Commentary Headlines
There are lots of things happening in people’s lives to let them feel discouraged. I have heard of some tragic deaths over the past month … people in the prime of their lives, as well as some who were far from reaching their prime.
There are other situations like foreclosures, loss of jobs, financial challenges and severe family and relationship issues that have proven to be trying moments for many people.
The House of Representatives amended, approved, and sent to the Senate H.3590, the “South Carolina restructuring act.”
This bill establishes the Department of Administration under the executive branch of state government.
The May 1 crossover date came and went and now each body has until June 5 to deliberate the proposals and pass or not pass them.  
A bill passed after May 1 can still be taken up by each body with a 2/3 vote by both.
I would like to address an important issue, and I encourage all drivers who read this to share it with others, including those who are getting ready to drive.
The school year, as we know, is more than half over, and if you travel the county as I do, you have seen many school buses on the road. There are guidelines in place that dictate when to stop and when you don’t have to stop. I want to point out some safety issues and clarify any misunderstanding about when to stop for a stopped school bus.
    An important piece of legislation has passed the House.  The South Carolina Restructuring Act establishes the Department of Administration under the executive branch of state government.  
This proposal streamlines some of the state’s bureaucracy, giving more day-to-day control of the operation of government to the governor, no matter who he is and saving our state money. The Department of Administration is headed by a director appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the General Assembly.
This is the first of several columns I have written for the purpose of educating the public about traffic and safety issues. I would like to talk about something that affects everyone, especially our children, in one way or another: illegal drugs.
They come in many forms, and their monetary value varies, but they all share some things in common. They all destroy lives, tear apart families, and place a strain on our economy. Illegal drugs have become a national disaster, ongoing and persistent.
    Benjamin Franklin once said, “Laws too gentle are seldom obeyed; too severe, seldom executed.”  Consider the actions taken by the Legislature this week and know that lawmakers draft legislation in reaction to requests from constituents, special interest groups, and their own personal life experiences and biases.  Bills that become law reflect the views of the majority in leadership.  Your vote helps determine who is in the majority.  Does the majority focus on what is important to you?
The House approved and sent to the Senate or enrolled for ratification the following bills of interest:
One of the most important things to all of us are our relationships.
Without relationships we are adrift by ourselves in the vast sea of humanity. With relationships we feel connected. Man is a gregarious animal. He likes company, so to be disconnected from others is not natural for him.
The power of visualization
Wise Words from Williams
What will make for an interesting budget conference committee came with disturbing news to the Senate Finance Committee that the Board of Economic Advisors (BEA) had reduced revenue estimates by $90 million for this budget year after they had passed their budget just last week.
The Senate Finance Committee called an emergency meeting to deal with this crisis.
This week the House of Representatives sent many bills to the Senate for ratification. Legislation introduced covered a wide gamut of topics including animal cruelty, elections, the shortage of nurses, and moving tax money around … again!  
This government is your government, and I am honored to be your spokesperson in the House of Representatives.  Review the pending legislation and let me know what you think.  Together, it is our responsibility to correct the mistakes of the past, to reshape the state of the present, and to architect the plan for our future.
The Forest Service will be participating in the Berkeley County Pride Week May 3-10.
Palmetto Pride, USDA Forest Service, BCWS, and Keep South Carolina Beautiful are all teaming up to give Berkeley County neighborhoods, playgrounds, waterways, church grounds, parks, and waterways a good cleanup.
As I move around and I talk with people I find that the need to feel motivated is a common one. When people hear that I am a motivational speaker they usually want me to tell them how they can stay motivated. Here is some general advice that might be helpful to you.
Don’t seek to be motivated. Seek to be inspired. There is a difference between being motivated and being inspired.
We were pleased to learn that the new S. C. Health Insurance Program enacted by the General Assembly last year has been approved by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Department of Health and Human Services has already begun accepting applications for this program.
The important new program is called S.C. Healthy Connections Kids and will provide benefits to uninsured children whose family income falls between 150-200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.  The benefits package for this program is not the same as Medicaid, but instead mirror that of the State Health Plan.  
As a follow up to my last article on anger, I would like to offer some suggestions that might be helpful to many people who find that they are often angry, and believe they have an anger problem.
It is also good advice for all of us. It is not always the person with the regular anger-outbursts that ends up doing or saying something damaging or inappropriate.