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Cynthia McKInney on the Bailout

Points for Congressional action immediately in the wake of the financial crisis now gripping our country:

1. Enactment of a foreclosure moratorium now before the next phase of ARM interest rate increases take effect;
2. Elimination of all ARM mortgages and their renegotiation into 30- or 40-year loans;
3. Establishment of new mortgage lending practices to end predatory and discriminatory practices;
4. Establishment of criteria and construction goals for affordable housing;
5. Redefinition of credit and regulation of the credit industry so that discriminatory practices are completely eliminated;
6. Full funding for initiatives that eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in home ownership;
7. Recognition of shelter as a right according to the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights to which the U.S. is a signatory so that no one sleeps on U.S. streets;
8. Full funding of a fund designed to cushion the job loss and provide for retraining of those at the bottom of the income scale as the economy transitions;
9. Close all tax loopholes and repeal of the Bush tax cuts for the top 1% of income earners; and
10. Fairly tax corporations, denying federal subsidies to those who relocate jobs overseas repeal NAFTA.
11. Appointment of former Comptroller General David Walker to fully audit all recipients of taxpayer cash infusions, including JP Morgan, Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and AIG, and to monitor their trading activities into the future;
12. Elimination of all derivatives trading;
13. Nationalization of the Federal Reserve and the establishment of a federally-owned, public banking system that makes credit available for small businesses, homeowners, manufacturing operations, renewable energy and infrastructure investments; and
14. Criminal prosecution of any activities that violated the law, including conflicts of interest that led to the current crisis.

Presidential Sitcom?

The Odd Couple: Ralph Nader and Obama Girl Share Office Space and Ideas about the Presidential Debate

Who: Ralph Nader, Obama Girl, and Jesse Ventura

What: First episode of new online sitcom: Ralph Nader and Obama Girl Show (Special Guest Appearance by Jesse Ventura)

Where: Washington, DC, Nader for President 2008 HQ

Why: The economic crisis has resulted in some odd political couples over the past few days. Now we have Ralph Nader and Obama Girl sharing office space in the new sitcom "The Obama Girl and Ralph Nader Show", with a special appearance from Jesse Ventura. Both Obama Girl and Nader agree, this is precisely the time when the candidates should be appearing before the nation.

Short Description of First Episode: Despite the troubles with our nation's economy Obama Girl whole heartedly agrees with her man that this is precisely the time when the presidential candidates should be appearing before the nation. But if McCain does back out, fear not...Obama Girl has a new officemate who is most definitely willing to participate. None other than independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader.

View the first episode here

Bob Barr's Election Updates

Libertarian candidate Bob Barr will be in Charleston on Tuesday, September 30th. You are invited to a Fundraising Dinner with Bob at the Sunfire Grill in West Ashley at 7:00. With a minimum contribution of $30, you will receive dinner, a sign for your yard, and a bumper sticker. Dinner is a choice of a 10 oz Ribeye over mashed potatoes topped with a red wine demi or Pan fried stuffed chicken over mashed potatoes topped with a mushroom cream sauce. You can prepay by credit card, but contributions will also be accepted at the door. Seating is limited. Please make reservations early. Contact wwoolsey@comcast.net or call (843) 795-5062.
Barr will speak at 10:00 to Citadel cadets, to the Charleston Rotary Club at 12:30, and at the College of Charleston at 2:30.

Also, a study released today by the National Taxpayers Union (NTU) listed Bob Barr as the most fiscally responsible candidate running for president, noting a Barr presidency would cut federal spending by a whopping $200.9 billion.
The study found that Sen. John McCain would raise federal spending by nearly $100 billion, compared Sen. Barack Obama's plans that would raise spending by almost $300 billion.

The figures are compiled based on campaign statements up to September 19, and do not include bailouts proposals supported by Senators McCain and Obama.

"Both the McCain and Obama campaigns have tried to keep pace with the political issues of the day -- largely by responding with proposals for new programs and regulations that could reach deeper and deeper into taxpayers' pockets," NTUF Senior Policy Analyst Demian Brady said. "On the other side of the spectrum, Bob Barr's Libertarian philosophy is strongly reflected in a platform that is built upon cutting programs and slashing spending."

The study finds that the bulk of Barr's spending cuts comes from withdrawing troops from Iraq ($92.4 billion in annual savings) and eliminating the Department of Education ($92.4 billion in annual savings).

