Comments on: SC Senate Journal Altered

By: KeHoeff

KeHoeff — Thu, 28 May 2009 20:24:37 +0000

hey this is a very interesting article!

By: Ron

Ron — Sat, 16 May 2009 01:18:53 +0000

Freddie Guy! You’re correct, Nikki favored the stimulus! And they all favored the tax shift of 2006. So who are we to support for Gov.? Anton?

By: Ron

Ron — Sat, 16 May 2009 00:43:18 +0000

This needs to come out as to who allowed this vote to be changed. This must be reckoned with by the leaders of the Senate, McConnell and Bauer! leaders of the senate!!! What a freekin joke! General McConnell and Evil Knievel Bauer!! LOL What a circus!! “What a tangled web we weave”. Maybe we should entrust RINO Hugh Leatherman w/the journal! That’ll be the day!!

By: Freddie Guy

Freddie Guy — Thu, 14 May 2009 15:20:05 +0000

Nicki Haley voted FOR the stimulus! Now that is a story you won’t read on FITS News!

By: The Truth Is Out There

The Truth Is Out There — Thu, 14 May 2009 11:56:31 +0000

Chuck’s first sentence is incorrect…because his fourth is accurate.

And his third is spot-on.

By: FromChucktown

FromChucktown — Thu, 14 May 2009 00:34:53 +0000

Once a Roll Call vote has been taken and all the “aye” and “nay” votes have been recorded, the votes cannot be changed, however, before the votes have been tabulated, a Senator can change his vote, only if it will not affect the outcome. Once the votes have been recorded, a Senator does have the option of asking to have a statement entered in the journal to clarify his vote. It is unbelievable that the journal was altered. The only person with the power to do that is the Clerk.

Maybe the Senate needs to use the electronic voting machines. Remember, it was the “phantom” vote cast regarding the Barnwell Nuclear Waste site that prompted Sheheen to institue the “locks” on the voting boxes in the House…..

I hope you are able to find the truth…although, I doubt you will be able to.

By: wrybread

wrybread — Wed, 13 May 2009 21:45:41 +0000

This is a good catch; kudos!!

I’m certain there is a legitimate floor procedure for a legislator who needs to change a vote. The true offense here was not the change of vote, but an apparently “extralegal” modification to the record. It is the non-kosher change to the Journal, and NOT the character or content of that change, that is of concern, and which should be harshly penalized.

This is a BIG DEAL, that goes way past what anyone’s position was on the stimulus spending or any other motion. It goes straight to whether the voters can place any trust of the official legislative record!

Speaking rhetorically — what does “of record” mean in South Carolina, if (presumably) legislators are afforded the means to change the record ex post facto?

It’s not a red issue or a blue issue, it’s a democracy small-d issue. PLEASE keep after this constitutional issue, since it is critical a. that the SJ not be modified from its initial, accurate version, and b. that we all find out how this happened.

By: Any more questions about Nikki?

Any more questions about Nikki? — Wed, 13 May 2009 21:20:05 +0000

Reps. COOPER, BINGHAM, J. E. SMITH, and SELLERS proposed the following Amendment No. 73 (Doc Name h:\legwork\house\ amend\H-WM01\arra fund auth dc jes bs.docx), which was adopted:
Amend the bill, as and if amended, Part IB, Section 90, STATEWIDE REVENUE, page 532, after line 6, by adding an appropriately numbered paragraph to read:
/ (SR: ARRA Fund Authorization) It is the intent of the General Assembly to accept all available funds from the State Budget Stabilization Fund contained within the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The Office of State Budget is directed to increase agency federal fund authorizations for funds from the State Budget Stabilization Fund allocated by the General Assembly. /
Renumber sections to conform.
Amend totals and titles to conform.

Rep. COOPER explained the amendment.

Rep. COBB-HUNTER demanded the yeas and nays which were taken, resulting as follows:

Yeas 108; Nays 8
Those who voted in the affirmative are:

Agnew Alexander Allen
Allison Anderson Anthony
Bales Bannister Barfield
Battle Bingham Bowen
Bowers Brady Branham
Brantley R. L. Brown Cato
Chalk Clyburn Cobb-Hunter
Cole Cooper Crawford
Daning Delleney Dillard
Duncan Edge Erickson
Forrester Frye Funderburk
Gambrell Gilliard Govan
Gullick Gunn Haley
Hardwick Harrell Harrison
Hart Harvin Hayes
Hearn Herbkersman Hiott
Hodges Horne Hosey
Howard Huggins Hutto
Jefferson Kelly Kennedy
King Kirsh Limehouse
Littlejohn Loftis Long
Lowe Lucas Mack
McEachern McLeod Merrill
Miller Mitchell Moss
J. H. Neal J. M. Neal Neilson
Ott Owens Parker
Parks Pinson E. H. Pitts
M. A. Pitts Rice Rutherford
Sandifer Scott Sellers
Simrill Skelton D. C. Smith
G. M. Smith J. E. Smith J. R. Smith
Sottile Spires Stavrinakis
Thompson Toole Umphlett
Weeks Whipper White
Whitmire Williams Willis
Wylie A. D. Young T. R. Young

Total–108
Those who voted in the negative are:

Ballentine Bedingfield Hamilton
Millwood Nanney G. R. Smith
Stewart Viers

By: Richard

Richard — Wed, 13 May 2009 20:05:41 +0000

Sounds like Martin got called out! And how did Haley exactly vote for the stimulus? Just yesterday she voted against the budget with the stimulus. I think you may be confused with her voting a month or so ago to DEBATE the budget with the stimulus and one without. Either way it looks like Martin came to his senses.

By: Enough is Enough

Enough is Enough — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:30:54 +0000

Weighing…axel…and other apologists:

All of that sounds very nice. The clerk made a mistake…Shane didn’t understand the vote…etc.et.cetc.

Let’s make one thing perfectly clear: Martin voted to take and spend the stimulus money. Several people asked him about it, and he confirmed it. There was no human error on the part of the clerk. There was no misunderstanding. He voted that way, and that is that.

It would be better for him if he had just owned up to it instead of trying to cover his tracks.

Gresham voted to take the money, and he has borne the brunt of the reaction. Nikki Haley voted to take the money, and she still has to face that music. Shane should be no different.