Indigo Journal - Recent Comments

Early Voting Legislation

Finx — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:28:19 GMT

From a QH (Quick Hit):

http://www.thetandd.com/articl...

House Minority Leader Harry Ott, D-St. Matthews, and Rep. Jerry Govan, D-Orangeburg, are co-sponsors of a bill that calls for the enactment of the South Carolina Voter Accessibility Act. It would establish early voting centers that would allow a registered voter to vote outside his or her precinct.

"After the general election, I heard from many of my constituents that they didn't want to wait in long lines to vote," Ott said. "It makes sense to me to have centralized voter registration offices where those who are registered can cast their ballots two weeks prior to the election day. The state Election Commission also supports this idea. The more people that are casting ballots, the better the process works.

"I don't see this costing any additional money. The idea is to use existing county voter registration offices that are already staffed."

Rep. Bakari Sellers, D-Denmark, is co-sponsor of a joint resolution that seeks to amend the state constitution so the state is required to provide a high-quality education for all children in all public schools. Sen. John Matthews, D-Bowman, has co-sponsored similar legislation in the Senate.

"We need to add that wording to the constitution because it's essential to moving forward and improving public education in South Carolina," Sellers said.

Pink Iguanas, Finches.

Finx — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:06:02 GMT

Did you know that teachers aren't allowed to say evolution in some SC schools?

Pink iguanas unseen by Darwin offer evolution clue

By Michael Kahn Michael Kahn - Mon Jan 5, 5:43 pm ET
Italian researcher Gabriele Gentile holds a pink iguana, a newly-documented Reuters - Italian researcher Gabriele Gentile holds a pink iguana, a newly-documented species that may provide ...

LONDON (Reuters) - Pink iguanas unknown to Charles Darwin during his visits to the Galapagos islands may provide evidence of species divergence far earlier than the English naturalist's famous finches, researchers said Monday.

The findings also for the first time describe the black-striped reptiles -- first seen in 1986 and only a few more times since -- as a new species, said Gabriele Gentile of the University Tor Vergata in Rome, who led the study.

They also add to understanding of the evolution of species on the remote islands, which remain much as they were millions of years ago and which inspired Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. Many of its species are found nowhere else.

"Despite the attention given to them, the Galapagos have not yet finished offering evolutionary novelties," Gentile and colleagues wrote in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"So far, this species is the only evidence of ancient diversification along the Galapagos land iguana lineage and documents one of the oldest events of divergence ever recorded in the Galapagos."

During Darwin's visit to the Galapagos in 1835 his observations of finch varieties with different-shaped beaks scattered across the archipelago's some 100 islands were a key element in his formulation of the principles of evolution.

His studies on how one type had evolved into several after a probable chance migration thousands of years earlier from the Latin American mainland lay at the heart of his major work "On the Origin of Species," published in 1859.

As the finches spread around the islands and their populations became cut off from each other, the birds adapted to the food locally available by developing beaks of a shape most suitable to harvest it, his research showed.

Darwin did not visit areas inhabited by the pink land iguana and so missed the species, whose existence suggests diversification in the Galapagos happened some five million years ago. That is far earlier than attributed to most other Galapagos species like the finches, Gentile said.

"We were not the first to see this form but we were the first to say what it is and that it is a new species," Gentile said in a telephone interview.

A genetic analysis showed that the pink reptile likely originated in the Galapagos and split from other iguana populations some five million years ago when the archipelago was still forming, the researchers said.

The creatures only seem to live near a single volcano at most 350,000 years old, which means the reptiles that grow longer than a meter and up to 12 kilograms must have at one time existed elsewhere in the Galapagos, Gentile said.

The researchers documented fewer than 40 of the iguanas over two years and Gentile said conservation efforts and funds are urgently needed to keep the species from dying off.

"We think the population is very small and there is a great risk of extinction," Gentile said.

(Reporting by Michael Kahn; editing by Jon Boyle)

Goldilocks

Finx — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:08:39 GMT

This one is too soft..this one too hard...but this one is just right...

Maybe Seth Brundle could combine their DNA for the Ultimate SC Politico- with wings even!

Good stuff

Snead — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:12:58 GMT

I'm a big fan of Mike's work @ Take Down The Flag and wish him luck in Richland 2.

Schools

Finx — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:07:23 GMT

Yes. More profiles and "Quick Hits" on folks like Michael Rodgers. Ideally, we need an IJ Correspondent in each district and county. Well, we can start with more informative post like this one and a keen eye on the Assembly as well. The problem with focusing on SC is it lacks the Drama of the national fistfights and Obamamania, and quite frankly appears bleakly overwhelming, having found ourselves in the last Red Fortress and tough conditions. But by repeatedly highlighting candidates and campaigns around the state, the various hotspots of reform can bubble to the surface and fellow travelers can be identified and themes and messages organized.

