“Defund the police!” some recently suggested. While most people would probably shrug off that idea as highly irresponsible, on Sunday, a veto-proof majority of the Minneapolis City Council pledged to do exactly that! Let’s be clear: these city council members aren’t talking about citizens having a primary role in determining how their community is policed. If they were, that process wouldn’t begin... Read more »

I'm pleased to announce that the Catawba Indian Nation has received a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), which will be used to help build a community resource center to consolidate its library collections and archives. According to the IMLS grant announcement, these materials are currently dispersed in different locations. And this new space “will support... Read more »

If someone had been earning up to $48,000 annually, but is now receiving unemployment benefits during this pandemic, that individual is currently pulling in MORE money on unemployment than he or she did while working. $48K is the approximate threshold here in South Carolina. (Individual cases vary, obviously.) So why is this happening? Why are roughly half of those on unemployment now earning more... Read more »

From the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, Clinton College in Rock Hill, has committed to addressing the educational needs of students that reside in geographically disadvantaged areas in our area. While remote learning has been critical during this time, many of Clinton College's students have faced adversity with the lack of home internet access, which is imperative to completing assignments, and th... Read more »

Every American has a right to demand answers. To demand a renewed dialogue. To demand change where appropriate. And FOR SURE to demand justice in the horrific death of George Floyd. But those demands will quickly be lost in the chaos if they’re made by assaulting our law enforcement officers and destroying property. This disgusting image is just one of many from South Carolina over the weekend. Th... Read more »

During the COVID-19 pandemic, unconnected Americans are at more of a disadvantage than ever. Many facilities that previously provided free internet access, such as libraries and schools, are now closed in many states. And students without this access are likely to fall behind their peers. Patients may have difficulty receiving the appropriate heal care if they are unable to interact with their pro... Read more »

I am repulsed by what happened to George Floyd. Physically repulsed. There are so many questions that must be answered. For starters: Why was Mr. Floyd not rolled over or allowed to sit up after he’d been detained? Why was (former) Officer Chauvin's knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck for almost eight minutes, including more than three minutes after he appeared to lose consciousness? What was going on in Cha... Read more »

I cannot STAND litigation, but yesterday I quickly joined a sizable group of Republicans plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Nancy Pelosi. This is over a rule change she recently pushed through the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives that allows “proxy voting.” Get this: Members in the House don’t even need to show up on Capitol Hill now. We can just “phone it in” and let another Member vote ... Read more »

So Planned Parenthood apparently considers itself a small business now. This week we learned the nation’s largest abortion provider – with $2 billion in assets, 16,000 employees, and over 600 locations that rake in almost $1.7 billion annually – applied for the new Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses. Remember this program was set up by Congress to help small businesses and small non-... Read more »

Here’s the debate: (A) Should we be taking measured, reasonable steps to re-open America and get people safely back to work, knowing this path must be monitored very closely and isn’t without some risk? Or (B) should we extend efforts to keep Americans at home and “non-essential” businesses closed, knowing the financial damage this will cause to American families and our economy? The truth is the ... Read more »