Hailey Hurowitz
Romney For The Win
11/5/12
1A
I think Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan will win this election because they have great foreign policies, and I think we just need a change from what we have already because the country isn't really getting any much better than it was before. Romney also was very successful in Massachusetts as the Governor too. If Obama does win, it won't be the end of the world, and we will just have to deal with it. Obama if he gets re-elected, I'm sure he will do the best for America, our country.
Referendum 1-Taxes-Would increase the sale tax in regions that pass the referendum by one-cent
In Hampton County, they have several other choices to make, including whether they want to support a one percent Capital Projects Sales Tax Referendum that could bring new health facilities, improved libraries, better emergency communication systems and even a county recreation complex. This proposed one cent sales and use tax would be imposed for up to eight years, with a net proceeds cap of $12.6 million, to fund up to a dozen projects worth an estimated $11.4 million. This referendum would bring the sales tax levy up from seven cents on the dollar (six in state tax, plus an existing one percent local option tax) to eight cents on the dollar in all areas of Hampton County on most purchases. Among the exceptions would be food stamp purchases, prescription drugs and school books. And because groceries are taxed at one percent in Hampton County now, this tax will raise that tax to two percent. If approved, the tax would begin on May 1, 2013, and will end in eight years, or when it reaches the cap of $12.6 million, whichever comes first. If successful, this would be the second CSPT Referendum, with the first having been used to renovate the Hampton County Courthouse and B.T. DeLoach Building, among other projects. The 12 proposed projects include prepaying the existing debt for the new emergency communications system (the PAL 800 radio system), prepaying the existing USDA loan for the renovation of the Estill Library, building a new health department at its current site, constructing a recreation complex in the Hampton/Varnville area, renovating the Hampton Library, repairing the roof of the Hampton County Detention Center, structural improvements to the county museum, improvements to the county animal shelter, exterior improvements to the county administration building, building a multi-purpose building in Yemassee, improvements to the existing Estill recreation facilities, and renovations to the Estill Senior Citizens Center. Two of these projects must be paid for, regardless of the outcome of the referendum, and if the CPST initiative is not approved may become the burden of property tax payers. All of these projects have been outlined in The Guardian over the past three weeks, with the final part of that series in today's paper.
(http://www.hamptoncountyguardian.com/news/lots-stake-tuesdays-election)
Amendment 1-Education-Regarding the establishment of public charter schools
Washington and Georgia will be weighing in on charter schools this election. Charter schools are independent public schools that have flexibility in certain areas of education like curriculum and length of the school day. They are held accountable for student performance too. This research is mixed on whether students in charter schools perform better than their regular public school. Standford University found that 17% of charter schools provide great education opportunities for their students. According to another study, about half the charters did not do any better or any worse than the regular public school, and about 37% of the charters were much worse than the regular public school. Currently, 41 states and the District of Columbia have charter schools. The topic of charter schools, and how they are established and who gets to attend them, got a lot of attention from parents, educators, and policymakers. They got all that commotion from them because it is a new thing, and shaping legislation on charters has become a public fight. The states of Washington and Georgia have charter school initiatives on their ballots.
In Georgia, voters definitely have charters on their minds. Charter schools have existed in Georgia for 17 years. If a group wants to start a charter school, it brings its petition before a local school board, which will approve or deny the request. If it is rejected, the group can go to the State Board of Education, but if the charter is granted, the school cannot receive local tax funding, only state and federal funds. There was a third route: The Georgia Charter School Commission. In 2011 though, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled this commission unconstitutional. The result was the drafting of Amendment 1 to the Georgia State Constitution. Amendment 1 would give a state commission the authority to approve charters. A commission of individuals appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor and state House speaker could approve a charter school petition that has been denied by a local school board and the state board. A lot of people support the charters, but there is some people that don't. The people that aren't supporters of it say it will take authority from elected officials and put it in the hands of commission appointees. The Georgia PTA, which supports charter schools, is opposed to Amendment 1. The amendment has become one of the main topics in Georgia right now. The Georgia governor, Nathan Deal supports the amendment, but Georgia's state school superintendent, John Barge, does not. (http://schoolsofthought.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/06/all-eyes-on-georgia-washington-as-voters-consider-charter-school-initiatives/)
Amendment 2-Admin of Gov't-Gives the State Properties Commission the authority to enter into multiyear lease agreements
The Georia multiyear lease agreements amendment is on the November 2012 ballot in Georgia as legislatively-reffered constitutional amendment. The measure would give the State Properties Commission the authority to enter into multiyear lease.The Georgia Chamber of Commerce is supporting the measure. Chris Clark, the president of the chamber, says that the amendment will allow the government to save money on its lease agreements by being able to negotiate for the lower rental rates associated with long term agreements. People also don't like the idea like Courier Herald who said, "Paying slightly higher rates for a few more years is a small price to pay to avoid giving away 20 year favors to today's patronage class. Vote no on this amendment. That is the best way to dave Georgians money."(http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Georgia_Multi-Year_Rental_Agreements,_Amendment_2_(2012))
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