Employees of Graniteville Specialty Fabrics received a visit Wednesday from Congressman Joe Wilson, who toured the facility and saw firsthand the innovative and historic contributions the facility has made that are now used worldwide.

The facility, which began as the Specialty Fabrics Division of The Graniteville Company in 1947 and was renamed Graniteville Specialty Fabrics in 2006, is a manufacturer of specialized fabric for a variety of uses, many for military purposes.

“The history of this institution really goes back,” Wilson told a group of employees. “This is the beginning of the textile industry in our state, which is still very, very important to the people of South Carolina.”

Wilson said the model set by companies like Graniteville Specialty Fabrics have paved the way for companies, like Bridgestone, which are expanding and creating an economic boost for the local economy, but expressed his concern over losing manufacturing to foreign businesses.

The company’s president, Jim Egan, met with Wilson in Washington, D.C., last week in his role on the board of directors with the United States Industrial Fiber Institute discussing the Berry Amendment, under which many items obtained for the Department of Defense are to be made in the United States.

During the visit, Wilson said he would like to visit the Graniteville facility.

“I think it was a very good opportunity for the employees to actually see their Congressman and, more importantly, our opportunity to show our industry off to the congressman to let him know we are alive and well and we are competitive,” Egan said. “I think the congressman is very concerned about the loss of our manufacturing base in the United States, and it’s nice to just show him a company that is surviving and hanging in there and hopefully continuing to grow and prosper.”

Egan and other facility personnel showed Wilson and his staff the processes that happens at the facility, from creating and testing fabric coating to be used in military uniforms and tents for weather and safety purposes, to creating fabric for use as boat covers, air craft needs, and even everyday items like ironing boards and media signage.

The Graniteville facility is also the original creator of the first striped awning, developed in 1933. Previously, solid awnings were simply painted with a brush to create the striping. The facility also developed tents used in the Persian Gulf War and made sandbags during the Vietnam War.

Wilson said what intrigued him most is how companies throughout the state work together. The Graniteville facility uses products in its processes that are produced by Clariant Corporation in Allendale County, part of the district that Wilson currently represents.

“I’ve been a strong proponent of the Clariant Corporation that makes specialty inks and dyes and that is used here in the process with specialty fabrics,” Wilson said. “It’s really encouraging to me to see companies that are within the Congressional district and within South Carolina working together, and it just really gives me a real feel of what I can do to promote these industries.”

Source: Aiken Standard

“Our nation’s economy is broken. President Obama and his liberal allies in the Senate continue to tax and spend. This will only put us further in debt. With an unemployment rate of over eight percent for the past three years and a growing deficit of over fifteen trillion dollars, it is necessary for South Carolinians to send effective leaders to Washington who will stand up for our founding father’s values and put our great nation back on the path to prosperity.”

“I am committed to standing up for the people of South Carolina’s Second Congressional District by fighting to cut Washington’s out of control spending and promoting a conservative, private sector growth plan to create jobs. Over the coming months, I look forward to visiting with and seeking the support of the citizens of the Second District.”

Just six days before the debt panel’s Nov. 23 deadline, the 72 GOP lawmakers sent a letter to its 12 members, among them U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-Columbia, vowing to resist any effort to use “increased revenues” – Washington code for tax hikes – to help lower the federal deficit.

“Increasing taxes on Americans would destroy jobs, erase all hope of an economic recovery and simply serve to feed out-of-control spending in Washington,” the Republican representatives wrote.

With more anti-tax signers than any state except Texas and Tennessee, South Carolina’s four freshman Republicans and U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson of Lexington County are positioned to reprise their summertime roles as spoilers. During the debt-ceiling crisis, they forced House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to pull a compromise bill from the House floor.

“We’re not $15 trillion in debt because we tax Americans too little,” U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-Laurens, said Thursday. “We’re $15 trillion in debt because we spend too much money.”

Congress on Aug. 2 enacted a law that raised the federal debt limit in exchange for mandated future deficit reductions.

