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 Contents
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 the house late Monday afternoon and fled, driver was apprehended in possession of
leaving $20,000 in damages. A witness burglary
claimed to see Carothers fall out of the tools while
driver’s side door of the truck as it rounded the second
the corner. When police arrived at Carothers’ man got
home they noted dents consistent with the a w a y .
reported collision and said Carothers was P o l i c e
having a beer in his kitchen when they used dogs
arrived to arrest him. He appeared to be and the
intoxicated, according to the report. helicopter
to search
Beware of the carwash thief an area
CHARLESTON of woods
behind a nearby Wal-Mart.
Ravenel Cohort in Hot Water Again
A man involved in SUMTER
the drug investigation of
former South Carolina Shoplifter Wrangled in Ribeye Ruckus
GREENVILLE sustained at a University of Georgia fraternity Treasurer Thomas A Bishopville man was arrested in
house. The UGA student responsible for Ravenel now faces a Sumter-area Piggly Wiggly after he
Protesters Chain Themselves to Coal the alleged beating is additional charges allegedly stuffed a number of ribeye steaks
Plant Component scheduled to appear in a stemming from the case. down his pants.
Four North Carolina protesters have Clarke County, Ga., court Pascal Etcheber, a Patrick Caldwell, 45, faces multiple
been arrested after they chained themselves on Dec. 15. French national, has been charges after an off-duty officer reportedly
to a nearly 1 million-pound generator part. Gene Milner III, 23, charged with intimidating saw him put the cuts of meat into the
a witness in his case, Etcheber waistline of his pants and attempt to leave
The part is bound for a Cliffside, N.C., coal has been charged with
plant currently under construction. false imprisonment and lying to a federal judge and other charges. the premises.
The part, called a stator, had been parked misdemeanor battery. According to the Charleston Post and When the officer attempted to detain
in a lot near Greenville for around a week Milner allegedly held Courier, Etcheber, 46, has been charged with the suspect, he allegedly became unruly
while Duke Energy workers plotted its the 18-year-old Clemson lying to the FBI concerning his knowledge and fought
course through the city. Milner student against his will of Ravenel’s former drug activities at the back. According
The protesters, affiliated with a group in the basement of the Chi Phi frat house time of that investigation. to the Sumter
called Asheville Rising Tide, were chained before beating him. If convicted he could face five years in Item, Caldwell
to the stator for more than an hour before The Clemson student escaped about prison and a $250,000 fine. outmaneuvered
deputies removed them. The protesters 3:20 a.m. and flagged down a passing UGA a Taser, shoved a
reportedly also hung a “Stop Cliffside” sign police officer. YORK store clerk into a
from the generator part. shopping cart and
ROCK HILL Police Stage Manhunt for Carwash Thief wrestled the officer
Police deployed numerous officers, a K- to the floor. Three
CLEMSON Driver Flees Front-Yard Mess 9 unit and a search helicopter while pursuing other men helped
A Rock Hill man was briefly jailed after a man suspected of robbing coin machines to subdue him Caldwell’s dream
Clemson Student Pummeled in UGA authorities say he drove his truck into the at area carwashes. until police arrived.
Frat House side of a house and then attempted to flee According to theYork Police Deptartment, He faces charges of shoplifting, disorderly
A Clemson University student has the scene. officers attempted to stop a fleeing car while conduct, assault and battery, and resisting
recovered from a Nov. 15 beating he Darrell Carothers, 54, allegedly struck responding to an alarm at a carwash. The arrest.

-.,.6+.;  " 3
 Bipartisan Gift Guide
As one of the more memorable legislative
sessions in years draws to a close, many
hope to find solace in hearth and home this
holiday season; a chance to lick political
wounds and heal families torn asunder
by screaming Thanksgiving debates over
health care and taxes. This year, to help
families reach across the aisle during the gift
exchange, we introduce the Bipartisan Gift
Guide. That’s because City Paper believes,
whatever your political persuasion, together
we can salvage Christmas.
FOR THE LIBERAL
ON YOUR GIFT LIST
Communist T-Shirt
Chances are, any commie liberal arts
majors on your list already have Che
Guevera and Mao Zedong gear in the dorm
room closet. But they can be the trendiest
socialist in line for public health care with a
Communist Party of China T-shirt.
Price: $16.99.
Available at NeofactionApparel.com.
Vegan Cat Food
Forget trying to get the perfect gift for the
vegan in your family. Anyone who refuses
to eat broccoli at Thanksgiving because
technically it has a circulatory system is
bound to turn up a nose at anything a deer-
hunting bumpkin like yourself is wont to
buy. The next best thing you can do: buy
a gift for the cat. We recommend Vegecat
brand powder supplement for vegan cats.
Price: $10.
Available via special order through your
local health food market or online.
Men’s Body Thong
So you’re shopping
for your nephew who’s a
little light in the loafers.
He’s still got a few
years before he closets
himself, puts on a bowtie
and runs for state office,
so what do you buy him
until then? Underwear?
A pack of T-shirts? Why
not both? The men’s
body thong perfectly
blends the crack-splitting
appeal of a thong with
the durability of a tank
top in a one-piece mesh
design.
Price: $18 - $30. Hang Tight
Available locally at Nancy’s Nook or
online at ABCUnderwear.com.
4 -.,.6+.;  "
Ideas for the liberal and conservative on your gift list
Founding Fathers.
Price: Varies.
Available at any costume store.
Live Rattlesnakes (or, better yet, Running
Shoes)
Rattlesnakes make a great stocking
stuffer for any religious snake handler. That
said, venomous reptiles are often hard to
acquire. Your better bet might be a new pair
of running shoes for the grandmother who
has been in a wheelchair her whole life but
plans to walk again after a trip to the faith
healer.
Price: Varies.
Designer Eyewear Bunk Beds Available at Strictly Running in Five
Notice that your brother-in-law has been If the bleeding-heart liberals in your Points.
squinting onstage while playing accordion family are so concerned about illegal aliens
with his art-rock band? A new pair of coming into this country and stealing Hammock
hipster glasses may help him American jobs, you may as The Hennessey Expedition hammock
see the error of his ways and well give them bunk beds provides ultimate comfort for any
will look more presentable to house the overflow of conservative camped out in the legislative
for the insurance sales job immigrants. We recommend halls while lobbying and/or filibustering
that’s just come open at your the ladder-end-style bunk during the next general session. Featuring
firm. bed from the Great American full velcro entrance seal, mosquito netting
Available at Frame of Bunk Bed Company. and a mesh pocket on the ridgeline, a
Mind. Price: Call for pricing. conservative will be able to derail most any
Available at Dr. Z’s bill that comes his or her way.
Solar-Powered Hat Bedroom Center. Price: $139.95.
Perfect for the granola Available at The Backpacker.
aunt who’s always preaching Deodorant
about global warming and Maybe, just maybe,
energy consumption. Tell her on a good day you might
to put her money where her catch a glimmer of the logic
mouth is, pack up her energy- your rank, nouveau hippie
guzzling air conditioner and relative uses for electing not
wear your Christmas gift: the to use deodorant for socio-
Sun Mate 692 Solar Safari political reasons. Actually,
Cool Hat. A lightweight solar scratch that. There’s no
panel powers an onboard fan. Just slather it on once good reason.
When you care enough about a day, you stinky liberal. Price: $3.99.
the planet to sacrifice your Available everywhere.
dignity.
Price: $29.99. FOR THE CONSERVATIVE
Available at Amazon.com.
ON YOUR GIFT LIST
U.S. Treasury Bond
By the time the sniveling liberal grad Fetus Corsage
student in your family realizes his Ph. D in Help pro-lifers on
your list hold their
the history of Baroque art will never pay Even as the End of Days draws near,
creepy roadside vigils
dividends, it will be time for him to cash conservatives can still enjoy a morning
in style with fetus
in your bond to supplement the welfare miracle.
he’s on and add to the bus fare to his job corsage pins. Each
washing dishes at a coffee shop. pin features an actual
size “micropreemie” doll at eight weeks
Holy Toast Stamper
One-Way Ticket to the Arctic gestation, set within a tasteful floral design.
