Politics

National Security Agency Spying and the Constitution

Seven months after the Edward Snowden leaks about National Security Agency spying started becoming public, President Barack Obama is now saying some changes in programs may have to be made.

A Blue Ribbon panel appointed by the president, Review Group on Intelligence and Communication Technologies, recently published a 309 page report.

One of the conclusions in that report were that the NSA program of vacuuming information about phone calls and other electronic transmissions within, into and out of the U.S. was, from all available evidence, worthless as a tool to fight terrorism.

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A View on the Budget Compromise

I had to let out a hearty laugh recently when I saw that the House of Representative passed the budget compromise measure.

Especially when so many of my political friends were jumping for joy that bipartisanship is not on life support after all in Washington, D.C.

Forgive me for not blowing out my knee while jumping for joy.

Instead, I laughed because the budget compromise is just another prime example of a bill that was passed but never truly read.

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Judge to Look At Southern Holdings Missing Money

A S.C. District Court judge has put off further hearings for three months with respect to remaining litigation funds from the Southern Holdings case while he considers various motions that have been ignored since 2008.

One of those motions regards the missing approximately $60,000 that was never included in an accounting provided to the court by attorneys John Rakowsky and Adrian Falgione. Rakowsky’s trust fund was allegedly used for the accounting.

According to information provided to the court, LawMax, Litfunding and Resolution Settlement Corporation advanced at least $125,000 to Southern Holdings plaintiffs’ attorneys Rakowsky and Falgione to be used for funding expenses, not including lawyer’s fees, associated with the case.

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Southern Holdings Interpleader in Court Today

Another hearing on litigation funds held over from the Southern Holdings case will be held in court in Richland County today.

This case has been ongoing since 2008, after the Southern Holdings plaintiffs tried to get the remaining funds held by their attorneys, Lexington chief magistrate judge John Rakowsky and co-counsel Adrian Falgione, released.

However, as with everything that touches the Southern Holdings case, this hearing will inevitably leave more questions than it will provide answers.

Even the amount of the funds in question remains very much a mystery. There appears to be at least $60,000 missing from Rakowsky’s accounting.

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Budgets - Cuts, Spending and You

More on SC Public Pension Fund

It seems the SC Public Pension Fund can’t help but make news. Unfortunately, most of it is not good.

In a recent article by asset international’s Chief Investment Officer magazine, the New York City and SC public pension funds were highlighted.

Both New York City and South Carolina spent approximately $500 million in fees last year and both are drawing considerable criticism for expending such amounts for public pension fund management.

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Horry County Flow Control Battle Joined

By a margin of one vote, Horry County Council moved to benefit future generations of county residents by approving first reading of an amendment to the county’s solid waste flow control ordinance.

The amendment will remove construction and demolition debris from flow control regulation.

By taking this step, the HCSWA estimates it will lose approximately 35,000 tons of C&D waste from going to its Hwy 90 landfill. It must be noted, that estimate is purely speculative, but any loss of waste experienced by the HCSWA extends the life of the landfill to the benefit of future generations of Horry County residents.

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Senate Panel Investigates Curtis Loftis Pension Complaints

A panel of four senators began hearings last week on the complaints of SC Treasurer Curtis Loftis about the SC Retirement System Investment Commission.

Panel co-chairman Sen. Joel Lourie said he hopes the panel can settle the complaints of the treasurer about what Loftis calls corruption and wasteful spending at the SCRSIC.

Since taking office and becoming a statutory member of the SCRSIC, Loftis has complained about the high fees paid by the commission, the low investment results despite these fees and the perks enjoyed by employees as well as the cloak of secrecy surrounding the decisions the employees make.

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Worley Supports Solid Waste Flow Control Gestapo

Attempting to head off an amendment to the Horry County solid waste flow control ordinance, council member Harold Worley said, “solid waste needs a Gestapo” in remarks to the county council Administration Committee Friday.

Worley, chairman of the admin committee and normally an advocate for citizens, has long been a strong supporter of the Horry County Solid Waste Authority, for reasons that remain a mystery.

Generally a master at directing debate on an issue, Worley resorted to hyperbole when his attempts to stall an amendment to the county flow control ordinance were flagging.

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Court Upholds Horry County Flow Control

In the final act of the lawsuit brought by former Sandlands Landfill owner William Clyburn against Horry County, the fourth circuit court of appeals upheld the right of Horry County to establish a solid waste flow control ordinance.

This decision came down as county council is preparing to amend that very ordinance to remove construction and demolition debris from its regulation.

What is ironic is that the court upheld the county’s right to pass a flow control ordinance and now the Horry County Solid Waste Authority, the prime beneficiary of that law, is challenging the county’s right to amend the law.

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Ethics Reform – Not So Fast

Ethics at the SC Ethics Commission

A recent story in The Nerve detailed the internet publication’s difficulties in obtaining a letter from the SC Ethics Commission to Gov. Nikki Haley.

According to the story, a freedom of information request was sent September 5, 2013 to the commission requesting a copy of an August 28, 2013 letter commission attorney Cathy Hazelwood wrote to Gov. Nikki Haley directing the governor to reimburse the state for travel costs incurred by her and her campaign staff during a June trip to North Carolina.

Initially, commission executive director Herb Hayden responded by saying no such letter was sent.

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