The picture for 2011 is a glum one—a $1.3 trillion deficit, 9.1% unemployment rate—and it’s not going to get much brighter in the next few years, according to a report by the Congressional Budget Office. In it, notes Politico , the CBO warns of “profound budgetary and…
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FOP Full Sail David DeSanto Aug 2011 FOP Voters Episode 1 Crizzy Santaiga – Read Between The Lines PerryJoanne says: Boardman FOP Lodge treasurer stresses importance of having tax-exempt status http://t.co/4h6A5ZI
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senorita_weaver says: Due to what happend in our area yesterday I thought this was very appropriate: http://t.co/zFbbnsd
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Even being an iconic part of rom-com history — and a big tourist attraction — isn’t keeping yet another beloved small bookstore from meeting its end. The Travel Bookshop was where Will (Hugh Grant) worked and met movie star Anna Scott (Julia Roberts) in Notting Hill. The 1999 movie turned the store into a tourist hot
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The cast of ‘Glee’ may play losers on the show, but in their new music video for Fashion’s Night Out they’re channeling their inner glam… Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : PopEater Discovery Date : 24/08/2011 14:55 Number of articles : 4
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Swaths of NHS could be shut down by Christmas as failure of government talks on pensions now ‘almost inevitable’ Unions representing staff at every level of the health service are meeting tomorrow to plan the first NHS-wide strike, in anticipation that current negotiations with the government over public sector pensions will fail by the autumn. Doctors, nurses, midwives, hospital administrators and cleaners will discuss plans to shut down swaths of the NHS in industrial action which could take place by Christmas if negotiations fail. One official representing 460,000 NHS staff in the talks said the prospect of failure felt “almost inevitable” and claimed ministers had refused to budge on the most fundamental issues – increasing members’ contributions and delaying the retirement age. Unison, whose 1.4 million members include 460,000 NHS workers, is hosting the meeting in London which will also be attended by the British Medical Association, Royal College of Nursing and British Dental Association as well as other major unions representing health workers including the GMB and Unite. The written agenda includes discussion of “possible future industrial action” including the nature of potential strikes, legal issues and the provision of emergency cover. Unison said it was “hoping for the best but planning for the worst” in relation to the outcome of pension talks with the government. Christina McAnea, the union’s national secretary for health said: “There has never been full-scale industrial action in the health service. This is the first time all the groups have come together to talk about it. Industrial action in the NHS could be massive. “We want to have things in place early, to make sure we can cover everything and ensure we minimise problems for patients. But it almost feels this is inevitable.” The first week in November is being mooted for strike action by some of the civil service and teaching unions that walked out in June, but it is unlikely an NHS strike would take place at the same time. None of the health unions have balloted members for strike action and are unlikely to do so before government talks conclude at the end of October – unless the negotiations collapse before then. Pension talks have been ongoing throughout the summer on a sector-by-sector basis, with some making more progress than others. Unions will be told each sector’s pension settlement either at or after a joint meeting with ministers on 8 September. Brian Strutton, the GMB’s national secretary for public services said he believed only talks on the local government pension scheme currently had any chance of success. The local government scheme is fully funded, meaning contributions from the employer and employee go into an investment fund with £140bn of assets currently covering all payments. If contributions rise too sharply the lowest paid could opt out and cause the fund to collapse. Ministers have already signalled they will be sympathetic to the sector. The health, civil service and education schemes are unfunded. However, Strutton was