It might not be true for the oil stain in
Give the preachy animal rights lib the Price: $2.50.
the driveway, but next time your crazy aunt
chance to live that “Save the Polar Bears” Available at GodsLittleOnes.com.
claims to see the Virgin Mary’s face on a
bumper sticker by buying a one-way ticket piece of toast, she’ll actually be correct.
Georgian-era Outfit
to Iqaluit, Nunavut Territory. The Fred™ Holy Toast Stamper is made
Price: $849. Send them to the next tea party rally
of durable plastic and imprints a flawless
Available at Travelocity.com. in style with a greatcoat, breeches and
design of the Holy Mother on standard size
powdered wig reminiscent of America’s

slices of toast. Assuming this relative was laid off from
Price: $3.99. his job during the Bush administration and
Visit WorldWideFred.com and use the can’t get health insurance to treat it due to
store locater to find a merchant near you. a preexisting condition, what better gift
to bestow upon him than a health savings
Gimp Mask account?
Having already gifted sex swings and Price: Varies.
latex genitalia, Available at HSA Bank.
are you at a loss
for what to get the Bob Jones University Bumper Sticker
feisty Republican Why mince words, especially on your
politician on your bumper? The “God Bless Bob Jones
list? In the age University” bumper sticker with rebel flag
of the hidden design is certain to please any conservative
camera, you can’t this holiday season. Available via phone
go wrong with the order at the Redneck Shop, Laurens, S.C.
fun and discretion
provided by a Palmetto Tree Bowtie
bondage hood. Name a backwards social policy, shady
Made with real estate deal or racial epithet of local
breathable leather, merit and chances are it came from behind
Endorsed by conser- hoods come with a palmetto tree bowtie. As Cackalacky as
vatives everywhere. accessories such Maurice’s Barbecue.
as leashes, gags, Price: $38.00.
zipper slits and Available at SC.gov mall.
bag-style hood designs for that Abu Ghraib
feel.
Price $37.95.
Available at Nancy’s Nook.
Health Savings Account
Have a conservative in your family who
yelled himself hoarse about death panels at
a town hall meeting? Chances are he could
develop a vocal chord polyp down the road. Nothing screams devoted conservative
like a palmetto tree bowtie.
Letters to the Reader
Dear office fitness presentation,
Fellow staffers glancing around
the room while we’re sitting through
this mandatory fitness presentation, I’ll
concede we aren’t the healthiest group.
Yes, our anemic skin may look even pastier
under these fluorescent conference room
lights. And, sure, I may be having a hard
time hearing the presentation on fitness
over the labored wheezing of the new guy
in accounting. But, hey, isn’t the health
professional giving this presentation fatter
than anyone here?
Columbia City Paper
Turns out you’re all right, Lindsey!
Dear Henry McMaster,
Having endorsed the Christian “I Dear Sen. Lindsey Graham,
I can’t believe I’m actually writing this
Believe” S.C. state license plates, which
were ruled unconstitutional, you now — but bravo, sir! By vowing to set aside
pledge to protect religious freedom. partisanship on a forthcoming climate
Specifically, you cited a case in which you bill and to work with legislators on both
represented Great Falls when a Wiccan sides of the aisle in Washington, you
woman and the ACLU sued the town for look a shade saner in the national sphere
opening town council meetings with a and, as an added bonus, have royally
Christian prayer. pissed off your GOP buddies back here at
Are the people of South Carolina home. Republicans in Charleston County
expected to tolerate a state attorney general actually claimed that your “bipartisanship
— let alone a potential governor — who continues to weaken the Republican brand
vows to counter the separation of church and tarnish the ideals of freedom, rule of
and state as championed by a civil liberties law and fiscal conservatism.” We always
organization? And if it’s really about suspected that the Republican “brand”
religious freedom, wouldn’t you have to opposed bipartisanship. Thanks for
defend even the rights of Wiccans? clearing that up.
Columbia City Paper Columbia City Paper
-.,.6+.;  " 5
 What Health Reform
Means for Americans
By Olga Pierce and Sabrina Shankman of ProPublica
Using results from a questionnaire we did with American Public Media’s Public
Insight Network, we’re looking at how the proposed health care reforms will
actually affect people facing common health care coverage situations.
THE UNINSURED
Anne Johnson, 41
Location: Corona, Calif.
Work Status: Unemployed
Income: $0
Anne Johnson lost coverage for herself
and her 18-year-old son in February when
she lost her job as a secretary at a solar
energy company, where she was earning
about $25,000 per year.
Shortly before she was laid off, a
cardiologist told her she needs her aortic
valve replaced, but without insurance she
can’t afford the surgery. She is supposed to
get checkups every six months, but that is
also too expensive – so she has put them
off. Her last visit to the cardiologist was
in January, so she is already three months
overdue.
“Right now I have no idea what type of
condition I’m in,” Johnson said.
What health care reform would mean
for her:
Johnson’s son may already qualify for
Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program,
which covers low-income children if they
do not have private insurance, because her
son is under age 21. (We let Johnson know
that her son may be eligible.)
But if she gets a job that pays roughly
the same as she earned before but does
not provide health insurance, he would
most likely lose his Medi-Cal coverage.
The House reform plan, and the Senate
Finance Committee plan would standardize
Medicaid eligibility across states to 133
percent of the federal poverty line, which
amounts to $19,378 for a family of two. The
plan from the Senate Health, Education,
Labor and Pensions Committee (known as
the HELP committee) would expand it to
150 percent of the poverty line, still only
$21,855.
Johnson would be able to purchase
private health insurance from a gateway
or exchange, a state-based pool offering
6 -.,.6+.;   "
Anne Johnson, 41, is a single mother in Corona, Calif.,whose family has been unin-
sured since she lost her job as a secretary in February.
a menu of private insurance plans. The
House and the Senate HELP bills would
also offer her a public plan.
Her low income would qualify her for
a subsidy to help buy insurance through
the exchange, according to all three reform
proposals.
The House plan and the Senate Finance
Committee plan would allow Johnson
to choose from four levels of coverage
ranging from basic to premium, while
the Senate Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions Committee does not specify
levels of coverage.
But if Johnson remains uninsured, she
will have to pay a hefty tax penalty: All
three plans impose a highly controversial
tax penalty on uninsured individuals. The
HELP bill would impose a penalty of $750
per year per person, so Johnson would
have to pay $1,500. The Senate Finance
plan phases in a penalty of $750 per year
per uninsured adult, so Johnson would pay
the same amount since her son is 18. The
House bill would fine families the cost of a
basic health insurance plan from the health
exchange, up to 2.5 percent of their taxable
income.
Critics of the requirement that all
individuals have health insurance say it
would in effect increase taxes for poor and
middle-class people for not being able to
afford health insurance.
SMALL BUSINESSES
Fairfield Lighting and Design, Office
Manager Barbara D’Agostino
Location: Fairfield, Conn.
Employees: 12 (10 receive insurance)
Sales: $2 million annually
Payroll: $384,000 annually
Fairfield Lighting and Design has been
in business since 1972, but it is struggling
to cope with tough economic times. It
has 12 employees, whose average wage
is about $20 an hour. Because of the
recession, opportunities to work overtime
have dwindled, and the regular hours of
some employees have been cut.
The recession has also made it difficult
to keep paying their health care costs:
Fairfield offers health insurance to 10 of
its employees, at a company cost of $550
per employee each month.
The costs to each employee are
relatively low. They pay only 20 percent
of the premium, or $110 per month. Their
co-payments are $15 to see a doctor or
$500 for a hospital, and medications cost
them $15, $25 or $50, depending on the
type of drug.
But that could change. Fairfield
Lighting and Design was recently notified
that its coverage will be taken over by
a new company, probably around the
beginning of the year.
“Hopefully when this whole thing goes
through maybe we can find something less
expensive,” D’Agostino said. “Otherwise
the employees may have to contribute a
bit more.”
What health care reform would mean
for them:
Two of the reform bills require that
employers provide some minimum health
insurance to employees or pay a penalty.
The exception is the Senate Finance
Committee bill, which has no employer
requirement.
But small businesses are exempt.
