***Palmetto Morning Presented by Jim Dyke & Associates***
THIS FIRST — REMEMBRANCE — Former State Treasurer Grady L. Patterson Jr., died yesterday. He was 85.
VIEWPOINT — David Adams and Trav Robertson remember. “Grady Patterson was the hero we tell our children and grandchildren about. He is the role model people ask for and don’t realize they’ve had all along until he’s gone. He always was true to his principles and he never let us down. He was a good man – a great man – who rose to the top of the military and state government without ever compromising his character.”
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — Gregg Allman and Toots Hibbert (54-46 was his number)
FOURTEEN YEARS AGO today, the Grateful Dead realized Jerry had been dead for four months and decided to call it quits.
***GOT AN EVENT, STORY, TIP OR ANYTHING ELSE ON YOUR MIND YOU WANT INCLUDED IN PALMETTO MORNING? CLICK HERE AND TELL US ABOUT IT***
NATIONAL LENS — As 20,000 participate in the international climate change conference in Copenhagen, the EPA is taking action on carbon dioxide. “The latest step by the government to regulate carbon dioxide emissions saddles industry with uncertainty and potentially higher costs, industry groups said Monday after the Environmental Protection Agency declared carbon dioxide a health hazard.” USA Today reports, “The EPA’s decision paves the way for new regulations on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and factories even if Congress doesn’t pass legislation to do so.”
WORST POSSIBLE OUTCOME — Senator Lindsey Graham responds, “I continue to believe regulation of carbon by unaccountable bureaucrats at EPA is the worst possible outcome. Jobs will be lost and in some cases industries will be regulated out of business. EPA regulators will not consider expanded nuclear energy or offshore drilling, the exact provisions that I am pushing to have included in Congressional legislation. Regardless of whether you view climate change as a real threat or some grand hoax, carbon is eventually going to be regulated. As a conservative, I believe the proper venue to set the rules is through the people’s elected representatives in the Congress, not unelected bureaucrats at the EPA.”
***SIGN UP NOW TO HAVE PALMETTO MORNING DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX EACH MORNING***
HUNTING BIRDS — “Rep. Greg Delleney, a Chester Republican, said Sanford used state business as ‘cover’ during a 2008 trade mission to South America as a chance to get away with his lover. The trip originally was planned for Brazil, but a stop was added in Buenos Aires after Sanford requested that additional meetings be scheduled in Argentina,” reports the Post & Courier. “For that reason, Delleney, who filed the original impeachment resolution, wants to add ‘abuse of power’ to the list of reasons Sanford should be impeached. The governor’s in-house counsel Swati Patel argued that the trip was legitimate. She said the decision to add Argentina to the trade mission came about when Joe Taylor, secretary for the Department of Commerce, invited the trade delegation to hunt birds in Cordoba, Argentina. The bird hunt was paid for by the participants out of their own pockets. Sanford did not want to spend the whole time hunting with the others, so after considering stops in Chile and Panama, the Commerce Department arranged economic development meetings in Buenos Aires.”
VOTE COULD COME TOMORROW – The Greenville News
CHALLENGE TO BROWN — “Mark Fava, a former Mount Pleasant town councilman, announced Monday he will run for the 1st Congressional District seat as a Republican,” according to the Post & Courier. “Fava, a 46-year-old lawyer, said he decided to enter the race because he is concerned about the growing national debt and would work to create more jobs and fight for less federal government. Fava served as a Mount Pleasant councilman from 1998-2001, when he resigned to move to Atlanta to take a job as Delta Air Lines’ chief operations attorney. He returned to the Lowcountry three years later and is a partner at the Nelson Mullins law firm. Fava, a former Navy captain and current Navy Reservist, said his military record also sets him apart. … His campaign is being run by Chris Drummond, former communications director for Gov. Mark Sanford and manager of 9th Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson’s 2008 re-election bid.”
FORBES says the upstate is a bargain and Columbia gives more “bang for the buck.”
SANTORUM? BARELY KNOW ‘UM — “Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum will be in town Wednesday for an event with S.C. gubernatorial candidate Gresham Barrett. The pair will hold a meet-and-greet at the downtown Cotton Factory from 10 to 11 a.m.,” reports the Rock Hill Herald. “On Friday, U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson headlines the annual York County GOP Christmas party at the Magnolia Room at Laurel Creek. A reception starts at 6:30 p.m., with the program to begin an hour later. Proceeds will go toward helping Republican candidates in the 2010 election cycle. All paying guests are eligible to win a Marine Escort 12 Gauge Home Defense Shotgun, donated by New R Media and Pappy’s Gun Shop in Edgemoor. The final event comes Monday, Dec. 14, when Sen. Jim DeMint hosts a holiday fundraiser at the Magnolia Room from 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets are required for the Wilson and DeMint events. For ticket information, visit YorkCountyGOP.com.”
