$2.99 not enough? Some think not.
November 18, 2007 | 4 Comments
National Average
November 2006 $2.20
November 2007 $3.07
Every elected official (and every citizen) knows we need more funding for our roads. The question is what’s the best way to go about this.
I’m gonna step out on a limb here and tell you a GAS TAX is not going to be something the SC House will support. I certainly won’t. Haven’t heard about the gas tax proposal yet? It’s brewing again in the Legislature but I don’t think it has legs (again).
What my colleagues in the House can (and will) support is a dedicated funding stream for our roads. Led by House Speaker Bobby Harrell, look for dedicated funds for roads (ie - not to be used on anything else) to be included this year in our budget.
I’d like to set aside much more than I think we’ll agree to do but anything is better than what we have now. You’d be amazed at how much it costs to resurface, repair, or improve our roads. It’s really astonishing. The bottom line is this - we can’t fund it enough regardless of the amount we agree upon. That’s not hyperbole; that’s fact. That’s how much our roads are in disrepair.
With $1 billion in new money last year, I had hoped we’d set aside a larger chunk than we did. We should have done more but…well, need I say more?
Ever seen a Publixaurus before?
November 15, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Tonight I stopped into Publix at Kennerly Crossing and couldn’t believe how packed it was!
It didn’t take long for me to figure out that it was Oak Pointe Elementary School Publix Family Reading Night and their students were everywhere!
If you were like me, you probably are asking “What’s a Family Reading Night” at a grocery store?
Students are given a sheet with five grade-appropriate questions/tasks for them to complete while they shop with their Mom or Dad. When they’re finished, each student receives a goodie-bag on their way home.
I took a peek at the 3rd-5th grade sheet and here’s a sampling:
1. Find your favorite cereal. What is the main ingredient?
2. Name five different flavors of ice cream that list caramel as an ingredient.
3. Check out the Spanish foods section. Name three foods you find there.
4. How many flavors of yogurt are there?
5. Look around the store. Find four new vocabulary words. What do you think these words mean?
I’m not sure how many schools and business partners are doing events like this but I think this is an excellent (fun!) way for students to learn,for families to spend more time together, and for Moms/Dads to tackle this chore in a fun way too!
Pictured above with Plato (the Publixaurus) are OPES Principal Jim Stephens, Megan Taylor, Derek Heim, Ames Humphrey, Austin, and other Pioneers!
PLEASE VOTE! Local students go national!
November 13, 2007 | 3 Comments
Did you know that car accidents are the #1 killer of teens in the US? I’m sure you also know that drinking-and-driving incidents spike around the holiday season.
Pictured above are Dutch Fork High School students, Gwendolyn and Christine, who are doing their part to educate drivers of the danger ahead this season. They are one of 15 national finalists competing in HolidayHolla presented by AllState Insurance.
Please visit www.holidayholla.com and select “Watch Videos” and vote for their video, Jingle Bell Swerve.
You can vote once a day (everyday) until November 25th!
Gwendolyn and Christine made the first cut down to the final 15 and are hoping to win the Allstate Foundation scholarship money which is $15,000 for first prize.
Let’s do our part in supporting them as they make our community proud!
Tis’ the Season
November 12, 2007 | 1 Comment
Only 63 shopping days left! Get ready. It’s coming.
No, not the annual Carolina/Clemson game. No, not Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Those are actually great times (well, of course except for some of the actions it brings out in the players, fans, and the Griswolds)
63 days until the SC GOP Primary puts our state on the national stage with the First in the South election of our Republican nominee.
That means we’re just weeks (days?) away from the kickoff of “the politics of destruction” and bare-knuckled brawling right here in the Palmetto State. If you have a weak stomach, set the TiVO for your favortie shows so you can skip right through the commercials coming our way.
Nothing says “the holidays” like sitting around the table with the kids after dinner and curling up to a nice commercial highlighting a candidate’s previous failed marriages, attacking one’s brand of religion, one’s age and physical condition, and one’s former lobbyist job in Washington.
You can expect a heavy dose of buzzwords like “flip flop”, “McCain-Feingold”, “illegal aliens”,”abortion lobbyist”, “confederate flag”, “gay rights”, “gun control”, and “stem cell research” to pop up here in the Bible Belt over the next several weeks.
Personally, it’s the sort of stuff that makes me and other public servants wonder why we ever got into this in the first place. Any political consultant worth his salt can make an Eagle Scout look like a drug-addicted felon and no one knows the difference when it’s all said and done. Thirty second distortions, fabrications, and outright lies are the norm in Presidential Politics so get ready, it’s coming!
