South Carolina Atty. Gen. Henry McMaster

SC AG JOINS WITH FLORIDA COLLEAGUE, WILL FIGHT SWEEPING LEGISLATION

The federal government can expect an immediate lawsuit from South Carolina’s attorney general if the U.S. House approves sweeping health care reform legislation, as they are expected to do on Sunday.

Henry McMaster said he and Florida Atty. Gen. Bill McCollum will file suit if House Democrats sign off on the Senate-approved legislation because it requires all Americans to have health insurance.

“We are ready to kill it,” McMaster said on Friday. “When the national government and Congress start going wild, it’s up the states to rein them in.”

The bill is vehemently opposed by Republicans because, as Sens. Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint wrote on Friday, it “raises costs, lowers the quality of care in our country, shifts a new unfunded mandate onto the states, and will result in health care rationing.”

The legislation is so unpopular that House Democrats led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi will likely have to simultaneously approve the previously-passed Senate bill while voting on a package of changes to it, thus “deeming” the Senate bill to be passed without holding a vote because it doesn’t have enough support to pass.

McMaster and McCollum likely won’t be the only attorneys general on the lawsuit. The two men held a conference call with colleagues on Thursday and said they expect others to sign onto the lawsuit next week.

“It’s essentially a direct tax on the people for which there is no authority,” McMaster said. “It’s the national government requiring a citizen to buy something that he may or may not want to buy. There’s no authority in the Constitution that allows the Congress to do that.”

McMaster began his fight to stop the health care bill when Democrats added the “Cornhusker Kickback” — a backroom, sweetheart deal between Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson and his Democrat bosses to give his state a financial advantage (to the detriment of all other taxpayers) in return for his crucial 60th vote to pass the health care bill.

Nelson and Democrats dropped the deal from the bill after McMaster led 14 of his colleagues in threatening a lawsuit, promoting Nelson to call McMaster and plead that he “call off the dogs.”

A new viral video from “Blood of TigerCat” lays out the dangers of Moms joining Facebook

VIRAL VIDEO LAYS OUT DANGERS OF MJFD

It is a growing epidemic that has jeopardized many young adults in the prime of their social networking lives: Their mom is now on Facebook.

Fortunately, the amateur band “Blood of TigerCat” has created a hair metal anthem called “My Mom’s on Facebook” to warn youths of the danger this unavoidable situation poses to their lives.

And it has obviously struck a chord. Within three days of being posted, the video has over 340,000 views.

It’s not hard to see why. The catchy lyrics — “my wall is not for email mom, you’ll never get it right” — lay out perfectly the concerns of millions of Americans who have been diagnosed with MJFD, or “Mom Joined Facebook Disease.”

Unfortunately, there is no known cure for MJFD, but the above video should offer at least a little treatment. Until you get an email notifying you that your mom has invited you to join the “Will and Grace” fan page.

Gov. Mark Sanford looks on as President Barack Obama delivers remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Feb. 4, 2010 (Reuters Pictures)

GOVERNOR PLEADS NO CONTEST TO 37 ETHICS CHARGES INCLUDING TRIP TO ARGENTINA

Gov. Mark Sanford on Thursday settled his drawn-out legal battle with the South Carolina Ethics Commission over 37 charges that he violated state law.

Sanford signed a consent order that allows him to plead no contest to the charges — which include a taxpayer-funded trip to be with his mistress in Argentina — in exchange for paying a $74,000 fine.

“I have both tried to apologize and take full responsibility for my personal failing, as I know I let so many down in all that unfolded since this past summer,” Sanford said in a statement. “That said, I think it’s important at this point to distinguish between a personal failure and the use of tax dollars.”

The Ethics Commission said Sanford could pay the fines out of the $1.4 million remaining in his campaign account. The governor’s office did not comment on whether he will use campaign funds to pay the fine.

All total, the dozens of ethics charges have cost Sanford more than a quarter of a million dollars, including the $213,000 he racked up in legal fees.

But it could have been worse for the disgraced governor. The ethics charges almost got him impeached, but a few friendly votes in the State House spared him that fate.

Here is the rest of Sanford’s statement about today’s consent order:

“In signing this Consent Order, it is my belief that it confirms my long maintained position that the costs of my actions never extended to the taxpayer. When it comes to watching out for the taxpayer I, and by extension my administration, did nothing wrong and have always tried to go the extra mile in being good stewards of taxpayer funds. For this reason, I continue to maintain my belief in the innocence of my actions being judged by the Ethics Commission. It is worth noting that the “probable cause” determination used by the Ethics Commission considers whether or not there is a case to be looked at, not guilt or innocence. On the one time thus far that my full arguments and defenses were considered (by the House Impeachment Committee), 32 of the 37 Ethics Commission findings were dismissed.

