Clay and Heather Barnhart (both teachers in District Five) are in the “Search for the Epic Star” semifinals.

From WACH-FOX:

While big name acts like Blue Man group are already booked to perform on the Norwegian Epic, the cruise line is looking for additional talent to star in the Epic’s inaugural celebration.

Dancers and directors of Capital City Cloggers , Clay and Heather Barnhart hope to stomp the competition in the “Search for the Epic Star” contest.

“All you could do was submit a video and your name,” says Clay. “You couldn’t send anything else, so it was a pretty easy submission.”

And the Barnhart’s one minute clip landed them a spot in the semifinals.

“We were shocked but excited,” said Heather.

If they win, the couple will perform during 4th of July weekend in New York City as part of the cruise ship’s inaugural celebration. In addition, the winner receives a seven-day cruise on the vessel.

For the Barnharts to move on in the “Search for the Epic Star” contest, they need help from the public. The contestants will be narrowed down to three by how people vote for them online. From there, the judges will determine the winner.

Both Clay and Heather have been clogging since they were children, and now married, the dancing duo teaches others how to clog at their studio in West Columbia.

“It’s very challenging at times,” says Heather. “We have grown as a couple through dance and we have definitely found our boundaries with each other.”

Online voting begins Tuesday and runs through June 11th . A winner will be announced on June 18th.

Until then, the Barnharts will continue practicing in hopes their fast feet will carry them all the way to NYC.

Maybe I’m getting a little “high brow” throwing out Latin to you but that’s the term used for the end of each legislative session.

Among a flurry of actions today, the House unanimously passed the “Sine Die Resolution” which states our last day this sesion will be June 3rd. We have set aside 3 days after that (June 15-17) for any pressing matters (Governor Vetos, etc). After that, the 2nd regular session of the 118th General Assembly will be complete.

What was the flurry?

It started with more than one hour of confusion that ultimately led to the election of 3 new members of the newly created Department of Education & Workforce Appellate Panel. The votes were VERY CLOSE…and somehow we voted two times because it was believed that members had voted for more than 3 the first time around. We later learned that apparently no one did vote more than 3 times and so the 2nd set of votes were thrown out. The second set of votes had a different outcome and would have changed the makeup of the panel; but the first vote (which counted) is what stood and so four votes separated four people. 114 was the magic number to earn a spot.

Top three were elected: Tim Dangerfield 116, Steve Kelly Jr. 115, Evelyn Belicia Ayers 114, Kristina Jones Catoe (a member of our community) had 113.

Later in the day, we spent a fair amount of time removing the fees the Senate had placed in the budget. How’d we do that? More cuts.

As expected, it appears the votes may ultimately be there to pass a budget this year in the next few weeks. The issues I had shared with you earlier are being addressed and that will lead to a way to garner enough votes to pass a budget before we leave.

Keep an eye over the next few weeks…it’s gonna be an interesting time as bills will fly back/forth between the chamber with amendments that folks may read and may not even have time to read.

Kelly Payne for State Superintendent of Education
Press Release
For Immediate Release Contact: Kelly Payne
May 12, 2010 803.767.0875

Kelly Payne and the “It Kids” recognized by the SC State House

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Today the South Carolina House of Representatives recognized Kelly Payne and a number of her students for their commitment to civic involvement and their desire to gain a greater understanding of how our state government operates.

Kelly Payne is a history teacher at Dutch Fork High School and recently founded a student group called the “It Kids.” Students in this unique group are motivated and committed to community service and civic action. Through their involvement, students have become active in the political process. They have received lectures from the Governor, Speaker of the House , Attorney General , Legislators on both sides of the political aisle, and other community leaders .

SC State Representative Nathan Ballentine spoke on the House floor and was joined by a number of state leaders in their recognition of the “It Kids” including: House Majority Leader Kenny Bingham , House Minority Leader Harry Ott , Representative Nikki Haley , Representative Bakari Sellers , Representative Richard Chalk , House Speaker Bobby Harrell, House Minority Leader Gilda Cobb-Hunter, Representative James Smith , Representative Chip Huggins and Representative Anton Gunn.

Rep. Ballentine mentioned “I am here today with representatives from all over the state and from both sides of the aisle to welcome the “It Kids” from Dutch Fork High School. These students are taking their efforts from the classroom to the State House. I, along with many others standing up here with me, visited the “It Kids” and participated in their classroom discussions. We were not asked softball questions because these students wanted to ask the tough questions regarding taxes, transparency, and education. Their enthusiasm and dedication to learning about civic involvement and the political process is something we are very proud to recognize here today.”

Following Rep. Ballentine’s remarks the “It Kids” received a standing ovation from the Legislature. Sarah Shealy, an 11th grade student at Dutch Fork High School and an active member of the “It Kids” described her experience by saying “It is what Miss Payne said it would be. It gave me a better understanding of what the Legislators do. This was a very good experience and I would like to do it again.”

When asked about her students’ accomplishments Kelly Payne said, “I am so very proud of my students for their hard work and willingness to get involved in the political process. By extending the classroom and creating learning without boundaries, my students are learning how to think and not what to think. By giving them first-hand, real life experiences, they are better prepared to make more informed decisions that can lead to greater civic involvement.”

The “It Kids” completed their time at the State House with a tour of the Governor’s Office.

Believe it or not, I have folks who often ask me “Do y’all (Legislature/Governor) ever talk to each other?” and they ask “How is that done?”. Well, honestly, most folks inside and outside Columbia know the communication (or lack of) between both groups so I won’t rehash or point out who’s to blame (more).