Statement from Independent Candidates

Statement from Independent Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader and Libertarian Presidential Candidate Bob Barr on McCain's Call to Delay Debates:

The fact that a candidate can call for changing the date of the debate only two days before it is scheduled indicates how easy it would be for the candidates to also call for the inclusion of the leading third party and independent candidates, which would bring fresh ideas to the table on how our country can truly tackle this heavy challenge.

Richest Members of Congress

# 36. Rep. John Spratt (D-S.C.) $7.50 million

Spratt’s minimum net worth soared in 2007 as the value of an 800-acre swath of pasture land in Fort Mill, S.C., moved into the $5 million to $25 million range.

The increase over its previous minimum $1 million listing swells the Democrat’s fortunes by $4 million, the largest factor in his 141 percent increase.

Spratt’s other assets include investments in Bank of America Corp. valued at $500,000 to $1 million and York Bancshares at $1 million to $5 million.

His real estate holdings include a D.C. rental unit and properties in South Carolina, with a combined value of at least $850,000.

Spratt carries $480,000 in debt, a combination of mortgage debt, credit cards and promissory notes.

#13. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) $19.64 million

McCain’s true value is impossible to estimate because most of the major assets are listed in the name of his wife or children, thereby requiring far less detailed disclosure. Other news outlets have suggested that Cindy McCain’s net worth may exceed $100 million, but there is no documentation to prove that figure.

McCain’s disclosure form lists 12 items with values of “over $1 million” that are owned by his wife and children. In 2007, the family liquidated a trust set up by Cindy McCain’s late mother that had a reported value in 2006 of more than $2.5 million. The proceeds were then distributed to three other trusts, which show a minimum value of $1.4 million. Cindy McCain also liquidated a blind trust in 2007, selling millions of dollars worth of stock, and the reported value of the stock she owns through Hensley & Co. — her family’s beer distributorship — dropped more than $4 million in value last year.

The only assets McCain claims as his own are a checking account with a balance of $15,000 to $50,000, a money market fund worth less than $15,000 and several book deals.

SOURCE: See the top 50 richest members of Congress at Roll Call

Bailout talk from 2 candidates

From the Nader/Gonzalez Campaign: Haste Makes Waste.

Independent presidential candidate and longtime consumer advocate Ralph Nader said today that he opposes giving Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson -- heralded as King Henry on the cover of Newsweek -- what amounts to a blank check for $700 billion with nothing more than a promise to keep the U.S. financial system from imploding. Nader said that any bailout should have strict accountability, conflict-of-interest, regulatory, and oversight rules attached, including a cap on executive compensation and stock warrants for the rescuing taxpayers.

"Of all the insults Bush's monarchy has ever hurled at Congress, a supposedly co-equal branch of government, this one breaks new ground in shattering the bedrock principle of separation of powers and checks and balances under our Constitution and replacing it with blanket Congressional surrender of its authority to Bush's White House.

"Rather than race home to run for re-election, members of Congress should do what they were sent to Washington to do: carefully draft the legislation that will serve the needs of Main Street and Elm Street, not the greed, fraud and recklessness of Wall Street.

"Why should the American taxpayers bail-out fraud, recklessness and criminal irresponsibility?" asks Nader. "Why should the American people trust the judgment of the very administration that has gotten us into this mess?"

Nader expressed strong agreement with William Greider of The Nation who recently wrote that "If Wall Street gets away with this, it will represent an historic swindle of the American public -- all sugar for the villains, lasting pain and damage for the victims."Nader also calls for changes to the bill that would include:
• Provisions for homeowners to stay in their homes in default, or rent them at market value.
• A cap on executive compensation and disgorgement of ill-gotten gains.
• A stimulus package for infrastructure repair and upgrade to generate new community jobs.
• Comprehensive regulation of and disclosures by the financial industry and Wall Street to prevent this from occurring again.
• Prudent margin requirements on derivatives trading and a tax on securities derivatives transactions.
• Shareholders control over the corporations they own.
• Tougher criminal enforcement against culpable firms and executives.

From the Green Party (not on the SC ballot):

Cynthia McKinney / Rosa Clemente Campaign Update.

