MARK SANFORD

 Former Gov. Mark Sanford spoke to our club on Tuesday, April 30, 2013 about his campaign for Congress.  Rotarian Amy Jenkins moderated the discussion and presented several questions for Gov. Sanford as follows:

1. What are your primary campaign platforms other than “reduced taxes?”  Sanford emphasized the importance of reduced taxes as he is convinced that this remains a critical issue for the future of our state and country.  He added that job creation is a critical issue.  To create jobs we have to invest in SC which will improve our standard of living and quality of life.

2. How would you have voted on recent gun control legislation?  Sanford would have voted against it in its current form.  He believes Lindsay Graham’s bill is a good bill.  Mental history should be a factor in determining if someone should be allowed to purchase a gun.  He also believes that background checks would not do the job of keeping guns out of the hands of those who intend to do harm.

3. Would you support port appropriations for Charleston? He stated that issues like this are what confuse voters and how things get turned around in politics to where the truth gets lost.  He stated that he supported the dredging when the bill was submitted at three different committee levels and it was not until numerous earmarks were attached to the final bill that he voted against it.  He stated that this is the type of leadership and commitment to fiscal responsibility that he will bring to Congress. He also stated that one key benefit of his returning to Washington is that his seniority has remained with him and will allow him to gain key committee positions immediately upon returning to the Capitol.  His opponent won’t have that benefit and he is concerned about her alliances with big government and big unions.  

4. What does he believe are his most significant contributions in his service to SC?  Sanford stated his contributions are wide-ranging.  There is a limitless federal government demand for funds out of SC taxpayers wallets.  His most significant contribution is his ability to limit government spending.  He also wanted to highlight that during his tenure as Governor in SC the state set aside more land to be protected than any other past administration. 

 

5. With the gridlock in Congress due to the inability to compromise, how would you be successful?  Sanford discussed the difference between “strategy” and “tactics.”  He described his fall in 2009 and believes it has led him to be a more humble leader. 

6. Do you support privatization of Social Security?  No, he doesn’t support privatization but wants to protect the program.  Our current system is not sustainable.  The question is how to change it to make it viable for the future.  Prior to 1983, governments could come up with their own social security system.  Counties in Southern Texas came up with an annuity plan and it has been widely successful.  Sanford believes this is what you can do when the federal government allows you to control you own system and believes SC should look into these Texas programs.

 

In closing, Gov. Sanford stated he decided to run because he is concerned about the future of our country and wanted to finish the work he started as governor of SC.  He feels that his fiscal conservatism is critical at this point in our country’s history and that the national debt is the biggest concern facing our future.  He stated his past shows he is not one to follow the party line and his ranking as the most conservative governor in the country while governor of SC is an indicator of what voters can expect of him if elected to Congress. 

 

Reported by Steve Coe, Keyway Committee

Bishop outlines Catholic Church's positions

April 23, 2013: The Catholic Diocese of Charleston comprises the entire state of South Carolina with Charleston as its See city. Founded in 1820, it is one of the oldest Catholic dioceses in the United States.

The Most Reverend Robert E. Guglielmone was ordained and installed as the 13th Bishop of Charleston on March 25, 2009 in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Growing up on Long Island, he attended both Cath-olic grade school and high school, graduating in 1964. He earned a Bachelor's degree in education from St. John's University in Jamaica, NY. For five years he taught Business at Patchogue-Medford High School, during which time he did graduate work in education at New York University.

Bishop Guglielmone spoke warmly to the luncheon gathering of the Historic Rotary Club of Charleston, spotlighting a few of the priority pro-grams he is shepherding:

The native New Yorker, turned most effective southern cleric, Bishop Guglielmone explained how the Church is a proponent of universal healthcare, providing access to top quality care for the poor in South Carolina. He clarified the points of opposition in the context of Catho-lics not able to live against the conscience of the Church, particularly in the areas of abortion and contraception. “We maintain a healthy posture of agreeing to disagree, but there are certain lines we, the Church, cannot cross,” he said logically. “The tension rests in the role of government essentially forcing us to pay for something that is immoral in our view. We believe we have a right to follow our beliefs.”

