I was never really a fan of Dr. Frasier Crane but his “Hello Seattle, I’m listening” did kinda grow on me. I prefered Norm Peterson on Cheers and now that I have kids, the voice of Cliff Clavin has grown on me too (if you have young children, you’ll understand what I’m talking about).

Anyway, we just wrapped up the end of a two-year session weeks ago and I’m already doing research for possible legislation next year.

By the way, the best “research” is listenting to your constituents.

I’ve been hearing from many of you about changes we can make in our state and I appreciate the opinions, ideas, and willingness you have to share with me.

Here’s an early list of topics I’m researching. What are your thoughts on these?

You play the role of State Representative. What legislation would you propose if you could?

EDUCATION

Lottery Funding K-12: Why doesn’t more go to K-12? Simple. The law specifies where the money goes. I want to look at this and see what can be done. Obviously, with all the higher-education scholarship money we set aside, you don’t want to adversely impact that.

Graduation rates/Drop Out rates/SAT scores: Any way you look at it, we rank at (or very near) the bottom. What can be done? More money? (We spend alot as it is). How about incentives to graduate? What about incentives to get tutoring?

Note: Next Tuesday, the Education Finance Act Study Committee will meet to continue talks about how to best fund state education. I’m sure legislation will come from this committee for next session.

MORE SUNSHINE IN STATE GOVERNMENT

Candidate/Official Filings: In April the House and Senate joined our Constitutional Officers by filing our campaign disclosure forms electronically. Why aren’t all local officials required? Why is it optional for some? What about filing dates? Why the “dead period” weeks before elections and runoffs?

Qualifications for office: What education/experience is needed to hold certain positions? What’s the minimum requirements needed to be a Sherrif? What about a Coroner? What about an Auditor? Treasurer?

In 1980, I was ten years old and Captain and Tennille climbed the charts with “Do That To Me One More Time”.

In 1980, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated the Coastal Plain of ANWR could contain up to 17 billion barrels of oil and 34 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

(Sadly, I knew more about the Captain and his lady than I did oil and natural gas in 1980.)

Today is different.

America has changed our musical tastes since then. Changed our clothing styles, our hairstyles, our jobs, where we live, what we drive, what we eat. Most importantly, we’ve changed (and grown) our dependency on foreign oil and energy.

The one constant during all this though is we haven’t drilled in ANWR.

Maybe it’s because the environmentalists still hold those little muskrats (or caribou) dear to their hearts? Who knows?

I do know one thing: gas prices weren’t $4 a gallon in the 80s and MAYBE if we had drilled then, we wouldn’t be looking at $4 a gallon now. Or maybe if we had pushed for energy alternatives almost 30 years ago, we wouldn’t be sending billions of dollars overseas.

Sure, to the cynics the Drill Here, Drill Now movement screams of more political pandering. To many Americans though it’s common sense. And if there’s one thing I feel we need more of in politics, it’s common sense.

Last week I put two simple maps on the blog to show what exactly everyone’s been talking about.

Many argue drilling in ANWR will have negative effects on the region. I would argue (as I’ve read during research) that particular argument is similar to saying an airport in Greenville would have a negative effect on the state of South Carolina. That’s the relative sizes we’re talking about.

I won’t bore you with statistics. At this point, if you’re not on board with America exploring onshore/offshore drilling you never will be.

I’ve learned (in life/politics) that if statistics support your position – they are valid. If statistics oppose your position, they are erroneous and biased.

Such is the case in state government with the cigarette tax, or better yet, income tax reductions to spur growth, school choice, and other “progressive” ideas so that we may actually move our state forward instead of waiting 30 years when situations are even more dire than now.

Like those important items in South Carolina, oil exploration and enery independence require action. Congress must act now that Bush lifted the White House ban on offshore drilling. Congress must do what they should have done years ago. If they don’t, we’ll be right back here singing the blues again.

Kinda like we are with many issues in state government.

Take time today to email your Congressman about this important issue and, please, email me anytime on state issues important to you.

It hit me tonight. Before I start writing about Federal Issues that need fixing, I should share a recap of what we did this past session for South Carolina. You know, the you sent me to do.

While I’m flattered (I think?) that some of you think my role is serving you in Washington, I really only drive about fifteen minutes downtown for my public service job. Luckily I’m home every night too.

I’ll write more in the coming week(s) about particular bills to give you a “behind the scenes” look. For now though, you can see the “official recap” on the “major issues”, by clicking here.

As cynical as I am most the time, we actually did deliver on many of the items I shared in January .

Issues/bills I’ll write about during the summer are: Earmark Reform (again), Illegal Immigration (again), Budget Vetoes (again), and Cigarette Tax (again).

