SCHotline Press Releases

ANDERSON – United States Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) will visit Anderson at 4PM Thursday November 29.  The candidate for the Republican nomination for President will conduct a “meet and greet” event at the Fuddruckers restaurant located at 100 Destination Boulevard near the Interstate 85 and Highway 76 (Clemson Boulevard) interchange.  This event is free and open to the public.

Congressman Hunter, a Vietnam Veteran, represents California’s 52^nd Congressional District which consists of the eastern and northern portions of San Diego County.  Congressman Hunter currently serves as the ranking Republican member on the House Armed Services Committee.

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Funds are not at risk as in other states around the country

(Columbia, SC…) Given the recent turmoil in the financial markets and national newspaper accounts of activities in other

states (ie Florida), State Treasurer Converse Chellis has issued the following statement:

“I want to assure all public entities and local governments across South Carolina that have funds invested in the State Treasurer’s

‘Local Government Investment Pool’ (LGIP), that the funds are safe. South Carolina’s portfolio does not include, as in some other states, 

Structured Investment Vehicles (SIV) or Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDO’s). Consequently, investments have not been affected by

these securities and we are still achieving a competitive rate of return.”

In a letter sent today to all public entities invested in the State Pool, Treasurer Chellis reassured all investors that the

State Treasurer’s Office maintains a high quality portfolio that offers competitive rates of return, and that our policy is not to take

on an imprudent level of risk in order to achieve a marginally higher rate.

Chellis said, “As an investor of tax dollars, my foremost concern is the return “of” principal, not just return “on” principal.

The State currently has 525 public entities and local governments investing in the LGIP. Total investments in the Pool currently

stand at just under $2 billion dollars.

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Committee Tasked With Reviewing State’s Education Funding Formula(Columbia, SC) - House Speaker Bobby Harrell announced today
appointments to the newly created Education Finance Act (EFA) Study
Committee that is tasked with reviewing how our state funds education.
“It is time for our state to review a funding formula that has not
been looked at in over 30 years to determine if it reflects the goals
and obligations our state has in respect to the education of our
children,” Speaker Harrell said. “To ensure our children are given
the proper tools to succeed, we need to make sure they have a system
that is set up for success.”

Speaker Harrell continued, “I am confident this Committee will work
hard to put forward recommendations that will improve the way we fund
education and will result in a better educational system for all
children in our state.”

The Committee is to thoroughly review our 30-year-old education funding
formula, specifically, the Education Finance Act, Education Improvement
Act and Education Accountability Act. In addition, the Committee is
charged with providing recommendations it deems appropriate to improve
on our current system. Their report is due no later than November 1,
2008.

Members of the EFA Study Committee:

Rep. Jeff Duncan - Chairman (Laurens & Newberry)

Rep. Nathan Ballentine (Lexington & Richland)
Rep. Jim Battle (Marion)
Rep. Richard Chalk (Beaufort)
Rep. Alan Clemmons (Horry)
Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter (Orangeburg)
Rep. Creighton Coleman (Chester & Fairfield)
Rep. Bill Cotty (Kershaw & Richland)
Rep. Ken Kennedy (Williamsburg)
Rep. Jimmy Merrill (Berkeley & Charleston)
Rep. Denny Neilson (Chesterfield & Darlington)
Rep. Fletcher Smith (Greenville)
Rep. Roland Smith (Aiken)
Rep. Bill Whitmire (Oconee)
Rep. Annette Young (Charleston & Dorchester)

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Lynchburg, VA – Former Arkansas Governor and Presidential Candidate Mike Huckabee announced the personal endorsement of Liberty University President Jerry Falwell, Jr. Falwell is the son of the late Jerry Falwell, founder of Liberty University and Falwell Ministries.

“I knew Jerry’s dad for more than 30 years and have admired the long tradition of Liberty University and the legacy for creating ‘Champions for Christ’,” Huckabee said. “Dr. Falwell’s vision of helping students to start with nothing to believe they can change the world is exactly what our campaign is all about.”

Jerry Falwell, Jr. graduated from Liberty University and later obtained his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. He has served as General Counsel of Liberty University, Thomas Road Baptist Church, Liberty Broadcasting Network, and Jerry Falwell Ministries. In 2003, he was named Vice-Chancellor of the University and was later named President of the University.

