In response to “Duncan’s values reflect 3rd District’ s,” the only truth in that editorial is that Jane Dyer is a nice person. I don’t know Jeff Duncan but I do know Jane Dyer, and her position has been and always will be in the best interest of the people in the 3rd Congressional District.

Concerning Nancy Pelosi, Jane is not a puppet. She is her own person and you are right — she will fight for jobs, education and our veterans. It is my sincere hope that the people of the 3rd Congressional District get it right Tuesday and elect Jane Dyer to Congress.

Mark Russ, Easley

Please note that the Greenville News online is by subscription only.

GREENWOOD INDEX-JOURNAL:

For the last eight years, U.S.Rep. Gresham Barrett has represented residents of the Third Congressional District.

That’s about to change.

In two days, residents in the 10-county district will get a chance to decide who their next representative will be. Republican Jeff Duncan, a state representative, and Democrat Jane Dyer, an Air Force veteran, are vying to replace Barrett, who did not seek re-election to the Third District seat as he ran for governor. Constitution Party candidate John Dalen’s name will also appear on the ballot.

Duncan and Dyer have conducted long, aggressive campaigns and have been mainstays in the Lakelands area for nearly two years. Duncan said he is ready for Tuesday to arrive.

“We’ve spent 20 months in 10 counties, really getting to know the voters and trying to understand what their concerns are about their government,” Duncan said. “I think that our message to the voters has been very well received.”

Duncan said his 20-month campaign has shown him there is great diversity in the district. He noted there are distinct differences between Oconee and Pickens counties, for instance, as well as differences between counties in the middle of the district, like Greenwood, compared to counties in the lower end of the district, like Aiken.

Dyer said, if she is able to win the election, it will send reverberations across the nation.

“I do know that if we win it will be the greatest statement for democracy in America,” Dyer said. “Because we will have won because we met people face to face. We said, ‘These are our concerns, this is what we want to go work for in Washington and we need your help.’ If we get enough votes to make that clear, it will be great for us.”

As she has done throughout her campaign, Dyer hammered home her message about job creation. “I think a great thing is the legislation from South Carolina that will allow people to get low interest loans through their rural co-ops to make their homes more energy efficient,” Dyer said. “Then, you’ve got to hire local people to do the work, and you’ll pay it back with savings in payments on your energy bill. That’s a great win-win for everybody and puts local people to work right away.”

Dyer also noted the recently passed small business bill will allow small businesses to borrow money. She said the bill also features solid depreciation and investment incentives.

Meanwhile, Duncan said it is up to private businesspeople to create jobs in America.

“Most people I talk to don’t expect the government to get us out of the recession,” Duncan said. “They understand the private sector creates jobs, and the government seems to hamstring that job creation with the uncertainty they are creating, whether it is the passage of Obamacare or the threat of taxes and utility rates going up with cap-and-trade. There is just so much uncertainty about what government is going to do that businesses are just holding back.

“I think, on Nov. 2, they will see a big sigh of relief that Republicans are going to win a majority in the Congress, and there may be a chance for us to get government out of the way.”

By Chris Trainor, reporter

Please note that the Greenwood Index-Journal online is by subscription only.

With election day looming, political candidates are taking advantage of every last opportunity to meet with the public and the leaders in their areas.

On Friday, the Greenwood Chamber offered Greenwood-area candidates such an opportunity.

The Chamber hosted a candidate meet-and-greet Friday morning in the auditorium at Greenwood County Library. Candidates in attendance included:

-Greenwood County Council District 2 — Mark Allison (R) and Bobbie Hansen (write-in).

-Third Congressional District— Jane Dyer (D), Jeff Duncan (R) and John Dalen (Constitution).

-S.C. House District 12 — Jennings McAbee (R).

-S.C. House District 13 —Michael Gaskin (D) and Gene Pinson

-S.C. House District 14 — Mike Pitts (R) and a representative for Dan Curry (Libertarian).

-Greenwood County Probate — Travis Moore (D) and Robert Cone (R).

Jeff Smith, director of small business and communications for the Greenwood Chamber, said the Chamber wanted to give local residents a chance to meet as many of the local candidates as possible in one location.

“This was a chance, in an unstructured format, to let any of the candidates come meet the public, shake hands and maybe give the constituency a little time, one-on-one, to ask questions about issues,” Smith said.

As she mingled with guests and fellow candidates, Dyer said the relationship between elected officials and their local chambers of commerce are vital.

“I think it is the most important relationship we’ve got going,” Dyer said. “As I have said this whole time, we’ve got to get jobs, jobs, jobs and put people back to work. We are in such a serious state that we have to have all of our elected officials, all our business leaders, all our community leaders working together to bring whatever jobs we can to our area.”

Duncan, who owns an auction firm and real estate company, said he is very familiar with the role chambers of commerce play in local leadership.

“As a former chamber board member in Laurens and a chamber member over there, and as a small business owner, I understand what the chamber does,” Duncan said. “I understand it is important for them to know what their government is doing and for them to have a good relation- ship with their Congressman. I look forward to keeping that relationship open.”

By Chris Trainor, reporter

Please note that the Greenwood Index-Journal online is by subscription only.

Jane Dyer, Democratic candidate for the 3rd Congressional District seat, ended her 30 Towns 30 Days campaign on Thursday the same way she began it at the beginning of the month – visiting with and speaking to voters in Aiken County.

Dyer, who will face off against Republican opponent Jeff Duncan on Nov. 2 for the office vacated by Republican Rep. Gresham Barrett, spoke Thursday about the value of a partnership announced this week between Savannah River Nuclear Solutions and GE Hitachi.

The partnership is a commitment to explore the potential of deploying a prototype of GE Hitachi’s Generation IV PRISM reactor as part of a proposed energy complex at the site. The announcement was the second in two months of small nuclear reactor technology coming to SRS.

While no timeline was given for the project, Thomas Sanders the recently announced leader of the energy park initiative, said Wednesday that the initiative could lead to approximately 60,000 jobs nationwide.

“That’s exactly the kind of thing I’ve been talking about that will put people to work in South Carolina,” said Dyer. “It is the epitome of the concept of turning our research right here in our district into jobs.”

Dyer, a former Air Force pilot who flies for FedEx, said that even though job creation would not be immediate, bringing discussions about nuclear energy to the forefront is crucial.

What South Carolina needs, she said, is a strong advocate for the Savannah River Site.

“We must have a strong voice for the entire Savannah River Site and the Savannah River National Laboratory, in particular, because it holds the key to many of our energy problems,” she said.

Dyer also said that the only way to get out of an economic crisis is to put people to work in manufacturing within the state and exporting around the world.

“I have always been passionate about alternative energy, which to me includes nuclear, and putting our country on the path to energy independence, but it’s all about the funding,” she said.