optimistic ministers may be persuaded that some recent government financial gains could count towards the pensions savings target. Unite is also holding a summit with key officials and shop stewards . It said the government would have to change its approach if there was to be any breakthrough. “The problem with all the talks is that they don’t really resemble genuine negotiations because for a long time the government has been completely inflexible in its approach,” said Gail Cartmail, assistant general secretary of Unite which represents around 250,000 public sector workers. Cartmail added that ballot preparations are ongoing. Teachers’ unions are particularly worried that members will be squeezed from all sides if a special deal is made for local government and the lowest paid public sector workers are protected from the highest increases in pension contributions, as ministers have already promised. Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers which walked out earlier this yearfor the first time said: “The talks are in good faith but it’s difficult to see where room for negotiation is. Teachers are caught between a rock and a hard place and get the worst deal of all.” A Department of Health spokeswoman said even after reform the NHS pension would remain one of the best and that the lowest paid workers would be protected. “The status quo is not sustainable with people living much longer, substantially increasing the cost to the taxpayer,” she said. “Constructive talks on pensions are still ongoing. It would be very wrong to make assumptions about their outcome.” Public sector pensions NHS Pensions Trade unions Liberal-Conservative coalition Polly Curtis Dan Milmo guardian.co.uk
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Insurgent attack on British Council workers thwarted by special forces, but New Zealand SAS commando dies during rescue A turf war between Kabul’s police and SAS-trained Afghan commandos caused a potentially life-threatening delay to the operation to rescue two British Council workers penned in by suicide bombers, according to the rescue team. The standoff last Friday between the city’s police and the Crisis Response Unit (CRU), which lasted for more than four hours, gave the attackers time not just to overwhelm the fortress-like compound, but also to launch a terrifying assault on the reinforced door of the cramped safe room where the two employees of the British Council had taken refuge. According to Ghulam Daoud, leader of the commando team, the insurgents used several hand grenades in their unsuccessful attempts to blast open the door, located in a narrow area under a flight of stairs, where the two teachers had taken refugee with a security guard from the private British company G4S. “They were very well informed, they knew exactly where the strong points were and where the safe room was,” said General Sayed Abdul Ghafar, director of Afghan special forces. The two women, one British and the other South African, have not yet been named although diplomatic sources said one of them had only arrived in Afghanistan 48 hours earlier to work on the British Council’s educational and cultural programmes. They were rushed to the tiny safe room, in a building in the centre of the compound, at 5.40am under covering fire from private guards on the roof of the compound after a vehicle packed with explosives ripped through the front gate. It destroyed the double-layered “airlock” of concrete walls, metal gates and other defensive measures. A second group of terrorists, armed with bombs and guns, stormed into the compound, overwhelming the guard force of Gurkhas and Afghans employed by G4S, the giant British security company. In total 12 people, excluding the attackers, died during six hours of fierce fighting. One of the fatalities included Douglas Grant, 41, a New Zealand SAS commando who was part of the rescue team . Photographs of the devastated compound in the relatively upmarket neighbourhood of western Kabul show that the safe room had just enough space for a mattress, some cushions and bits of equipment. While the two teachers and guard were trapped inside, waiting for rescue, they were able to talk to embassy officials by mobile phone. They also had time to pin Union flags to their chests, to identify themselves clearly when the Afghan commandos arrived. But that took far longer than anyone would have hoped because of an argument over jurisdiction between different arms of the Afghan security forces. Ghafar, the