Barack Obama in Charlotte on 9/21

The Conservativist has learned that Barack Obama will be in Charlotte this weekend.  Details are below.

Change We Need Rally with Barack Obama
4th Street between S. Davidson Street and S. McDowell
Charlotte, NC

Sunday, September 21st
Doors Open: 11:00 a.m.
Program Begins: 1:00 p.m.

Will a Real Conservative Please Stand Up

I hate to continue to harp on Congressman Inglis (well, maybe I do enjoy it a little), but what in the world is going on!

Mr. Inglis claims to be a conservative.  He quotes scripture in his mailings, supposedly believes in off shore drilling, supposedly believes in smaller government, an anti-nanny state, recently claims to be a supporter of a balanced budget, somewhat questions how much government should be involved in the bailouts and supports cap and trade proposals.

Well, I believe Mr. Inglis’ supposed support of offshore drilling just sank!  He voted in favor of HR 6899 which banned any new off shore drilling development within 50 miles of the coast line.

Now before we go into arguing that if it is any closer it will destroy the view from the beaches, the average person (being a generous 6 feet tall) standing at sea level can only see 3 miles out (due to the curvature of the earth).  A mere 13 miles if you are 100 feet above sea level.  With that said, an oil rig 20 miles out will most probably not be seen by the tourists on the beaches.

Most researchers also argue that most of the oil and natural gases found on the continental shelf are within that 50 mile stretch.

Effectively, Inglis thinks he has pulled the wool over the peoples eyes and he can continue to claim that he supports off shore drilling.  Not if I have anything to say about it!  Here are Inglis’ comments on the vote complements of the Greenville News:

“Over and over, (constituents) asked why Congress can’t work together to get something done,” Inglis said. “This measure is far short of what we need, but it’s a start.”

It is pretty much given that we will have Inglis for another two years.  Will somebody please stand up with true conservative values and take a stand?

By the way…I will be at Wades Monday for Inglis’ “Let’s Talk”.  I can not wait to see how he defends his position on the bill to the people.

Controversy over final PACT scores highlights flaws in state reporting

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Neil Mellen
Tuesday, September 10, 2008
(803) 212-1051

Amid heated debated about weakening of state standards and reform of student funding, the last-ever results of the Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test (PACT) were released today.
Scores among eighth graders averaged fifteen percentage points behind students in the third grade, suggesting that social promotion of unqualified students remains a major problem in public schools.

Of the 51, 252 third graders taking the PACT in 2008, only 56.6 percent scored “Proficient” or “Advanced” in English Language Arts.  For eighth graders, the percentage of students meeting the standard is even lower, with only 27.9% scoring “Proficient” or “Advanced” on the reading and writing portion of the test.

Proficiency in Math for 3rd grade test takers is only 33%, which drops all the way to 20.8% of eighth graders who scored “Proficient” or “Advanced.” For eighth graders this represents only a 1.1% increase in math proficiency from 2007; hardly the “wave of progress” praised by the State Department of Education.

A mere eight in one hundred African American eighth grade students obtained a score of “Proficient” or better on the math portion of the PACT. This shameful figure reflects a long-term trend in the growth of the black-white and poor-rich student performance gaps.

Despite these major problems, Jim Rex has tried to characterize the scores as a success. He has also argued for further weakening of state and federal accountability laws.
Lawmakers and policy experts have already noted the newly released PACT scores are at odds with results from recent national tests, both ACT and SAT scores, as well as recent federally conducted tests such as the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP).

Part of the disparity is based on South Carolina’s unique manner of grading its test, including rating children who are at a “basic” level of performance – but still “nonproficient” – as meeting the state standard. This problem will worsen in coming years because education bureaucrats will reduce the number of performance categories as part of the PACT replacement legislation that passed earlier this year.

“The major disconnect with falling SAT and ACT scores once again shows South Carolina’s public schools are not holding themselves to a high and objective standard,” explained Randy Page, President of South Carolinians for Responsible Government.

“South Carolina needs to use a single nationally-normed test to compare student progress with scores throughout the country in a true apples-to-apples way,” continued Page. “Whether it is PACT –or the new PASS test– South Carolina is not giving parents real and relevant data about the status of their children’s academic progress. A quality education for every child, and accurate information for their parents, are basic civil rights.”
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Greenville GOP in Need of Volunteers?

The Conservativist has been tipped off on a recent struggle in the Greenville County GOP.

It appears the Greenville GOP is struggling to find volunteers to man their headquarters.  A recent call to the headquarters as of yesterday directed you to the voice mail box of the Victory 2008 campaign.

I realize we all have day jobs, but I find it really hard to believe that one of the largest Republican delegations in the state cannot find the resources (volunteers) to staff their headquarters.

After making a call to Rick Beltram concerning this revelation, he now understood why the Spartanburg County office had been getting several calls from Greenville County residents wanting McCain/Palin materials.

Hopefully the Greenville GOP will get the help needed for the long fight over the next 60 days.

UPDATE:
I have since learned that there was a break down in communication between the county party and Duke Energy over the turn over process of the facility to Victory 2008.

UPDATE 2:
Rick Beltram informed me today that the Spartanburg GOP will have McCain/Palin materials in stock on Thursday.  They will be offered at a nominal fee.

Rick Beltram, Trophy Wives, and The Hottest Veep

That’s right, our great Spartanburg County GOP Chairman has added to his list of accomplishments.

This time last year, Rick Beltram was catching heat over the comments he made about Fred Thompson’s wife…the Trophy Wife.  Well low and behold, he had to take the opportunity to make a comment about Sarah Palin at last night’s convention watching party at Chandi’s Bistro.

We have the hottest VP ever in Sarah Palin

Rick is very proud that we have the hottest VP ever and he is letting everyone know about it!

I do wonder how he survives making some of his comments.

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