As I shared on SCETV in January , I began this year with the feeling that this could be “the year of transparency” for South Carolina politics. In keeping with that thought, I’ll continue to help shed some more light on the actually makings of how “it” really works in our state.

Today, I wanted to get you closer to what all the talk has been about. When you look at the map above, notice that “ANWR” and the “ANWR Coastal Plain” are two different areas.

Most people hear ANWR and think of the larger part of the picture above but, today, let’s “drill down” and focus on the Coastal Plain portion of that map (it’s in green above).

When you’ve found that, “drill deeper” and notice the red dot (3.13 square miles). Can you see it?

Please keep this red dot in mind when I come back later to share more.

ANWR: Artic National Wildlife Refuge

In the next few days, I’ll put in words what I (and many others) have known for some time now.

SOMETHING must be done, not only to reduce our energy dependence in the world; but also to help Americans out at the fuel pump.

SOMETHING should have been done years ago.

Today I share the photo above and ask you to notice the yellow spot on the map. It’s small, but you should be able to find it. You’ll have to look closely though.

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

While the General Election is still months away, we have already seen much change as a result of the statewide primary races last month.

In total, 9 incumbents (House and Senate) were voted out by their own party. That may not sound like a lot to you, but in politics that’s a big feat. (Trust me. I know first hand how tough it is to beat an incumbent).

When you add that figure to what could happen in “swing districts” in November and include the handful of retirements already, about 20% of the General Assembly could be new faces when we return in January.

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you’ve seen my posts already about this subject and how I am looking forward to continuing to bring positive change to our state. If new folks are willing, great! We’ll work together. If “veteran legislators” are not, voters will let them know their feelings at the ballot box.

I would like to point out something that many of you may not know. For the first time since Reconstruction, an African-American Republican Legislator will be serving in Columbia! Representative Elect Tim Scott (R – Berkeley/Charleston) and I have talked a few times and traded emails and it appears we are like-minded on several issues for our state. I am looking forward to working with him!

YOUR MONEY

Richland County is considering a 1% sales tax increase to help fund roads, bike paths, and public transportation. We already had a public input session in our community and there will be another one countywide on July 15th. For more information, contact our County Councilmember, Bill Malinowski .

Richland County is also considering a bond for the Recreation Commission. The cost appears to exceed $50,000,000.

Lastly, Richland County recently increased the cost of garbage collection due to rising fuel costs.

For the record, I represent Richland and Lexington Counties but most of the “dollars and sense” news this month comes from the Richland side of the river.

COMMUNITY

There will be a meeting tonight at Friarsgate Park with law enforcement, elected officials, the Irmo Little League, and parents/neighbors in the area to talk about recent events at the park and the need for safety awareness. If you live in the area or have children who play sports at the park, please attend. The meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. [Read more...]

I first met Bill over 15 years ago when we both were in the South Carolina National Bank Management Trainee Program. He had just graduated from the Citadel and I had graduated from USC. I knew then that Bill was very talented and was going to “go places”.

What I didn’t know was that we would stay in touch and eventually live just miles apart here in Irmo.
I also didn’t know I would be fortunate enough to have him help me become your State Representative four years ago as well as help us pass Ryan’s Law (Insurance Coverage for Autistic children).

Recently Bill started blogging and I encourage you to visit his site, Stewardship Journal. .

Bill McAfee is President and Chief Investment Officer for WHM Capital Advisors . He is a Certified Financial Planner™, and an Accredited Valuation Analyst with expertise in business valuation, succession planning strategies, portfolio management, and quantitative analysis. Bill has been published in professional journals on topics including business investment strategies and business valuation issues, and has been a featured guest on radio and television programs.

Bill began his financial career in commercial banking and held the position of Vice President at Bank of America Private Bank, managing accounts for high-net-worth individuals, trusts and foundations. In 1999, he was named Senior Vice President at First National Corporation, where he chaired the Trust and Investment Committee and designed portfolio strategies for the Asset Management Group. His portfolio strategies have consistently outperformed risk/return measures in both up and down markets.

Bill works with business owners to determine their overall financial strategy, how business ownership correlates with their financial plan, and how to preserve their wealth through coordinated investment and business planning strategies. Bill is also the developer of A.Q.U.A.®, a patent pending analysis tool for determining risk in the closely held business and its effect on the portfolio decisions of the owner.

Bill is a graduate of The Citadel, in Charleston, South Carolina where he was a Battalion Executive Officer and Distinguished Naval Student and is an honor graduate of United States Marine Corps Officer Candidate School. He also served for 5 years on the adjunct faculty at the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina. Bill and his wife, Teresa, live in Irmo, South Carolina with their three children.