Because Fairfield Lighting and Design has
only 12 employees and a payroll of less
than $500,000, it would not be required to
provide health insurance under any of the
health reform bills.
Each of the three bills gives small
businesses tax credits for several years
to provide relief from high insurance
premiums until more comprehensive
reforms are in effect – until 2015 for the
House bill, and 2017 in the Senate Finance
bill. The Senate health committee bill
would offer a credit until state exchanges
are up and running—up to three years.
But some plans offer a lot more help than
others. The health committee bill would
offer Fairfield a tax credit of about $10,000
per year. The others use sliding scales
based on employee income, and because
Fairfield pays near the top of those scales,

Fairfield Lighting and Design co-owner
Sandy Zemola provides insurance for 10
out of 12 employees, but the economic
downturn has made it difficult to pay
those bills.
it would get a credit of only about $5,000
under the House bill and $2,500 under the
Senate Finance Committee bill.
Small businesses would also have the
option under all three bills to buy insurance
through a health insurance exchange,
a pooling mechanism that would allow
them to choose from a menu of private
plans, which the Congressional Budget
Office projects would be cheaper than
private plans currently out there for small
businesses.
Help won’t arrive right away under any
of the proposals. The House bill, which
phases small businesses into the exchange
based on their size, would make Fairfield
wait until 2013. The Finance Committee
plan would make Fairfield wait even
longer – it won’t set up exchanges for
small businesses until 2017. The Senate
health committee plan would authorize
the Health and Human Services secretary
to start giving grants to states to start up
health care exchanges right away, but it is
unclear how quickly states would move.
MEDICARE PROGRAMS
Graydon DeCamp, 75
Location: Elk Rapids, Mich.
Work status: Retired
Income: About $75,000, including
SSI
Medicare Advantage has been a major
flash point in the health care reform debate,
giving fodder to opponents of reform who
say that Medicare would be cut to pay for
the proposals. Our analysis of the impact
of reforms on one very satisfied Medicare
Advantage member finds the changes
would be a loss for many seniors, but a
win for taxpayers.
About Medicare Advantage: The
elderly can participate either in traditional
Medicare, which is administered by the
government, or in Medicare Advantage,
which subsidizes managed care plans
administered by private insurance
companies.
The private plans offer many perks
– low or zero cost-sharing, comprehensive
prescription drug coverage, even gym
memberships. But they also have a
downside: As in other managed care
plans, prior authorization is needed for
many services, and members are limited
to certain doctors and hospitals.
The relatively new Medicare Advantage
is more expensive for taxpayers, however.
In 2003, the Republican-controlled
Congress wanted to make sure that seniors,
especially those in rural areas, had access
to a range of managed care plans. (This
was a problem that plagued an earlier
version of the Medicare managed care
program.) So it agreed to pay health
insurers more per person than it would
cost if they were in traditional Medicare.
Today that gap is about 12 percent.
Neither the House health care reform
bill nor the Senate Finance Committee
bill eliminates Medicare Advantage, but
both would reduce what the government
is willing to pay. The boon for private
insurers from higher premium subsidies
has long been a prime target for budget
savings, especially among Democrats in
Congress. So – not surprisingly—cuts
have turned up in the reform bills. Those
provisions have proven to be some of the
most contentious in the debate. President
Barack Obama insists there are not cuts
to Medicare in the health care reform
packages, though many don’t see it that
way.
Graydon DeCamp says he couldn’t
be happier with his Medicare Advantage
plan. He switched to it after his premium
for traditional Medicare and private
supplemental insurance skyrocketed to
more than $1,000 a month even though,
DeCamp says, he’s a healthy guy.
Now, in Medicare Advantage, he pays
$148 per month for a plan that also
features low co-payments. A few years
ago he had two detached retinas, which
resulted in five surgeries. His out-of-
pocket expenses, he says, didn’t go over
$500 or $600. Prescriptions that he takes
for ongoing eye problems cost him $55
every three months.
“I’ve got no complaints,” he says.
What health reform may mean for
him:
DeCamp’s premiums will probably
increase, and he may have fewer plans to
choose from. If the government decreases
its subsidies to Medicare Advantage
plans, the plans will likely pass their
increased costs on to people like DeCamp,
resulting in higher premiums. The House
bill calls for $172 billion in savings over
the next 10 years from reducing Medicare
Advantage payments to insurers to the
same amount paid for traditional Medicare
– a significant chunk of the roughly
$570 billion in savings from changes to
Medicare overall. Likewise, the Senate
Finance Committee’s bill calls for $470.2
billion in Medicare savings, of which 25
percent ($117.6 billion) would come from
Medicare Advantage cuts. The bill would
generate those savings by establishing a
bidding process for plans.
Because DeCamp lives in northern
Michigan, he may also see fewer Medicare
Advantage plans to choose from as
subsidies under both proposals decrease.
Overall, DeCamp would likely
fare better under the Senate Finance
Committee proposal, which includes more
protections to soften the impact of reduced
subsidies. If the bids include significant
cuts to benefits, the government would
temporarily step in.
The proposed reforms also call
for some improvements to Medicare
Advantage coverage. The Senate Finance
bill prohibits managed care plans from
charging people more than traditional
Medicare for certain services, such as
chemotherapy, renal dialysis and skilled
nursing care. It also offers bonuses to
plans that offer superior quality of care
and care coordination. And the House bill
provides bonus payments to high-quality
plans, and requires that a list of high-
quality and improved-quality plans be
provided on the Medicare Web site.
If his plan becomes too expensive,
Graydon DeCamp, 75, is one of about
11 million members of Medicare Ad-
vantage, the managed care plan option
under Medicare that is administered by
private insurers. Like many members of
the plans, he says he is very happy with
his coverage.
DeCamp could switch back over to
traditional Medicare. Under both bills,
preventive services would be free (see
the Senate provision and the House’s).
And both have provisions for reducing
fraud and waste, which drive up Medicare
costs.
THE UNDERINSURED
Mary, 53, and Mack Kroner, 57
Location: Austin, Texas
Work Status: Employed
Health Care Status: Underinsured
with a high deductible
Income: Combined $50,000 per year
Mack is a self-employed cab driver
and Mary is a self-employed writer; they
both pay for their own health insurance.
Though together they pay about $600 a
month in premiums, they have what Mary
Kroner calls “junk insurance.”
Rapidly rising premiums have forced
them to increase their deductible every
year, and now they have a policy with
a $5,000 deductible per illness per year.
That means that they’ve been paying
essentially all their health care costs
out of pocket. Mary pays $100 for her
annual mammogram—a must because her
sister had breast cancer—but she skips
recommended pelvic exams. A recent
colonoscopy recommended for Mack after
he showed signs of bowel cancer cost
them $1,376, roughly half their monthly
income.
“We just bite the bullet and don’t
attend to things because we can’t afford
it,” Mary said.
What Health Care Reform Means for
Them:
The Kroners would qualify to purchase
insurance through a health care exchange
because they are not part of a government
program and do not have insurance through
their employers. They could choose one
from of an array of private plans, and one
public plan, that conform to set levels of
coverage.
The House plan would create a national
exchange, the Senate plan state-based
exchanges—and states would be able to
opt out of the public option.
The plans in the exchange are likely to
cost less for individuals like the Kroners
because they pool risk, much the way
that employer policies do. Setting levels
of coverage also encourages plans to
compete based on price.
Both the Senate and House plans
would help the underinsured by requiring
generous coverage for preventive care,
like Mack’s colonoscopy and Mary’s
mammograms. They would also cap out-
of-pocket costs.
The Kroners would also qualify for
government help in paying their premiums,
but would fare slightly better with the
Senate plan. Both plans offer subsidies
on a sliding scale, which would ensure
that people making less than 400 percent
of the Federal Poverty Line would spend
only a certain percentage of their salary
on premiums. Mary and Mack make about
300 to 350 percent of the poverty line,
which in 2009 is $14,570 for a family of
two. Under the Senate plan, the Kroners’
premium would be capped at 9.8 percent
($4,900). That’s $2,300 less than they pay
now. Under the House plan, their premium
would be capped at 10 to 11 percent of
their income ($5,000 to $5,500), which
would save the Kroners between $2,200
and $1,700 from their current premium.