Where she differs from her opponent, she said, is that he opposed “earmarks,” which she sees as investments. An example she gave of this is Duncan’s lack of support for the Charleston Port, calling it an earmark.

Dyer said she understands the importance of the cleanup work taking place at the site, and keeping it funded and at the forefront of producing modular nuclear reactors is going to take funding and hard work.

“We cannot afford to take the chance of having another politician that’s going to go up there and stand for politics of no earmarks, instead of putting our people to work and solving our country’s energy problems,” she said. “We need not only talk; we need action.”

Dyer said that this week’s announcement of the SRNS/GE Hitachi partnership and the possibility of other similar partnership announcements is a sign of potential that is “unbelievable” but will require leadership, hard work and a commitment from both the public and private sectors.

“I just want to make sure people understand when they vote, they have a choice between a politician who has already proclaimed his allegiance to no earmarks and me, someone who is committed to our country, to nuclear energy solutions and putting people back to work.”

By Anna Dolianitis, Staff writer

http://www.aikenstandard.com/Local/1029-Dyer-SRS

ANDERSON INDEPENDENT:

I remain impressed by your unbiased reporting. The Oct. 22 front page spread on the candidates’ forum was on the money. The Third District U.S. House election requires Upstate S.C. voters to think critically. Your coverage of the forum helps us.

When candidates try to ride into office using vague generalities rather than facts, we should vote against them. When they speak analytically about issues that concern us, we should vote for them.

At the candidates’ forum on Oct. 21, Jane Dyer pointed out an elephant in the political living room. She noted how Jeff Duncan talks big about “free-market” health care, while he and his family live under the protection of taxpayer-funded state health care. He has denied that state health care is taxpayer-funded, nonethless, it is.

Duncan should get his facts straight. The interchange that your newspaper reported shows voters that Jane Dyer’s critical thinking trumps the tired, inaccurate vagueness of Jeff Duncan. If that’s all Duncan can do, then he needs help — but not public office.

Jane Dyer’s clear, bipartisan thinking on jobs give voters reason to vote for her. She supports job growth in traditional technologies like nuclear as well as in progressive technologies like solar energy.

Numerous letters that you have published support Dyer. And S.C. voters support her with cash. As noted in this newspaper last week, more than 80 percent of those contributing to Dyer’s campaign are South Carolinians.

In contrast, 42 percent of Duncan’s contributors are out-of-staters, including New York millionaire election manipulators.

Dr. Bob Phillips, Donalds

http://www.independentmail.com/news/2010/oct/29/dyer-has-clear-bipartisan-thinking/

On Wednesday, it took her to several lunch stops and gathering places in the rural county of McCormick.

Dyer is winding down her 30 Towns in 30 Days Tour of the Third District. On Wednesday, the tour brought her to McCormick, where she stopped at about a half dozen restaurants to speak with customers and business owners. Dyer was accompanied by several area officials, including McCormick County Council chairman Charles Jennings and District 12 state Rep. Anne Parks.

Dyer said the problems and issues facing a rural area like McCormick are different from those in more metropolitan areas.

“When you come to McCormick, you think, ‘If I could bring 100 jobs here’ or ‘If I could just get somebody to start a business here to get somebody to put these wonderful people to work,’” Dyer said.

“The people in McCormick are fantastic. They have such a good heart here, and things are so tough here. It just makes me think, if I could affect that change, if I could make something good happen here for the people, it would be wonderful.”

Dyer is an Easley High School and Clemson University graduate. She was a captain in the Air Force, and she currently is a pilot for FedEx. This year marks the second time she has run for Congress in the Third District. She was defeated by Gresham Barrett in 2008.

Dyer is facing Republican Jeff Duncan in Tuesday’s general election. She and Duncan are vying to replace Barrett, who is leaving the Third District seat.

Dyer said she has received solid support from the local county Democratic Parties, as well as Lakelands residents.

“I’ve gotten great (support), not just from Democrats, but from lots of wonderful people,” she said. “The Democrats here, from the very beginning, have been some of my strongest supporters, because we have common goals. We want to put people back to work. They want to put people back to work. We’re talking about public education and what we can do to make it better. And, of course, we all support our veterans. I have had the opportunity to be (a veteran). I am one. So, I understand the sacrifices people make.”

By CHRIS TRAINOR, reporter

Please note that the Greenwood Index-Journal online is by subscription only.

THE STATE:

I was in Pumpkintown during the annual Pumpkin Festival. There was a wonderful cross-section of people and music.

As Jane Dyer’s car rolled by, a man walked up and starting talking to her. I couldn’t hear everything that was said, but it was clear there was a powerful connection there. He asked if she was Jane Dyer; she said she was. As it turns out, he was a Vietnam veteran who had earned two Purple Hearts. He asked Dyer about the Purple Heart license plate on her car. She explained that both she and her husband, John, were veterans and that he was also awarded a Purple Heart when he was serving in Vietnam.

They thanked each other for their service to the country and saluted, and he walked away. There’s no way to know if he will support Dyer in her bid for Congress in South Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District, but if she is elected, she will be supporting him and all of South Carolina’s veterans.

Michael Kiger, Six Mile

http://www.thestate.com/2010/10/27/1531170/wednesdays-letters-to-the-editor.html

For the past several months I have listened and talked with people throughout the 3rd District. I have talked with Republicans and independents, Tea Partiers and Democrats, Constitution Party supporters and Greens.

No matter the label, all worry about getting and keeping jobs, educating our children and supporting our veterans.

Throughout my campaign, my focus has been on jobs, education and veterans. That will be my focus when I’m your congresswoman.

For jobs, we must look to new industries and technologies for jobs of the future. I will:

Endorse the electric cooperatives’ idea to encourage residents, through low-interest loans paid for directly from energy savings, to make homes more energy-efficient, hiring local people to do the work and reaping the benefits of energy efficiency.

Encourage local banks to lend to small businesses, enabling small businesses to expand and hire.

Use district resources — our technical schools, Clemson University and its innovation programs such as ICAR and research education centers, the Savannah River Site National Laboratory and University of South Carolina in Aiken — to create good manufacturing jobs that put our people to work in producing energy-efficient cars and trucks and solar energy products.

We must seize every opportunity to advance new technologies and bring 21st-century jobs to South Carolina. We must energize efforts to make our state a place where companies want to locate.

Economic studies show that a company seeking to move to a state looks at the quality and availability of the workforce and the public and higher educational systems. Education and jobs are inextricably linked.

We need political leaders who will fight for full funding of our public schools, for all our children and for our future.

As a veteran from a family of veterans, I am dedicated to supporting our military. Whether they are on the frontlines protecting us or back home looking for jobs or furthering their educations, they deserve the best.