On the subject of Medicaid, he reminded the club that the Conference of Bishops agrees about the need to provide for the “poorest of the poor.” He shared with us the illustration from the Long Island hospital that turned away certain classes of patients, who in turn flocked to a nearby Catholic hospital that would not turn them away. “While neither business model is successful alone, and with both hospitals facing bank-ruptcy, the Diocese decided to merge the institutions. The merger saved both hospitals.”

The third topic he addressed was the national immigration issue. “With 75-85 percent of immigrants as catholic, we must work together to clean up the mess that is our national immigration policy today.”

And, regarding the current national debate over gay marriage, the Bishop underscored that “because of the Church’s theology, it cannot support the unions as ‘marriage.’ To be clear, the Pope supports ‘civil unions,’ the matter at hand is the definition of ‘marriage’ as singularly between a man and a woman.”
Last, he addressed the critical issue of weak public education in South Carolina. “The South Carolina Bishops are looking hard at options to help improve education conditions with a keen focus on the 95 corridor,” he said. “We must raise the level of education in these areas of great need.”

An Early Calling

Bishop Guglielmone earned a Master of Divinity at Immaculate Conception Seminary in 1977 and was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Rockville Centre on April 8, 1978 and was assigned to St. Martin of Tours in Amityville for his first priestly ministry after ordination. He later served as a priest in parishes across Long Island, most recently as Rector of St Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre.

Bishop Guglielmone is a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus. He was named a Knight of Grace of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George in 1993. He was named a Prelate of Honor (Monsignor) by Pope John Paul II in 1996.

An exemplar of “Service Above Self,” the Bishop drove home the role and need for the services our club  provides every day. We were treated to a truly inspirational moment.

In Other News: Cheryl Kaynard offered the invocation and Pledge of Allegiance, Mark Green introduced  visiting Rotarians and Julie Medich introduced the speaker, Bishop Robert Guglielmone.

-- Fred Sales, Keyway Committee

   

3RD ANNUAL GALA AT FRANCIS MARION

 

April 18, 2013: Our 3rd Annual Gala was held in lieu of our regular meeting this week.  Members and their guests wined and dined in the Gold Room at the Francis Marion.  Attendees were treated to delicious food, music by the New South Jazzmen and an exciting live auction featuring local auctioneer Linda Page.  It was a fun night and definitely one to remember!  All proceeds will go to our Rotary Club of Charleston Fund to benefit various programs in our community that are supported by our Rotary Club.  We appreciate the club’s overwhelming support of this event!  A big thank you to Digit Matheny and his committee for all of their efforts in planning and coordinating this event!

 

We sincerely appreciate the support of our generous sponsors:

 

Title Sponsor:      Francis Marion Hotel (Steve Dopp)

Gold Sponsor:     Wells Fargo

Silver Sponsors:   Tidelands Bank                                          
                              McGuire & Company, LLC

                              Morris Financial Concepts, Inc.             

                              First Reliance Bank

                              Dan Butts                                                    
                              Citadel School of Business Admin   

                              Tom & Alma Clymer                                
                              Patterson Smith Company

 

In-Kind:     Ross Printing          
                   LowCountry Target Mailing

                   Culinary Institute of Charleston

College of charleston

April 9, 2013: Today’s speaker was Dr. Godfrey Gibbison, Dean of the College of Charleston’s North Campus and Interim Executive Director at the Lowcountry Graduate Center (LGC).  Dr. Gibbison earned a PhD in economics in 1998 from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, his MS in Agricultural Economics at Iowa State University in 1995 and his B.Sc. in Economics at The University of the West Indies in 1992.

Prior to joining the College of Charleston, Dr. Gibbison was Director of the School of Economic Development at Georgia Southern university where he served on the faculty from 2002 to 2012. While at Georgia Southern, he launched the online Master of Science in Applied Economics and served as the Director for 3 years, helping to shape a vibrant program with robust enrollment and a strong record of student success.

Dr. Gibbison is an applied economist with interest in population economics, health economics and environmental economics. His research has been published in Economics of Education Review, Health Economics, Policy and Law and Population Research and Policy Review.  He has been a consultant with the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and continues to execute consulting assignments for the Government of Jamaica.