Education is a recurring and immediate concern for SC. The question is whether one takes the fight under the flag of education reform, government restructuring, or taxes.There is a large push in SC for "school choice" or "vouchers", a Republican standard given added shading with Sanford's libertarian twists on things.

388 - this is a good example of the tide we are up against.

http://www.goupstate.com/artic...

Officially, it's Act 388 - the law passed in 2006 that slashed residential property taxes to fund school operations in exchange for an extra penny on the dollar in sales taxes. Legislators included provisions in the law that prevent school districts and local governments from raising millage rates by more than a formula based on inflation plus population growth, and caps increases in the assessed value of property at 15 percent every five years.

It's those provisions that school officials find most troubling. It's a one-two punch they say handcuffs school districts across the state, especially those with fast-growing student populations.

...
Anton Gunn in Time:
http://www.time.com/time/magaz...

Correction: steepled fingers

Atlas — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:11:23 GMT

Correction: steepled fingers

Republicans are Touchy-Feely

Atlas — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:10:31 GMT

It was boring and they pretty much parroted each other.

Blackwell livened it up by sticking it to Dawson a few times, which made the SCGOP chair defensive, so Ken patted Katon's
knee (seriously, he did).

Chip Saltsman tried to intimidate the group with his steeled fingers, and Michael Steele was practically doing sign language with his hands and casting shadow puppets over Dawson's face. This is probably why I guess Dawson felt compelled to pat him on the shoulder.

Mike Duncan looked like an out-of-touch old guy, which he is.

Anuzis looked like another old guy trying to be cool.

Saltsman made a point about the importance of Republicans making a good impression on minorities without bursting into hysterical laughter.

Excellent points

Snead — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:18:34 GMT

Thanks for the comments

The Comments

Snead — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:16:10 GMT

Really are worth reading and truly show what lies beneath the surface, in people's minds and their hearts. Very sad, but there it is.

Contempt for Expertise

Finx — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 16:08:41 GMT

If the Bush administration became a byword for policy bungles, for government by the unqualified, well, it was just following the advice of leading conservative think tanks: after the 2000 election the Heritage Foundation specifically urged the new team to "make appointments based on loyalty first and expertise second."

Contempt for expertise, in turn, rested on contempt for government in general. "Government is not the solution to our problem," declared Ronald Reagan. "Government is the problem." So why worry about governing well?

Krugman, 1-1-09

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01...

Heckuva job, Paul!!

Dems and Repubs on list

Jennifer Read — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 04:22:22 GMT

Yeah, technically they have the right to exclude anyone they want, but folks who join should expect to be judged accordingly, especially public figures.

The big story this week centers on the likely 2010 GOP Guv hopefuls (as well as RNC Chair wannabe Dawson), but in fairness, there are plenty of names in that directory from both sides of the political aisle.

RE: Folks, no idea. Perhaps he doesn't have a full copy. Or maybe he was trying to draw out the '08 edition release til after the holiday and Sewell just beat him to it. Who knows...

Some thoughts

Snead — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:21:01 GMT

I'm sad to see Dr. Edgar associated with this club. But, you never really know a person. As Sewell says, a private club can do whatever a private club wants. What he doesn't say it that associations like this tell you a lot about a person's character and priorities.

I wonder why Folks is sitting on the 2008 list, or if he even really has it. For a guy who loves bragging about what a bad ass he is, all I ever see if a lot of talk and name calling. I guess in South Carolina social and political circles that makes him bad ass. In the real world it means jack and shit.

Bang the drum slowly

Finx — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 17:30:48 GMT

It's certainly going to be an interesting year.

Try to not let Sanford get to you too much, Tim. He's not worth the brain hemorrhage I can sense in your every post.

Education, taxes, restructuring.... what should we all be focusing, working on on and keeping track of this year? What 10 get top priority? (good one for a voting post)

I am also keen on getting active with the Governor and Senator races.

thanks

Finx — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 13:25:39 GMT

Thank you, Jennifer. I plan to build Bill reports using the online application, just been a little busy. These will be good to track, as well as education, taxes and any restructuring bills.

Glad my word usage was over-looked...

JPeeler — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 02:11:37 GMT

Apparently the old spell-checker flipped "conscientious" to "contentious", which was not what I was trying to convey. Thankfully, things apparently turned out well, based on the news. Back to job-hunting!