My veterans’ identification initiative will strengthen the link between veterans and Veterans’ Affairs. Veterans would be identified as such on their driver’s licenses and their contact information sent to the VA. This would enable the VA to inform all veterans about changes to veterans’ benefits with little cost to the public.

My common-sense solutions would bring answers to the everyday problems facing our district.

As an engineer, I solve complex problems. I have proven leadership skills, beginning as AF-ROTC commander at Clemson to my current career as a professional airline pilot. As a working mother, I know the difficulties of the balancing act that that role entails.

Air Force pilot training was definitely the most challenging experience of my life, especially since there were a lot of people betting on my failure. The lesson learned is that, regardless of the odds, keep working hard, and know that you can accomplish anything.

I am not a career politician looking to take another step up my career ladder.

I will work hard for the people of South Carolina. I will fight for working families, for jobs, for education and for veterans.

Jane Dyer is the Democratic candidate for the 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House.

http://www.independentmail.com/news/2010/oct/25/focus-jobs-education-veterans/

ANDERSON — Republican Jeff Duncan is counting on recent history, a hefty amount of campaign money, a raft of endorsements and his party’s national momentum to win the 3rd Congressional District race.

Democrat Jane Dyer is trying to persuade voters to send a pilot to Washington, D.C., instead of a politician.

And political neophyte John Dalen is hoping for an unlikely victory that would make him the first Constitutional Party candidate to be elected to Congress.

The 10-county district in western South Carolina has been under Republican control since Lindsey Graham ended the Democratic Party’s 108-year reign in 1994.

By amassing more than $728,000 in campaign contributions, Duncan holds a commanding financial advantage over his opponents for the seat that Oconee County Republican Gresham Barrett is vacating.

Duncan has received the backing of groups such as the Club for Growth, the National Rifle Association and the National Federation of Independent Business. He also may benefit from a groundswell of support for the GOP. Political pundits believe that the party is poised to recapture the U.S. House of Representatives in next week’s mid-term elections.

“It is a very conservative district,” said Duncan, a four-term state House member from Laurens who has never lost an election. “But we are not going to take anything for granted.”

Dyer, a former U.S. Air Force pilot from Easley who now flies an Airbus 300 for FedEx, is making her second bid for the 3rd Congressional District seat. Barrett soundly defeated Dyer in 2008.

Although she trails Duncan in campaign cash, the $191,000 in contributions that Dyer has collected is more than twice as much as she raised during her first campaign.

Dalen, a building contractor who moved from Los Angeles to Westminster a decade ago, has never sought elected office before. He has raised less than $5,000 in campaign contributions.

Dalen said he entered the race because voters share his disaffection for the two dominant political parties.

“Politicians are leading us down the road to ruin,” Dalen said.

The most talked about issues in the congressional contest have included taxes, Social Security, federal spending, education, health care, immigration, energy and support for veterans.

Duncan opposes President Obama’s plan to end the Bush-era tax cuts for Americans earning above $250,000 annually. He has proposed phasing out Social Security and creating a bipartisan committee to trim federal spending.

Besides calling for the U.S. Department of Education to be abolished, Duncan supports the repeal of the health-reform bill that Congress approved earlier this year. He also wants to fortify the nation’s Southern border to prevent illegal immigration.

While voicing support for alternative energy initiatives, Duncan advocates natural gas exploration and drilling off South Carolina’s coast.

Dyer says researchers at Clemson University and the Savannah River National Laboratory could achieve alternative energy breakthroughs that would bring badly needed jobs to the district and ease the country’s addiction to foreign oil.

“There are times when government works and regulations work,” she said. “We need rational thinking.”

Eliminating the federal income tax is the centerpiece of Dalen’s campaign. He says ending the tax would help restrain the federal government while promoting prosperity and the creation of jobs.

The winner of the Nov. 2 election will represent a district that includes the cities of Aiken, Abbeville, Anderson, Clemson, Greenwood and Walhalla.

by Kirk Brown, reporter

http://www.independentmail.com/news/2010/oct/25/three-candidates-offer-opposing-visions-3rd-distri/

I have hope for the future of South Carolina, especially for the 3rd Congressional District. This hope came from meeting Jane Dyer.

She told us of her plans to help South Carolina should she be elected. She met some young people, too young to vote yet already proud parents of a 2-month old daughter. These kids chose life and now they’re on their own. They’re trying to complete their high school education, both just months away from graduating, yet they want to work and can’t find work.

As a mother, Jane listened to their story. She encouraged them in the face of extreme odds during these trying and curious economic times.

Those tax cuts that some want to extend were supposed to create jobs. They have not. Instead, those jobs are overseas, along with the mill work that used to be right here in Pelzer.

Jane understood that the people who usually mock “Obamacare” already have good insurance, even politicians like Jeff Duncan, who is insured by the state of South Carolina.

Why isn’t he concerned with the nearly 20 percent of South Carolinians who are uninsured?

Jane is no politician. She’s a veteran, a mother and a Clemson graduate. She knows we need jobs and solutions now. This woman has the leadership, energy and passion to serve the people of South Carolina.

In these dire times South Carolina needs Jane Dyer for Congress.

Marnie Schwartz-Hanley, West Pelzer

http://www.independentmail.com/news/2010/oct/25/dire-times-call-dyer/

In this year’s election for the 3rd Congressional District, Jane Dyer is clearly the best candidate. Unlike her opponents who have nothing much to say except the same old tired, failed partisan talking points, Jane has fresh and practical ideas on how to address the real issues that we face.

She understands that the only way to get the economy moving is to create new jobs in new industries. She sees a bright future for this district because the ongoing energy research from SRS, USCA and Clemson can make us a leader in new green technologies. By creating a well-educated, skilled workforce we can keep these jobs here at home. Jane knows that we can be a worldwide leader in this new and limitless field. That is forward thinking and exciting.

As a veteran, Jane sees many veterans are not receiving all the care they need. She has already started to change that by working to add a notation on veterans’ driver’s licenses, with information the DMV will send directly to the VA. It’s a simple and practical idea that will benefit veterans throughout the country.

Jane has a lifelong history of leadership – as the first woman Air Force ROTC commander at Clemson, as an Air Force pilot, and as one of only a few hundred women airline captains in the world, as well as being a mom and grandmother. She practices leadership every time she is flying. She has to make hard decisions each time she steps into the cockpit of a cargo jet.

Her confidence, passion, and grace as a leader tells me that if we elect her, she will go to Washington and truly be our elected representative, not a pawn of special interests.

Please vote for Jane Dyer on Nov. 2.

Ann Willbrand, Aiken

http://www.aikenstandard.com/Letters/1025-willbrand-letter-DYER–pol-

The 10-county district stretches along the Savannah River Basin, with five major lakes and other waters that support thousands of tourism and recreation industry jobs and is bookended by two huge nuclear job engines.