The law set up a “super committee” – with six Republicans and six Democrats; three from the Senate and three from the House – and gave it until Nov. 23 to recommend at least $1.2 trillion in deficit cuts over 10 years.

If the panel fails to reach a deal by next Wednesday, or if Congress doesn’t approve its recommendations by Dec. 23, cuts totaling $1.5 trillion would be imposed, to be split equally between defense and non-military programs.

Clyburn said Thursday the chances were “50-50” the super committee would reach an accord by Wednesday. Asked when he last had a productive conversation with a GOP member of the panel, he chuckled and disappeared into a closed-door strategy session with other Democrats.

U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., a panel member elected to the Senate last year with the aid of major campaign contributions from Republican U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint of Greenville, is floating a plan that would raise taxes by $400 billion over a decade, mainly by closing loopholes and eliminating deductions for more affluent filers.

Toomey’s proposal also would lower the tax rates in the IRS’s four main income tiers, increase other revenues through entitlement program reforms and impose $800 in spending cuts to produce a net deficit-reduction of $1.2 trillion as Congress required in creating the panel.

Despite his strong campaign support for Toomey last year, DeMint on Nov. 3 sent the super committee a letter, signed by 32 other Republican senators, opposing any “net tax increase” as part of its eventual deal.

The five S.C. House Republicans also oppose any tax increase.

“We must create a healthy and productive environment for our job creators, and raising taxes simply does not do so,” said U.S. Rep. Tim Scott, R-North Charleston. “While it may seem counterintuitive, lowering taxes actually increases government revenues by providing more opportunity for American families.”

The 72 GOP lawmakers sent their letter to the super committee a day after a bipartisan group of more than 150 representatives and senators urged the panel to “go big,” reducing the deficit by $4 trillion by tax increases, spending cuts and entitlement reforms.

That idea is similar to President Barack Obama’s call for a balanced mix of higher taxes, spending cuts and changes to Medicare, Social Security and other entitlement programs.

Courtesy of The State

While many of these candidates are running on platforms aimed to reduce the deficit and increase jobs, the termination of Yucca Mountain will do just the opposite.

The president’s decision to withdraw the license application for Yucca Mountain wastes more than $10 billion already spent, of which $1.2 billion came from South Carolinian ratepayers. Further delay also subjects U.S. taxpayers to a financial liability currently estimated at $15 billion. With these further delays, the total liability is projected to be well over $50 billion.

Local communities in Nevada have voiced their support for Yucca Mountain. It would provide much-needed jobs. It is estimated that up to 5,000 jobs would be associated with the project, and more than 2,000 jobs created during the 150-year operating life of the project.

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich was the closest to getting the issue right. However, even he stated Nevada should be compensated for playing host to the repository, as though jobs and investment in the state of Nevada are not enough.

It is imperative for the United States to have a permanent nuclear storage and disposal facility. Spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste from nuclear power plants and defense facilities cannot be stored at existing sites indefinitely. The decision to terminate Yucca Mountain condemns storage of spent nuclear fuel and high-level wastes at approximately 121 sites in 39 states, including multiple locations in South Carolina.

High-level nuclear waste from the U.S. nuclear weapons complex currently resides at 16 sites in 13 states, including the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, and totals 7,000 metric tons. The waste will remain on the surface adjacent to rivers, lakes and population centers rather than in a deep geological repository at a remote, arid, federally-controlled site. This is an extremely important matter not only for the communities I represent and the state of South Carolina, but for the nation.

If the Republican candidates are to be taken seriously about energy issues and reducing our dependency on foreign oil from hostile nations, then nuclear power must be a piece of the strategy. Without a safe and secure location such as Yucca Mountain, nuclear energy development in America cannot progress. Nuclear energy has provided more than half of our electricity in South Carolina for more than 30 years. It is a clean, safe and cost-effective energy source. But to keep it safe, we must have a permanent site to dispose of the waste.

When the president ran for office in 2008, he promised to take politics out of science. It is evident his decision to withdraw the license application for Yucca Mountain was based on politics, not science. It is unfortunate the Republican candidates are playing politics, too. I urge them to reverse course on this critical national issue.