I’ve been in several small-group settings with the Governor in the past few years and he’s actually visited the House Republican Caucus a few times. But in general, there’s not as much communication as one would hope between the Executive Branch and Legislative Branch in our state.

Tonight, I just wanted to share the letter we all received today that outlines the Governor’s views on the proposed House and Senate budgets and signals his possible vetos that are sure to come.

Also: this past weekend, I wrote about some “deal breakers” that, if not worked out in conference, may leave our state without a new budget for next year.

***

May 3, 2010

The Honorable Hugh K. Leatherman, Sr.
Chairman, Senate Finance Committee
111 Gressette Building

The Honorable Daniel T. Cooper
Chairman, House Ways and Means Committee
525 Blatt Building

Dear Chairman Leatherman and Chairman Cooper,

As the House of Representatives and the Senate prepare to meet in conference committee to
reach an agreement on the Appropriations Act for FY 2010-11, I wanted to take an opportunity
to offer our administration’s position on a few of the proposals we would like to see changed. I
offer our point of view knowing how difficult this budget year is, having prepared our Executive
Budget only a few months ago. We are currently facing tremendous challenges, but we all know
that we will confront even greater challenges next year when the FY 2011-12 budget is crafted.
I’d respectfully make four points that I would ask you to consider as you put together the
conference report:

First, we believe the proposal to, once again, rely on so-called “Maybank Money” to balance the
budget is ill-advised. Last year, the General Assembly relied on $48 million from an “Increased
Enforcement Collections” proviso to balance the budget. Fortunately for agencies, but
unfortunately for taxpayers, the Department of Revenue (DOR) was able to collect this money
and none of the agencies that received appropriations through this proviso have gone without
funding. However, this year the General Assembly is asking DOR to collect $100 million under
a similar proviso. Many agencies that provide core functions of state government, such as the
Department of Corrections, PPP, Prosecutors, the Department of Juvenile Justice, and the
Department of Commerce will rely on these funds to operate in FY 2011-12. We find this
proviso troubling for two reasons. First, it is obviously unwise to plan on funding core
government functions with money that we don’t actually have. Second, we have seen no
evidence to suggest that DOR will be able to collect the same amount of money it did last yearlet
alone almost double that amount. As we have mentioned in the past, hope is not a method.
We believe sound budgetary practices should rely on more than hope, and we ask that you
reconsider this proviso.

Next, we would ask that you remove the proposals to raise roughly $45 million in new fees from
the budget. We view these fee increases as backdoor tax increases and believe that raising taxes to cover budget shortfalls is not good policy. Given this year’s budget outlook, shouldn’t we
instead conserve our limited state funds and allocate general fund revenue to only the most
important functions of government? This is particularly true given the $1 billion hole in which
the state will find itself next year. Otherwise, the easy answer next year will once again be to
raise taxes to cover the shortfall. Nonetheless, the Senate’s version of the budget allocates state
funds to programs as it has in the past, and makes up for the funding shortfall for core
government services by imposing significant fees on taxpayers. I don’t believe economic
opportunity will be increased for the people of our state by raising state government’s weight and
cost. [Read more...]

I often get asked by folks “Nathan, why is Rod Shealy your guy?” As if Rod is someone I shouldn’t associate with.

The question comes mainly from those that have been in campaign races against him. I get it. Sure, the guy can get dirty with the best of them but the guy is really a good guy at heart.

Years ago, I was fortunate to run across him and asked for his assistance. You can imagine when I ran against a 16-year incumbent who happened to the current House Majority Leader, NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE, would touch my race. Sure, several folks were rooting for us for various reasons but Rod Shealy was the only consultant who would help.

Those that know me know that I can be loyal to a fault. And with Rod, that may be the case. He’s stood beside me and I stand beside him.

Yes, he’s the “bad boy” of state politics but he was there for me when no one else would be. He was there…cutting yard-sign metal, in the heat of summer, with an electric saw…sparks flying. I have several memories of my first race but that is one that stands out. The guy cares and if he’s your guy, he’ll do everything he can for you.

Sure I was leery of “negative tactics” and, as I’ve said earlier, SC political consultants can make an Eagle Scout look like a crack-addict ; but Rod stayed in-the-lines. When he called me early one morning to tell me he had a mail-piece ready to go out (with about 14 points of “interest” about my opponent), I cut it back to four that kept things in-bounds. Rod stayed true to his word that I would have final say over the mail pieces. The next day, that mail-piece went out with my consent…with none of the usual political crap that races often throw out.

Is he perfect? No. Are any of us? No.

Has he done some things he might regret? Maybe. Haven’t we all?

I share all this to pass along a piece he wrote last week that you can read on his blog, Doing the First. In it, you can find the side of the guy that I know. That many others know as well, but not as many that should.

He’d probably shoot me for sharing this because it might “tarnish” his “bad-boy” image but I wanted everyone to see the other-side to arguably one of the sharpest minds in SC politics.

From his blog last week:

In my prayers, incidentally, I always address that exact point: I simply ask Jesus to use me as is His will. If that means going to Heaven sooner rather than later, then that’s what I’m ready for. After all, it’s not this life that really counts… it’s the next one. I believe. I am saved. And I am ready.

I know it’s tough to “love your enemy” but if you’re taking time to read this, I’d ask you to say a prayer for Rod …and others facing challenges we never hope to tackle.

I’ve never seen the guy in a bad mood and never seem him complain. Two years ago he shared what he’s going through on his blog. To read more, click here . To hear him in his own words and learn more about the guy behind the persona, watch the following videos: One and Two .