Oconee Nuclear Station has 1,300 regular employees and an annual payroll of $100 million. The work force can swell to 3,000 people during refueling and special projects, said Addie Bradshaw, a Duke spokeswoman.

The nuclear power plant is Oconee County’s largest taxpayer, yet it’s dwarfed by the Savannah River Site, situated partly in Aiken County at the southern end of the district, which employs 11,000 people and has a $1.6 billion annual budget. An additional 3,000 federal stimulus jobs bring the current work force to 14,000, said Jim Giusti, a Department of Energy spokesman.

Given the nuclear industry presence here, it’s no surprise that all three candidates support expansion of nuclear energy production. The question is how quickly. Dalen cautions against shortcuts. Duncan and Dyer would hit the accelerator.

“Any streamlining of the process to put new plants online needs to be watched so that we aren’t taking shortcuts that would result in a lack of oversight that could put us in danger. We do have accidents,” Dalen said. “Until something better comes along, it’s a good source of energy.”

Duncan said, “If the government would just fast track and green light nuclear power expansion in this country, there’s three nuclear power plants slated for South Carolina. There’s 4,000-5,000 new construction jobs with each nuclear power plant, and then good-paying, long-term jobs just in that one sector.”

Dyer said, “We need to build plants, and we need to streamline the permit process. Our goal should be to make it a three-year process maximum.” Safety “is of huge importance, but we do know how to build safe nuclear power plants.”

Beyond nuclear, the candidates disagree on offshore drilling and alternate energy development. Dalen and Duncan favor domestic drilling; Dyer said it could be disastrous.

The best way to reduce foreign oil dependence “is drill for domestic oil now” — without giving people free rein to destroy the land, Dalen said.

While he generally opposes government regulation as unconstitutional, Dalen said he believes energy is a national security issue and because of that, regulations would be within the scope of the Constitution.

Alternative energy development should be left to the free market, Dalen said. Government intervention would hamper innovation. People “will pick up” on ideas such as entrepreneur T. Boone Pickens’ plan to power big rigs with natural gas — if they’re good, he said.

Duncan said the nation should tap all domestic natural gas and oil reserves whether it’s offshore, onshore or near shore. The Gulf oil spill “calls into question why we’re drilling in deep water when we have near-shore resources that could be utilized,” said Duncan, who served on a Department of the Interior Outer Continental Shelf five-year planning subcommittee that dealt with oil and natural gas leases.

Duncan said he supports research “to explore solar, wind and other alternative sources of energy” led by “an entrepreneurial spirit,” rather than government intervention.

Dyer said off-shore drilling “would be particularly disastrous” for South Carolina and its pristine coastal islands. “As long as we commit to using oil, we will not move in the direction of producing alternative clean energy sources. Offshore drilling is a crutch to support the power that big oil has on our country’s energy policy,” she said.

Researchers from Clemson University to the Savannah River Site National Laboratory are working on fuel cells, wind energy, bio-fuel, solar and other alternative energy sources that can create manufacturing jobs and enable this part of South Carolina “to lead the world in energy solutions,” she said.

Growing complaints, particularly in the wake of recent drought years when lakes Hartwell and Thurmond dropped to record low water marks, spurred U. S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, who is leaving office, to meet with top U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over management of Upstate Corps lakes and the river basin. Ultimately, laws written by Congress govern corps’ lake management policies.

Dropping lake levels were mirrored by dropping sales for marinas, fishing supply shops, restaurants, lodging facilities, campgrounds and real estate. Various groups including the Lake Hartwell Association continue to argue for earlier outflow restrictions when water levels drop.

Lakes Jocassee and Keowee are owned by Duke Energy; lakes Hartwell, Russell and Thurmond are Corps of Engineers lakes. The land around and under the three Corps lakes and the dams on the lakes are federally owned. Ownership of the water is shared by South Carolina and Georgia.

Dalen said the issue should be left to the states. “What we are talking about is water fights,” Dalen said.

“The role of the federal government is limited. It is a state issue and should be returned to the states,” Dalen said. The states “should be managing it and working together because we are all dependent on the water. All the states are arguing over water, and it will be a bigger issue as time goes on.”

Duncan said he’s already met with U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, a Republican running for re-election on the Georgia side of the Savannah basin, and would push for new laws or clarification of existing laws regarding downstream flow.

“Lake levels are important as an economic engine, and it’s important to keep those lakes as full as possible,” Duncan said, adding that he works on real estate and understands the need. Changes are needed in how the Corps manages the lakes, he said.

“We need to change their role through legislation or change what Congress means in the application of the existing legislation.”

Dyer, who has a mechanical engineering degree, said those skills would help her to actively work with the Corps to develop a 100-year drought plan for the lakes — like the 100-year hurricane plan on the coast — to proactively protect the lakes before a “worst case” scenario occurs.

“We have to come up with a plan so that in a worst case we are addressing all issues on the table; for people who live on the lakes and how it affects them, the energy that is produced from our lakes and how it affects them, the water required for the manufacturing that we do here and how it affects them, tourism and how it affects them,” Dyer said.

by Anna Simon, Clemson Bureau

Please note that the Greenville News online is by subscription only.

ANDERSON INDEPENDENT:

In their final face-off before Election Day, Republican Jeff Duncan was criticized Thursday by his two opponents in the race for the 3rd Congressional District seat.

Appearing at a candidate forum sponsored by the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce, Democrat Jane Dyer lobbed the first verbal volley. She took Duncan to task for using the state’s Employee Insurance Program to cover his family at the same time as he endorses free-market solutions for the nation’s health-care problems.

“If free market is the way we are supposed to go as opposed to taxpayer health care, then why would Jeff choose to be in the state system that is funded by taxpayer dollars?” Dyer asked.

After the forum ended, Duncan disputed Dyer’s contention that the state insurance plan is funded by taxpayers. Duncan has been eligible for the state Employee Insurance Program since he was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 2002.

Michael Sponhour, a spokesman for the South Carolina Budget and Control Board that oversees the Employee Insurance Program, said Thursday that taxpayers do indeed subsidize the program. The program provides coverage for 422,000 people, including state workers, their family members and those retired from being employed by the state.

According to the Employee Insurance Program website, “The state currently pays 71 percent of the employee’s health insurance premiums.”

Dyer continued to press the issue after Thursday’s forum, calling Duncan a “typical politician doing the opposite of what they are saying.”

At the forum, which attracted an audience of about 25 people at the Anderson County Library in downtown Anderson, Duncan described the sweeping health-care reform bill that Congress passed in March as an oppressive and unconstitutional national health-care plan that places a costly burden on businesses.

“I do not support Obamacare,” Duncan said. “I will vote to repeal the bill. I will vote next year if we can’t repeal the bill to defund all of the programs.”