I encourage my fellow voters in South Carolina to raise this issue with the Republican candidates and to hold them accountable for a permanent nuclear repository at Yucca Mountain if elected.

Courtesy of The August Chronicle

Recently, it has been called into question why the military operates grocery and department stores. While many budget-conscious experts question the need for such services, defense officials must weigh the immense value and cost savings of the military resale systems against fleeting political rhetoric.

Commissaries and exchanges are among the most popular benefits enjoyed by members of our military. Surveys of military members indicate that the resale system is routinely ranked second only to retirement and health care benefits, the top benefits of military service. As our military remains engaged with the enemy on a variety of fronts, the need to care for military families remains a top priority to Congress. Few programs can match the power of the military resale systems to rally and solidify the strength of the military community, the bedrock of combat readiness.

We realize the difficulty current budget challenges impose on Department of Defense managers. However, the funding the military exchange system receives is used primarily to subsidize the shipping costs necessary to provide a comfortable quality of life for families serving overseas. While commissary operations require $1.3 billion in appropriated funding, the purpose, power and efficiency of the commissary and exchange systems must not be overlooked, especially for our service members and families overseas.

The nation established the commissary and exchange systems to ensure that military families were provided access to reasonably priced food and other basic goods. Consequently, both commissaries and exchanges have proved highly effective in delivering savings to patrons. The commissary system directly puts $4,400 in the pocketbook of a family of four each year, while exchanges return $300 million annually to support morale, welfare and recreation programs throughout the services.

Establishing itself as one of the federal government’s most cost-effective operations, the commissary system delivers a remarkable $2.08 return benefit for every dollar expended; this equates to $2.6 billion in savings annually to service members.

Finally, the commissaries and exchanges employ thousands of military dependents. This not only adds millions of dollars of income to families throughout the military, but greatly contributes to the quality of life and culture on base. Military dependents can serve their country while simultaneously earning a living. Choosing to discontinue these systems would not be in the best interest of our country, as it would result in an increase in the costs of basic goods for service members and their families and higher unemployment for military dependents and would end one of the government’s most efficient programs.

We, along with 67 of our colleagues in the House of Representatives, sent Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta a letter expressing our support for continuing these resale systems. We are confident the military resale systems will do their best to become even more efficient to help meet the budget challenges in the months ahead. We only ask that they be afforded an opportunity to continue to serve their most deserving patrons.

Courtesy of The Washington Times

“The message is clear,” Wilson said. “We must have fiscal responsibility. The government has been borrowing 42 cents of every dollar.

“In Washington, it’s just a credit card. It won’t work anymore.”

Speaking at the Family Health Centers’ Legislative Breakfast, Wilson said it is finally time to “look taxpayers in the eye” and factually justify the money being spent.

“We need to significantly reduce spending, we need significant caps on spending and then we need a balanced budget provision,” he said. “It would provide the stability that the American people need to create jobs.

“So much of this relates to jobs. If we had people employed, there would be sufficient revenue to run the government.”

Addressing Democrats’ support for raising taxes, Wilson said, “This is not the way to go.” He noted revenue increased 13 percent as a result of the tax cuts under President George Bush.

“A tax cut should generate more revenue,” he said. “It’s not a revenue reduction; it grows the economy.”

Last week, Congress voted to raise the federal debt ceiling by up to $2.4 trillion. In exchange, spending cuts equal to the increase must be made over the next decade. Federal law requires Congress to authorize borrowing any money needed to pay for approved programs.

Wilson said he voted against the debt ceiling increase because he felt it insufficient to address the country’s fiscal situation.

“In fact, two or three days after the debt ceiling was signed, a week ago today, the stock market began its collapse and the credit ratings were dropped,” he said. “We need to make substantial changes.

“Sadly, I believe they (Standard & Poor’s) were correct. S&P has indicated that when you spend far more than you bring in, that’s fiscally irresponsible.”