special forces chief, got to the scene within 20 minutes but his team was sent away by Kabul’s police chief, General Mohammad Ayub Salangi. “We finally called back at 9.45 but in all that time the stupid policemen did not do anything,” said Ghafar. One international official said Salangi had handled the situation like an “idiot”. However, the police chief insisted that he was simply “following procedures” and claimed not to have ordered the CRU away. New Zealand SAS team At 10am, more than four hours after the attack began, the CRU team of 20 commandos, joined by five soldiers of the New Zealand SAS who rushed to the scene from their base on the other side of the city, began their assault on the compound. But their initial attempt to drive through the blasted, wrecked main gate in an armoured Humvee was repulsed by an hail of bullets that even broke the vehicle’s armoured windows. One CRU commando died there. The rescuers’ work was made even more difficult by the British Council’s own elaborate defences – including bulletproof glass on all the windows – giving insurgents strong fighting positions to hold back the rescue party. “The enemy had time to occupy all the bulletproof checkpoints [inside the compound] that we could not attack,” said Daoud, leading the CRU unit. The frontal assault strategy was abandoned. Meanwhile, the New Zealand SAS team turned their attention to the back of the compound, blowing a hole in a rear wall, and allowing the CRU commandos to storm in from a neighbouring building. Daoud confirmed that, while the CRU is a highly regarded special forces team, it does not yet have engineers trained to break through walls. When they finally got into the compound the telltale smell of “cooked kebab” showed suicide bombers had already exploded themselves, he said. New Zealand and Afghan snipers occupying positions in overlooking buildings were able to provide some cover to their colleagues from insurgents firing from their heavily defended positions on the upper floor of the guesthouse where British Council staff were hiding. But that was not enough to save Corporal Grant, a New Zealand SAS member who was shot and mortally wounded as he ran along the edge of the compound. The Afghan commandos also revealed that the three non-Afghans were removed from the building long before all the insurgents inside had been killed. There remained at least one suicide bomber still fighting upstairs, and a fire was spreading in the building, so the rescue party decided not to wait. Sniper teams were ordered to train all their fire on the area where the insurgent was still holed up, allowing three other British Council workers to move to a nearby gym, which had been made from a metal sea container. The New Zealand commandos blew up another section of wall and they escaped. The fire in the building also forced a Gurkha, who had been on the roof since the start of the siege, down from his position in the roof. But even though the foreigners were safe, the fighting still raged for control of the building with troops occasionally so close to attackers that they could punch them, said Ghafar. At one point an attacker, after being shot, managed to detonate his vest, injuring but not killing five CRU commandos. Despite the heat, fighting for several hours in the summer sun, none of the commandos was subsequently able to eat or drink because it is the fasting month of Ramadan. At the end of the operation the team went to a nearby carwash and hosed themselves down with water. Afghanistan New Zealand G4S Taliban Military Jon Boone guardian.co.uk
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Job fair offers hope to thousands who are unemployed in South Florida, bringing in about 120 employers and 3000 jobs. Still, there are no guarantees in this market. (Aug. 24)
Continue reading …First, read John’s post from earlier today on why raising the retirement age for Social Security is the worst idea ever. He’s exactly right, it is. But it’s not just a terrible idea for Social Security recipients; it’s a terrible idea for business. Especially small business. What many don’t know is this: When tweaks are made to Social Security, they ripple through the entire benefits universe, including private pension plans, union pension plans, 401k plans, and related deferred compensation benefits. When the Social Security retirement age was raised in the ’80s, it required every employer and union plan to be redesigned and amended at considerable expense. Worse