“Two, it is disturbing that the Ethics Commission has chosen to judge me by a different standard than any governor over the last 30 years. For example, under the case of business class tickets, which represent half of all questions raised by the Ethics Commission, I’m also being judged by a different standard than that applied to members of the House, Senate, Cabinet and Commerce staff. I think it would be more than fair to disallow the use of business class tickets by any of the above mentioned groups going forward if leaders in Columbia were so inclined. But to do what the Ethics Commission is doing in this instance and to charge that what was accepted for 30 years is now an ethics breach means not only looking the other way on 30 years of practice, but allowing an unelected board to make retroactive change – and hold others accountable for it. I believe this sets exceedingly bad precedent going forward.

“Three, it’s time to move on. While I believe I would be vindicated on all these matters if there were ever a full airing, the people of South Carolina have moved on from all that unfolded last summer and this administration has moved on as well. We have been a good steward of taxpayer resources – using the state plane a full one-third to one-half less than any of my predecessors, spending 63% less on this administration’s travel budget versus that of my predecessor, selling off the state’s fractional interest in the Hawker jet and thereby saving taxpayers more than $1.5 million, and more – but the legal steps necessary to prove all this would subject the people of South Carolina to more of what at times has seemed an endless media circus. I don’t believe continuing this is in the best interest of the state, my boys, the ideas I believe in – or those who support those ideas, and for these reasons, I have signed the Consent Order.

“Finally, and despite my obvious reservations on their findings, I recognize the Ethics Commission’s work and efforts in dealing with what my actions brought to them. As well, I would once again thank so many from across the state for the ways in which they have offered grace, forgiveness and wisdom.”

A news package on the French documentary “The Game of Death”

DOCUMENTARY FORCES PARTICIPANTS TO SHOCK CONTESTANTS TO DEATH ON FAKE GAME SHOW

A lot of people say they will “kill” for celebrity, but a French documentary recently put that notion to the test with a social science experiment similar to the Stanley Milgram tests of the 1970s.

The documentary, called “The Game of Death,” aired Wednesday night on French television. It featured 80 participants who thought they were taking part in a new French reality TV series called “Zone Xtreme.”

From SlashFilm.com:

In the fake show, fake “contestants” played by actors were forced to answer questions. If they answered incorrectly, one of the participants would be asked to give the contestant an electric shock. No shocks were actually administered; the actor contestants pretended to get electrocuted.

Egged on by the beautiful TV hostess and an apparently bloodthirsty studio audience shouting “Punishment!,” only 16 of the 80 participants stopped before reaching the final, lethal 460 volt shock. People apparently kept up the shocks even when the contestant appeared to be dead or unresponsive.

I would like to think that this is just an example of how crazy French people are. But I’m hesitant to think that most Americans would act differently.

So, sadly, this probably isn’t an environmental condition but rather predisposed human nature. Pardon the pun, but that’s not exactly “shocking.”

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks on FOX News, March 17, 2010 (FOX News Channel)

GRAHAM: DEMS MUST BE DRUNK TO VOTE FOR THIS BILL

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham stirred the Democratic hornets nest on by suggesting that anyone who voted for the massive trillion-dollar health care bill must be drunk.

“Nancy Pelosi, I think, has got them all liquored up on sake and you know, they’re making a suicide run here,” Graham told WVOC radio host Keven Cohen Show on Monday.

Graham was referring to the fact that Pelosi and President Barack Obama had agreed to move forward with a plan to pass the health care bill without actually holding a vote.

The Pelosi plan would push through the sweeping legislation by using a tactic called a “self-executing rule” — which allows the House to simultaneously approve the previously-passed Senate bill while voting on a package of changes to it, thus deeming the Senate bill to be passed without compelling members to vote for it directly.

Graham’s comment immediately drew fire from Japanese American Congressman Mike Honda (D-Calif.), who said the remark was “racially tinged rhetoric” and was “not helpful.”

The senator fired back on Wednesday, telling FOX News that “my comments really reflect the fanaticism of the Democratic leadership and I don’t know whether it’s sake or moonshine, but no sober person would do this.”

