Lawmakers punish public employees, expand charters

The South Carolina Education Association publishes by email a weekly update of legislative activity, and the update from the past week documents the damage done by our lawmakers to the state's retirement system.

To wit:The House passed H.4976 (Ways and Means Committee), the bill that changes the S.C. Retirement System this week. Included in this bill are:

• Increases in employee contributions

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Romney not concerned with "very poor," but educators are.

Today's Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, fresh from a decisive win in the Florida presidential primary, has announced that he's "not concerned about the very poor."...Romney emphasized, "You can focus on the very poor, that's not my focus."Thank goodness that public school educators and school district employees are focused on the very poor

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George Carlin pegged the problem in 2005

A clip from the late George Carlin's 2005 HBO performance of "Life Is Worth Losing" has been making the internet rounds in recent weeks, as more information comes to light about corporate interests' influence over America's (and South Carolina's) political systems, and everything else.

Carlin was Carlin, which means the video clip includes a share of salty language. But his underlying points are

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