yet, it required that benefits earned by employees through the old retirement age be retained, with benefits earned after the new retirement age kicked in to be added on as a new “layer,” which actually increases costs for many employees. This principle plays in the current debate too, whether it’s 401k plans or Defined Benefit plans (such as they are). All earned benefits in defined benefit plans must be equivalent at the new retirement date, but many of them have been calculated using interest rates far higher than the ones in effect now — around 8 percent. Recalculation would have to be done at a lower interest rate, resulting in higher monthly benefits payable at a later age. 401k plan investments would have to be adjusted for a longer time horizon, exposing participants to even higher risks. All of these small changes play out as expensive modifications. The only people who benefit are lawyers and third party administrators, who have to carry out the changes. By the way, this is also true of the chained CPI modifications to benefits, only it has a smaller effect on rank and file employees’ pensions and a larger effect on highly-paid employees’ pensions. It ripples through to contribution limits on 401k and Profit Sharing plans, Defined Benefit limits, CPI adjustments to SEP/IRA limits and other benefit-related limits, both private and public. Social Security does need to be changed. The disability portion of the fund will run out in approximately 6 years. The Old Age part will be about 70 percent funded in 2037. That’s not a disaster, but I would much rather see some wise changes now than crisis planning in 10 years. The issue can’t be framed around all or nothing. Instead, it should be around how best to change it in a way that will benefit current and future beneficiaries. Experts agree on the following: Benefits need to be adjusted. The current wage base is inadequate because it causes the burden of the cost of Social Security to fall on those least able to afford it. It should be raised to the level that was intended: 90 percent of average payroll, which would mean a payroll tax on approximately $230,000 instead of $106,000 as it is today. Trust fund solvency must rely on a revenue increase. It cannot be mended by benefit cuts alone. Privatizing any portion of Social Security will drive the deficit sky-high. These are just a few of the reasons extending the retirement age would be a disaster from the viewpoint of private retirement plans. There are more, like the fact that in these economic times, people over the age of 50 have a difficult time being hired when there are younger, less expensive workers available. They’re already stretching everything they have, and will likely exhaust any 401k benefits before they reach current retirement ages. What will we do with a generation full of destitute people? Republicans would have them tossed out of their homes onto the street where they can sneer at them for being welfare leeches. But if they cannot be hired, cannot work, and have inadequate savings to bridge the gap through retirement, that’s exactly what will happen. One solution to dealing with the shortfall? Repealing the high-end Bush tax cuts and earmarking the revenue for Social Security . Of course, we don’t have a Congress with the courage to do that right now, so other ways may come into play. Some are better than others. None are perfect . But raising the retirement age doesn’t solve anything for government and business alike.
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WASHINGTON — The Republican establishment inside the Washington Beltway may be pining for new candidates to enter the race for president, but two-thirds of influential local Republicans surveyed by The Huffington Post and Patch in the early primary and caucus states are satisfied with their choices. And while Sarah Palin is gearing up for a major speech in Iowa, just 8 percent want her to run. Sixty-three percent of the 169 influential Republicans surveyed in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina in our second HuffPost-Patch Power Outsiders poll say they are satisfied with the candidates now running for president, while just 36 percent say they want to see more candidates get into the race. When asked which individuals, if any, they would like to see join the race, our Power Outsiders were most likely to mention New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (31 percent of respondents), followed by Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan (17 percent). In the midst of our survey, Ryan announced Monday that he will not run for president next year. While many would like to see either Christie or Ryan run, far fewer named former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (8 percent) or former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (4 percent), even though our question prompted for all four names. Nearly as many volunteered Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (4 percent) or former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (4 percent), both of whom declared earlier this year that they would not enter the race. Roughly 12 percent said they were satisfied with the current crop of candidates and still offered the name of someone they would like to see enter the race. While only 36 percent said they were not satisfied with the announced candidates and would “like to see more candidates,” 48 percent named at least one noncandidate they would like to see run. Their views are best summarized by the New Hampshire Republican who said, “[I'm] satisfied, but the more options the better.” The results come from the second in a series of weekly surveys designed to tap the deep reporting resources of the AOL Huffington Post Media Group in the three early GOP voting states. These nonscientific samplings of Republican party leaders, elected officials and political activists in the early primary and caucus states are an attempt to cover the “invisible primary” among party insiders that typically has great influence in the presidential nomination contests. While the surveys are not representative of a larger population, they constitute an extensive and systematic effort to monitor the opinions of Republican activists and party leaders in the early voting states. We’re looking to expand our list of influential and elected members of both parties in the three early states and across the country. If you fit the criteria and would like to participate, email John.Celock@huffingtonpost.com, and we’ll connect you with the appropriate Patch reporter. This week, we reached out to roughly 240 influential Republicans in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina and received responses from 169, including 34 from Iowa, 63 from New Hampshire and 72 from South Carolina. (We asked respondents to allow us to publish their names as participants, and those names appear below, but we will report results in aggregated form only.) We also gave respondents an opportunity to respond in their own words, and those satisfied with their choices seem impatient with those pining for a “perfect” candidate and eager to get on with the campaign: I don’t think there’s anyone (whether a declared or a potential candidate) that’s going to completely unite the GOP this year. Wishes for a hypothetical candidate who could unite the party aren’t helpful since such a person does not exist. The current field of candidates, while not perfect (Who is? Except Barack Obama – and even the Democrats are wondering about him.) is very strong. They are experienced and successful political and business professionals. Men, women, younger, older, black, white, Governors, Senators, Congressmen, what more could you want? The problem is when you have a polarized environment is that you have individuals who will only be satisfied with a “perfect” candidate and there is no such thing. People need to look at the record and listen to what they say and get behind the BEST candidate. We have a very strong field of GOP candidates now. While each may have some flaws, any one of them could make a very capable president. Tired of the rampant speculation, endless drama. Given the current state of our Nation and the current candidates putting forth plans, to further dilute the attention of the electorate would likely muddle the decision making process along with continuing to make vetting candidates a more difficult task. While many GOP Power Outsiders would welcome the entry of a Christie or a Ryan, most we talked to are satisfied with the choices before them. The inside-the-Beltway Republican establishment may differ, but most of these influential Republicans at the grass roots are ready to choose from the candidates now in the race. The HuffPost-Patch Power Outsiders All of the individuals listed below have agreed to participate in the Power Outsiders surveys, although not all responded to this week’s questions. Update (1:46 p.m. EST): The list has been corrected from the