Graham called on Honda to “stop this process for all Americans — Japanese Americans included do not need to lose their choice of health care, we don’t need more government when it comes to health care, and the last thing we need to do is cut Medicare by $500 million and raise taxes by $500 million.”

The House could pass the Senate health care bill as soon as this weekend before sending it to Obama to sign into law.

The Water Bobble sits on my desk in front of my MacBook loaded to the Water Bobble website (TPS)

TPS TESTS OUT WATER-PURIFYING BOTTLE

After more than three weeks of waiting, I arrived home last Friday to finally find that my much-anticipated Water Bobble had been delivered.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Water Bobble, it’s only one of the greatest inventions of all time. No joke… it could literally change the way we drink water.

Basically, the Water Bobble is a sleek, 18.5 oz. plastic bottle that contains a patented purification filter. All you have to do is unscrew the top, hold the bottle under the tap, then replace the top once it’s full, and you have fully-purified water anytime, anywhere.

And it only costs $10. That means no more expensive “bargain” packs of bottled water. And it means you’ll be drinking more water and less garbage.

I’ve had a few days now to use the Bobble, and it really is amazing. I take the thing everywhere with me. And since I swore off all other beverages, it makes it much cheaper and easier to have quality water whenever and wherever I want.

The only downside is that the damn thing took forever to get. When I grew impatient after a few weeks, I tried to find a local store that carried them (they were supposed to be at retail stores like Bed Bath & Beyond, JC Penney, and Whole Foods on March 1) but had no luck.

Still, it’s well worth the wait. To order one for yourself, head on over to WaterBobble.com.

The South Carolina Statehouse in Columbia (TPS)

SPENDING PLAN INCLUDES CIGARETTE TAX INCREASE, ABORTION BAN, GOLF FUNDING

After a 23 hour marathon session that included seemingly-endless discussions over taxpayer-funded abortion, the cigarette tax and a golf tournament, the South Carolina State House on Thursday approved a $5 billion budget for the coming year.

The House spending plan was sent to the Senate after a vote of 64-52 and a final vote minutes later that ended the first all-night session in more than 10 years.

The appropriations bill includes a ban on abortions for anyone covered by the state insurance plan unless it is an “incidental” effect of a doctor trying to save the lives of both mother and the baby. Last year, when anyone citing rape, incest or a risk of death for the mother could terminate a pregnancy, only six people received a state-paid abortion.

This year’s budget also raises to state’s lowest-in-the-nation cigarette tax to 37 cents and includes furloughs and layoffs to save money. And lawmakers were able to find a way to offset millions in cuts to programs for the disabled by allocating a chunk of expected federal Medicaid assistance.

But the most controversial budget item was a $10 million loan to the state’s only PGA golf tournament. Lawmakers approved an amendment that would lend the money to the Heritage tournament in Hilton Head if it can’t find a new sponsor.

Supporters of the tournament argue that it brings in $87 million annually and the state cannot afford to lose that. Opponents say it is not the government’s responsibility to fund golf tournaments.

The entire budget now heads to the Senate where it faces similar, albeit likely not as heated, debates. If passed, it will go to Gov. Mark Sanford who may or may not veto it. That fight could be equally as interesting as the all-nighter.

Gov. Mark Sanford’s “Big Government Basketball” March Madness bracket

GOVERNOR URGES ‘FULL COURT PRESS’ TO STOP HEALTH CARE BILL

While much of America (including yours truly) is going through the process of filling out their brackets for the NCAA basketball tournament, Gov. Mark Sanford was filling out a different bracket.

On Wednesday, the South Carolina governor released his bracket for “Big Government Basketball” — a clever way to hammer home the point that “big government encroachment” has dominated the American taxpayer on the metaphorical basketball court of public policy.

Sanford’s bracket pitted big government against taxpayers in four divisions: Stimulus, Auto Bailout, Bank Bailout and Health Care. Big Government obviously swept the first three, with Health Care to be determined in the next few days.

“While the winners and losers in the Big Dance will be decided on the basketball court over the coming weeks, taxpayers in South Carolina and across this country have already lost repeatedly when faced with an ever encroaching government,” said Sanford. “Starting with the banks and mortgage giants more than a year and a half ago, and continuing on through automobile companies and then the states themselves, Washington, D.C. has again and again liberally used taxpayer dollars to bail out companies and states from what in many cases was their own overspending.

“Now, going one step further, big government is claiming home court advantage in the traditionally free-market realm of personal health care and quality of life.”