Under the Senate and House plans,
the Kroners would also qualify for cost-
sharing credits.
If the Kroners decided to keep buying
private insurance outside the exchange,
they would have to buy a policy that
covered preventive services, pre-existing
conditions, hospitalization and a series
Continued on Page 8
-.,.6+.;  " 7
Continued from Page 7
of other services (“essential benefits” in
official jargon) or they would face a steep
tax penalty under both proposals.
Under the House bill, that tax would
equal 2.5 percent of their annual income,
or $1,250. Under the Senate bill, which
phases the penalty in over the next six
years, by 2016 they would owe $750 a
person, or $1,500.
THE INSURED
Tracy Bullion, 46
Location: Fort Wayne, Ind.
Health Care Status: Happy with
her insurance—and worried about
the cost of reform.
Household Income: $110,000
Tracy Bullion and her husband—along
with their three kids, ages 11, 14 and
18—are happy with their health insurance,
which they get through her husband’s
employer. “We’ve got good eye, good
dental,” she says. “And we’ve worked a
long time for it.”
The Bullions pay about $350 a month
for a premium. The family has enjoyed
good health, except for a lump in Bullion’s
breast last year, which turned out to be
benign. Their payments for tests on the
lump amounted to “$50 here, $100 there,”
she said.
Bullion worries an expanded
government role in health care, including
a public option, would negatively impact
the coverage she has – and the federal
budget.
“I just hope that we see a bill out there
that makes sense, that isn’t going to put
us in such deep, deep, debt, to where our
children and grandchildren are going to
be paying for it for the rest of their lives,”
she said.
What changes would mean for her:
Mary and Mack Kroner, of Austin, Texas, are both self-employed. Mack works as a
cab driver, and Mary is a writer.
8 -.,.6+.;  "
Neither the House or Senate bill would
require the Bullions to change plans, and
the cost of their health insurance probably
won’t change much—but lax penalties
mean some companies may choose to drop
their coverage.
Both the House and Senate bills allow
people who are happy with their coverage
to keep it, unless it is below a minimum
standard, in which case they would have to
pay a tax penalty. Since Bullion’s coverage
meets the minimum coverage standards set
out in both bills, she and her family would
not be affected.
There are concerns about employers
pushing workers off to public programs,
and indeed it has happened before. (See
this excellent report on large employers
whose workers get coverage through
Missouri Medicaid.)
The House and Senate bills include tax
penalties for employers over a certain size
that choose not to offer coverage – but the
Senate’s penalty would be much smaller.
Under the House plan, most employers Tracy Bullion and her three kids are insured through her husband’s employer.
– including Mr. Bullion’s – would be
required to provide health insurance, or else if the benefits of continuing to offer spending by $848 billion, and the House
coverage, such as employee morale and plan calls for an eye-popping $1.05 trillion
they would be fined 8 percent of their total
payroll. But that might actually cost less avoiding the fine, make it worthwhile. in new spending. Either way, it sounds like
But the reduced penalty under Senate plan a huge drain on the federal budget.
than paying for insurance itself, because
more than half of employers currently pay means more businesses may decide that it But not so fast.
makes sense to end coverage and instead Both plans also involve reductions in
ten percent or more of payroll for health
insurance. just pay the fine. spending and new sources of revenue to
The reforms being proposed could offset the spending increase.
The Senate plan takes an even gentler
approach. Large employers don’t have put some upward pressure on premiums, Under the Senate plan, changes to
because both the House and Senate plans Medicare, the penalties individuals and
to offer health coverage. But for each
employee that seeks coverage through an require a comprehensive benefits package. businesses would pay for not having
That means all insurance plans would insurance, and revenue from taxes on
exchange – a state insurance pool that
would allow individuals to choose from a have to offer things like pediatric exams, so-called ‘Cadillac’ insurance plans and
hospitalization and prescription drugs. In the health care industry, would generate
menu of private plans or the public option
– and earns below 400 percent of the general, the more comprehensive a plan’s $859 billion. Taking that into account, the
coverage, the more it costs. Rules against Congressional Budget Office estimates
official Federal Poverty Level ($88,200 for
a family of four), the business would be turning down people with pre-existing the Senate plan would actually reduce the
conditions in both bills, and a cap on deficit by $130 billion over the next ten
fined $750 annually. That’s far less than the
roughly $4000 companies pay on average deductibles in the House bill could also years.
drive up premiums. The House plan would make many of
now for single employee coverage.
Again, employers will have to decide On the other hand, proponents of health the same changes, except it would impose
care reform, including President Obama, a 5.4 percent surcharge on adjusted gross
have argued that health care providers incomes of more than $500,000 for singles
charge insured people more for health care and $1 million for joint filers instead of the
to recoup the cost of care for the uninsured. tax on high-cost insurance plans.
Reducing the number of uninsured people Taking that into account the House
could reduce the cost of some kinds of plan would reduce the federal deficit by
care, potentially reducing premiums. But an estimated $138 billion over ten years,
the evidence of this is somewhat limited. according to the CBO.
An analysis of the Senate proposal, by The decades after 2010-2020 will
the non-partisan Congressional Budget be more expensive because many of the
Office, did indeed find that the cost of reform provisions don’t kick in until
coverage in the individual market would halfway through this decade, but the cost
go up about 10 to 13 percent, although savings and taxes kick in much sooner. For
that effect would be cancelled out for 2020-2030, the CBO estimate is that the
about half of the people buying insurance plans will basically break even, or result
on their own because they would receive in a small decrease of the federal budget
subsidies to buy insurance. deficit.
For people who, like Bullion, purchase This all presumes, of course, that
insurance through the large group market the revenue-raising measures, some of
- as will an estimated 70 percent of people which have already drawn ire, actually
under the Senate proposal - the CBO found make it into the final legislation intact. As
the Senate bill would have a “negligible” some long-time observers of health care
effect on the cost of insurance. reform like Washington Post columnist
The answer to how much the reform David Broder have pointed out, Congress
proposals would cost taxpayers is nearly as has struggled before to make some of
complicated. According to CBO estimates, the proposed changes – especially those
the Senate plan would increase federal pertaining to Medicare.

@.*4.7.- <*7/8;- 9><1.< of these policy rifle shots because, he
*1.*- -.<92=. ,58>-
OPINION BY ANDY BRACK
On the day newspaper headlines
screamed that the state Ethics Commission
accused Gov. Mark Sanford of 37 violations,
the governor’s sense of humor remained
intact. When asked how he would like his
terms as governor to be remembered, he
said, “Better than today.”
Then, during another of his Rotary Club
apology tours across the state, Sanford
paused nine seconds to consider the question.
He highlighted two areas he hoped to be
remembered for:
Investment: He pointed to $8 billion
in job-creating business investment over
the last two years. He briefly highlighted
some initiatives, such as tort reform and tax
policy, that improved the “soil conditions”
for small businesses to thrive better.
Land conservation: Sanford said
more land had been protected under his
administration than any other. In turn, that
improved the state’s attractiveness and
quality of life. Since funding for the S.C.
discussed them, what was remarkable was Yes, he’s made some mistakes. But flying
how the sometimes rambling, professorial business class instead of coach doesn’t
rhetoric had not changed, but how the wind reach the level of impropriety envisioned
was gone from his sails. He was a fellow by the framers of our state constitution. It’s
talking the talk, but who seemed really tired better for a governor to get off a 14-hour
of walking the walk. plane trip a little refreshed than to go into
Sanford said he had become a big fan immediate meetings with bad jet lag from
said, “I thought there was more power
being cramped in a coach seat.
His campaign spending might have some
in the executive branch than there was.