original version. Iowa Cory Adams (Story County GOP chair), Leah Adams (Co-Chair, Johnson County Republican Women), Chad Airhart (Dallas Co. recorder), Skye Alison (Insurance Sales), Roger Anderson (Member, Johnson County GOP Executive Committee), Shane Blanchard (Waukee City Council), Carmine Boal (Former Congresswoman, now works for governor), Steve Boal (CFO, Accu-Mold), Irene Chalmers-Neubauer (Republican precinct captain), Mike St. Clair (Lobbyist), Arleigh Clemens (Co-Chair Johnson County Republicans), Jeremy Davis (Councilman), Tyler DeHaan (IT Services), Debra Derksen (PR person for Johnson County GOP), Mike Elam (Organizer, Dallas County GOP), Paul Fell (Santorum supporter), Amanda Freel (State House Repub Staff), Natalie Ginty (Chairwoman, Iowa Federation of College Republicans), Rick Hermann (Sales Manager, WeatherTech Automotive), William Keettel (Former head, Johnson County Republicans), Kevin Koester (Congressman), Marilyn Krocheski, Jon McAvoy (Head of Dallas County Republicans), Isaiah McGee (Owner, McGee strategies), Chris McLinden (Axis Capital), Cynthia Michel (Precinct Captain), Mike Nolan (Republican Party noteable), Bill Peard (Waukee Mayor), Rick Sanders (Republican Supervisor), Chad Steenhoek (Member, Strong America Now), Wade Steenhoek (Ankeny City Council ), Ronald Stenstrom (Romney Supporter), Karen Svede (Former statewide candidate), Rob Taylor (Running for Iowa House Seat), Mike Thayer (Editor/Publisher Coralville Courier), Deb Thornton (Worked in Republican administrations), Robert Wennerholm (Precinct Captain), Randy Yontz (Director Leadership Institute) New Hampshire Chris Tremblay (Activist), Laura Foote (Activist), Shari Demers (Activist), Mark Cookson (Alderman-at-large), Jim Costello (American Government teacher), Kathy Benuck (BCTV Host/Blogger), Patrick McDougall (Budget Committee), Mark Vincent (Chair of Amherst Republicans), Gary Ellmer (Chairman, Porsmouth Republican Committee), Stephen E. Ludwick (Chairman, Supervisors of the Checklist, Ward 9), William Smith (Conservative Blogger), Tom Walker (Conservative Republican), Tom Rath (Consultant), Jamie Burnett (Consultant), Dick Hinch (Current State Rep), Pam Tucker (Deputy House Speaker), Dan St. Hilaire (Executive councilor), Frank Ferraro (Exeter Selectman), Matt Quandt (Exeter Selectman/State Rep.), Robert Washburn (Former City Councilor), Russell Bridle (Former Hampton Fire Department captain/State Rep.), Joel Maiola (Former Judd Gregg Chief of Staff), Ed Brooks (Former ME selectman, town councilor), Jim Rubens (Former Republican State Sen.), Bianca Garcia (Former Salem GOP Victory Office mgr), Amy Perkins (Former State Rep. – Seabrook), Eric Anderson (Former State Rep/Chair Bow Board of Selectmen), Kris MacNeil (Former State Senate candidate), Harry McClard (Freelance writer), Tom Linehan (GOP Activist), John Lyons (Lawyer), Rick Paige (Loan officer), Ken Jones (Member of Amherst Republicans), Brian Griset (Member of local political committee), Gary Krupp (Member of the School Budget Committee), Chris Buda (Merrimack GOP Chair), David Hurst (New Hampshire Young Republicans chairman), Maureen Mooney (Past State Rep), Ed Declercq (Planning Board), J. Christopher Williams (Pres. Nashua CC), Pete Silva (Rep – Nashua), David Bates (Rep- Windham), Chris Buck (Republican activist), Jerry Delemus (Republican activist), Tasha Olsen (Republican activist), Jennifer Horn (Republican activist), Michael Lambert (Resident), Mauri Foster (Retired), Lisa Hansen (Romney supporter), Diane Bitter (Rye Republican activist), Jeff Hatch (Salem Romney Town Chair), David Garcia (Salem Town GOP Chair), Marie Lopez-Reyes (Sales), George Markwell (School Board Member), Sheila Francoeur (Seacoast Republican Women member), Juanita Dangel (Secretary Hillsborough County GOP), Pat Hargreaves (Selectman), Julie DiCarlo (Small business owner), Ron DiCarlo (Small business owner), Steve Landry (Small business owner), Brandon Stauber (Small business owner/recent Exeter transplant), Eduardo Lopez-Reyes (Software engineer), Chris Christiansen (State Rep), Lenette Peterson (State Rep), Kathy Stroud (State Rep), Peter Hansen (State Rep), Gary Daniels (State Rep), Keith Murphy (State Rep – Bedford), Ken Hawkins (State Rep – Bedford), Andrew Manuse (State Rep – Derry), Lee Quandt (State rep.), Tim Copeland (State rep.), Gary Azarian (State Rep.), Bob Elliott (State Rep.), John Cebrowski (State Rep. – Bedford), John Graham (State Rep. – Bedford), Jim Waddell (State Rep. – Hampton), Fred Rice (State