FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 7, ANDERSON – The Anderson Tea Party will be hosting the first non-partisan Congressional debate of 2010 for candidates of the Third District on Thursday, May 13th, from 7:00P.M. – 8:30P.M. at the Anderson County Library (note the time change).

“Most debates are hosted by a political party, a media outlet, or a university,” said Anderson Tea Party organizer Jonathon Hill. “It’s high time ‘we the people’ step up to the plate and ask pointed, direct questions that get to the heart of the issues we are concerned about.”

Six candidates have committed to participate in the debate: Joe Grimaud (R), Neal Collins (R), Brian Doyle (D), Rep. Jeff Duncan (R), Mike Vasovski (R), and John Dalen (Constitution Party). Candidates Richard Cash (R), Rep. Rex Rice (R), and Jane Dyer (D) have also been invited.

This will be the first Congressional debate in SC to be hosted and moderated entirely by grassroots citizens. Jonathon Hill stated that “we believe that we are making history in SC politics.”

For more information, to submit debate questions, or to RSVP, contact Jonathon Hill.

Contact:

Jonathon Hill
Anderson Tea Party
(864) 245-5885
jhill@andersonteaparty.com

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Citizens to rally at Healthcare Nullification Amendment Hearing

March 24, 2010 – Citizens from all parts of the state will be attending a Healthcare Nullification Rally on March 25, 2010, 9:00am at the State Capitol.

The rally’s central focus is a bill brought by Rep. Jeff Duncan proposing a Constitutional Amendment that would prevent the enactment of the Healthcare Reform bill recently passed by Congress.

Rally attendees will be testifying at the bill’s first subcommittee hearing at 9:00, and will also be demonstrating outside the Blatt Building (1105 Pendleton St, Columbia), where the hearing will take place.

“Here in South Carolina we believe that the U.S. Constitution is still the supreme law of the land,” said Jonathon Hill and Randy Simpson, two of the rally organizers and leaders of the Anderson and Seneca Tea Parties. “We’re determined not to allow our Ninth and Tenth Amendment rights to be trampled by the government.”

Dianne Belsom, rally organizer and Laurens Tea Party leader, added, “The Passage of  Obamacare, or the Health Care Monstrosity, is a huge blow to our country and to the freedoms we currently enjoy. It is critical that all patriotic Americans rise to the occasion to oppose this monstrosity.”

Citizens who wish to speak at the hearing should arrive at 8:30-8:45 in order to sign up.

Members and leaders of the Upcountry Coalition of Conservative Organizations, “The Coalition,” led by consultant Roan Garcia-Quintana and member Margaret Thompson, will hold a press conference in front of the building housing the Anderson District 5 Office Board Room, 400 Pearman Dairy Road, Anderson, SC. The press conference will take place at 6:00 PM, Tuesday March 16, prior to the regular Board of Trustees meeting. Local contractors who have been out of work due to the use of illegal aliens by government entities in Anderson city and county will be present to voice their frustration over the loss of employment opportunities. The Anderson Tea Party Organization, in addition to other liberty organizations, will participate in the protest.

“At a time when Anderson County is experiencing one of the largest unemployment rates in SC, it is inconceivable that School District 5 has hired not only out-of-state contractors, but also contractors that employ illegal aliens. I know that they are illegal because they have told me so,” Roan Garcia-Quintana, executive director of the Americans Have Had Enough Coalition stated. He continued, “We urge the school district to require the necessary documentation from the contractors and subcontractors to establish compliance, as the SC Illegal Immigration Reform Act allows (§ 8-14-40 (b)).”

“The school district is facing budgetary woes due to the federal stimulus money that they received and is no longer available. Allowing illegal aliens to live and work in the district increases the operation costs to school, as these foreign nationals bring their children who don’t speak English, and for whom the school district has to provide English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) instruction.” Garcia-Quintana added. The number of ESOL teachers required in SC increased over 200% between the 2005 and 2006 year according to a SC Department of Education report published a year ago.

“Illegal is Illegal” former city councilwoman Margaret Thompson said. “Here we have an education system that is trying to get by with the minimum application of the immigration law at the expense of the citizens and students of the school district. Illegal Immigration is not cheap. The Heritage Foundation has estimated the cost to our government services for each illegal alien to be $20,000. No one is factoring this into their budgetary equation. This county and its governmental entities have created a sanctuary for illegal aliens,” Ms. Thompson concluded.

The press conference was prompted by misinformation given by the SC GOP’s Chair, Karen Floyd, on her self-promoting media tour related to the agreement that was made last week between the GOP and the Conservative Coalition. She appeared on MSNBC and FOX News, among other media outlets. “We want to set the record straight and remind the public of what the agreement really was,” Harry Kibler stated.

He continued, “Liberty movements around the state are outraged at Ms. Floyd’s misrepresentation of facts. It seems that many who did not trust the GOP’s intentions from the very beginning are now convinced that the GOP’s intent continues to be to confuse, divide and hence conquer this Liberty Movement of which they appeared to be frightened not only in SC, but also all over the nation.”

An email sent by Patrick Haddon, Greenville County GOP Chair to five of the organization leaders suggests a meeting of all SC liberty organizations to be held in early April and also requests for the email and names of all the leaders, under the guise of his personal invitation.

“It seems that the GOP believes that these individuals are naïve, but they are going to get a rude awakening tomorrow at the press conference,” Roan Garcia-Quintana, executive director of Americans Have Had Enough and the Coalition Facilitator stated. He continued, “I predicted that this would happen. Since I worked for Ronald Reagan, I have been fighting the progressives and elitists who have ruined the GOP since Reagan left office. This has to stop and “we the people” will show our strength on June 8, 2010, when we defeat more incumbents, as was done in the 2008 primary with the help of the Minutemen and like-minded freedom-loving individuals.”