GRAVE CONCERNS — “35 GOP senators, led by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), wrote Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to notify him that they would not allow FY2010 Financial Services and State/Foreign Operations appropriations bills to move forward in the Senate unless subsidies for coverage of abortion services are eliminated from the bills,” writes The Hill. ‘We have grave concerns regarding the exclusion of longstanding funding limitations on abortion in the various appropriations bills that are currently before Congress,’ the senators said. ‘We cannot, in good conscience, allow these provisions to move forward, even in an omnibus appropriations bill.’ The letter effectively warns that the battle over abortion that’s played itself out in the debate over healthcare reform legislation may soon enter the realm of those appropriations bills.”
YEA OR NAY — The Dallas Morning News picks up that Senator DeMint, who “has been going around the country backing conservative Senate candidates … is eyeing the Texas Senate race — specifically, Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams. DeMint’s political action committee, the Senate Conservatives Fund, opened an online poll this weekend asking supporters whether it should endorse Williams. There aren’t any alternatives offered. It seems to be a choice between Williams or no one, and only laudatory information about Williams is offered.”
QUOTABLE — NUGGETS — The SHJ’s Jason Spencer writes that “Sanford, outlining his agenda for the final legislative session of his term, made several references to no longer trying to ‘climb Mount Everest’ or ‘build bridges too far.’ Instead, he asked the activists to pick one ‘nugget’ from his scaled-back agenda and start their own word-of-mouth campaigns to advance that single item in order ‘to make a difference in what could be a very productive legislative session.’”
ENDORSEMENT WATCH — Nikki Haley catches the attention of RedState.com.
UNWANTED PARTNERS — “When he began in business, [state Sen. and GOP gubernatorial hopeful, Larry] Grooms gave his name, address and $50 to the government to get a building permit, then began digging the foundation for his first store the same day, he said. Since then, Grooms said, he has gained an unwanted business partner: government.”
FORT MILL — Christmas homecoming in jeopardy for soldiers
GREENWOOD — Unemployed using education to build a better future
ANDERSON — Area schools work to reduce teen driving accidents
MYRTLE BEACH — Teacher resigns following accusations of relationship with student
COLUMBIA — 2nd Annual Braille Challenge to be held at State Library
HEARTWARMING — Don’t miss ‘A Home for the Holidays’ on December 23rd at 8:00 pm on CBS. This holiday special brings together all-star talent and shares the joy of having a family, not just for the holidays, but forever, through the eyes of a child. ‘A Home for the Holidays’ is presented by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and Children’s Action Network, and sponsored by Wendy’s. Also, the Wendy’s 3-Tour Challenge will air December 12 from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. and December 13 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Eastern on ABC. This nationally televised event is the only one of its kind featuring the top players from the PGA, LPGA and Champions Tour competing head-to-head in three-member teams. In its 17-year history, the event has raised more than $30 million for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.
IN THE MOOD — WIS-TV in Columbia got a call from a local viewer about a book in her kid’s school library. We won’t get into the “thongy” details (and we’re surprised WIS did), but suffice it to say, the discerning mom “says it’s too sexually explicit … and the book encourages teens to have sex. ‘That’s not education, you’ll get in the mood,’ said Gilliam. ‘This book will put you in the mood.’”
AT LEAST THEY’RE NOT READING LIBRARY BOOKS — “The centerpiece of many teens’ lives — the cell phone — has been targeted by state lawmakers who want drivers to take their fingers off the buttons and wrap them around the steering wheel,” The Sun News reports. “Three Upstate legislators are seeking separate crackdowns on cell-phone use while driving. One bill would ban texting for all drivers regardless of age but continue to allow talking on cell phones. Another would specifically target drivers under 18, prohibiting them from using cell phones unless they were talking with a hands-free device.”
FINALLY THIS — IF YOU LIVE IN THE LOWCOUNTRY, DON’T USE WILHELMINA MOULTRIE AS YOUR TRAVEL AGENT — “Beverly Houchins … and some of her family members booked 24 rooms on a Carnival cruise to the western Caribbean. … The travel agent for the cruise was a woman named Wilhelmina Moultrie of Mt. Pleasant, who worked for a company out of Atlanta. … On Nov. 25, just 15 days before the cruise, Houchins received a copy of a letter supposedly from Carnival to the booking agent. The news wasn’t good. ‘That Carnival overbooked the cruise. I immediately knew something was incorrect about that,’ she said. She then called the booking agent to get some answers. ‘She insisted that the letter, the copy of the letter I gave you, was authentic. Of course, it wasn’t authentic,’ said Houchins.” Live 5 News took a closer look at the letter revealing “grammatical errors and typos. One line stated ‘We had to decided on the groups to release from the contracts.’ It should have stated ‘We had to decide.’ Another line stated ‘Your group was on of the five.’ It should have stated ‘one of the five.’ Houchins is convinced she was conned.”
THAT’S IT FOR THIS MORNING – STAY TUNED ON TWITTER OR FACEBOOK FOR UPDATES THAT JUST CAN’T WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW. HAVE A GOOD ONE!