House Democrats, under pressure from President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, are working overtime to ram through a sweeping overhaul of the U.S. health care industry. The bill was passed by the Senate last year but doesn’t have enough support in the House, so Democrats plan to pass it without a vote.

“Many view the current bill being debated as Congress’s version of March Madness, and we believe it represents a trillion dollar mistake both financially and medically,” Sanford said. “For South Carolina, it would expand our state’s Medicaid rolls by nearly half a million people and cost the state at minimum an additional $687 million over the next decade.

“For that reason, I’d once again urge all taxpayers to put on a full court press against this unwieldy and unwise healthcare legislation, as there is still time to make our collective voices heard.”

President Barack Obama speaks with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, March 17, 2010 (Reuters Pictures)

NRCC ASKS, ‘WHAT WOULD ROB MILLER DO?’

As the debate over socialized health care comes to a head in Washington, one of the largest special interest groups in the country is launching a campaign to intimidate Democrats into backing one of the most sweeping pieces of domestic legislation in U.S. history.

Roll Call reports that MoveOn.org, a nonprofit liberal activist group, has “trained its fire” on Democrats in an effort to force them into backing the massive Congressional health care bill.

The group sent an e-mail to its members threatening to find and fund primary opponents for any member who votes against the bill. They also threatened to launch a heavily-financed national cable TV ad campaign targeting Democrats who don’t back the legislation.

“Our members worked extremely hard to help get a Democratic majority elected,” said Ilyse Hogue, MoveOn.org’s director of political advocacy and communications. “Not to just get elected, but to pass legislation.”

The already controversial health care proposal, which passed the Senate last year, became more hotly contested this week when House Democrats — lacking enough support to approve the bill — announced a plan to pass the legislation without a vote.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would push through President Obama’s health care bill by using a tactic called a “self-executing rule” — which allows the House to simultaneously approve the Senate bill while voting on a package of changes to it, thus deeming the Senate bill to be passed without compelling members to vote for it directly.

It’s tricky and could have a great deal of difficulty withstanding a legal challenge.

On the political side of the coin, voting for the health care bill could prove deadly for House members. And MoveOn.org’s involvement could prove deadly for at least one would-be House member.

“What would MoveOn.org-supported candidate Rob Miller do if he were in Congress?” asked National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Andy Seré in an email on Wednesday. “Would Miller simply say ‘No Comment’ as he has done when asked what his position is on the health care takeover?”

Seré noted that MoveOn.org and ActBlue funneled more than a million dollars into Miller’s campaign in 2009.

Of course, Miller, who is running as a Democrat against Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, has shown that he has difficulty when pinned down and forced to actually answer a question. Like when he told a group of Beaufort County Democrats last week that he was against the “Stupak Amendment” to ban taxpayer-funded abortions in any health care bill, but later told reporters he couldn’t comment on the legislation.

“Has Miller told MoveOn.org ‘off the record’ that he would vote for a government takeover, while keeping quiet in public?” Seré continued. “He has done that before – said one thing to liberals and another to the general public.”

Regardless, it’s clear that Miller’s connection to MoveOn.org will not be helpful in the conservative 2nd District, where the majority of voters overwhelmingly disapprove of the Congressional health care bill.

Ex-NFL coach Tony Dungy speaks to inmates at the Broad River Road Correctional complex in Columbia, March 16, 2010 (AP Photo)

SUPER BOWL WINNING COACH OFFERS PRISONERS MESSAGE OF HOPE

Super Bowl winning NFL coach Tony Dungy was in South Carolina on Tuesday, but his visit had little to do with football.

Instead, Dungy’s trip to the Palmetto State brought him to the Department of Corrections’ Broad River Road Correctional complex in Columbia, where he spoke to more than 1,700 prisoners to offer a message of hope.

“Make positive where the world see’s negative,” Dungy told the inmates after being introduced by Gov. Mark Sanford.

Dungy spoke to three groups at the facility, including minimum and maximum security prisoners. Dungy said he began the prison trips after visiting an inmate in Florida that he had ministered to nearly 10 years ago.

“That,” Dungy said, “was a bigger thrill for me than winning the Super Bowl.”

Dungy led the Indianapolis Colts to the Lombardi Trophy in 2007, becoming the first black coach to win the NFL’s top prize. He retired after the following season to spend more time with his family.

And his retirement means more time to mentor inmates about making positive choices.

“It really doesn’t matter about your past,” Dungy said. “It’s about your future and what you’re going to do.”

While in Columbia, Dungy also spoke with students at Columbia International University and to the University of South Carolina football team.