As more proof that Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom was onto something really big with his transparency initiative, we've been informed that the Republican legislative caucuses in both the Michigan House and Senate have inquired with him about his transparency efforts, apparently with the intent of pushing such efforts in their own state.

Being one of those rare blogger sites who like to rely upon real sources we can name, we talked with RJ. Shealy, Eckstrom's spokesman, who confirmed this was true:

Representatives from both the House and Senate Republican caucuses called our office, both saying they wanted to emulate the efforts that we made here in South Carolina. They had apparently read reports where Richard said it could be done for far less effort than previously thought, which is interesting because they said they were running up against the same things Richard ran into here, with critics saying it would be too expensive and take too much time and effort to put together.

We're excited to see others seeing the value of this initiative, including those who are willing to cross partisan and even state lines, and will do all we can to help them with their efforts.

South Carolina's Comptroller General, Richard Eckstrom, CPA, will speak at the College of Charleston in F. Mitchell Johnson Physical Education Center Beatty Center on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 6:00 p.m.

Eckstrom will address an audience of students on the importance of public speaking in his career.

Eckstrom was invited to campus by Earl Capps, an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Communication and the teacher for multiple sections of the basic public speaking course.

“We thank Richard Eckstrom for taking the time to discuss the importance of public speaking with our students,” said Brian McGee, chair of the Department of Communication. “We are grateful for his willingness to speak with students who are taking this course, which is so critical to the future success of college students,” said McGee.

With one of the largest undergraduate majors at the College of Charleston, the Department of Communication enrolls more than 800 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs. Students in the department study such topics as political communication, interpersonal communication, journalism, and public relations. The department is housed in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Wade Hampton Fire Chief Randy Edwards announced that the district established a trust fund for firefighter Bryan Clark who was recently diagnosed with cancer.

According to Edwards, surgery removed the mass and most of the cancer, but Bryan Clark's recovery will include additional treatments that incorporate additional testing, scans, chemotherapy and/or radiation.

"You can imagine how difficult this time has been for Bryan and his family, and they still face a long road over the weeks and months ahead," Edwards said.

He added, "Bryan is not just a member of this department. He's our friend. He’s a 42 year old husband and father of two. He's a dedicated 22 year member of the fire service who served 17 of those years here at Wade Hampton."

Because of the anticipated cost of Bryan's treatment, his friends and fellow firefighters established a trust fund to assist with expenses during his treatment through the Duke University Health System.

Donations are tax deductible and can be presented at any Palmetto Bank branch or at Wade Hampton Fire & Sewer District's headquarters located at 4211 East North Street, Greenville, SC 29615.

Checks may be made payable to "Wade Hampton Fire Department -- Bryan Clark Trust Fund."

Chief Edwards said that people shouldn't feel they need to give a specific amount or that their donations aren't enough and that any amount will be appreciated.

"We hope that as people hear about Bryan and his story, they'll think about him, his wife, and their children and be moved to contribute," Edwards said.


About the Wade Hampton Fire Department:
Established in 1958 with boundaries that encompass much of Greenville (SC) County's Eastside, the Wade Hampton Fire Department provides an array of programs to protect the lives and property of residents and businesses the throughout the special purpose district.

For further information about the Wade Hampton Fire Department, visit www.WHFD.org.

For media inquiries regarding this release, please contact Taft Matney by phone (864/505-8866), by fax (864/297-3871), or by e-mail (taft@taftmatney.com).

S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford will host an “unemployment roundtable (sic)” later this month, according to a press release issued Friday from his office.

Aside from the fact that “round” and “table” are two separate words (grrrrr!), what exactly is Sanford hoping to accomplish with this latest distraction? It’s even worse when you consider that the seats at Sanford’s table (which damn well better be round) are going to be filled by the same lazy asses that have been holding this state back for decades on the economic development front.

“Members of the General Assembly, key leaders from the business community, relevant officials from across state government, members of the media and interested citizens” are being invited to attend the round table, Sanford’s office says.

Economists say the main problem is a mismatch between available work and people qualified to do it. Millions of jobs with attractive pay and benefits that once drew legions of workers to the auto industry, construction, Wall Street and other sectors are gone, probably for good. And those who lost those jobs generally lack the right experience for new positions popping up in health care, energy and engineering.

Many of these specialized jobs were hard to fill even before the recession. But during downturns, recruiters tend to become even choosier, less willing to take financial risks on untested workers.

The mismatch between job opening and job seeker is likely to persist even as the economy strengthens and begins to add jobs. It also will make it harder for the unemployment rate, now at 9.8 percent, to drop down to a healthier level.

• Facts over politics regarding One Stop Centers (1/29/09)
• Joel Sawyer - Either he's dumb or dishonest? (2/17/09)

Looks like Elizabeth Moffly, who endorsed Jim Rex after getting less than five percent of the GOP primary vote for Education Superintendent in 2006, is

• Requiring students to complete fewer classes to receive a high school diploma,
  
• Giving students college credit for high school classes, and
  
• Last, but not least, thinking one could support Jim Rex and still be considered a Republican