Democratic Leader Harry Ott Rejects Sec. Taylor’s Claim

Invites Taylor and Gov. Sanford to his district to meet unemployed constituents.

On Tuesday morning Democratic House Minority Leader Harry Ott released a statement repudiating Commerce Secretary Joe Taylor's comments alleging the high unemployment numbers in South Carolina were caused by job seekers not able to pass a drug test.

"I reject the ridiculous claim that Secretary Taylor made in regards to our staggering unemployment figures. He and the Governor are so out of touch with the people of South Carolina that they are willing to accuse our citizens of baseless claims of drug use. Therefore, I would like to formally invite Secretary Taylor and Governor Sanford to my district to meet the men and women who are struggling to find any job at all. The Sanford administration's inability to create and protect jobs in South Carolina is the reason for our economic crisis. Democrats in the House are committed to job creation, job protection, and passing legislation that will provide stability for our citizens in the current economic recession.

According to the State Employment Security Commission, over 200,000 South Carolinians are currently out of work, a figure that makes up almost 10% of the state's population. Leader Ott added, "Perhaps the Governor's advisors should stop scheduling his next out-of-state speech and begin working on creating jobs for the people of South Carolina."

Rep. Harry Ott currently represents district 93 which includes St. Matthews.

War on Drugs

At a news conference today Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader outlined his plan to empty prisons of non-violent drug offenders and fill them up with corporate criminals.

"Non-violent drug offenses are being over prosecuted and corporate crime is being under prosecuted," Nader said. "The Justice Department must begin to reverse course, crank up the crackdown on corporate crime, and end the cruel and inhumane war on non-violent drug possession."

"The criminal justice system is broken--so badly that one hardly knows where to begin describing the breakdown," Nader said. "Let's start with the war on drugs, since commentators across the political spectrum recognize its lunacy. We pour almost endless resources--roughly $50 billion every year--into catching, trying, and incarcerating people who primarily harm themselves. This insane war on drugs damages communities and drains crucial resources from the police, courts, and prisons. These resources could be better used to combat serious street and corporate crime that directly violates the public's liberty, health, safety, trust, and financial well-being. As with alcoholics and nicotine addicts, the approach to drug addicts should be rehabilitation, not incarceration."
Link to full release.

There was no separate Issue page on Obama's Web site for drugs or corporate crime. Nor was there one on McCain's. What are the candidates' positions on the "War on Drugs," rehabilitation, and corporate crime?


Do you agree with Nader? Would rehabilitation work? Is locking these folks in prison working?
Do you think this is an important issue that the other candidates should discuss?

International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

June 26th is the UN International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

“Yes, there is a lot to do to stem the tide of drug experimentation by youth,” says Clark Carr, President of Narconon International, headquartered in Los Angeles. “Daily we are confronted with new, sometimes bizarre statistics, such as described in the LA Times article, relating that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other organizations are now drug screening municipal waste water and sewage systems to determine city-wide abuse of drugs – drug metabolites in the sewers!” London and Milan reported to show heroin use. Las Vegas, more methamphetamine. But Narconon staff and students, Carr says, know from talking with students face to face what drugs are being used right now, here. The kids always are in the know about the street and school scene.

In the U.S., in this last year Narconon reached 265,000 youth with drug education. In Southern California, Tony Bylsma, as an example, spearheaded delivery of 540 talks to 26,000 students in 173 schools. He knows from his students what “pharming” parties are – the new term for hanging out and downing assorted pharmaceuticals from parents’ medicine cabinets or pills scored on the net.

“However,” Bylsma says, “daily I do get good news, bright, thankful faces.” Narconon drug educators regularly survey their students. Bylsma showed a recent Los Angeles 7th-grader survey which cheerfully reports. “It was cool! Cause he wasn’t boring and we understood him … Before I thought drugs were cool, and I was so close to using them.”

Adults too need constantly to learn what’s what in the changing drug scene.

“The sun never sets on Narconon drug education,” says Carr. “We can’t afford to rest. Fortunately, we get more energy back from the kids than we ever give out. That’s the joy of doing this work.”

For more information on Narconon drug education or to ask for a presentation, please go to www.narconon.org and click on the Narconon center nearest you.