Kevin Bryant

In a move that has stunned the sports world, President Obama issued a late night decree and mandated a “Touchdown Tax” against the University of Alabama football team and redistributed 2 touchdowns to Notre Dame.

The 14 point tax, which Obama declared “equal and fair”, retroactively made the score a 28-28 tie – effectively allowing Notre Dame to maintain their #1 ranking and therefore assume the BCS National Championship title.

Obama phoned Alabama head coach Nick Saban and stated, “Those touchdowns, you didn’t score those.” Then, in an impromptu press conference, Obama further stated “We cannot allow hard work, talent and dedication to be rewarded. This goes against the American principals of equality that this administration is striving so hard to achieve.” He further stated that Alabama ’s excessive scoring was an example of “greed and excessiveness” before vehemently denying that this move was due to his disdain for the SEC, given Notre Dame’s proximity to his home town of Chicago .

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi applauded the move (as did Harry Reid and the entire ESPN broadcast team), and stated that she looked forward to coming up with more ways to tax the collegiate football system.

You hear it all too often these days, yet another mass shooting. It can be anywhere, a movie theater, a mall, a college campus, and now the sickening trend has somehow included our schools. School, the place that is supposed to be safe and fun, where children of all ages go to learn and grow, make friends, discover talents and gain independence. Now, somehow, it has become a place where parents must take a leap of faith by simply dropping their “babies” off and waving good-bye wearing a big smile on their faces. I know my big, encouraging smile hides an uneasiness and to be quite honest, fear. The fear of the unthinkable, the fear that this “safe haven” is not necessarily so “safe” any longer, in a society where mental illness lurks. Fear that now “lives” in my mind until my child is back in my car at 2:45 pm.

Sitting back, hoping and praying something terrible will not happen in our own communities is simply not an option. How would we all feel if and when something terrible did happen, “could we have done more“, “should we have done more”? There would be no excuses. So what must be done? Everything. We cannot put a price tag on human life and safety. For starters, all schools must have a highly trained, full-time school resource officer on campus during the entire school day. It is imperative that there be an officer at each school with the sole purpose and responsibility of keeping the children and staff safe. We have all heard the recommendation by some to train principals, teachers and other school staff and allow them to carry a concealed weapon to protect students, however, we cannot ask or expect them to do more than they already do to provide a safe and stimulating learning environment for our children. An armed security officer who is professionally and extensively trained through our law enforcement system would provide security, peace of mind and act as a deterrent to anyone with ill intentions to even approach a school. If there had been an armed officer in Sandy Hook Elementary School on that horrific day in December, would the outcome have been different? Obviously I cannot answer that question, but I can feel confident in saying there very well could have been a much different outcome, perhaps one where fewer, if any, precious lives were taken.

Funding, funding, funding. Yes, that is what we all hear. Our poor education system is very often the place where funds are pulled from year after year. However, the excuse to do nothing because “there is just no funding to hire additional security officers”, is just that, an excuse. The funding must be found. The funding is what is needed to ensure the continued safety of our children, our teachers and our future.

So where can the funding come from? Good question. Taxes? Maybe. How about if we take a look at our South Carolina Education Lottery income? Wait a minute, what was that, the South Carolina Education Lottery? I think it is more than safe to say that part of our education system must include and start with the responsibility to ensure the children’s safety. They must be safe in order to learn and grow. I know some of the money created by the lottery is used for college scholarships and I believe these scholarships are very important and earned by many well-deserving, hard-working young adults. Do I want to take anything away from any of those individuals? No, of course I do not. But then I must ask myself, and everyone else along with me, don’t our children in elementary, middle and high schools first need to be safe in order to learn and grow and get to the point of heading to college? And further, aren’t there other areas in which this lottery money is used that can somehow be reallocated to ensure funding for school resource officers? Maybe even partially? Maybe a little from here and a little from there?
The answer may be that some funding must be shifted in light of this pressing need. Funding may have to come partially from the lottery monies, partially from some other sources, throw in a slight increase in taxes perhaps. I will admit I do not know where it will come from, but I do know it must be found. And now is the time.