Eight Hour School Days?
November 7, 2007 | 4 Comments
So I was looking through my stepdaughter’s homework and papers tonight and found TIME for Kids.
Sarah’s in fifth grade (Dutch Fork Elementary) and the magazine is written for 4th-6th graders so I figured I could manage a quick read before bedtime.
I came across this interesting article: Time To Learn, Should kids go to school eight hours a day?
Interesting idea. Expensive? Probably. Would it help us here in South Carolina? Maybe. It couldn’t hurt, could it?
The cynic in me thinks this might just be throwing more money at “the problem”. Also, we don’t want to turn schools into “daycares” until moms/dads get off work. I even wonder if our teachers (who historically are used to getting out before 5pm) would even support something like this?
Who knows? I’m just tired of seeing SC at the bottom of almost every ranking in our country - especially education.
For the past several weeks, my Education and Public Works K-12 Subcommittee has been hearing testimony and debate on changing our PACT tests to something more beneficial. I’m also sure the House will again debate expanding school-choice options (public and private) for our children and their families. Probably most importantly, I’m hopeful next session that we’ll work to improve our Education Funding (method/formula) in hopes that South Carolina truly can “Leave No Child Behind.”
Your thoughts? I’d love to hear them.
Third time the charm?
November 7, 2007 | 5 Comments
Tough crowd out here in Lexington/Richland District Five.
For the second time, our community rejected a bond referendum put forth by our School Board (the Board voted unanimously to support the referendum this year, while in the past the board was split). I had actually thought the referendum may pass this year - especially when the overwhelming majority of homeowners had seen (or will see this week) huge reductions on their property tax bills.
Asking $40 from taxpayers per $100,000 home was much, much less than the savings we in the SC Legislature provided in the Property Tax Relief Act.
Obviously with a 56% to 44% vote, the community is pretty split and I hope we don’t continue our divisive ways of the past.
I have to ask: if it didn’t pass this year, will one EVER pass?
I’m also wondering about School Board races next year in 2008. Will current School Board members (whose terms expire next year) offer their service again or do they feel unappreciated? Will there be another referendum next year and what impact could that have on any potential board races?
In my opinion several factors contributed to yesterday’s outcome:
1. “No” - generally, most people do not like “tax increases”.
2. “Confusion” - assuming the first item above, one must overwhelmingly convince people to vote yes for a “tax increase”. If there’s any confusion (and obviously during this campaign there was) the undecided folks will default to voting “no”.
3. “Growth” v. “No Growth” - this theme could be seen last year during the Richland County Council Race and I think it crept up again this year. When any issue gets painted as “developers and realtors” pushing it - it’s gonna lose here in Lexington/Richland School District Five.
Regardless how you voted, I’m glad to see more voters turn out and have their voice heard.
Congratulations Mayor Gibbons, Kathy, and Harvey
November 7, 2007 | 1 Comment
From The State (Tim Flach)
Irmo voters stuck with longtime leaders Tuesday.
Veteran Mayor John Gibbons cruised to victory in town elections, as did incumbent Town Council members Kathy Condom and Harvey Hoots.
Gibbons — one of the area’s longest-serving municipal leaders — won 2-1 over restaurateur-musician Barry A. Walker Sr. Results are unofficial.
Rod Shealy, Sr. - Voting “Yes”
November 5, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Much has been said about Rod Shealy, Sr. and The New Irmo News in the past and I wanted everyone to have a chance to read his most recent column.
When I first ran for office, many of my friends and neighbors questioned why I would have someone who is “anti-schools” run my campaign. For starters, Rod was the only political consultant out there willing to stick his neck out for me. The others I contacted were scared of the “800 lb. gorilla” I was up against and said they “couldn’t risk helping me” even though they may have wanted to and wished me well in my efforts.
Next, when it comes to running campaigns, he’s one of the best! He’s been in the business for years and has worked closely with, among others, Lee Atwater. While he’s known for “winning at all costs”, he managed to run a clean, positive campaign for me and agreed to let me sign off on our materials. (Note: most consultants prefer to have autonomy and do things their way. To have someone with Rod’s credentials defer control to me, the candidate, was a huge step for him to make).