Liberty University was founded by Dr. Jerry Falwell in 1971 and prides itself as producing graduates with the values, knowledge, and skills required to impact the world. The 4,400-acre campus serves over 20,000 students from across the globe.

This endorsement comes one-day after Huckabee announced the formation of his Faith and Family Values Coalition, a team of 30 faith leaders who will join Huckabee in reaching out to Christian and social conservatives across the country. The team will also assist and advise Huckabee on policy issues that affect families and the faith community.

This is a personal endorsement and does not reflect the organizations Jerry Falwell Jr. represents.

HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE
First Family Dedicates Holiday Open House in Memory of
Former Governor and Mrs. Robert E. McNair
Columbia, S.C. - Wednesday, November 28, 2007- The First Family today announced that they will dedicate this year’s Holiday Open House in memory of Former Governor and Mrs. Robert E. McNair. There will be a special tribute to the McNairs on display in the Mansion. The public is invited to the Holiday Open House from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 29, 2007 at the Governor’s Mansion Complex (800 Richland Street, Columbia, SC).

The four Sanford boys, Mansion docents and Columbia Garden Club hostesses will welcome South Carolinians to the Governor’s Mansion for a special Holiday Open House. The Mansion will again this year be decorated by the Columbia Garden Club. The Lace House will be decorated by the Iris Garden Club of Columbia, The Elloree Garden Club, the In Depth Study Club of Spartanburg, and the Reidville Garden Club. Music during the Holiday Open House will be provided by The Carillon Carolers.

This year’s decorations will include a gingerbread replica of the Governor’s Mansion created by the Mansion’s Executive Chef Mike Deevey. The Sanford boys chose a ’shot gun shell and sea shell’ theme for their Lowcountry tree this year. The tree is from Toogoodoo Christmas Tree Farm in Yonges Island, and the boys decorated it with sea shells and shot gun shells that they found themselves and turned into ornaments.

Both the Mansion and the recently-refurbished Lace House will be open to the public and members of the media at the Holiday Open House. The Holiday Open House will be free of charge and open to the public.

The Mansion gift shop, located in the basement of the Caldwell-Boylston House, will also be open during the tour. A limited quantity of autographed copies of Mischief in the Mansion, A Short History of the SC Governor’s Mansion, written by Marshall, Landon, Bolton and Blake Sanford, will be available for purchase in the gift shop.

The Mansion will be open for tours by appointment on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings through December 13th.- please contact Nancy Bunch at 803-737-1710 for availability.

For more information regarding the open house or the gingerbread house please contact Curry Hagerty at the Governor’s Mansion at 803-737-4772.

Editor’s Note: Those wishing to shoot still photographs and b-roll video of the Mansion Complex in advance of the Open House (to which they are also invited) should come to the Mansion on November 29th between 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Interested press should contact Curry Hagerty in the First Lady’s Office 803-737-4772 to confirm a time.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                          CONTACT: Adam Temple

Monday, November 26, 2007                                                                                                           843.566.2623         

ONE Sabbath highlights how local houses of worship can save lives around the world

Columbia, S.C. – Eleven South Carolina houses of worship and ONE: The Campaign to Make Poverty History joined together, yesterday, to raise awareness about the plight of extreme poverty and the actions people of faith can take to respond to the crisis.

ONE is worked with churches, temples, synagogues and mosques across the country in preparation for the first ONE Sabbath, which will took place this past weekend.  In services and discussions and at events, ONE Sabbath challenges congregations to get involved in the movement to fight extreme poverty, hunger and disease in the poorest parts of the world.  The program not only raises awareness about the issues surrounding extreme poverty, but also gives congregations and individual believers the tools to respond within their own faith traditions and obtain resources from ONE partner organizations.  Congregations can sign-up for ONE Sabbath and key materials at www.ONE.org/faith.  

“People of all faiths share a common calling to help those in need and to take action.  Through ONE Sabbath, local congregations across the country will channel their vast compassion and energy into the movement to combat extreme poverty and global disease,” Mark Brinkmoeller, the national coordinator of ONE Sabbath, explained.