The current debt ceiling agreement is enough to keep the federal government borrowing into 2013. The pact also called for $900 billion in immediate cuts and a Congressional commission to identify $1.5 trillion in additional deficit reductions by Thanksgiving.
Wilson said he is concerned about further cuts.

“The way (the agreement) was structured, it could catastrophically affect our defense,” he said. “Also, the discretionary funding could affect health care. It could deny payments to doctors. People will not have that safety net.

“Either way, that is not the way to be proceeding.”

Wilson said he supports the congressional redistricting plan signed into law by South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. He said splitting Orangeburg County between his district and Congressman Jim Clyburn’s Sixth District had its origins with the late state Sen. Marshall Williams.

“He said he wanted to see Orangeburg County have two members of Congress representing it,” Wilson said. “People in the eastern part grew up watching Charleston television, so they think they live in the Lowcountry. People in the western part of the county grew up thinking they live in the Midlands.

“It’s a natural division and actually enhances the strength of this county. I can’t think of a time where Congressman Clyburn and I haven’t worked together on local issues.”

Courtesy of The Times and Democrat

The first votes of the day were scheduled for 1 p.m. —- when it is standard to have them scheduled for much later to give lawmakers time to get back in to the Hill.

Wilson says that is because the House leadership is calling for all hands on deck as leaders work out a debt deal.

His preferred plan for dealing with the debt limit was the “cut, cap and balance” bill that died in the Senate late last week. Wilson says he thinks the White House was working to divert attention from the bill: “We had the President come out and say that he agreed with the “Gang of Six” and they said, ‘Well, have you read the plan?” And he said, ‘No.’ That is utterly bizarre.

Wilson says the defeat disappointed the state’s delegation, since ”Congressman Duncan and myself and Mulvaney, Gowdy and Scott, we were all co-sponsors of that bill.”

The newest round of talks puts both a House and a Senate plan on the table. But Wilson is asking for a White House plan.

“And the President has never had a plan. In fact, his spokesman said he felt like he shouldn’t have a plan, he needs lead from the rear.  That’s not right. We need a President with backbone, who understands that limited government is how we create jobs and opportunity,” criticizes Wilson.

Courtesy of South Carolina Radio Network

Last November, voters across America, including in the Second Congressional District of South Carolina, ushered in a new wave of conservatism that would put an end to out-of-control government spending fueled by over-reaching policies such as failed stimulus plans. By electing the largest conservative majority in the House since 1946, Washington was sent a very clear message: Stop spending money America does not have and focus on our nation’s economy.

House Republicans have passed numerous legislative measures aimed at tackling important issues such as the economy and job creation, America’s domestic energy plan to reduce gas prices and freeing small businesses from job-killing regulations.

Forbes magazine recently reported the United States federal government alone will issue as much new debt in 2010 as the rest of the world’s governments combined. This administration cannot continue to spend its way out of a recession. Currently, the federal government borrows more than 40 cents of every dollar it spends. It is for this reason House Republicans have chosen to focus on stopping Washington’s reckless spending binge. Due to liberals in the Senate neglecting their duties by allowing 800 days to elapse since passing their last budget, the House proposed a resolution of its own. H.Con. Res. 34, was introduced to establish the budget for the federal government for fiscal year 2012. This measure was passed by the House as a way to curb Washington’s fiscal carelessness. The federal government’s out-of-control spending has created a lost sense of confidence in the economy, a prolonged feeling of uncertainty for our nation’s job creators, and a massive amount of debt left to be paid by future generations of Americans. Washington’s “spend first, pay later” mentality must be changed. House Republicans are making great strides toward accomplishing this goal.

Small businesses should not be hampered with unnecessary regulations that prevent job creation. The House has taken numerous steps this year to remove many regulations that are not efficient. The government should equip small businesses, the backbone of our nation’s economy, with tools to create jobs rather than crushing them with the cost of compliance. This year, I am happy to report that House Republicans have led the way in helping job creators. Bills such as the Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act, which ends the need for confusing and burdensome tax paperwork, and the America Invents Act, which allows for existing businesses to grow and flourish, are ways the House has shown its commitment to creating jobs. In addition to these two bills, the House passed the Energy Tax Prevention Act, Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act, and the Review of Federal Regulations resolution to keep small businesses from being buried in paperwork and regulations. These are practical bills that help job creators.