I believe very strongly that our friends at the State House and State Senate want what the rest of us want: safe schools and happy and safe children. Join with me in letting your voice be heard. Let’s all work together to make this happen. Let’s show the nation that South Carolina loves their children and will do whatever it takes to ensure their safety. Let us all know we are doing what it takes to keep our little ones safe in an ever-changing society, a society that too often does not seem to be headed in the right direction. Times are changing and so must the way we approach security in our schools.

Hey guys,
My phone has been blowing up with text messages from friends and supporters who saw NBC’s segment tonight featuring my statement on President Obama’s proposed gun grab.
For those of you who haven’t heard, Vice President Joe Biden announced today that the White House is considering an “executive order” on gun control. This means the President is huddling up with his lawyers, and plotting ways to restrict our second amendment freedoms by bypassing Congress altogether.
Not on my watch.
Our Founding Fathers never envisioned executive orders being used to restrict our Constitutional rights, and as I told the American people tonight, we live in a republic, not a dictatorship.
The gloves are off, and I look forward to fighting to defend the United States Constitution.
On facebook, people are already asking me what they can do to help. The first thing we need is prayer. Pray for our nation, that our leaders will see the wisdom of our Founding Fathers. Secondly, forward this message. Let your friends and family know where you stand on the second amendment. Remind them that we live in a republic, not a dictatorship.
Thanks for your support, and God Bless
Jeff Duncan

It’s the Spending, Stupid

The news that several of my erstwhile conservative allies in Washington raised taxes as their remedy for the “fiscal cliff” leaves me feeling a little like George Patton when he remarked that, “I would rather have a German division in front of me than a French one behind me.”

To confirm the obvious, it is not a revenue problem, it is a spending problem. The Tax Policy Center reports that since 1989 (recognize that year?) federal revenue has grown 149 percent, from around $991 billion to $2.468 trillion (2012 estimate). Federal spending, simultaneously, has risen from $1.143 trillion to $3.795 trillion (20012 estimate), or 232 percent. It’s a spending problem, but apparently not for some Republicans.

Apparently not because in the same bill that Republicans voted to raise your taxes they voted to spend the money on these gems: $59 million for algae growers, a $4 million green energy tax credit for electric motorcycle manufacturers, a wind tax credit for $12.1 billion, $430 million for Hollywood producers, $70 million for NASCAR, and a rum tax subsidy for Puerto Rican rum makers.

Senator Pat Toomey (yes, the former chairman of the Club for Growth) explained his vote for the tax and spending spree as such: “This legislation is the best we could do for taxpayers and job seekers.” I wonder if Senator Toomey would show up at a burning house with a five-gallon can of gasoline.

Senator Mitch McConnell opined that, “By acting, we’ve shielded more than 99% of taxpayers from a massive tax hike.” First, that one percent that McConnell so blithely threw under the bus already totes about 40% of the tax load. Second, I wonder if the next mugging victim in your home town will feel better if you tell him that he is the only one that mugged that day. Never have so few taken so much from so many.

House Ways and Means (the spending committee) Chairman Dave Camp of MI said, “This legislation settles the level of revenue Washington should bring in.” Really? We already had enough revenue for big-government politicians to spend on things like I found in this list from 2011: $764,825 for a study on how college students use cell phones and social media; $136,555 for teachers to retrace Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales in England; $55,660 on butter packaging; $606,000 for a study about online dating; $48,700 towards the Second Annual Hawaii Chocolate Festival; $147,138 to build a magic museum; $175,587 for a study on the link between cocaine and the mating habits of quail.

The dollars noted above amount to the fiscal equivalent of turning a garden hose on a forest fire, but they highlight the point. We cannot trust Washington politicians with the nickels and dimes, so how can we trust them with the big money?