ONE Sabbath facilitates a community-wide moment of reflection on the scourge of global disease and extreme poverty.  Houses of worship discuss such daily tragedies as the 27,000 children under age five who die each day from preventable disease, the 12 million children around the world who have lost a mother or father to diseases like AIDS or malaria, and the one billion people who live on less than a dollar a day.

More than discussing the challenges of extreme poverty, however, ONE Sabbath focuses on the positive actions people of faith can take to respond and the proven, effective solutions that are working on the ground. 

As congregations sign up to be part of ONE, they join more than 2.4 million Americans of all backgrounds who are working to mobilize their communities and encourage their leaders to make the fight against extreme poverty a priority.  ONE also includes over 150 of the nation’s leading relief and humanitarian organizations, many of which are working in Africa and around the world to save lives by doing such things as providing bed nets that stop the spread of malaria, distributing hydration tablets to treat children with diarrhea and administering antiretroviral medication to treat people with HIV/AIDS. The full list of partners can be found at http://www.ONE.org/partners.

South Carolina Houses of Worship involved in ONE Sabbath

Sanctuary, Charleston

Grace Christian Fellowship, Summerville

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Newberry

St. John’s Episcopal Church, Columbia

Main Street United Methodist Church, Greenwood

Circular Congregational Church, Charleston

Salem Missionary Baptist Church, Anderson

Eastminster Presbyterian Church, Simpsonville

Freedom Fellowship, Greer

New Laurel Street, Columbia

Bluff Road AME, Columbia

ONE: THE CAMPAIGN TO MAKE POVERTY HISTORY is an effort by Americans to rally Americans, ONE by ONE, to fight the emergency of extreme poverty and global disease. ONE is a coalition of more than 2.4 million people and more than 150 of the nation’s leading relief, humanitarian and advocacy organizations.

For more information, visit www.ONE.org.

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(Oconee, SC) — Rep. Bill Sandifer wants to hear from his community.To get input on key legislative issues, he is conducting a major constituent survey that covers areas such as education, the economy, taxes, immigration, and the environment.

“With the 2008 legislative session just around the corner in January, we’ll be working on legislation that fights illegal immigration, provides tax cuts for families, reforms education, and expands the economy,” Sandifer says. “I want to listen and understand how my constituents feel about these important issues and others.”

Designed to be an open forum for sharing input and ideas, the survey is comprised of several “multiple choice questions,” along with open ended questions where constituents can give more details about their views. The survey is relatively brief and most people can complete it in five to ten minutes.

“I encourage all Oconee area residents to respond to this survey and I look forward to reading every word they submit,” Sandifer adds. “When I understand where citizens stand on some of the major issues, I can better represent them in Columbia.”

Sandifer’s survey can be accessed online at www.billsandifer.com or to receive a copy in the mail, please call Sandifer’s 24 hour message center at (864) 885-2240.

About Rep. Bill Sandifer

William E. “Bill” Sandifer, III serves as the representative for the South Carolina House of Representatives District 2. Serving the people of Oconee County since 1994, he was part of the historic sweep that brought the first Republican majority to the House since the days of Reconstruction. Rep. Sandifer has earned a reputation of bipartisanship and as an experienced, dedicated conservative who shapes public policy based on strong economic growth, high-quality education, efficient government and strong families. For more information about Rep. Bill Sandifer, visit www.billsandifer.com.

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Today in Bennettsville, South Carolina, Hillary Clinton outlined her plan to cut the dropout rate among minority students in half and help a new generation of Americans pursue their dreams. Clinton would invest more than $1 billion in programs that identify and support at-risk youth, provide early intervention, fund small schools with intensive personalized instruction, and recruit and train excellent teachers and principals in hard-to-serve areas. She would also establish high quality, universal pre-kindergarten to make sure all children are prepared to learn from an early age.

“We know that the education system is not working when close to half of African American and Hispanic students will not receive high school diplomas with their class. Disparities in our education system mean poor and minority children receive an education that is often separate and rarely equal. And the consequences are devastating,” Clinton said.

“I am setting a big goal for this country: to cut the dropout rate for students of color in half within a decade. I’ll address the crisis of untapped potential. I believe we can do it. I reject the fatalism which says we cannot reform our education system. I reject the notion that children dropping out of school are a lost cause – because when I’m president, these children will be my cause.”

