to discussion. Rand Paul spoke bravely on the issue during his filibuster last week. Paul said, “I will speak until I can no longer speak. I will speak as long as it takes, until the alarm is sounded from coast to coast that our Constitution is important, that your rights to trial by jury are precious, that no American should be killed by a drone on American soil without first being charged with a crime, without first being found to be guilty by a court.”
Rand Paul stood on the Senate floor for almost 13 hours. He made the #Constitution trend on Twitter nationwide. Fourteen other senators then joined Paul, including democratic Senator Wyden, proving that this isn’t a Republican vs. Democrat issue, It’s a freedom vs. tyranny issue.

Another fight for freedoms; SC Lay Midwife Act Sign the petition here!

The ‘South Carolina Lay Midwife Act’ was recently introduced into the House and would require licensed midwives in the State of South Carolina to be sponsored and regulated by and obstetrician. It is a conflict of interest to allow obstetricians to determine the professional fate of those who offer the only alternative to their own practice. It will deny mother’s the rights and freedoms they currently have to make informed decisions about where and how to bring their children into this world.

This bill also demands that mothers to pay for an obstetrician whether they want one or not. It discredits the competence of licensed midwives and casts them as amateurs who need guidance and supervision. It fails to recognize the fact that SC midwives are indeed trained, certified and licensed professionals and midwifery has been practiced all over the world for thousands of years.

The House bill, ‘South Carolina Lay Midwife Act’, if passed, will deny the families of this state the right to make informed decisions about how and where they choose to bring their children into this world. It would not only create a medical monopoly for obstetricians but also deny the skilled professionals of the midwifery community of their ability to provide quality alternative care.

S.411 is a bill that borrows $500 millions dollars to meet our infrastructure needs. All would agree that our roads and bridges are crumbling, but when the Federal Government is $117 Trillion in debt and unfunded liabilities and SC is $32 Billion, the fiscal insanity must stop. I won’t support s.411.