Mainly, Rod’s just an interesting character (as can be seen in the photo above and through his writings). I have NEVER seen him not wearing a Hawaiian shirt. (Is that sentence grammatically correct? Double-negative police, look out!) We rarely talk issues because his role is a campaign consultant. Consultants give advice on how to win campaigns - not how to vote.
While many viewed him as a lightening Rod, I viewed him as a campaign consultant first and a newspaper/businessman second. Like most people, I too can “read into” almost anything I want to and justify or rationalize what I think is actually going on. As he mentions in his column, his paper (as most journalistic mediums do) tries to be neutral. In our community though, we have so many people sharing opinions that inevitably if “one side” speaks more than another and the paper prints those - the paper appears slanted/biased.
Tomorrow’s a big vote in our community and with as much grief as he and The New Irmo News has caught in the past for being “anti-schools”, I think his column this week puts that to rest.
One thing we all learn early in life: don’t judge a book by its cover! If you did that in Rod’s case, you’d never get past Margaritaville!
English Trifle - Right here in Ballentine!
November 3, 2007 | Leave a Comment
You just never know what interesting item you’re going to find when you journey around our wonderful community! Today, I found English Trifle!
Thanks to the Milford Park Homeowners Association, I was able to attend their Fall Festival and try a dish I’ve never eaten. (Note to self, last two photos on website are me eating. Maybe Karen’s right about my weight gain?)
I met many residents and enjoyed my afternoon. Especially when Julie Brain (originally from Wales) offered me a bite of English Trifle. Julie moved here 10 months ago with her husband’s job transfer and I picked up on her “non-Palmetto State” accent right away. It was good to learn more about her and her friend, Darlynne Ferguson, who also just moved her (11 months ago) from Orlando, Florida to be close to her family.
Julie tells me she gets her ingredients from an “English Store” located on Whaley Street. The ingredients? Strawberries, Jello, “sponges”, Custard, Cool Whip, and more Strawberries on top. Julie tells me to be sure the jello and sponges sit overnight before adding the rest of the toppings.
The result - pretty dang good!
COMMUNITY UPDATE: November 2007
November 2, 2007 | 3 Comments
Here’s this month’s regular update to keep you informed of what’s going on in the State House and in our community! If you have events you’d like me to share on the site, please email me at BallentineN@scstatehouse.net and be sure to put the word CONSTITUENT in the subject line so that I can reply to your email before the hundreds of others I receive daily.
STATE HOUSE
In two months (January 8, 2008) the Legislature will reconvene for the second year of the 117th South Carolina General Assembly.
It should be a very interesting year (all 170 House and Senate members up for re-election, budget concerns, etc) and I need to know what you feel should be our priorities this year. Next Tuesday I will be meeting again with several of my colleagues to discuss the direction we hope to move our state in 2008. Items I will continue to share with them and work towards providing solutions are improving education, improving our roads, slowing down government spending, growing jobs in our state, and to sum it up: “just getting us off the bottom of every list in the country.” These aren’t just my ideas. These are topics I hear from you regularly when I’m in the grocery store, at church, or visiting your Homeowners Association meetings.
We will have two dates prior to January 8 that we can pre-file legislation: December 5 and December 12. It’s best to get bills filed earlier; however, that doesn’t mean they have a better chance of passing. It does mean they have a quicker chance of being debated in subcommittees or committees and then ultimately in the House and Senate chambers. Any bill that did not pass both bodies last year is still “alive” in the legislative process. Any bill that does not pass before June 2008 though will be “dead” and the process starts all over again.
If you know a college student who would like to serve as my page for the 2008 session, please have the student call my office (734-2969) and email me his/her resume. Page appointments must be made by December 1 and I want to obviously give preference to members of my district. Pages must be able to work 15 hours from Monday through Friday during the months of January through June.
YOUR MONEY
Did you buy groceries yesterday? If so, you may have noticed savings that weren’t there before yesterday. As part of the Property Tax Relief Act that we passed, the grocery tax (on unprepared food) has now been eliminated! That started yesterday, November 1.
Have you seen your property tax bill? (Lexington County bills have been mailed and Richland County bills will be mailed November 6). If you’ve seen them, you’ve no doubt noticed a nice savings from your previous bills in the past. Savings you asked for when you sent me to Columbia. I listened and I delivered.
Lastly, I’m trying to save you a little bit more if you have a high school senior who plans to attend USC, Clemson, Winthrop, or Midlands Tec next year. Please have your senior check with his/her guidance counselor in January to apply for one of five scholarships I give to students living in House District 71. These scholarships are named in memory of family members and their respective alma maters. There are three $1,000 scholarships for USC, Clemson, and Winthrop and two $500 scholarships for Midlands Tec. Past winners have been an impressive bunch of young men and women.