When students don’t complete high school, there are negative and long-lasting consequences for them and for society. On virtually all measures, high school dropouts struggle. They earn $35,000 less per year than college graduates – a wage gap that translates into $1 million over the course of a lifetime. They are three times more likely than college graduates to be unemployed and twice as likely as high school graduates to slip into poverty.

As President, Hillary will provide more than $1 billion for intensive, targeted interventions to help minority students attain a high school diploma. Under her plan, Hillary will invest in:

·        Promising Approaches for Reducing the Dropout Rate;

·        Recruiting and Retaining Excellent Teachers and Principals in Low-Income, Hard-to-Serve Areas;

·        Identifying At-Risk Youth Early On and Providing Intensive Interventions to Get Them Back on Track; and

·        Early Childhood Programs to Prepare All Children for School.

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The Crisis of Untapped Potential:  Hillary’s Plan to Cut Dropout Rates

The Challenges

America is going to need the talents of every citizen to meet the challenges of the 21st century.  We don’t have a person to waste.  Sadly, the United States has failed to address in any comprehensive manner the dropout crisis we are experiencing. The phenomenon affects all student groups, but is particularly troubling for African-American and Hispanic students.  Roughly, one half of black and Hispanic young people do not complete high school on time, compared with one-third of their Caucasian peers. High school students living in low-income families drop out of school at six times the rate of their peers from high-income families. Too often, the decision to drop out, made at such an early age, affects students’ ability to pursue their dreams, reach their full potential, become self sufficient, and provide for their families.  

When students don’t complete high school, the consequences for their lives are devastating.  On virtually all measures, high school dropouts struggle. They earn $35,000 less per year than college graduates – a wage gap that translates into $1 million over the course of a lifetime. They are three times more likely than college graduates to be unemployed and twice as likely as high school graduates to slip into poverty. According to the Dept of Labor, 90% of the fastest-growing, high-wage jobs require post-secondary education.  And research shows that the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the 21st century workforce are the same skills and knowledge needed to succeed in post-secondary education.

Society pays the price too.  When a student drops out of school, society suffers from untapped potential.  We may be losing the next John Glenn or Maya Angelou or a great fourth grade teacher.  Instead of contributing to the richness of our country’s talent and culture, high school dropouts are more likely to require long-term government help just to survive.  In fact, forty percent of young people without a high school diploma received some type of government assistance in 2001.  High school dropouts are more than eight times as likely to be in jail or prison compared to someone with a high school diploma.  According to the Gates Foundation, the lifetime cost to the nation for each youth who drops out of school and later moves into a life of crime and drugs ranges from $1.7 million to $2.3 million.  The government would reap $45 billion if the number of high school dropouts were cut in half.  In short, the cost of untapped potential in our society is too great and is unbecoming of a nation made strong and vibrant by its diverse population, economy, and cultural traditions. 

Hillary believes we can and must address this challenge, and today she is proposing a plan to cut the minority dropout rate in half over the next decade.  Under her plan, Hillary will invest in:

·        Promising Approaches for Reducing the Dropout Rate;

·        Recruiting and Retaining Excellent Teachers and Principals in Low-Income, Hard-to-Serve Areas;

·        Identifying At-Risk Youth Early On and Providing Intensive Interventions to Get Them Back on Track; and

·        Early Childhood Programs to Prepare All Children for School.

Hillary’s Plan to Cut the Minority Dropout Rate in Half

As President, Hillary will provide $1 billion for intensive, targeted interventions to help minority students attain a high school diploma.  The interventions she will support include:

Investing in Promising, Innovative Approaches

As President, Hillary will invest in promising approaches that expose young people to different teaching methods, more rigorous coursework and curricula, and innovative strategies that meet students where they are while working to inspire them to greater achievement.  Hillary will provide funding for the following initiatives:   

Early College High Schools – As President, Hillary will support early college high schools, which are small schools designed to give students – especially those who are under-represented in higher education today – the opportunity to earn both a high school diploma and an associate’s degree or up to two years of credit toward a bachelor’s degree. Early college high school creates a smooth transition from high school to college by integrating students’ high school and college experiences. When students complete early college high school, they not only have a diploma but also have enough college credits – or even an associate’s degree – to go to a two- or four-year college or university, making higher education more accessible and affordable. The Early College Program Initiative, a consortium of 13 organizations funded by the Gates Foundation, was started in 2002 and has started or redesigned more than 160 schools in 24 states. Its first classes from its first three schools, over 95 percent of students graduated, 57 percent earned an associate’s degree, and more than four out of five were accepted by a four-year college.  North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley’s “Learn and Earn High Schools,” which gives students an opportunity to attend high school on community college and university campuses to earn both a high school diploma and two years of college transfer credit and/or an associate’s degree in just five years, is another good example of such a program.