The North Campus of the College of Charleston was established in 1993 and is located in the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) complex on International Blvd in North Charleston.  In 2001, as part of the North Campus, the Lowcountry Graduate Center (LGC) was established as a public higher education consortium between CofC, MUSC, and the Citadel to expand opportunities for graduate education in the Charleston region.  By increasing the range of graduate opportunities, the goal of the LGC is to spur economic growth in the Lowcountry of South Carolina.  The LGC continually assesses the educational needs of the Lowcountry and seeks to add programs that respond to those needs.

Also part of the North Campus, the Center for Continuing Education and Professional Development offers programs in which one can become a Certified Financial Planner, enroll in the English Language Institute, earn Information Technology Certifications, or prepare for certain standardized tests. 

Dr. Gibbison’s presentation focused primarily on the Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS) degree, offered by the College of Charleston’s North Campus, scheduled to begin in Fall 2013.  Designed for adult students with prior college experience but who lack a degree, the BPS degree offers both online and on-site classes during the evening as well weekends.  The classes offered are specifically tailored to accommodate the busy life of a working professional.  Dr. Gibbison explained the importance and need for programs such as the BPS degree is evident as several colleges and universities around the country are now offering similar degrees. 

Enrollment eligibility for the BPS program includes prior completion of an Associate in Arts (AA) or an Associate in Science (AS) degree or 60 transferable credits of college-level work (General Education and electives) with a minimum average 2.6 GPA and a minimum age of 24.  Currently, the two degree concentrations being offered are Organizational Leadership and Management or Communication and Information Systems.  Future contractions include Environmental Science as well as Health Administration.

Reported by Doug Holmes, Keyway Committee

“FASTER IS BETTER”

On April 2, 2013, Pamela Lackey, President of AT&T South Carolina spoke to us on the topic of “Transitioning to an IP Economy.” The focus of her presentation was on how AT&T can modernize regulations to spur investment, “since customers are demanding faster and better technology.” Lackey exemplifies the Rotary motto, Service Above Self, in her everyday life. She is very involved in the community and currently serves as President of the State Chamber of Commerce and Chairman of the Palmetto Agrobusiness Industry.

Lackey oversees the regulatory, economic development, legislative and community affairs activities of AT&T in South Carolina. Almost 4 million American jobs depend on the wireless industry thriving. As President of AT&T South Carolina, Lackey strives to bring these jobs to South Carolinians by partnering with state and community leaders to improve technology in the State. Lackey tells companies to “bring your business to South Carolina because we are ready.”

The way the world communicates has changed dramatically since 1934 when Congress enacted the Communications Act, which provided for the regulation of interstate and foreign communication by wire or radio. In 1996, Congress overhauled the Telecommunications Act to provide for competition in market, paving the path for people to communicate in a number of ways and led to the development of new technologies such as the IP System. With alternatives, 500,000 consumers cancel their traditional landline service every month. Since 1999, there are 73% fewer landlines in use and wireless and satellite service have more than doubled since 2007. As a result:

· 1/3 of American homes are wireless only with no landline.

· 1/3 of American households use VoIP.

· 1/3 of American households have landline service.

Since 2010, Lackey reported that AT&T has invested over $800 million dollars to upgrade its network: “$130 million dollars of that has been spent in Charleston to upgrade to 4G, which has paid off in terms of speed and service.” Consumers are adopting new technologies faster than ever: IOS (Apple) and Android Systems were adopted 10 times faster than PC.

New technologies change how Americans do business. For example, farmers can manage their irrigation systems on their smartphones and physicians consult with other physicians on patient care using videoconference and emails. AT&T plans to spend $65 billion over the next three years to expand and upgrade the networks to be faster and better. Ninety-nine percent of customer locations in AT&T wireless service area will have advanced IP technologies.

To ensure smooth transition to all IP-based services, AT&T has proposed that the FCC conduct test trials to address potential issues or concerns. The company’s goal is to modernize regulation. Their philosophy is “Faster is better” and according to Lackey, “millions of Apps must be developed to meet the demands of consumers and keep America competitive.”      

 

Reported by Abby Saunders, Keyway Committee