Last week's statement, issued in the wake of the $81 billion give-away to AIG is now seeming more prescient every day, with another $700 billion give-away proposed for the very bankers who's gambling in the derivatives market created the crisis. Meanwhile we watch as both parties in Congress continue to ignore a related foreclosure crisis that is putting more and more people on the streets every day.

We hope you will use this week to empower people in your community, to share the questions Cynthia raises and the proposals for 'fundamental change' she identifies and use the following piece to let folks know that we do have a choice in 2008. Ours is a real choice, not one between banker-financed candidates parroting policies already set in motion to destroy this planet and its peoples. We get to choose between peace and war, between justice and avarice, between voting for our highest hopes and aspirations, rather than merely against our worst fears.

Debate for US Senate seat

The ETV and The State Newspaper Senatorial debate between GOP incumbent Lindsey Graham and Democratic challenger Bob Conley will now take place on Saturday, Oct. 11 at 8 p.m. The debate, produced in Columbia, will air LIVE on all 11 ETV stations and eight ETV Radio stations. The debates will also be streamed over the Internet at www.myetv.org.

Ron Paul supports Chuck Baldwin for President

Former GOP presidential candidate, Texas Congressman Ron Paul announced today he is endorsing Constitution Party presidential candidate Chuck Baldwin.

In a letter to supporters, Paul wrote, “I’m supporting Chuck Baldwin, the Constitution Party candidate.”

Paul went on to say, “There is no real choice between the two major parties and their nominees, only the rhetoric varies. The amazingly long campaign is designed to make sure the real issues are ignored.”

Baldwin, a conservative commentator, columnist and pastor of a church in Pensacola, FL, campaigned for Ron Paul during the congressman’s run for president. After receiving Paul’s endorsement, Baldwin said, “I am humbled and deeply grateful to Dr. Paul for his support. There could not be higher praise. I am committed to carrying on the Ron Paul Revolution for a return to constitutionally limited government.

While this is all well and good for Chuck, he's not on the South Carolina ballot.

High School Recipe Contest Deadline Nears

WHAT: Call for Entries: South Carolina Aquarium’s Sustainable Seafood Festival’s High School Recipe Contest
WHEN: Entry deadhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifline is Friday, September 26, 2008
WHERE: General application available for download here
Contact: Sustainable Seafood Initiative (843) 579-8502

To apply to be one of the ten contestants, students must submit:
1) General application
2) A two page essay on the fish (selected from the provided list) explaining why it is sustainable (resources can be found on the Sustainable Seafood Initiative Web site),
3) An ORIGINAL recipe created by the student, and
4) 4 color copies of a photograph of the prepared dish.

Five seniors and five juniors will be invited to prepare their dish at the Fifth Annual Sustainable Seafood Festival on Sunday, October 26, 2008. Culinary teachers interested in a guest speaker on sustainable seafood should contact the Sustainable Seafood Initiative.

Saturday's Williamson Park Run

Find the results of the Darlington 5000 to benefit Williamson Park here.

Charlotte Sub Franchise Partners with Autism Speaks

Jersey Mike's Sub - famous for making authentically good subs is teaming up with an authentically good cause - Autism Speaks. All participating Charlotte area Jersey Mike's Subs will donate a percentage of sales made on Tuesdays after 2 pm during the month of September to benefit Autism Speaks, an international non-profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness of autism and raising money to fund autism research.

About Autism Speaks:
Autism Speaks is dedicated to increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders, to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and cure for autism, and to advocating for the needs of affected families. It was founded in February 2005 by Suzanne and Bob Wright, the grandparents of a child with autism. Bob Wright is Chairman and CEO of NBC Universal and Vice Chairman, General Electric. Autism Speaks has merged with both the National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR) and Cure Autism Now (CAN), bringing together the nation's three leading autism advocacy organizations. To learn more about Autism Speaks, please visit www.autismspeaks.org.

Cancer Survivors Network Creates Online Connections for Those Dealing with Cancer

Long before Facebook and MySpace became household names, the American Cancer Society was building upon Americans’ growing interest in online social networking by providing the Cancer Survivors Network, a free, worldwide community of cancer survivors, caregivers, family, and friends who offer each other emotional support, encouragement, practical advice, and humor. The site, www.cancer.org/csn, has an active community of tens of thousands of members, but is available to the millions of people facing cancer globally.