And we took some bigger bites than were
minor problems, but that’s not unexpected
with millions of dollars and hundreds of
Conservation Bank started in 2004, more achievable. events over several years. Most of the
than 152,000 acres have been set aside at a “Little bites are indicative of the legislators “sitting in judgment” of Sanford
cost of $80.6 million. ways that more policy has to change…” probably wouldn’t meet the standards
During the talk (and after the self- he continued. We have a political system they’re setting for Sanford in their own
imposed obligatory apology for letting designed to guard against revolutionary campaign spending.
people down with his extramarital affair), change.” And sure, he might have used some state
Sanford asked Rotarians to urge state And so it would be revolutionary if travel in questionable ways. But remember,
lawmakers to make a few specific policy South Carolina’s legislators actually governors and their families live in a bubble
changes – what he called “rifle shots” turned Sanford out as governor. While a imposed by the job. They have big pressures
– to help set the course on a new direction. House subcommittee started work on an on them to try to maintain normalcy.
Among the suggestions: restructuring the impeachment bill this week, caution is in Bottom line: Sanford has been weakened
state Budget and order. by his affair. His legislative initiatives
Control Board At this point, are pretty much dead on arrival in the
into an executive SANFORD IS ACCUSED NOT OF ANY Sanford is accused General Assembly. But he hasn’t reached
Department of FELONY, BUT OF ETHICS VIOLATIONS. not of any felony, the threshold of serious wrong to be turned
Administration but of ethics out of office according to the law in the
overseen by violations, each of state constitution. Instead of obsessing on
a governor; allowing the governor and which carry about Sanford in 2010, lawmakers should spend
lieutenant governor to run on the same a $2,000 civil fine. Although some GOP their time on real problems – getting better
ticket; changing some constitutionally lawmakers remain mad, embarrassed and jobs for people, improving education and
elected officers into appointed positions; highly irritated with how the governor bettering health care.
setting spending limits; improving economic behaved over the summer, the real question
development; and reforming the state is whether these ethical allegations are Andy Brack, publisher of S.C. Statehouse
Employment Security Commission. aggravated enough to throw a weakened Report, can be reached at: brack@
None of his proposals was new. As he weak governor out of office. statehousereport.com.
-.,.6+.;  " 9
 <*B +;8=1.; FRIDAY
DECEMBER 4
New Brookland
Tavern
SUNDAY
DECEMBER 13

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Population Control New Brookland
New Brookland Sled Tavern
Tavern Grids Shawn Fisher & The
of-old sound. “It’s like comfort food” Josh Roberts and The Planet Piss Jukebox Gypsies
he says, “There’s something very Hinges Modern Disruption
Magnetic Flowers The White Mule Wild Wing Cafe
soothing about it.” His songs have
The Whiskey Gentry Tim Brantley Adam Cross
a rare emotional depth and melodic Ernie Halter
buoyancy. For Trip, music is not a Utopia TUESDAY
hobby; it is a way of life. He eats, Total Denial THURSDAY DECEMBER 15
sleeps, and drinks music, but is hard DECEMBER 10
pressed to ever take credit for his Wild Wing Cafe New Brookland
amazing talents. Tokyo Joe New Brookland Tavern
Rhythm guitarist and singer Mike, Tavern Norma Jean
is the most outspoken member of the SATURDAY Austin Lucas HORSE The Band
band. He is also the most driven. He DECEMBER 5 Mike Hale The Chariot
BY NAOMI TORFIN sees the band as “an evolving thing” Todd Mathis Arsonists Get All The
Sitting in Motor Supply Co., one that can go in many directions without Art Bar Adam Glover Girls
of Columbia’s most posh spots, the conforming to one specific style. American Gun
Beth Dickerson, a solo artist and WestBank Wild Wing Cafe WEDNESDAY
last thing you’d expect is a motley
sit-in singer with various bands, was Rob Lindsey and The Gary Pfaff & the DECEMBER 16
hodgepodge of misfits sitting down
originally a one-song-wonder for the Friendly Confines Hearwells
to play. The initial vibe from the New Brookland
crowd was that of mild skepticism, band. “I wanted to have a girl in the
band,” explains Trip, “so I asked New Brookland FRIDAY Tavern
which quickly dissipated the moment Tavern DECEMBER 11 Tetrarch
Say Brother started playing. Tripp around and everyone told me I should
Motograter A Better Hell
Lefrance’s vocals and banjo cut through check out this girl Beth. When I heard
Facedown Colonial Life Arena The Predecessor
the room, silencing the skeptics. Mike her sing,” says Tripp, “I knew she
Aprils Fall Martina McBride Host To Another
Collins, Beth Dickerson, Joe Hannon, had to be in the band for more than L.I.E. Blake Shelton
and Zach Morrison delivered a power one song.” As Sick As Us The Lost Trailers THURSDAY
performance that stole the show and Beth, a native of Texas with the DECEMBER 17
got the whole crowd—punk rocker groove styling of Jenny Lewis and The White Mule New Brookland
to Republican—grooving to their the Siren’s Song of Allison Krauss The New Familiars Tavern New Brookland
upbeat sound. quickly impressed the group and Tent Revival Tavern
“It’s accessible to everyone joined as a singer/bass player. She Utopia The Brisbones Deepfield
because of the emotional content and Trip’s vocal range and intonation The Dubber with Mercy Mercy Me Obraskai
and simplicity,” says Mike Collins, are in perfect harmony. “When I Riyen Roots
rhythm guitarist and back-up singer. sat in with them the first time, I Utopia Wild Wing Cafe
“We keep the music simple and focus immediately wanted to be a part of Wild Wing Cafe The Mason Jars Tokyo Joe
on the melody.” Much like the band what they were doing,” she says. Lixxy Foxx
The five members are a Wild Wing Cafe
members themselves, their music is
multifarious collection of talent whose SUNDAY Quarterfly
an eclectic fusion of influences that DECEMBER 6
speaks to all ages and tastes. musical overlays are pure alchemy.
Their influences are strongly fused SATURDAY
Say Brother began as a departure New Brookland DECEMBER 12
from the band Mercy Me, a staple in into their music: Booker T. and the
MG’s, Credence Clearwater Revivial, Tavern
Columbia’s punk/rock/metal scene. Farewell Flight Art Bar
Lefrance, who is also the lead singer Hank Williams, and Jenny Lewis, just
Dance Commander Jucifer
and songwriter of Mercy Me “wanted to name a few. Cayla Fralick For Science
to explore a positive, more emotional Tripp explains the importance of
sound.” “how perfectly simplistic they all Wild Wing Cafe New Brookland
Tripp, Mike, and Zach have what are.” It’s the clarity of the music Adam Cross Tavern
few musicians in their early twenties and “the pure country sound before Testing Ground
possess: fine-tuned talent. Lead it became Travis Tritt and Garth TUESDAY Sent By Ravens
guitarist, Morrison, is a man of few Brooks,” he says. DECEMBER 8 Life On Repeat
words, and an Apollo on the guitar. So far the band has been spotted Hollywood Lies
His robust and driving style is the playing Hunter-Gatherer, New New Brookland Emora
cornerstone for their signature sound. Brookland Tavern, and Motor Supply Tavern
Tripp is the shy genius and Co. No doubt, they will soon saturate We Sail At Dawn Utopia
founder of the band. As a third Cola’s music scene with a soulful Acirema Two Cougars
style that speaks to any audience. The Classic Struggle
generation musician, the banjo he
Their next gig is January 12 with Avince Wild Wing Cafe
inherited from his grandfather and WEDNESDAY The Fustics
the musical influences from his youth Danielle Howle and The Noise at
the Aaron/Grant Mayoral Campaign DECEMBER 9
inspired him to create their country-
Benefit Concert.
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122 State St. W Columbia SC 29169
12 *>0><=  " www.newbrooklandtavern.com 803.791.4413 The Little Mermaid, Photo by Lyon Hill

What better name for a show that features
three works each by nine Southeastern
artists? Tom Nakashima, the William S.
Morris Eminent Scholar in Art at Augusta
State University, will open 9 x 3 with a gallery
talk on Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. The show, featuring
prints, ceramic sculpture, photography
and paintings by both established and new
artists, will run from Dec. 3 to Jan. 14.
Featured artists include:
Frieda Dean
Frieda Dean’s work encompasses over
30 years of seasoned study and education.