Multiple Pathways – As President, Hillary Clinton will support multiple pathways to graduation programs that address the different learning needs of all students by creating different avenues to graduation with the same high standards.  These programs are implemented in conjunction with school districts that have proven to help students graduate from secondary schools and to prepare them for meaningful post-secondary opportunities like “transfer high schools” and “young adult centers.” Transfer high schools are small high schools designed for students who have been enrolled in high school for at least one year but are not on grade level or for students who have dropped out. They provide personalized learning environments, rigorous academic standards, and support to meet instructional and development goals to go to college. In New York, this model has proven to work: students enrolled graduated at an average rate of 56 percent, compared with 19 percent, had they stayed in traditional high schools. These programs enable students to focus only on the credits they need for graduation. Hillary will also support programs that help students pass their General Education Development exam, and that give people opportunities to participate in workshops to develop employment skills, subsidized internships, receive college and career counseling, and get job placement assistance.

One American Graduation Rate – In December 2005, Governors from 50 states committed to adopting a common definition for their high school graduation rates.  This common measure for high school graduation was an important step towards ensuring that we can compare the trends in graduation rates across states and years and consistently and accurately measure our progress towards increasing the graduation rate.  As President, Hillary will support this compact by providing the support and resources needed to ensure states stay true to this commitment.  Over our nation’s history, we know that a fundamental aspect of remedying disparities requires us to document those disparities and promote solutions.  By using a common measure of graduation, we can determine whether our efforts to prevent students from dropping out are working for each and every student population. 

Recruiting and Retaining Outstanding Teachers and Principals in High Need Areas

In a study by the Center on Education Policy, 94 percent of school districts reported that one of the most effective strategies to assist struggling schools is to increase the quality of teacher and principal professional development.  That is why Hillary will provide $500 million for investments in attracting, retaining, and recruiting outstanding teachers and principals.  Too often, schools in low-income communities struggle to attract and retain highly qualified, excellent teachers.  Students in high-minority schools are assigned to novice teachers at twice the rate as students in schools without many minority students.  Classes in high-poverty and high-minority high schools are more likely to be taught by “out-of-field teachers” – those without a major or minor in the subject they teach.  As President, Hillary will invest in initiatives to help recruit and retain great teachers in underserved areas.  She will provide funding to school districts for financial recruitment incentives that help attract experienced teachers who have demonstrated knowledge and skills, such as National Board certification, to serve as coaches and mentors in underserved areas.  High-need schools will be able to use these funds to offer higher salaries for experienced teachers who agree to serve in these roles for at least three years.  Schools will also receive additional funds to provide professional development to support teachers and improve their working conditions.  Hillary will also provide funding to reward teachers and other staff members in schools that make student achievement gains, in programs designed in conjunction with teachers and in keeping with collective bargaining agreements.  One example of a promising approach was a recently negotiated school-wide incentive plan in New York City.

Principal Recruitment, Training and Support – School leaders have a significant impact on student achievement and teacher retention.  More must be done to improve the training and support they receive.  An effective and capable school leader can create the type of school environment conducive to academic success.  Hillary supports plan to recruit and effectively train school leaders by providing on-the-job experience during the licensure process, clinical training, financial incentives, ongoing professional development, and mentors during their first two years on the job.  This initiative will ensure principals are given the training and support they need to foster student success and effectively prepare our children to compete in the global economy.