Recall fondly the 2009 Stimulus Bill that by the end of 2011 had spent nearly $900 billion of your money. An October 2012 study by Ohio State University economics professor Bill Dupor concludes that, “ARRA created/saved approximately 450 thousand state and local government jobs and destroyed/forestalled roughly one million private sector jobs. State and local government jobs were saved because ARRA funds were largely used to offset state revenue shortfalls and Medicaid increases rather than boost private sector employment. The majority of destroyed/forestalled jobs were in growth industries including health, education, professional and business services.”

Perhaps we do not generate enough revenue if the goal, now shared by Republicans, is to completely annihilate the private sector and replace it with government. If the government does everything for us, then we have no need for the private sector, and it has no need for its money, so government should just take it from them.

South Carolina at least is blessed with a few holdouts from a Soviet future. Representative Trey Gowdy declared that, “what we’re — and I mean the South Carolina delegation — not in favor of is more spending.” Mick Mulvaney noted that, “’Borrowing’ money without intending to ever pay it back is not debt. It is theft.” Jeff Duncan said that, “Not only does this bill fail to address spending, but it potentially undoes the spending cuts adopted as part of the debt ceiling compromise from 2011.” Tim Scott said that, “revenues have not been the problem, are not the problem, and will not be the problem”.

The new Republican tax-and-spenders, however, now can slap backs and yuk it up with their new friends across the aisle—while you and I foot the bill.

Since my first election in 2004, I’ve been honored to get the highest grade in the legislature every single time the Club for Growth scores the legislative. Here’s another 100. This is about as common as Alabama winning national titles. Even though I’m a dawg fan, I’m impressed with Nick Saban’s extreme commitment to the fundamentals of blocking and tackling.

What’s the secret to the Club’s high score? It’s simple and fundamental. Look carefully at every bill and amendment and ask this question. How does this benefit the taxpayer and promote free market principles? Here’s a link to the Club’s Senate Scorecard.

South Carolina Club for Growth Releases 2011-12 Legislative Scorecards

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Today, the South Carolina Club for Growth Foundation released its 2012 Legislative Scorecards, awarding its “Taxpayer Hero” award to four Senators and five Representatives based on their voting records since January 2011.

Scorecard ratings (here) are based on a wide range of economic and good government issues, with a maximum 100 points possible. Votes are assigned a value based on their relative importance. This year’s scorecard is made up of 19 Senate and 28 House roll call votes. Legislators with a score of “A” or “B+” earned the title of “Taxpayer Hero,” while those with a “D” or “F” earned the title of “Taxpayer Nightmare.”

Club Chairman Dave Ellison said, “Every year these scorecards give South Carolinians an accurate picture of how their legislators approach tax dollars and efficient government. Hardworking citizens do not have the time to always watch everything at the capitol, and rely on their legislators for information. Sadly what is said on the campaign trail is not always what happens in Columbia, making scorecards a valuable resource.

The votes on these scorecards were selected from the almost 3,000 votes taken since January 2011, and provide a snapshot of how legislators voted on crucial legislation affects how government is run, and how South Carolinians live and work.”

A pro-growth vote received the maximum number of points, while a vote against the pro-growth position received no points. In certain circumstances, points were deducted from legislators for changing or walking out on a vote. If a legislator went on record as abstaining from a vote – due to a conflict of interest – that vote was not factored into their total score.

2012 Fast Facts

Senate: -The average Republican score was 53.8.0, -The average Democrat score was 11.89, -The average SC Club for Growth PAC endorsed Sscore was 90.00
Taxpayer Heroes in the Senate: Lee Bright, Kevin Bryant, Tom Davis, Mike Rose

House of Representatives: -The average Republican score was 59.47, -The average Democrat score was 8.81, -The average SC Club for Growth PAC endorsed score was 73.00
Taxpayer Heroes in the House: Ralph Norman, Edward Southard, Josh Putnam, Tom Young, Kevin Ryan
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