She is trained in various mediums – painting,
sculpture, watercolor, oil painting, sculptural
masks, performance art, printmaking and
lithography. Her work has been included in
numerous group exhibitions, include “Art
and Narrative” (September 1996, Columbia
College Chicago Center for Book and Paper
Arts, Chicago), “New Abstract Prints in
Chicago” (April 1999, Fine Arts Center,
Chicago), and “Providence Art Club Juried
Prints and Drawings Exhibition” (March
2002, Providence, Rhode Island). Her Later
work shows the influence of her study of
American Abstract Expressionist painting
and prints. She is currently teaching painting
and printmaking at the Gertrude Herbert
Institute of Art in Augusta. Her recent prints
include large-scale abstract lithographs and
intimate color engravings.
Priscilla Hollingsworth
Priscilla Hollingsworth is a ceramic
artist whose work includes sculpture,
installations, and vessels. She has shown
her work in numerous individual and
group exhibitions across the United States
Priscilla Hollingsworth
ART + CAYCE = 9 X 3
from 1985 to the present. Photographs of
her work have been published in several
books, such as Surface Decoration for
Low-Fire Ceramics by Lynn Peters (Lark
Books/Random House, 1999), The Ceramic
Design Book: A Gallery of Contemporary
Work (Lark Books/Random House,
1998), and The Best of Pottery (Rockport
Publishers, 1996). Her work is represented
by the RileyHawk Gallery in Seattle and
the Eclectic Design Gallery in Augusta,
Ga. She has received residency awarded
from the Kohler Company’s Arts/Industry
Program; the Banff Centre for the Arts in
Alberta, Canada; the Watershed Center
for the Ceramic Arts in Maine; Artpark in
Lewiston, New York; and the Moravian
Pottery and Tile Works in Doylestown,
Pennsylvania. She received a M.F.A. from
Indiana University in Bloomington, and
an A.B. degree from Princeton University,
where she studied with Toshiko Takaezu.
Currently, Hollingsworth is a Professor
of Art and the Art Coordinator at Augusta
State University in Augusta, Georgia.
Chris Johnson
Chris Johnson is originally from Macon,
Ga. In 2008 he received a B.F.A. from
Clemson University with a combined focus
of printmaking and ceramics. Currently,
Johnson is a second year of the M.F.A.
program at the University of South Carolina,
majoring in printmaking with a minor in
drawing. He works primarily in woodcut
printing and etching. Johnson’s work has
a strong narrative quality that invites the
viewer to participate in creating and finding
its meaning.
Bri Kinard
Bri Kinard is a senior
at the University of South
Carolina, Columbia. She is
an undergraduate student in
the art studio program with a
focus in ceramics. Her work
is organic using the method
of soda firing.
Tom Nakashima
Born in Seattle, Wash.,
Nakashima is The William
S. Morris Eminent Scholar
in Art at Augusta State
University. He is a painter/
printmaker who is exhibited
internationally. In addition
to his work, he is a highly
solicited lecturer and has
written and reviewed
hundreds of publications
internationally. His work is
in the permanent collections
of over 50 public collections,
including The Corcoran
Gallery of Art and The
Frieda Dean
Smithsonian American Art Museum. Yen Yu Lu
Yen Yu Lu is a foreign exchange graduate
Ashley Padgett student at the University of South Carolina,
Ashley Padgett, a native to Lexington, Columbia in the ceramics department. She
SC, is expected to graduate from the is from Tainan National University of the
University of South Carolina in the Arts, in Taiwan. She holds her undergraduate
spring of 2010 with a B.F.A. in Fine Arts degree from Ntua, in sculpture.
– concentrating in ceramics. She has studied
under Virginia Scotchie since 2006 and 9 x 3 opens Dec. 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. at
has shown work in the McMaster Student ART+Cayce, located at 1329 State Street
Gallery and Gallery 80808 in Columbia. (opposite Brookland Cayce High School).
Padgett’s work is mainly concerned with The gallery is open Monday through
figurative abstractions and deals with issues Thursday from 1 to 4 p.m. and Saturday
of touch. from 1 to 4 p.m. For more information, call
765-0838.
Virginia Scotchie
Virginia is a ceramic artist who exhibits
her work extensively throughout the United
States and abroad, and has received numerous
awards including the Sydney Meyer Fund
International Ceramics Premiere Awarded
from Shepparton Museum in Victoria,
Australia. She has lectured internationally
on her work and has been an Artist-in-
Residence in Taiwan, Italy, Australia, and
the Netherlands. Her clay forms reside in
public and private collections including the
Yingee Ceramic Museum in Taiwan and
the FLICAM Museum in China. Reviews
about her work appear in numerous ceramic
publications.
Laura VanCamp
Laura Van Camp is a first year ceramics
graduate student at the University of South
Carolina, Columbia. She holds a B.F.A.
from Adrian College in Michigan. She
primarily focuses on the human form, using
the method of sager firing.
Yen Yu Lu
-.,.6.+;  " 13
SavageLove Sex Advice
by Dan Savage

I am a 29-year-old single straight man. some of us are a little too good at it—and Thanks for your time.
Over the past year, I have become very a single gay man, like a single straight Sent From My iPhone
close friends with a gay man close to my man, rarely passes up a chance to get with
age. We have a blast hanging out, and I someone he’s attracted to, even if he wants My apologies to Jerry Herman: It only
value our friendship. Four months ago, he more than that person can give. About the takes a moment to contract a sexually
told me that he had developed romantic only thing that gay men are better at than transmitted infection you could have your
feelings for me and said he needed a little straight men—besides deep-throating—is whole life long, SFMi. If the guy who blew
space to save our friendship. For a couple maintaining friendships with exes, one- you—however brief the blowjob was—had
of months, we saw each other only with night stands, friends-with-benefits, fuck syphilis or chlamydia or herpes or all three,
mutual friends. Then we started hanging buddies, et al. you could’ve contracted any or all of them.
out again. It’s been great, and he seems very Lob your balls into your friend’s court, You can’t contract an STI from a guy who
comfortable with me again. The thing is, I SEFOG, and see what he says. You were doesn’t have any STIs, of course, but what
am now experiencing a sexual attraction able to remain friends after he confessed do you think the chances are that a guy who
to him. I have never been with a man and I his attraction to you, so I don’t see why you blows strangers he meets online has an STI?
am very attracted to women, but it doesn’t won’t be able to remain friends after you Low? Medium? High?
bother me that I suddenly feel this way. confess your attraction to him. Go get tested, SFMi.
I have been thinking about asking him if
he wants to have a sexual experience with I’m a woman with an extremely gorgeous, I’m a 23-year-old lesbian who’s been
me. I think he would go for it. A long-term brilliant, openly (mostly) gay friend whom in a relationship with a bisexual woman.
romantic relationship with him does not I’ve been having sex with infrequently but She’s always had a fantasy about guy-girl-
interest me, but I do love him as a friend regularly over the last six months. I know girl three-ways, so about five or so months
and don’t want to risk losing that. Is it why I’m doing it: I enjoy his company, he’s ago, we decided to invite her best friend,
possible this could be just a one-time thing hot, the sex is incredible. But I’m not sure “Roger,” into bed with us. We’ve both been
that brings us closer as friends, or is it more
why he’s having sex with me, a straight pretty happy with the arrangement. At the
likely to ruin our friendship? He is the onlygirl. The most I could get out of him is that start, I refused to have sex with him. But
guy I have ever been attracted to, and I he thinks I have a “masculine sexuality.” about two months ago, I decided I wanted
want to have this experience. I’d like to have a clearer understanding of to try it, never having had sex with a guy
Straight Except For One Guy where our friendship/sexual relationship myself. I couldn’t get into it, so we stopped
stands. I am a person who likes to talk after two minutes. Since then, I’ve missed
While you’re open to having a gay about everything, and he is not. two periods and done four home pregnancy
experience with your friend, SEFOG, he Confused Over Male Eroticism tests—all positive.
would probably How the hell am I going to break the
prefer to have a I would hazard a guess that your news to my girlfriend? We used condoms!
gay relationship (mostly) gay friend is doing this—doing I’d like to keep the baby and raise it with
with someone. you—for the same reasons you’re doing my girlfriend, but we have been living with
The fact that him: He enjoys your company, you’re hot, each other for only a year. And how do I
he can’t “have and the sex is great. As for where you break it to Roger, if at all?
