And Y’all Thought Last Year Was Corrupt …

By fitsnews • on January 27, 2008

GREEDY, CORRUPT SOUTH CAROLINA POLITICIANS SET TO OUT-DO THEMSELVES IN 2008

FITSNews - January 27, 2008 - For the second time in less than a year, state lawmakers are accusing powerful Senate Finance Committee Chairman Hugh Leatherman of using taxpayer dollars to blackmail his colleagues into voting the way he wants them to. The latest allegations against Leatherman - which we’ll be breaking details of exclusively here on FITSNews later this week - would constitute the second major scandal tied to the election of Supreme Court justices in this state, which for some reason is still the purview of an ethically-challenged S.C. General Assembly.

We spoke over the weekend with two legislators who claim that Leatherman - the most powerful budget-writer in South Carolina - directly threatened to cut off funds to their districts unless they supported his candidate of choice for the S.C. Supreme Court, which has been grappling with a massive scandal of its own in recent months.

ANOTHER SCANDAL FOR JIM REX - We’ve written on several occasions recently about the highly-controversial “Public Choice Innovation School” grants, which were awarded last month by the S.C. Department of Education to legislative districts represented by top political allies of Democratic Superintendent Jim Rex.

While we hear that a legislative investigation of this shady $2.3 million slush fund is imminent, it turns out Rex could have an even bigger scandal on his hands in the meantime. That’s because FITSNews has learned that Rex’s State Department recently authorized several “requests for proposals” aimed at “reforming” South Carolina’s totally ineffective and inefficient Palmetto Achievement Challenge Test (PACT). The only problem? Well, these RFPs mysteriously disappeared from the S.C. Budget & Control Board website a few weeks ago, and it turns out they may have been issued without the foreknowledge of the General Assembly, the Education Oversight Committee or the State Board of Education.

Additionally, our story will reveal some disturbing connections between Rex and the powerful special interests bent on maintaining control of PACT, as well as a much more sinister effort to artificially inflate South Carolina’s abysmal achievement scores.

NEW S.C. POLICY COUNCIL LEADER? - South Carolina’s top conservative thinktank may be close to naming its next leader, sources tell FITSNews. No word yet on whether a final decision has been made or not, but we’d like to take this opportunity to endorse our good friend Ashley Landess for the position. One of the sharpest policy minds in the Southeast and an outspoken fiscal conservative, Landess (who is currently serving as the Policy Council’s Interim Executive Director) would be the perfect person to fill the position vacated last year by Egg McMuffin … err, Ed McMullen.

Simply put, it’s gonna be one hell of a week, people, and we look forward to sharing it with you right here.

Because in the words of our man Brother Ali, we “rock shock the house” and “most definitely we ’bout to turn sh*t out, y’all …”

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Comments

By Pete on January 27th, 2008 at 12:35 pm

An “ethically challenged” general assembly coupled with a devoid of any ethics at all Chief Justice: We’ve got a mess here. Go, Willie go. Don’t count on the lawyer-legislators to be of any help. To confirm Queen Jean has an absolute iron grip hold on the entire SC BAR, did you see the comments the two immediate past presidents of the SC BAR said after Queen Jean’s State of the BAR speech last Friday in Charleston? “We believe you, your magesty, we believe you. You said it, so it is law. We believe you forever and ever! Amen.” Lanny Lambert and Brad Waring - how does it feel to live without gonads?

By Mr. Blackwell on January 27th, 2008 at 2:43 pm

Most deserved! Finally, the person who has been doing the job for years is getting the title and the pay… Congrats!

By Mr. Business on January 27th, 2008 at 3:43 pm

That is great news about Ashley. She is a true believer about the tenets of conservatism that most elected officials only give lip service to at election time. She has the brains and the tenacity to make a big difference in Columbia and the strength to call a spade a spade. I hope that those who give to groups like Carolinians for Reform and Reform SC will remember to give Ashley and the Policy Council some love too.

Go get em girl!

By Yeller on January 27th, 2008 at 4:39 pm

The BAr ASso has shown itself to be a sham…a group with out honor.

The “new Media” is the only hope we have. The “old media” is nothing but a bottom line business that is connected to all sides of the debate with hopes to cash in on them all.

By Awesome on January 27th, 2008 at 5:20 pm

You are the man. Keep up the great work. Go get ‘em.

By Ginny on January 27th, 2008 at 7:35 pm

Oh no! Tell me you didn’t spell the South’s favorite contraction incorrectly. Can I get a “y’all,” pretty please?

By ATTORNEYwith many issues against the ODC on January 28th, 2008 at 12:46 am

GET EM PETE. TRUTH NEEDS TO BE TOLD.

By Jeffrey Sewell on January 28th, 2008 at 12:56 pm

Shocking!

By anonymous on January 28th, 2008 at 5:14 pm

Thomas Ravenel cocaine sentencing delayed,
No new sentencing date was set

January 28, 2008

Ravenel cocaine sentencing delayed

A federal sentencing hearing scheduled for today for former State Treasurer Thomas Ravenel and a co-defendant has been postponed, U.S. District Judge Joe Anderson ruled today.

Prosecutors in court papers asked Anderson to cancel the Columbia hearing because an FBI agent involved in the case had a scheduling conflict.

No new sentencing date was set, though Anderson in his order said prosecutors and defense lawyers must notify the court of the “first date” the agent will be available.

Ravenel, 45, who is free on bond, pleaded guilty in September to one count of conspiracy to possess and distribute less than 500 grams of cocaine. He is accused of sharing cocaine with friends at his Charleston mansion, though not selling it.

Ravenel faces a maximum 20-year prison sentence, though the U.S. Probation Office has recommended a sentence of 10 to 16 months.

Ravenel was indicted in June and resigned his $92,000-a-year treasurer’s post after a July court hearing.

Co-defendant Michael L. Miller, 26, of Mt. Pleasant, who authorities said sold cocaine to Ravenel, pleaded guilty in November to two federal charges. He was arrested later on unrelated state charges that he struck a police officer, though he was freed on bail.

By Ron Turner on January 28th, 2008 at 8:25 pm

Willie, thanks for the watch dogging of the state dept of ed. Many of us are very anxiously awating your revelation of this suspected scandal related to Supt Rex and the “special interests” who benefit from the perpetuation of their controc of PACT testing the the inflation of the scores. Willie, if you’ve got a scandal here and will “lead the charge”, you will have followers, GUARANTEED!
Ron Turner
Summerville, SC