Initially launched in 2000, the non-commercial Web site has been re-designed in order to offer new features and functionality. Its most popular feature is its wide variety of active discussion groups and real-time chatting 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which allows cancer patients, survivors, and their supporters a private, secure way to communicate with others who share common experiences. Similar to mainstream social networking sites, users control access to their personal information, allowing them to be as anonymous or as identifiable as they wish.

Other features of the site include personal web space in which members can tell their stories, share photos, blogs, art, poems, resources, audio, and more. The site’s Celebrate Life gallery, features photos and information about Cancer Survivors Network members and the search functions allow users to find others using specific criteria, including cancer type, age, and gender. The Cancer Survivors Network even offers a private and secure internal messaging system so members may communicate with one another without sharing any personal identifiers such as their email address.

“The greatest strength of the Cancer Survivors Network is the people who use it. People at various stages of cancer treatment, their families and friends, really make the site what it is by contributing their own stories of survival and hope,” said Terry Music, interim chief mission officer at the American Cancer Society. “There are 11 million cancer survivors in this country, and one-third of Americans have served as an unpaid caregiver to a relative or friend facing cancer. Our goal is to provide a robust online community that has something to offer each person.”

Happy Constitution Day! with Quiz

Learn more here and here and at CSPAN.


Nader for President 2008 sent out the following five-question Constitution Day civics quiz:

1) Which candidate opposed the snoop enabling FISA law and the immunity bailout for the telecom companies?
2)Which candidate called for the impeachment of George Bush and Dick Cheney for all of their crimes from the illegal war in Iraq to illegal wiretapping of unsuspecting Americas?
3) Which candidate opposed passage of the Patriot Act and calls for its repeal?
4) Which candidate opposes the death penalty?
5) Which candidate would work to repeal corporate personhood --- and shift the power from the corporations back into the hands of the people?

Click here for the campaign's details.
(The answers are all Nader)

Bob Barr Files Suit in Texas to Remove McCain, Obama from Ballot

Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party's nominee for president, has filed a lawsuit in Texas demanding Senators John McCain and Barack Obama be removed from the ballot after they missed the official filing deadline.

"The seriousness of this issue is self-evident," the lawsuit states. "The hubris of the major parties has risen to such a level that they do not believe that the election laws of the State of Texas apply to them."

Texas election code §192.031 requires that the “written certification” of the “party’s nominees” be delivered “before 5 p.m. of the 70th day before election day.” Because neither candidate had been nominated by the official filing deadline, the Barr campaign argues it was impossible for the candidates to file under state law.

"Supreme Court justices should recognize that their responsibility is to apply the law as passed by the Legislature, and the law is clear that the candidates cannot be certified on the ballot if their filings are late," says Drew Shirley, a local attorney for the Barr campaign, who is also a Libertarian candidate for the Texas Supreme Court.

A 2006 Texas Supreme Court decision ruled that state laws "does not allow political parties or candidates to ignore statutory deadlines."

"The facts of the case are not in dispute," says Russell Verney, manager of the Barr campaign. "Republicans and Democrats missed the deadline, but were still allowed on the ballot. Third parties are not allowed on the ballot for missing deadlines, as was the case for our campaign in West Virginia, yet the Texas secretary of state's office believes Republicans and Democrats to be above the law."

Barr will be holding a press conference this Thursday at the Texas Supreme Court at 11:00 a.m.

SOURCE: Barr 2008 for President Committee

Hanna damages Grand Strand fall tourism revenue

Although Tropical Storm Hanna did mercifully little physical damage to South Carolina’s Grand Strand, the area’s tourism economy took a direct hit this past weekend, resulting in a loss of more than $22 million in revenue. This figure does not include indirect or induced revenues lost as a result of the decline in visitor spending, according to an economic analysis of Hanna’s impact produced by the Brittain Center for Resort Tourism and the BB&T Center for Economic and Community Development at Coastal Carolina University.

The study indicates that the lodging sector alone lost an estimated $10,622,000 from Thursday, Sept. 4, when Gov. Mark Sanford issued a voluntary evacuation of the coastal areas of Horry and Georgetown counties, through Saturday, Sept. 6. The restaurant segment lost an additional $6,043,000, and the entertainment and sports segments lost another $1,137,000. The balance of the estimated losses was in the areas of retail sales, groceries, transportation, gasoline, etc.