you”—i.e., you’re stand, COME, well, that depends on what Gay Baby Mama Drama
never gonna gay you want. Do you want hot sex with a hot
marry him— guy every once in a while? Then you’re in How do you break the news to your
may make him good standing. Do you want a relationship? girlfriend? The same way you break it to
reluctant to fuck Then you’re deluding yourself. Very few Roger: without further delay. Keeping the
your ass. Having gay-identified men are secretly closeted baby is your decision and your choice,

=>.<-*B<
sex with you straight guys, COME. When a bisexual GBMD, but it’s a decision you have to
could obviously guy identifies as gay, it’s typically because make in consultation with your girlfriend
reignite feelings he’s not romantically attracted to women. if you’re counting on her to raise this baby
he made an effort He can fuck women, but he doesn’t fall in with you. And as your ultimate choice will Slice Night
to squash to “save love with women. Most bisexual guys are have enormous potential consequences for
the friendship”— the opposite of your (mostly) gay friend, Roger, both emotional and financial, he $1.25
duh—and he may i.e., they can fuck men but they don’t fall in needed to be informed of your condition
dread the feelings
of jealousy and
love with men, which is why most bi guys
identify as (mostly) straight.
three pregnancy tests ago.
Your girlfriend may not be ready for =1>;<-*B<
inadequacy that
could swamp I wanted to satisfy my curiosity of getting
the kind of commitment that coparenting
represents. Roger may be nontraditional
2 for 1
him when the a blowjob from a guy. I found one online in the whole three-ways-with-hot-lesbians Medium 2 toppings
inevitable happens
and you wind up
willing to do the deed, and we met and he
started. After about 15 seconds, I stopped
sense but traditional in the wants-to-be-the-
father-of-his-child sense. You need their
(Dine in Only!)
in a LTR with a him. It was not for me and did not feel input as you make this choice, GBMD. And
woman. right. Now, in reality, what are my chances you have choices in addition to abortion
All that said, of getting a disease? Low? Medium? High? or keeping the baby. There’s also open
SEFOG,
going to share a
I’m He did not use a condom. I know you are
going to say to get tested, which I probably
adoption. In an open adoption, you pick the
family the child is placed with, and you and
341 S. Woodrow St.
little secret with will. But in your opinion, are my chances so Roger can have ongoing contact with the (Corner of Woodrow and Rosewood)
you about gay men: We’re men, real men, great that I should run to the clinic? Would child after adoption. You can learn more
just like straight men. We’re good at having it matter the time length of the BJ? Say, if it about open adoption at www.openadopt.
sex without getting emotionally attached— were 10 to 15 minutes instead of seconds?
14 -.,.6+.;  "
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lina for Thanksgiving. South Carolina’s connected. Capital could not be transferred
representatives probably flew home. If they electronically. There were no complex de-
had driven, they would have learned some- rivatives. There were no speed limits for
thing about capitalism. For anyone who horses and buggies because their speed
may have forgotten, Adam Smith’s Wealth was limited by nature. Traffic laws and
of Nations articulates three major “laws of even drunk driving are not strictly enforced
capitalism.” where populations are small. Jim DeMint,
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orchestration. retirement, your
These ideas savings, and
sound right your job.
(unless you’re DeMint and
reading Ayn Wilson are like
Rand in which Big and Little
case the same Enos Burdette,
ideas sound like the evil Texans
the ridiculous who orchestrate
ravings of a B- the whole thing
movie idiot). The good senator from South Carolina wants in the 1977
But are they? to make a Smoky and the Bandit gamble on the Burt Reynolds
I thought a future of America. vehicle. Except
lot about this as they’re gambling
I sat stalled in an infinite line of red break- with your money. They don’t want to do the
lights beaming through the dreary rain in right thing. They say what they say to get
Northern Virginia. Like economic interac- the votes of people frustrated by our slow
tions, highway traffic patterns are also de- advance forward.
termined by the effect of millions of small
actions. And in the world of holiday travel, Sure, slow progress is frustrating. We
Smith’s laws fall apart. Supply and Demand don’t like traffic jams. And we don’t like the
doesn’t quite fit. But in the complex system Highway Patrol. But, when we’re stopped
of traffic, competition and pure self-interest in a traffic jam, we don’t listen to the maniac
are bad for us all. in the car beside us yelling, “Gun it!” and
Here’s the classic example. Lane closed honking his horn.
ahead, merge right. We all know what hap- If you wonder what could happen if
pens. Some people go ahead and merge the Big and Little Enos get their way, just
right. But there are those who will not merge remember back to 2005. DeMint cham-
right until the very last moment. They speed pioned privatizing Social Security. If you
ahead, zooming past everyone waiting to want something to be thankful for this year,
get through the bottleneck. When the left imagine what it would be like if your So-
lane finally closes and all of those competi- cial Security as well as your 401k was in the
tive self-interest drivers cut their way into trunk of the car in flames at the bottom of an
the line in the right, they slow the traffic be- economic gully.
hind them for miles back. In fact, it turns out Our elderly would be devastated this
that those drivers are the ones who create holiday if we had listened to DeMint. So
the jam in the first place. Nobody would be next time people talk about Big Government
waiting at all if it were not for the people wanting to kill Grandma, remember they’re
who looked out only for their own best in- actually talking about Big Enos DeMint.
-.,.6+.;  " 15
¡Ask a Mexican!
CROSSING THE POND,
NOT THE RIO GRANDE
Dear Mexican: I live American stereotypes of
in a house that’s 200 years Mexicans easily crossed
old in a little village in the pond? And don’t
England, just down the hill think this Mexican has
from a tiny church that’s so forgiven Genesis for their
old it was built before God pendejada of a video for
said “Let there be light,” the song “Illegal Alien.”
thus proving that Stephen But yes: CEMEX (a
Hawking is a blowhard. The syllabic abbreviation of the
only industry around here, company’s original name,
apart from digging potatoes Cementos Mexicanos) is
and interfering with cows, one of the world’s largest
is the cement factory, and BY GUSTAVO ARELLANO cement companies, born
that has been taken over and headquartered in the
by Mexicans. It used to be Rugby Cement, city of Monterrey (whose natives are as
and now it’s CEMEX. Not much changes notoriously stingy as your Scots). Other
around here, and people don’t much like Mexican corporations with worldwide
change, but there was an expectation that reach include Grupo Bimbo (bread
the new management of the cement works makers), Televisa (creators of telenovelas)
might liven the neighborhood up: that and the Mexican Nalga Fund.
mariachi bands would stroll the streets;
that burros would appear, ridden by
sleepy guys in sombreros; that the night’s Dear Mexican: Why do white Americans
quiet would be split by the thrumming of buy into this Reconquista bullshit? I believe
guitars, shouts of “¡Andalay! ¡Andalay! that these babosos talk about it more than
¡Arriba! ¡Arriba!” and the crackle of brisk Mexicans do. I have yet to meet a Mexican
exchanges of gunfire as executives settled who is part of this “movement.” Every
their budgets for the new financial year. Mexican I know has come to America to
None of this has come to pass. In fact, no work, seek a better life, and buy a Chevy
Mexicans have been seen in the village at Tahoe or Suburban — that’s it. I guarantee
all, despite the local pub having legendary you that if any white American actually
chili nights. Is CEMEX an illusion? A spoke to a Mexican and asked him about
mere corporate fiction that is actually run the Reconquista, the Mexican would
from Liechtenstein with Arab oil money? respond, “¿Que que?”
Or are the Mexican managers all brujos El Sargento
who can make themselves invisible by
drinking concoctions of jalapeños, tequila Dear Sarge: To our Know Nothing
and dried armadillo brains from scooped- audience: Cut out this letter, staple it to
out human skulls? We need to know the your foreheads without anesthesia, and get
answers to these questions, lest the peace it through your thick heads that this is the
at the heart of England be disturbed and reality of the Reconquista — especially
the beat of Drake’s drum be heard faintly the Suburban part. Finally: why do they
on the breeze, calling, calling. Toodle-pip, believe this, Sargento? Por pendejos.
old chap!