Identifying At-Risk Youth Early On and Providing Intensive Interventions to Get Them Back on Track

Hillary believes that efforts to lower—and eventually eliminate—high school dropout rates must begin early in students’ lives. The proposals above build on Hillary’s past proposals to support programs to identify and support students who are at risk of dropping out of high school. As President, Hillary has said she will:

Support City and Community Plans to Track Dropouts and Support Disconnected Youth – Hillary believes that it will truly take a village to ensure that our children enter and successfully graduate from our school system. That’s why she will call on mayors and other local officials to convene leaders from the education, labor, business, non-profit, religious, and workforce development sectors to develop comprehensive, locally-owned strategies to support children through to adulthood. The federal government will support this process by awarding $250 million per year in competitive grants to lower-income cities and communities. Communities will be encouraged to build off promising models like creating community youth centers – with case managers to track youth and provide support services – and expanding alternative education and Career Academy programs. Communities will also be encouraged to create an education continuum that will ensure that children at all stages of education (Pre-K through college) receive the intervention, support, and resources needed to succeed. This P-16 alignment will ensure that the curriculum in each state is aligned to the education standards and workforce expectation for the state, so that children can move from one grade to the next with the skills needed to succeed beyond high school.

Provide Early Mentoring and Support to Keep At-Risk Youth on Track – We must also provide early mentoring and support outside of the classroom. They need guidance and counseling from role models to help them succeed. To this end, Hillary has already committed to doubling federal support for early intervention mentoring programs, like GEAR UP, over five years to benefit an additional one million middle-school students in high-risk schools. GEAR UP currently supports innovative partnerships between local school systems, colleges, businesses, and non-profit organizations to provide middle-school students in high risk schools with comprehensive college-readiness services–including tutoring, mentoring, and college visits. Students remain enrolled in the program as they transition into high school, and receive curricular and academic support at key points in their academic career. Other mentoring programs like the Hillside Work Scholarship Connection in Rochester, New York have employed promising strategies, including the development of individualized college and career plans for middle-school students. 

Early Childhood Programs to Prepare At Risk Children for School

Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman has said early intervention preschool programs for children from low-income families lead to higher achievement test scores, decreased grade retention, reduced time in special education, less crime and delinquency and increased high school graduation rates.  Hillary thinks it’s critical that we invest in early childhood education in order to address the dropout rate from the very start.  That’s why she has proposed to:

Expand Home Visitation – Innovative home visitation programs to help first-time mothers prepare for, and care for, their newborn children can make a real difference in the long-term education and life outcomes for at-risk children. Children who participated in these visitation programs had 56% fewer arrests and 81% fewer convictions than children who did not participate. Hillary will also expand Early Head Start. 

Invest $10 Billion in Preschool for All – Hillary has a detailed plan to provide guaranteed access to high quality pre-school for all four-year olds through a federal-state partnership. States would receive funding to devise a plan for making voluntary Pre-K services universally available and states would provide Pre-K at no cost to children from low-income and/or limited-English families. States would have to hire teachers with a bachelor’s degree and specialized training in early childhood development; use age-appropriate curricula; ensure that each child receives individualized attention through low teacher-t0-child ratios; and monitor children’s health and safety. If states have achieved these quality benchmarks, they will be able to use the funds flexibly to meet the needs of their local communities. They could serve younger children, raise teachers’ salaries, provide additional support and training for teachers, or engage in other activities that expand and improve their pre-K programs. Currently, less than 20 percent – only 800,000 out of four million – of four year olds and 120,000 three year olds are enrolled in state pre-K programs, according to the National Institute for Early Education Research. Studies show that universal pre-kindergarten programs pay for themselves after nine years and produce a growing annual return in the years beyond.

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Romney for President Press Release

A CHOICE BETWEEN NO PLAN AND THE WRONG PLAN?

“[E]ven his rivals have to admit: when [Romney] admits he’s proud of his health care record in Massachusetts, when he’s not afraid to explain what he did, when he wields his accomplishment as a sword… he’s very compelling. Say what you will about the guy: he expended political capital, he worked hard, and he did something meaningful to reform the health care system in his state. Very few candidates on either side can say that.” (Marc Ambinder, The Atlantic Blog, http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/, Posted 10/21/07)

The Giuliani Health Care “Vision” – Or, The Plan That Wasn’t:

Mayor Giuliani Outlined A “Vision” For Health Care In Summer 2007, But Promised To Release A Plan In The Fall. “He said his goal was to outline his ‘vision,’ with more details to come in the fall.” (Marc Santora, “Giuliani Seeks To Transform U.S. Health Care Coverage,” The New York Times, 8/1/07)