Duncan said more health insurers should be permitted to sell policies in South Carolina. He also supports credits that would enable small businesses to purchase “tax free” health insurance. Besides calling for tort reform, Duncan said business associations should be allowed to create insurance programs for their members. Finally, he said, physicians who provide free patient care ought to be able to deduct the value of these services from their taxable income.

Dyer said the health-care reform legislation that Congress approved “is not perfect.” But she expressed support for aspects of the measure that prevent insurers from withholding coverage because of pre-existing conditions, help the elderly afford prescriptions and allow young adults to remain on their parents’ health insurance coverage until age 26.

“Something had to be done,” Dyer said, arguing that the cost of health insurance for families would have doubled every decade without passage of the reform bill.

Constitution Party candidate John Dalen said at the forum that the health-care reform bill “is not good for America.”

Dalen said repealing the federal income tax would be the simplest fix for the nation’s health-care ills.

“If we eliminate the income tax, people will be able to afford health care,” said Dalen, a building contractor who lives in Westminster.

While saying he agrees with many of Duncan’s positions on the issues, Dalen argued that Duncan would be ineffective in Congress because of his affiliation with the Republican Party.

“When has the Republican Party ever delivered on its promises?” Dalen asked. “They talk the talk, but they don’t walk the walk.”

Duncan, who has collected more than $678,000 in campaign contributions and has a commanding financial advantage over both Dalen and Dyer, stayed upbeat at the forum while pressing for less government spending.

“I believe the American dream is still alive and well,” Duncan said in his closing remarks. “If the government will get out of the way, our economy will come rocketing back.”

The winner of the Nov. 2 election will replace U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, an Oconee County Republican who gave up the seat to wage an unsuccessful bid for governor. The 3rd Congressional District covers ten counties and includes the cities of Aiken, Abbeville, Anderson, Clemson, Easley and Greenwood.

By Kirk Brown, reporter

http://www.independentmail.com/news/2010/oct/21/insurance-key-topic-final-face–among-3rd-congress/

MCCORMICK MESSENGER:

The race for the third district’s House of Representative is down to the wire. Jeff Duncan has stated his talking points. He has a $500,000 political contribution from Club for Growth, and Votesmart.org has currently rated him as a state legislator at 89% of the time in ’09 of having supported Club for Growth’s legislative agenda.

Jane Dyer has travelled throughout the entire third district meeting people in their towns, talking to them and listening to their concerns. She knows the issues well; she studies them and talks to experts to complete her education regarding them. She then applies her problem solving skills. When the VA voiced their concerns about not having all veterans’ contact information, she initiated that an I.D. be put on their driver’s license which will put them into the state’s system, linking them to the VA in Columbia. Veterans will then have current updates on their benefits.

We need Jane Dyer in Washington. She works for all Americans, not just the top 2-3%.  She will bring intelligence, caring and commitment to her state and its people.

She is worthy of your vote November 2. She will be a Congresswoman who will serve her people well.

Polly Walters, McCormick, SC

Please note that weekly McCormick Messenger is not available online.

AIKEN STANDARD:

Jeff Duncan, candidate for 3rd District Congress, is doing what his donor, Club for Growth, wants: phase out Social Security, reduce or eliminate government regulations, and reduce taxes on the wealthy.

Replacing Social Security over time with personal savings accounts could provide individuals with retirement security, but only if individuals and employers were required to fund it. Social Security, with its flaws, provides a safety net. Why not work to improve it?

Theoretically, unregulated markets are more efficient than those constrained by regulations. But they’re also more dangerous – the collapse of the housing market, foreclosures, the BP disaster and the banking meltdown. How about regulations without being overly burdensome?

The GOP argues raising taxes on the wealthy “punishes the very people capable of creating jobs.” Those currently unemployed need manufacturing, construction and service jobs, and they’re not being created by financial advisors or retirees on generous pensions. And if the wealthy are freed from having to pay a few extra percentage points on their annual income, will they invest in job creation?

The GOP promotes trickle down economics, though there’s no evidence it has ever succeeded to save the middle class and the poor. Instead, the gap between the wealthy and poor keeps widening. Time for a change.

Democrat Jane Dyer favors sensible government regulation and a tax structure aimed at benefiting both employers and employees. She supports Social Security, and admits it needs fixing. She wants to increase the power of middle income earners with a strong public education and new permanent jobs in nuclear and alternative energy. She wants our community to function with a strong value system. Most importantly, she publicly stated, if elected, she will do what’s best for us even if that goes against the party line. Will Mr. Duncan do the same?

M.A. Franklin, Aiken

http://www.aikenstandard.com/Letters/1021-franklin-letter-DYER–pol-

ANDERSON INDEPENDENT:

Out-of-state donors have contributed more than half of the $866,000 in campaign cash collected in the 3rd Congressional District race in South Carolina, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission reports.

The same reports also show that Republican Jeff Duncan has a commanding financial advantage over Democrat Jane Dyer and Constitution Party candidate John Dalen in the contest to replace outgoing U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, a Republican and Oconee County resident.

As of Sept. 30, Duncan had received $678,458 in contributions, with more than $364,000, or roughly 53 percent, of that total coming from out-of-state donors, an analysis of FEC reports showed.

Dyer had collected $188,502 in campaign contributions, with $94,400, or almost exactly half, of her total collected from out-of-state donors, according to the FEC reports.

The FEC reports show that Duncan’s campaign had $160,913 cash on hand as of Sept. 30, compared with $48,818 for Dyer’s campaign.

Since he has collected less than $5,000 worth of contributions, Dalen is not required, he said, to file campaign finance reports with the FEC.

Dalen criticized both Duncan and Dyer for accepting contributions from out-of-state special interests.

“That is what is wrong with our election system right now — all of the special interest money,” said Dalen, who owns a contracting business and lives in Westminster.

Dyer, a FedEx pilot who lives in Easley, also bemoaned the current political climate in which, she said, candidates must raise vast sums to finance 30-second TV commercials.

While acknowledging that she has made thousands of calls to prospective donors, Dyer said she has tried to focus more on meeting voters in her campaign’s effort to visit 30 cities in the district in 30 days.

Duncan, a four-term state House member from Laurens, said the financial backing that he has received indicates support for his “clear and consistent conservative message.”

Responding to a question Tuesday about the amount of money that he has received from out-of-state donors, Duncan said, “Every vote cast in the United States Congress affects every man, woman and child in the United States.”

Duncan’s out-of-state money includes $180,492 that was collected from donors around the nation and bundled by the Club for Growth, a conservative group based in Washington, D.C., according to FEC reports. Duncan’s campaign received most of that money during a tough primary battle in which he emerged as the GOP nominee by defeating Richard Cash, a Powdersville businessman, in a June 22 runoff.