“Comparing last year’s occupancy rate statistics to this year’s for the same September weekend shows that the rate fell significantly, from almost 70 percent in 2007 to only 28 percent in 2008,” said Taylor Damonte, director of the Brittain Center for Resort Tourism.

In addition to the direct revenue lost by businesses, local governments lost accommodation tax and hospitality fee revenue. The revenue lost by all Grand Strand cities and counties combined amounted to an estimated $710,600.

“This substantial loss of revenue cannot be recovered easily and will require local governments to make adjustments to their current budgets,” said Gary Loftus, director of the BB&T Center for Economic and Community Development.

For more information contact Taylor Damonte at 843-349-2698 or Gary Loftus at 843-340-9992.

Columbia World Affairs Council Event

Sept. 15, the Columbia World Affairs Council will have Wendell Cox of the American Petroleum Institute speaking in a discussion called "A Fresh Perspective on Energy: How Our Lifestyles Drive Demand…And What We Can Do About It" at The Summit Club, 1301 Gervais Street, Columbia.

95% Chance Campbell will Run

Mike Campbell is strongly considering another run for Lt. Governor of South Carolina in 2010.

In an exclusive interview with TPS, Campbell said, “the number of people from around the state that have approached me to encourage me to run again has been tremendous, many of which were supporters of my former opponents. It’s been both flattering and humbling to say the least.”

- From The Palmetto Scoop

Chain E-mails

Like anyone with an e-mail address, I get my share of chain e-mails, especially political ones. FactCheck.Org, a great Web site that debunks and unwinds the spin of both campaigns, has a report about theses emails everyone should take to heart.
Please take a few minutes to read it.

More election news

Tune in tonight 7 p.m. Central, 8 p.m. EST. Live from Minneapolis. It's Ralph Nader. And Matt Gonzalez. And Jesse Ventura. And a lot more. The Nader/Gonzalez Open the Debates Rally.
You can watch it the live stream here.

The Complete Idiot's Guides Celebrates 15 Years of How-to

Since 1993 millions of "idiots" have learned how to operate a PC, speak conversational Japanese, gamble like a pro, understand Islam, make homemade ice cream, install solar power, meditate, play the harmonica and have amazing sex. Those subjects, along with the 450 current titles, comprise The Complete Idiot's Guides line of books, now celebrating its 15th anniversary.

The Complete Idiot's Guides, published by Alpha Books, started as a series of easy-to-understand, authoritative computer guides – The Complete Idiot's Guide to MS-DOS and The Complete Idiot's Guide to PCs. With the success of these titles, the line quickly expanded to include lifestyle categories and today more than 450 titles are currently in print in more than 30 different categories.

Election Updates

Innovative Campaign Idea
Baldwin/Castle '08 Campaign is looking for truck drivers, especially, but not limited to, those who are independent and who haul "over the road," to help carry the Baldwin/Castle '08 Campaign Across America. Please contact us at: contact@baldwin2008.com or call 1-800-2- VETO IRS (toll free) or (717) 390-1993 and provide us with the following information: Your name, cell phone #, email address, your state and please indicate that you are a trucker. The campaign would also like you to tell us (in just a few words) what you believe is the most important issue of the 2008 Campaign.

The Green Party Package
Cynthia McKinney is scheduled to appear on Road to the White House, scheduled to air on on CSPAN-1, Sunday, September 7 at 6:30 pm EST and again at 9:30 pm EST that same night.

Fudge of the Month

Allison's Gourmet, the award-winning online artisan bakery that creates organic gourmet goodies, now has a Fudge of the Month Club. Sounds tasty though we haven't tried it.

Tips Before the Storm

The South Carolina Insurance Service offers the following tips for residents before the storm:

Locate insurance policies, name and telephone number of insurance agent and take this information with you if you evacuate.
Update or take a home inventory. This can be as simple as making a list of personal belongings, taking pictures or using a video camera to document your property. The South Carolina Insurance News Service has a free, downloadable home inventory software package available on its website at www.scinsnews.com
Protect your family from harm by evacuating if necessary.
Protect property before the storm by covering windows and glass doors with plywood. Secure outdoor furniture. Secure any automobiles.
If damage occurs, protect property from additional damage by covering the roof and windows as soon as possible.
Survey damages before contacting insurance agent or company.