Rep. – Hampton), Michele Peckham (State Rep. – N. Hampton), Lawrence Perkins (State Rep. – Seabrook), D.J. Bettencourt (State Rep., Maj. Leader), Raymond White (State Sen. – Bedford), Jim Luther (State Senator), Gary Lambert (State Senator), Sen. Nancy Stiles (State Senator – Hampton), Tony Zore (Tea Party member), Zac Johnson (Technical writer), Bill Boyd (Town Councilor), Bill Modis (Vice Chair of Amherst Republicans) South Carolina Aubry Alexander (Charleston City Council – District 9), Thomas Alexander (State Senator), Dean Allen (Tea Party Activist), Charm Altman (President Sea Island Republican Women), Patrick L. Arnold (Campaign and fundraising consultant), Rep. Nathan Ballentine (SC House Dist. 71), Bill Banning, Sr. (Vice-chair, Lexington County Council), Bob Barnwell (Richland Co. GOP Spring Valley), Joseph Bates, Jr. (Committeeman/ Richland Co. GOP Dutch Fork ), Eric Bedingfield (State Rep/Congressional Staffer), Lin Bennett (Chair, Charleston County GOP), Rich Bolen (Chair, Lexington County GOP), Andrew Boucher (Business consultant and political advisor), Phillip Bowers (Chairman, Pickens County Republican Party), Dan Bracken (President/ The Auction Co. & Real Estate Inc.), Edward Britt (Engineer), Joe Bustos (Former town councilman), Jay Byars (Dorchester County councilman), Bob Call (Berkeley County Councilman), Tim Callanan (Berkeley County GOP Chairman), Ed Carter (Small business owner), M. Todd Cullum (Lexington County Council member), Rep. Joe Daning (Statehouse rep.), Smokey Davis (Lexington County Council member), Carroll S. Duncan (Dorchester GOP Chair), Dana Eiser (Lowcountry 9.12 president), Linda Eiser (9/12 conservative), Linda Estep (wife of Pastor at First Baptist Church of Columbia), Chip Felkel (Political Consultant), Will Folks (Editor, fitsnews.com; spokesman for former Gov. Mark Sanford), Chris Godbey (Political Consultant), Randy Halfacre (Mayor of Lexington), Dan Hamilton (State Representative), Carla Hardee (President, Dutch Fork Chapter of the S.C. Federation of Republican Women), Larry Hargett (Dorchester County Council chairman), Val Hutchinson (Richland County Council), Johnny Jeffcoat (Town of Lexington Economic and Community Catalyst; Lexington County Council member), Jim Jerow (Georgetown GOP Chair), Debbie Jones (9.12 Board Member), Joanne Jones (Republican activist), Grayson Kelly (Fundraiser), James Kinard (Banker, Chair, Lexington County Council), Todd Kincannon (Lawyer/former executive director of SC Republican Party), Bob Kouvolo (President/ MaxPt), Mickey Lindler (Chairwoman for Republicans of Lexington and Richland Counties), Chris Mann (City Councilman), Karen Martin (Organizer/Spartanburg Tea Party), Larry Martin (State Senator), Taft Matney (Conservative Political Consultant), James Metts (Lexington County Sheriff), Matt Moore (Executive Director for SC GOP), Susan Morris (Nonprofit executive director), Mike Murphee (Charleston Tea Party chairman), Brent Nelsen (Professor of Political Science/former candidate for Supt. of Education), Don Nye (Bank employee), Allen Olson (Chairman / Columbia TEA Party), Randy Page (President,South Carolinians for Responsible Government), Gregory Pearce (Richland Co. Councilman), Adam Piper (SC GOP 3rd Vice Chairman & political director for Huntsman campaign), Zach Pippin (GOP Media Consultant), Tony Pope (Insurance agent), Barbara Pulicicchio (Political activist), Rick Quinn (S.C. Rep. Dist. 69), Dennis Raines (Mayoral Candidate), Jeff Reuer (Vice Chair Goose Creek 9-12), DeLinda Ridings (SC GOP State Secretary / Huntsman campaign), Robby Robbins (Lawyer), Emily Rudolph (Sea Island Republican Women), LaDonna Ryggs (Spartanburg GOP Chair), Michael Sally (Hanahan City Councilman), Dennis Saylor (Chair, Aiken GOP), Bill Severns (Rep. for Beaufort Republican Men), Katrina Shealy (Candidate for SC Senate from Lexington), Lanneau Siegling (State Executive Committeeman), Billy Simons (Conservative activist), Garry Smith (State Rep), John Steinberger (Fair Tax activist), Mary Ann Taylor (Charleston County Republican Women/Charleston County School Board), MacLain R. “Mac” Toole (S.C. Rep., Dist. 88), Frank Townsend (Lexington County Council member), September Wellborn (State GOP Delegate), Knox White (Mayor of Greenville), Jennifer Willis (County Councilwoman/ V.P. One Tree Hill), Henry Wilson (2011 delegate, S.C. Republican Convention), James David Woodard (Professor of Political Science, Clemson University)
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