Duncan also has received more than $170,000 from political action committees based outside of South Carolina, according to FEC reports. Those contributions include $11,000 from a national credit union association PAC based in Washington, D.C., and $10,000 from Fluor Corp.’s PAC, which is based in Irving, Texas.

“These are businesses that are creating jobs here in South Carolina,” said Duncan, who also has loaned $56,600 to his own campaign.

All told, Duncan has collected $197,206 from political action committees, according to FEC reports. The largest single donor to his campaign is $15,000 from a South Carolina-based PAC associated with energy company SCANA Corp.

Dyer has received $90,550 from political action committees, almost all of which are based outside the state. Her largest donations include $10,000 each from the pro-Democratic BRIDGE PAC and a political action committee affiliated with International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which are both based in Washington, D.C. Dyer also has loaned $8,000 to her own campaign.

With Election Day now less than two weeks away, Duncan’s campaign began airing a TV commercial Tuesday throughout the 10-county district. The 30-second spot says he will trim spending and balance the federal budget if elected.

Also Tuesday, Dyer’s campaign sent an e-mail urging supports to contribute a total of $8,000 by Friday so that she can buy TV time for an ad.
CAMPAIGN COFFERS

The most recent campaign finance reports in the 3rd Congressional District race in South Carolina show that as of Sept. 30:

Republican Jeff Duncan has raised a total of $678,458 and has $160,913 cash on hand.

Democrat Jane Dyer has raised a total of $188,502 and has $48,818 cash on hand.

Constitution Party candidate John Dalen has raised less than $5,000 and was not required to file a campaign finance report.

Source: Federal Election Commission

By Kirk Brown, reporter

http://www.independentmail.com/news/2010/oct/19/out–state-cash-helps-fill-campaign-coffers-3rd-co/

ANDERSON INDEPENDENT:

There are many good reasons for the voters of South Carolina’s Third Congressional District to elect Jane Dyer to the U.S. House of Representatives, but one of the important reasons is to check the money trail.

Who is it that wants to elect her opponent? The place to look is the Federal Election Commission which records both individual and PAC money contributions.

As of June 30, which is the last data posted on the FEC website, Jane Dyer received 189 individual contributions of which 28 were from out of South Carolina.

Jeff Duncan received 577 individual contributions of which 247 were from out of state.

Of the 247 contributors, 241 were from the Club for Growth, an organization led by Thomas L. Rhodes of New York.

The primary tactic of the Club for Growth PAC is to fund candidates for Congress who agree with their anti-government, anti-public schools, anti-working people and anti-poor people philosophy.

Although the FEC reports $425,575 in individual contributions to Duncan’s campaign, further detail reveals that $225,000 came through the Club for Growth PAC.

Duncan also reports $58,020 in other PAC money. Jane Dyer’s PACs had contributed $53,800.

Do we really want people from out of state trying to buy our elections in South Carolina?

Bill and Bonnie Ledbetter, Anderson

http://www.independentmail.com/news/2010/oct/20/follow-money/

Please note that the Ledbetters’ figures are based on June FEC report.  If you wish numbers from this month, please check the Anderson Independent story also posted today on Jane’s website and the Anderson paper’s website:   http://www.independentmail.com/news/2010/oct/19/out–state-cash-helps-fill-campaign-coffers-3rd-co/

GREENWOOD INDEX-JOURNAL:

I am writing in support of the candidacy of Jane Dyer for Congress.

Her experience as a veteran and her deep concern for creating a strong economy that will generate more jobs are two reasons I believe she will bring the strength and skills needed to the position.

As a working woman with a solid education herself, she understands that we must prepare our young people for jobs in the emerging knowledge economy. She has my vote and I encourage others to give her serious consideration.

Nancy Murphy, Abbeville

Please note that the Greenwood Index-Journal online is by subscription only.

What I learned from the recent candidate debate for the 3rd District Congressional seat was that Jane Dyer is a very competent and intelligent woman with excellent ideas about what America should do about education and military spending.

She debated Jeff Duncan (Republican) and John Dalen (Constitution Party ) Oct. 7 at the Strom Thurmond Institute.

As the League of Women Voters of the Clemson Area moderator Holley Ulbrich pointed out, the three candidates have some similarities in that they all had names with the initials J. D. We discovered that they are all Baptists, too.

While Duncan and Dalen told about how many departments of the government they would eliminate, Dyer gave reasonable and sound ideas about how money could be saved through the wise use of military knowledge to trim the defense budget. Instead of eliminating the U.S. Department of Education as Duncan and Dalen proposed, Dyer wants to keep it so we will be able to get the education that modern technology needs to encourage companies to relocate here in this non-union state. As she said, we need 21st-century education for 21st-century jobs in South Carolina. We may get a wonderful plant like Boeing in Charleston, but it cannot be operated by incompetent workers.

Jane Dyer is a hard-working airline pilot, a mom and a former U. S. Air Force jet pilot from Easley who would be a great leader for our state.

Carol Ward, Pendleton

http://www.independentmail.com/news/2010/oct/19/good-ideas-came-debate/

ANDERSON INDEPENDENT:

I support Jane Dyer as our next congressional representative for the 3rd District.

Over the past six months, I have heard Jane speak several times and have been impressed with her sincere desire to serve the citizens of our state.

I respect Jane’s service in the U.S. Air Force. She knows what it is to serve and also what it means to send her own son into harm’s way in Afghanistan. I also like her proposal to use driver’s licenses to easily identify veterans. My family has spent nearly a year seeking benefits from the Veterans Administration. Anything that can simplify this process for those who have served our country deserves consideration. And it’s great to see practical ideas put forward.

Jane also knows what it means to be a parent trying to juggle family life with her job. I heard her one time describe how she would put her children to bed, leaving them home with her husband while she went off to work, returning in the morning to fix them breakfast. She understands the daily challenges so many of us face.

As an educator for 30 years, I want a voice for public education, not someone who wants to undercut public education with vouchers. I want someone who champions the middle class, not someone who wants to extend tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. I support Jane Dyer, a woman of deep faith, high morals and real commitment to bringing jobs and prosperity back to South Carolina.

Evelyn Beck, Anderson

http://www.independentmail.com/news/2010/oct/17/bringing-prosperity/

Third District Democratic congressional candidate Jane Dyer visited Erskine Tuesday and talked to a group of interested students, faculty and staff and local residents about her candidacy.

Her appearance was sponsored by the Drummond Center for Statesmanship. Dr. Ashley Woodiwiss, director of the Drummond Center, said Dyer’s Republican opponent, Jeff Duncan, was invited and had agreed to appear in Due West with Dyer, but had to cancel.