Baron Botolpho Winkletje van der Ask the Mexican at themexican@
Griezels askamexican.net or myspace.com/ocwab.
Or write to him at: Gustavo Arellano, P.O.
Dear Limey: Isn’t it great that the Box 1433, Anaheim, CA 92815-1433. Find
Reconquista is now global and that him on Facebook and Twitter!

803.218.9455

16 -.,.6+.;  "
 @*; *7- 9.*,. *= =1. ,2=*-.5
The men and
women in the Corps
[of Cadets] live and
study under a clas-
sical military sys-
tem.... About a third
of the graduating
classes accept mili-
tary commissions.
— From The Cita-
BY WILL MOREDOCK del’s website
Since 1842, The Citadel has been train-
ing men (and now women) for business,
science, politics, and other fields, but most
famously, for war. It is, after all, the Mili-
tary College of South Carolina, and takes
its Sword Drill, Summerall Guard and Long
Gray Line Parade quite seriously. Its cadets
and graduates have fought in every Ameri-
can war since 1861.
That’s why I found it curious that Dr.
Will Johnson of The Citadel’s Department
of Psychology would be teaching an Honors
level course called the Psychology of War
and Peace — with the operative word being
peace.
“I had the idea a couple of years ago,”
Johnson said. “I wanted to explore what
the field of psychology can offer in terms
of topics beyond straight military training.
Peacemaking is touched on in political sci-
ence, but there is no study of the subject
based on human nature... I wanted to look
into that nature and ask if we are just ag-
gressive machines and built to fight.”
Johnson thinks he is alone among the
nation’s military schools in studying the
psychology of war and peace. He has found as much as the presence of the Third Army tives, with different levels of commitment.
nothing like it in the curricula of the Army, and the Strategic Air Command. This is not the kind of thinking that
Navy or Air Force academies. Those lessons seem to have been lost some political and military blowhards like
Yet he is in good company within the 20 years later, as America blundered into to engage in, but sometimes asking ques-
field of academic psychology. Since 1990, Vietnam, fighting an enemy we never un- tions first can prevent shooting later. Under-
the Society for the Study of Peace, Con- derstood. The mistake cost us 58,000 lives standing why people fight and why they co-
flict and Violence has been a division of and untold wealth and prestige. operate could be a valuable part of military
the American Psychological Association There is the expression that, when the training, Johnson said.
and, according to its website, is “a home for only tool in your box is a hammer, everything “We are beginning to understand that
psychologists who work to promote peace starts to look like a nail. If America’s mili- sometimes success is not so much survival
within nations, communities and families.” tary leaders had more tools in their collective of the fittest,” Johnson said, “but survival
The study box, perhaps of the fittest within a helping and coopera-
of peace and “WE ARE BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND they would tive scenario.” Considered in that light, the
conflict is THAT SOMETIMES SUCCESS IS NOT SO MUCH have more problem of promoting national interest may
relatively new ways of pro- be one of identifying and framing the right
and its appli- SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST,” JOHNSON SAID, moting Ameri- scenario, rather than identifying and bomb-
cation within “BUT SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST WITHIN A can interests ing targets. Johnson understands that not all
a military en- in an increas- challenges can have a peaceful resolution,
HELPING AND COOPERATIVE SCENARIO.”
vironment is ingly complex but none will have a peaceful resolution un-
groundbreak- world. Many less it is sought. It may take a special sensi-
ing. Yet the observers feel tivity and training to see that possibility.
need is clearly there. History and current that too many times in recent decades U.S. There are three students in Johnson’s tri-
U.S. military policy are strewn with exam- leaders have reached for the hammer in al class and he is pleased with the results as
ples of how military force and diplomacy making critical strategic decisions, when a the semester winds down. There are no im-
were used wisely and wastefully. subtler tool might have served better. mediate plans to teach the class again, but
“The purpose of our military is to pro- Right now, the CIA and the Army are en- he hopes to have another chance to teach it
mote our national interest,” Johnson said. gaged in a program to peel off layers of Tal- in the future. It would be a good investment
“But what is the national interest?” iban resistance in Afghanistan through eco- for The Citadel and for the U.S. military.
After World War II, our interest lay not nomic and political initiatives. Of course,
to further crushing Germany and Japan, but such an approach requires seeing the Islam- Read Will Moredock’s blog at www.
in rebuilding them economically and in- ic militia not as a monolithic enemy, but as a charlestoncitypaper.com.
stalling democratic governments. The result collection of
has been one of the most remarkable trans- groups and
formations in history, assuring more than 60 individuals
years of relative peace and stability. Like- who come
wise, Western Europe was secured against to the cause
Soviet Communism by the aid and good will out of dif-
of the Marshall Plan and the Berlin Airlift, ferent mo-
-.,.6+.;  " 17
387.<27™ ,;8<<@8;-<
“Bank Job”--you’re getting colder.
Across
1 Leon Uris novel “___ 18”
5 Enter
9 Uses as a source
14 Shape of some mirrors
15 It now includes Lat. and Lith.
16 Muhammad Ali’s daughter
17 Macho way to say “dandruff”?
19 How bad grades are sometimes
written
20 Jackson or Johnson
21 Category for everything else: abbr.
23 Night before
24 They may get stroked
26 Drying-out stage
28 Watch chain
31 “Hedwig and the Angry ___”
33 Wine refused in “Sideways”
36 “He’s a complicated man/but no one
understands him/but his woman”
38 Shankar on the sitar
40 “Slithy” “Jabberwocky” creature
41 Like Shaquille O’Neal
42 Rocky and Bullwinkle’s nemesis
43 Graceful swimmer
44 Airport near Paris
45 2007 NBA Draft #1 pick Greg
46 He voices Shrek
47 Currency replaced by the euro
49 Musician descended from Herman
Melville (hence the name)
51 “Marble” deli loaf
52 Perot, formally
18 -.,.6+.;  "
54 Exhaled response
56 Blood-type system
58 Ticket leftover
60 Childbirth assistants
64 Fictional typing tutor Beacon
66 What somehow happens to the
vegetables in your TV dinner?
68 Beyond husky
69 Muppet with his pet fish Dorothy
70 Bullring yell
71 Cobb, for one
72 “Liquid sunshine”
73 Word that can precede either word in
17- and 66-across and 11- and 30-down
Down
1 N.Y.C. gallery
2 “One Day in the Life of ___ Den-
isovich”
3 Arrive at the airport
4 Woodard of “Desperate Housewives”
5 Chew, as with a rawhide bone
6 “Charter” tree
7 Prop, really
8 Polite refusal
9 “Think outside the box,” for instance
10 James Bond creator Fleming
11 That sharp nail in the road you just
ran over?
12 Abbr. on a mountain sign
13 “No Ordinary Love” singer
18 For real
22 Mid-tournament rounds
25 Atlantic catch
27 Bohemian
28 Camera setting
29 Frequent site for flight layovers
30 Tool used to clean out the pits in
kiddie playlands?
32 Group of wives
34 Egg producer
35 Edgy
37 It may get jammed under your
windshield wiper
39 Italian restaurant selections
42 Be a braggart
46 “___, it’s full of stars!” (“2001” line)
48 Threw out
50 Tries for, in an auction
53 Awesome
55 Smarts
56 “Good Times” actor John
57 The Who’s “___ O’Riley”
59 Horror actor Lugosi
61 Mane man?
62 Fuzzy style
63 Put away your carry-ons
65 “Love ___ Battlefield” (Pat Benatar)
67 “___ dreaming?”
©2009 Jonesin’Crosswords (editor@
jonesincrosswords.com)
For answers to this puzzle, call: 1-900-
226-2800, 99 cents per minute. Must be
18+. Or to bill to
your credit card, call: 1-800-655-6548.
Reference puzzle #0443.
GY
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Come and have a Hootnanny!!

Saturday December 12, 5:00 - 10:00 or...

208 Candi Lane - Suite A (near the Zoo)

Columbia, SC 29210 • 803-799-0999
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-.,.6+.;  " 19