House Republicans have also addressed the need for a legitimate domestic energy plan by introducing the American Energy Initiative. The goal of this program is to lower energy prices and create new jobs at home by harvesting domestic energy resources. Americans are tired of being held hostage by sudden spikes in energy prices. By taking the initiative to pass such bills as: The Restarting American Offshore Leasing Act, The Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act, The Reversing President Obama’s Offshore Moratorium Act and The Jobs and Energy Permitting Act of 2011, House Republicans are delivering the results Americans elected them to achieve. By forming sound policies that utilize the abundant supply of energy and natural resources our country has to offer, House Republicans continue to offer solid solutions to the latest challenges facing our country.

The first six months of this Congress have been very busy in the House of Representatives. House Republicans have focused on stopping of out-of-control spending in Washington. In addition, the House has voted in favor of creating jobs by enabling small businesses and scaling back the federal government’s over-reach. Plans like the American Energy Initiative merge job creation with sound policy such as domestic energy independence. I proudly voted for all of these bills.

Moving forward, the House will continue to focus on job creation with plans to cut spending. It is the reason why the American people sent us to Washington.

Courtesy of the Aiken Standard

But many of those in attendance at the TEA Party’s Independence Day Celebration on Sunday afternoon at Hilton Head Island High School’s Visual and Performing Arts Center agreed on thing: They will continue to fight for liberty.

“I am here because our freedoms are under assault,” Los Angeles-based writer and humorist Eric Golub told the crowd. “Never give up, never give in and don’t back down from a fight.”

About 100 area residents gathered at the high school to celebrate the country’s birth and hear elected officials, local tea party organizers and other area speakers discuss their views on fiscal conservatism and limited government. The event was organized by about 30 local volunteers, said former state representative hopeful and Hilton Head TEA Party founder Kate Keep.

Keep’s ongoing dismay over President Barack Obama’s legislative agenda has kept her — and other event attendees — committed to expanding the group that came together in 2009.

Event speaker U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson, R-West Columbia, praised local tea party groups and others across the country for rallying support for Republican and independent candidates in November.

“On a state and federal level, what a difference the tea party has made,” he said. “You were successful right away. Next November, we have to work hard to elect a new president and a new senate.”

As emcee of the three-hour event, Keep focused on what she said are the flaws in Obama’s health care plan, among other items. She and other speakers also blasted the president on the federal deficit.

Among the day’s other speakers were state Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort; Beaufort Tea Party organizer Ann Ubelis; Hannah Hudacek, a naturalized citizen who lived in Soviet-controlled Czechoslovakia; and Hilton Head resident Howard Rankin, a naturalized citizen from the United Kingdom.

Part-time Sun City Hilton Head residents Tom and Barbara McCann said they were eager to attend the event to learn about local political candidates. The couple, who also have a home in Maryland, say they aren’t members of a tea party but were curious to see what organizers had to say.

“We like the politics down here. It’s good to see Republicans winning here, which never happens in Maryland,” Tom McCann said.

The couple said they admire local politicians, such as Tom Davis, who were willing to “make their positions known,” despite liberal media bias, Barbara McCann said.

“We know what it’s like to have a one-party state … We’re just fearful it will become a one-party country,” she said.

Courtesy of The Island Packet

Joe Wilson (Congressman): “The presidential primary is very important for South Carolina for the republican party. It brings world attention to S.C so I look forward with working with the governor… she’s indicated she’ll be raising funds to provide the primary but the presidential primary republican and democrat in S.C. have brought positive attention to the people of South Carolina.”

The republican club is working to bring presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Michelle Bachman and Governor Nikki Haley to speak.

Watch the video here

Courtesy of WJBF.com