“In a busy campaign season, scheduling conflicts always occur,” Woodiwiss said. “You’re of course disappointed that both candidates weren’t here, but I’m grateful Jane could make it and I believe this event in its own way served the community well.”

A former pilot in the U.S. Air Force, Dyer has worked as a pilot for FedEx for more than two decades.

The Democratic candidate said she learned a lot from her unsuccessful run for the office in 2008.

“I was ignorant,” Dyer said. “If you want to be a Democrat in politics in South Carolina, you need to be a lawyer — that’s reality.”

She said she doesn’t have much money to spend on her campaign, but she has tried to meet a lot of people.

“When we win, it will be because of a real people’s campaign,” Dyer said. “It won’t be because we’ve had the best TV ad.”

The candidate touched on a number of issues during her visit Tuesday and alternative energy sources was one of the most discussed on her list.

“We’ve got to come up with effective alternative energy solutions,” Dyer said. “Oil companies don’t want us to do that.”

She said the U.S. Navy has recently announced a plan to convert 20 percent of what it takes to run its vessels to biofuels. A lot of the research on alternative energy sources takes place in the Third District, Dyer said, and could be used to draw companies to South Carolina that are moving forward to advance technology in this area.

Dyer said creating jobs is at the forefront of her platform and along with that comes education. “We need a skilled labor force,” she said.

“In the future, it will take more a high school degree” to get a decent paying job.

The candidate said she is a proponent of public education, not only K-12, but also higher education.

“Here in South Carolina, we’ve figured out to make public higher education cost twice as month as it does in North Carolina,” Dyer said.

She also said that taking care of military veterans is important to her. Dyer is proposing a veterans initiative that would enable veterans to present their discharge papers when they get a driver’s license and be automatically connected with the appropriate veterans affairs office. The effort would help veterans learn about the benefits to which they are entitled.

Dyer said many people ask why she is choosing to run in such a “toxic” environment in Washington.

“I believe in our government,” she said. “I believe in who we are as Americans.”

Dyer said “common sense people” are needed in Congress to work out reasonable solutions to problems.

“We need to figure out what the real problems are, come up with options and reasonable solutions,” she said. “I really believe we can work out our problems.”

Asked about her position on the U.S. presence in Afghanistan, Dyer said what’s happened in the past can’t be changed, but Congress needs to be continually asking questions about that operation.

“We need to concentrate on intelligence and decide what our goals are,” she said, adding that she believes one of the current goals is to drive members of the Al Quaida terrorist cell from Afghanistan.

“We continue to have people being killed every day,” Dyer said, “so it’s a very serious issue.”

Dyer’s visit to Erskine was part of her “30 Towns in 30 Days” campaign plan. She also visited Abbeville and Ninety Six on Tuesday.

“Nobody can win if people don’t vote for him or her,” she said, adding that In order for her to be elected, “A lot of people will need to work very, very hard, but I’m convinced we can do this.”

http://www.erskine.edu/news/10.13.10/jd.10.13.10.htm

We hear congressional candidates say they want to go to Washington and “shake things up.” I think there’s enough turmoil in Congress. We need individuals committed to settling things down by bringing a sense of quiet yet dedicated purpose to doing the peoples’ business and improving the lives of all Americans. Jane Dyer has proven she is the candidate who can do that.

Her campaign is based largely on talking with residents and listening to their concerns as she spends countless hours crisscrossing the Third District. She heard from people worrying about losing benefits if the health care reform law is repealed. Dyer has assured them the better approach is to fix the things not working.

She heard from residents who lost their jobs and worry about the government’s role in job creation.

Dyer is a strong advocate for preserving South Carolina’s $18.4 billion tourism industry, accounting for more than 200,000 jobs and providing revenue to local com- munities.

She has spoken out for public education and has proposed an initiative to identify military veterans to ensure they receive government benefits.

This mid-term election transcends party labels and is about electing candidates with vision, determination, energy and a willingness to work hard. Dyer has the qualifications, ideas and drive to represent the Third District with distinction, and she will get my vote.

Dave Lorenzatti, McCormick

Please note that the Greenwood Index-Journal online is by subscription only.

Jane Dyer, candidate for the Third Congressional District, will have my support and, most important, my vote in November.

This South Carolina native has an impressive background. While growing up, she helped her father at Ballard Cement Company in Easley. She knows what small business is all about and, as a result, knows how government can hinder or help privately owned companies.

Jane earned an engineering degree from Clemson and developed an engineer’s discipline: discipline that will serve her and S.C. when she is our next U.S. House member representing the 3rd District. She has the skills to address our difficult problems.

Unlike the other non-veteran candidates, Jane is a veteran pilot and has served honorably as an Air Force captain. Jane demonstrated her leadership abilities by being the first woman Air Force cadet commander at Clemson, a position reserved only for those who demonstrate outstanding leadership capabilities.

Jane has, on several occasions, gone to experts such as former professors to learn more about a particular topic such as energy production or food distribution. She does this so that she may make an informed decision instead of relying on political dogma.

Jane is a wife, mother and grandmother. She is an enthusiastic supporter of public education and realizes the importance of a strong publicly supported education program. A vote for Jane Dyer is a vote for the good and prosperity of all of South Carolina, the CEOs as well as the man in the street.

Ted Taylor, Seneca

http://www.independentmail.com/news/2010/oct/17/vote-all-south-carolina/

Now, thanks to the terrible, horrible, no-good health-care reform law, insurance companies cannot limit your lifetime benefits. Soon annual benefit limits will follow. Insurance companies cannot refuse to cover children with pre-existing conditions. Adults with pre-existing conditions must be covered by 2014. Meanwhile, they can join new high-risk pools.

Insurance companies must cover children on their parents’ policies until age 26. Companies cannot rescind coverage after you get sick or limit your choice of doctors to within their networks. Insurance companies cannot force you to use a particular emergency room even if another is closer.

Insurance companies must cover preventive care with no co-payments. If you are already insured, these protections take effect at your next renewal.

Make no mistake: When Jim DeMint and Jeff Duncan talk about “repealing Obamacare,” they mean to take these protections away and hand decisions about your health care back to faceless insurance company bureaucrats whose principal interest is maximizing profit. Republicans’ vague “repeal and replace” rhetoric offers no realistic plan to preserve these protections or others that will take effect soon.

The new health-care law isn’t perfect. But independent experts say it will expand access, improve care, protect patients, reduce the deficit and start to slow the growth of health-care costs. We need to send representatives such as Jane Dyer to Congress who understand that the new law lays a foundation they can build upon to make American health-care affordable, efficient and effective.

Matthew Saltzman, Clemson

http://www.independentmail.com/news/2010/oct/16/health-care-law-will-improve-care/

After watching the District 3 candidate’s debate on Channel 4, Jane Dyer wins my vote!