COMMUNITY
It’s not often two Presidential candidates visit our community within days of each other! Tomorrow, Senator John McCain will be at Hot Dog Heaven (7444 Broad River Road) at 8:45 a.m. Please call 771-4465 to RSVP for the event. Also, next Wednesday, Governor Mitt Romney will be at Gatsbee’s in the Irmo Village beginning at 9:00 a.m. These events are open to anyone! Both these men are seeking the GOP nomination to be our country’s next President.
Congratulations to the following student-athletes: Dutch Fork Football players McKenzie Dowd (6-5, 272 OL) and Maxwell Travis (6-2, 270 OL) were named to the 2007 NC/SC Shrine Bowl! Named to the SCADA North/South Game were two more Silver Foxes, BJ Sumter (6-0, 291 OL) and Assistant Coach Al Berry.
Oak Pointe Elementary has selected their representatives to the District Honor Choir for 2007-2008 year. You can see these students by clicking here.
The Ballentine-Dutch Fork Civic Association will meet Monday, November 5th at the Community Center in Ballentine Park. The meeting begins at 7pm and topics discussed will be Incorporation Efforts and the December 8 Christmas Party.
The 12th Annual Greater Irmo Chamber of Commerce Auction is November 8. Silent Auction starts at 5:30 and the Live Auction begins around 7pm. The Radisson Hotel Columbia & Conference Center (Bush River/I20) will host the event with Carrabba’s Italian Grill serving at 6:30pm. Tickets are $20 per person or $30 per couple. Please contact the Chamber Office or purchase tickets at the door the night of the event.
The Chapin Chamber of Commerce is having a Holiday Open House that began last night and goes through Saturday. Please visit several local merchants who will be open extended hours during these days with several discounts and special events….it’s time to begin thinking about Christmas!
Irmo may host the Columbia Inferno soon! The Irmo Chapin Recreation Commission voted Friday afternoon to sell 26.44 acres to Lexington County and 8 acres to an unidentified developer for an arena site near the intersection of St. Andrews and Bush River roads. The Columbia Inferno Friday night acknowledged plans to build a new arena on the former BC Components site, tucked behind the Bi-Lo, Wendy’s and Aldi’s on St. Andrews Road. The arena entrance likely would be from Bush River Road. The Lexington Events Center, a multi-purpose arena for hockey, concerts and sporting events, will be developed by Ribeau Entertainment. The company was put together by Inferno owners Ezra Riber and Sam Imbeau.
SCHOOLS
In case you’ve been under a rock or haven’t read The State or The New Irmo News for the past several weeks…. our community will vote next Tuesday, November 6, on a Bond Referendum put forth by the Lexington/Richland School District Five Board of Trustees. You can read many posts about this topic on my blog and I’m sure between now and next Tuesday there will be much more in newspapers, on TV, and in your mailbox. Whatever your opinion, please make your voice heard by voting on this important matter. Do not sit this one out.
As the high school season winds down (or should I say just gets started) I hope you’ll continue to support our local teams! Chapin has a final regular season game at Hilton Head while the playoffs begin for Dutch Fork (at Conway) and Irmo (home against North Augusta).
If volleyball is more to your liking, please attend the State Volleyball Championships at Dutch Fork High School this Saturday. Four state titles will be held in the Silver Foxes’ Gymnasium.
THANK YOU
First - a special thanks to those veterans who have served our country proud! November 11 is Veteran’s Day and I was pleased to learn today that at least one school is holding a program to recognize the event. Next Friday, November 9, The Lake Murray Elementary School Third Graders will read America’s White Table written by South Carolinian Margot Theis Raven. I’m glad to see our students remembering this occasion. I hope you will remember it in your own way by thanking those who served and those who are currently serving.
Thanks, too, for visiting the site! Please let your friends and neighbors know about it so that they can stay as informed as possible.
You have given me a great honor by choosing me to represent you in the South Carolina House of Representatives and I remain as committed as ever to staying in touch. Please contact my office, 734-2969, or email me at BallentineN@scstatehouse.net anytime I can be of service to you or your family.
Nathan Ballentine
www.nathanballentine.com
House of Representatives, District 71
Richland-Lexington Counties
320A Blatt Building
Columbia, SC 29221