At The Time, Mayor Giuliani Couldn’t Provide Specifics About Costs Or How Many Uninsured It Addressed, But Promised Answers In Upcoming Months. “Giuliani offered the broad outline of his plan but his campaign did not provide many specifics. Asked how much his plan would cost and how many of the people without insurance it would help, Giuliani said he won’t have those answers for two or three months.” (Holly Ramer, “Giuliani Calls For Tax Breaks For Private Health Insurance,” The Associated Press, 7/31/07)

Flashback: Mayor Giuliani Supported HillaryCare In 1994:

In 1994, Mayor Giuliani Praised The Clinton Health Care Plan As “Doing Some Pretty Good Things.” “In 1994, Mr. Giuliani … saluted the Clinton health care plan as ‘doing some pretty good things‘ and boasted that New York offered ‘universal health care,’ not least for illegal immigrants. ‘Isn’t it better they get some humane treatment for themselves?’ Mr. Giuliani told a caller.” (Michael Powell, “Giuliani Pulled No Punches On The Radio,” The New York Times, 10/5/07)

Sen. Hillary Clinton Supports A Big-Government Takeover Of Health Care:

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) Supports A “Medicare For All” Government-Run Health Care Program. “She also proposed providing ‘options to people to buy into government health care.’ A far broader program known as ‘Medicare for All,’ she said, ‘would be something to be considered’ if Democrats can win at least 55 seats in the Senate.” (Ben Smith, “Clinton Set To Unveil Health Care Plan,” The Politico, 9/17/07)

Sen. Clinton’s Plan Would Expand Government Programs, Like Medicaid And S-CHIP. “Strengthen Medicaid and CHIP: The Plan will fix the holes in the safety net to ensure that the most vulnerable populations receive affordable, quality care.” (Hillary For President, “The American Health Choices Plan,” Press Release, 9/17/07)

Sen. Clinton’s Plan Will Cost An Estimated $110 Billion Per Year. “The proposal, Clinton’s first major effort to achieve universal health coverage since an ill-fated 1994 plan, carries a price tag of about $110 billion per year.” (Beth Fouhy, “Clinton Health Plan Outlined,” The Associated Press, 9/17/07)

Sen. Clinton Will Raise Taxes To Pay For Her Big-Government Healthcare Plan. “The plan offers tens of millions of Americans a new tax credit to make premiums affordable-which more than offsets the increased revenues from the Plan’s provisions to limit the employer tax exclusion for health care and discontinue portions of the Bush tax cuts for those making over $250,000.” (Hillary For President, “The American Health Choices Plan,” Press Release, 9/17/07)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, November 27, 2007 / Rock Hill, Walterboro, Clemson Town Hall
MeetingsCOLUMBIA - State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex is holding Town
Hall meetings in Rock Hill, Walterboro and Clemson during the next six
days to talk about his plans to reform, improve and support public
education in South Carolina.

The Rock Hill meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday, November 27, at
the Manchester Meadows Soccer Complex in Rock Hill. The other meetings
are scheduled for:
● Thursday, November 29 at 6 p.m. - Walterboro Town Hall Meeting -
Colleton County High School Auditorium
● Monday, December 3 at 6 p.m. - Clemson Town Hall Meeting - Self
Auditorium, Strom Thurmond Institute, Clemson University

Dr. Rex has been on a statewide tour since August to communicate and
build support for his education reform package for the 2008 legislative
session. This package of proposed legislation, regulations and modified
policies would improve public education in South Carolina by:

(1) Creating a new system of fiscal accountability for South
Carolina’s schools and school districts.

(2) Laying the groundwork for a new system of fair and equitable
funding by addressing the way South Carolina raises and distributes all
state revenues, with a special focus on public schools.

(3) Creating a new system of public school choice that encourages and
rewards innovation and allows parents, students, teachers, and schools
more flexibility when choosing public education paths.

(4) Reforming the 1998 Accountability Act to increase diagnostic
testing, decrease costs and reduce the amount time spent testing for
accountability purposes.

(5) Creating safer and healthier schools by reducing crime and
disruption and improving the physical environments of our schools.

(6) Elevating the teaching profession with fair, results-based
compensation reform, the launch of a pilot program on team teaching, and
a public relations campaign aimed at changing the image of the
profession.