(Note: If you want to read political articles from throughout the state (everyday), you should visit SCHotline.com where I found the article that led to this post tonight)

Maybe I’m just too naive to “get it” but I still can’t figure out why articles like this always come around when incumbents lose.

Is the counter-argument to this position that SC Citizens should “keep electing the same folks” so that those veterans can “yield power” (supposedly gained because of years in office)? Do those citizens think that this “power” will somehow help their individual position in life? Help move our state forward?

Remember while only those 30,000 citizens in our districts can vote for us, we are supposed to be representatives of the ENTIRE STATE of South Carolina and should be putting the interests of the whole ahead of the parts.

One could argue that often sending the same folks backs can lead to the status-quo mentality that seems to be holding our state back.

Yes, everyone in Columbia has noted that alot of “power” seems to be in Charleston and, yes, the coast does seem to get a share of your tax dollars more often than not; but I just don’t see the logic in saying certain areas “lost” because of who they elected.

What if an area gained a Republican to replace a Democrat as their representative? Would that mean they “gained power” because there are more Republicans in the General Assembly?

What about next year when we Republicans will have a new majority leader (and currently no one from Charleston is a candidate)? How about our new Assitant Majority Leader next year ( Greenville Representative Bruce Bannister is one of two members running)?

Many would argue some of the folks “in power” could be doing more harm to the state than good…just as easily as some would argue “their guy brings home the bacon” (if that’s what’s important to them).

This is not meant to be a knock on the writer (heck, I spent 15 years in the Greenville area) but I just see things are more of “half full” in terms of new-blood in office. Yes, I’ll miss some of those folks who I consider friends during my four short years in office; but most of us will welcome the new members and we realize they were elected for a reason. For many of these new officials, it could be the same reason some of us were elected.

Could there be truth to the old saying “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.” or did that article in The Greenville News have it right?

UPDATE: Seems others share my opinion as I just learned The Other Brooks Brother (and their Sister Too) posted about this today too.

(Hat tip to fellow blogger, Earl Capps, who writes The Blogland of Earl Capps , for passing this information along to me to share)

While technically not in “House District 71″, it’s still a part of our local community and a route used by many in the area. I wanted to keep everyone abreast.

Traffic shift on Piney Grove Road (7/7/08)

During the next two weeks, when work progress permits, traffic on Piney Grove Road will be shifted onto the temporary bridge structure. This will allow work to begin on the new permanent bridge.

Please be alert for the new traffic pattern, as well as slowed traffic in this area while other motorists get used to the new roadway pattern.

Piney Grove Road will remain open to traffic throughout this work. If you have any questions, please contact me via email or phone. Information will also be posted on www.PineyGroveRoad.com as it becomes available.

Earl Capps, U.S. Group, Inc.
——————————————
705 Trolley Road, Suite 1-G Summerville SC 29485
(843) 832-7268 Fax: 832-7270 Cell: 532-8439
We’re now on the web: www.USGroupInc.com

Ok, so I finally gave in.

Even though I’ve already been recognized as “Green Approved” because of my voting record, today I finally decided to “do my part” at home and save some money and maybe in turn, help the environment. (Ok, so it was more my wife’s idea than mine.)

As you know, I’m tight with money so the thought of saving a few dollars got my attention more so than “offsetting my carbon footprint”. Sadly, when I say a FEW dollars – it appears just that. Per the double-asterisks on the box I bought today at Lowe’s, I should save $37.00 over the LIFE of the bulb compared to using a 60 watt “standard” bulb. Since these bulbs are supposed to last SEVEN YEARS, that’s MAYBE ONLY $5 a year in savings or roughly only 40 cents a month. Still, better than nothing, I guess. Of course, then you look at the difference on the cost of this CFL bulb v. how many “normal” bulbs I would buy over 7 years…who knows? And then, I learn there’s mercury in these bulbs! So I’m thinking….am I really doing any good here – environmentally or economically? But I digress…

“The feeling” hit me awhile back when a young lady spoke at the Ballentine Dutch Fork Civic Association but it soon passed before I took any action.

I’ve also had the “Do the Light Switch” box sitting in the garage for a few months (thanks, Mid Carolina Electric Cooperative ) but not until today at Lowe’s did I finally really make some changes.

Sure, we had changed ONE light bulb in my son’s closet to this “new” CFL bulb (compact fluorescent, I’ve come to learn) about two months ago but today, when my wife bought us a new light fixture above our kitchen table, we decided to use all CFLs in it – and in the rest of the kitchen too.

Yes, I know. Al Gore probably isn’t doing cartwheels about this small change but I’m at least making an effort.

What about you? Anyone made changes?