Category — Opinion

Of all people who could claim “TEA party” support, Mitt Romney is the last. Despite the spin, SC Treasurer Curtis Loftis is NOT the TEA party.

This nationwide movement is composed of millions of independent-thinking individuals who are fed up with high taxes and big government. Local TEA party organizations cannot even tell these people who to vote for–much less the State Treasurer.

As an enthusiastic supporter of Curtis Loftis for Treasurer in 2010, I am extremely disappointed in his decision to endorse Gov. Mitt Romney, but that decision is his own, nothing more.

Mr. Loftis, you may feel that Romney “has the greatest chance of taking back the White House in 2012,” but like Sen. Jim DeMint, I’m at a point where I’d rather lose fighting for the right cause then win fighting for the wrong cause. Judging from DeMint’s exceeding popularity here in SC and abroad, I am not alone.

If you want to remain relevant, you and all your friends in Columbia had better understand that we are fed up with higher taxes and government intrusion into our personal lives. Whether you call it Obamacare or Romneycare, it’s all the same to us.

Yes, even when it comes in a nice, pretty Republican package.

Jonathon Hill
Organizer, Anderson TEA Party
Chairman, Upcountry Coalition of Conservative Organizations

Erick Erickson over at RedState.com is clearly past his limit with how much of the status quo he can stomach — just as the rest of us are. I couldn’t have said it more clearly myself:

I think more and more you might need to consider something a bit radical to the good government types in Washington — hold the line and don’t take the deal.

For the next few weeks, they will bully you, flog you, scare you, and scare your constituents. Hold fast. The same people who have gotten us into this mess want you to believe they will now get us out of this mess.

Hold fast. Hold fast. As Allen West would say — steadfast and loyal. Your leadership won’t be. But now is your time to lead. Now is your time to save the country. Don’t be afraid of deadlines. Be afraid of selling out the country with a bad deal just for the sake of a deal.

To Reps. Duncan, Gowdy, Scott, Wilson, and Mulvaney: we are watching, we support you, but we will remember what you did in November 2012.

To Rep. Duncan specifically: if you hold the line regardless of the flak and grenades that come your way, you will have done more than your predecessor ever did, and we will be forever grateful.

May General Vassy’s words from the WWII Battle of Thermopylae be our motto:

“Here we bloody well are, and here we bloody well stay.”

by Jacob Sullum

There was a time when Barack Obama seemed more honest than Bill Clinton. While Slick Willie notoriously claimed he smoked pot but “didn’t inhale,” Obama candidly admitted, “When I was a kid, I inhaled frequently. That was the point.”

Lately I have not been so impressed by Obama’s truth-telling tendencies. Three incidents last week vividly illustrated the president’s Clintonian desire to have things both ways, even if it means insulting our intelligence. [Read more →]

By Sen. Tom Davis

A couple of weeks ago, a new congressional plan for South Carolina pushed by the Myrtle Beach business community, in general, and by a Myrtle Beach state representative, in particular, unraveled in the South Carolina Senate. Much to their dismay, the state Senate approved a redistricting plan that creates a new 7th District with the counties of Beaufort, Berkeley and Dorchester — three of the fastest growing counties in the state — as its core. [Read more →]

You may have heard about Rep. David Simpson’s (R-Longview, TX) bill which “would make it a crime of official oppression if federal employees perform a search that involves touching a person’s private parts without probable cause to believe the person has committed an offense.” (Republican!) Texas Speaker Joe Straus was a key player in killing this badly-needed bill.

Becky Acker’s scathing commentary on Texas’ cowardice is worth a read:

Predictably, Simpson’s effort “died in the regular legislative session in the wake of warnings [sic for ‘blackmail’] from federal officials that it would conflict with federal law” – whoa! Who knew federal law allows “touching a person’s private parts without probable cause”? And now that we do know, what will we do about it? – “and could force flight cancellations if the safety of passengers and crew could not be assured.”

This is manure of nauseating degree, Piled High and Deep. “The safety of passengers and crew” is never at greater risk than when the TSA is groping, robbing, beating, and killing victims – to say nothing of when it damages their planes or traumatizes the pilots on whom depend the lives of everyone aboard. Indeed, if the TSA were actually concerned with protecting us rather than its $8.2 billion yearly budget and 60,000 make-work jobs, it would disband tomorrow.

By now, only morons swallow Our Rulers’ lie that the TSA has anything to do with safety….

And this was the real kicker:

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst asked the state attorney general’s office for guidance to ensure the measure is in line with the U.S. Constitution and federal law. You can calculate how far we’ve travelled down the road to serfdom when Our Rulers actually pretend that they must “make sure” legislation barring bureaucrats from pawing us doesn’t conflict with the Constitution. Try to imagine James Madison’s reaction to such insult. Even the anti-Federalists would grab their horsewhips rather than remind Jemmy et al, “We told you so.”

All that, in a Republican-controlled Texas Legislature. I don’t think South Carolina’s Republican-controlled General Assembly would be any better at all. If Speaker Bobby Harrell is any less evil than Texas Speaker Joe Straus, it is only because he is more politic and devious.