Mrs. Dyer was the only candidate that gave new and original answers to the questions asked. She talked about using research and development of alternative energy to bring manufacturing jobs back to the Upstate. She spoke about the need for quality early childhood education for all our children. And being an Air Force veteran, she offered a veterans ID program that uses driver’s licenses.

The men responded to the questions with the same old, same old tired and boring answers. Nothing new. Nothing original. Cut taxes and this will magically solve all the nation’s problems tomorrow.

Mrs. Dyer proved herself to be a strong, independent woman. And I believe a woman who will work very hard for all the people of District 3.

England’s Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said it best: “If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.”

Ask Jane Dyer.

Darlene Rusch, Westminster

Please note that the Greenville News online is by subscription only.

“We have gone to Easley, which is where I grew up, Powdersville and Pendleton,” Dyer said when she stopped by The Chronicle’s office last week. “Today we’re doing Clinton and Ware Shoals.”

Dyer is running as a Democrat for the open seat left by Gresham Barrett’s decision to run for governor this year. She faces Republican Jeff Duncan of Clinton and Constitution Party candidate John Dalen on the ballot Nov. 2.

“I’m doing the old-fashioned, go to the town, walk the square, meet the people and listen to what their concerns are” kind of campaign, she said. “The major concerns I hear through the district are jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs. We have to put people back to work. We have to support our public education, and the one issue that is near and dear to my heart as a veteran is to support our veterans.”

Born the “number six of eight kids” in Easley, Dyer graduated from Easley High School and attended Clemson University to get a degree in mechanical engineering. At the same time, she was the first female commander of the Air Force ROTC, and after graduation went on to Air Force pilot training.

“I served in the Air Force flying KC-135s, which are air-refueling airplanes, and then I went back to serve as an instructor in the first phase of pilot training, at Del Rio, Tex., at Laughlin Air Force Base,” Dyer said.

For the last 21 years, Dyer has worked as a pilot for FedEx, flying A-300 Airbuses while living with her family in South Carolina. After a previous run for Congress against Barrett in 2008, Dyer was inspired to run a second time against two opponents, Dalen and Duncan, that she sees as pretty similar.

“Both of them, their solution is government needs to get out of everything, and my solution is we need to solve the problem,” she said. “They have ideas where we need to get rid of Social Security, where only people who have money deserve to go to college. The ideas are very interesting (but) I don’t think they help us as a people and as a nation.

“My long-term goal is to have a strong working class in America. I’m smart enough to know that it takes balance. Corporate America needs to do well so that employees like me get a paycheck. But at the same time, if the middle class is not strong, if they’re not working or they don’t have good jobs, then obviously we have to do things like unemployment and all those things, when it would be much better if we had good jobs here.”

Dyer says she wants to grow the manufacturing sector in Upstate South Carolina, and make sure small businesses have access to the kind of credit they need to keep their doors open.

“The biggest problem facing our district, our state, our country and our world are energy and transportation,” she said. “I would aggressively pursue bringing manufacturing corporations that would help solve those issues. Just the other day there was an article in the paper about how the U.S. Navy by the year 2020, in 10 years, wants 20 percent of its energy to be from alternative energies, because it just makes sense for our energy future and for our national interest… We have the capacity here between research at Clemson University and the national laboratory at the Savannah River site to be world leaders in energy solutions.”

Dyer’s personal initiative would be a veterans’ programs where veterans can be identified on their driver’s licenses, while at the same time the DMV will be able to share information with the VA.

“Currently, if you’re not a military retiree or involved in the VA health program, you are not at all connected to the VA,” Dyer said. “The benefits for the VA change all the time, so this would allow the VA to inform veterans… (My husband) was shot down in Vietnam.When I finally convinced him he should get his Purple Heart license tag, you just take your discharge form with you and it has all that information on there.”

Dyer says her campaign is a grassroots, “low-cost” affair out of necessity. “We don’t have any big groups like the Club for Growth pushing us. It’s just regular people who are supporting us.”

She’s concerned about the role “big-money groups” like the Club for Growth, an organization that raises money for conservative candidates, play in politics, and whether money will become even more important after the Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC allowed unlimited funding for political advertising.

“The rules from the Supreme Court say if you have a PAC (a political action committee, which spends money on elections) then you are monitored by certain rules and you can only spend $5,000 tops.

“These Club for Growth groups, when you do the research on Club for Growth, their board is Wall Street bankers and Howard Rich, the pro-voucher guy who’s trying to put vouchers in public schools here. They send out great marketing letters and e-mails to people convincing anyone who gets one that less government and lower taxes, of course, are good for everybody. Then they send these people money and through the Club for Growth it’s funneled to the candidate or it goes directly to the candidate. The last time they spent almost a half a million dollars on Jeff’s campaign.

“I do take money from the $5,000 PAC limit, from pilots and plumbers and electricians, and I think I have about $47,000 compared to a half-million dollars. The tragedy is that people will be inundated with sharp, great TV ads, (but) I honestly believe that the average American citizen will take the time to ask ‘have I seen her, have I talked to her, has she been to my town, does she care about us?’”

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Why should we vote for someone who is against government? Why support big business that shops jobs overseas for cheap labor? Why support candidates who plan to destroy public schools?

Government research made U.S. farmers the most efficient in the world, giving us cheap and abundant food. It built an interstate highway system and airports to move people and goods that built a strong economy. It developed regulations to protect us from unethical business practices.

Deregulation and relaxed enforcement gave us record food recalls, oil spills and a financial system based on greed and quick profits that led to the economic meltdown.

We need a government that works and we need candidates who work for us. We do not need candidates that just say “no.” Look around and see recovery dollars making jobs and building infrastructure, such as the bridge renovation in Clemson. We need more of such positive action.

South Carolina is fortunate to have candidates such as Vincent Sheehan, Jane Dyer and Frank Holleman, among others, who will represent and work for the people of South Carolina and help us move ahead, not backwards.

Kenneth S. Marsh, Seneca

http://www.independentmail.com/news/2010/oct/14/candidates-help-us-move-forward/

*********************************

Learn about Dyer platform

Friday, October 15, 2010

This past Tuesday, my husband and I were privileged to attend a meeting at which Jane Dyer, the Democratic candidate for the 3rd Congressional District, was the speaker.

We were most impressed with her articulate, informed and passionate presentation on the issues facing our state and our nation.

We encourage people to become aware of Jane Dyer’s platform.

Phyllis Rotola, Anderson

http://www.independentmail.com/news/2010/oct/15/learn-about-dyer-platform/

Less than three weeks remain before an election that will put a new face in Washington regardless of whether Democrat Jane Dyer, Republican Jeff Duncan or Constitution candidate John Dalen is elected in the 3rd Congressional District, where Republican Gresham Barrett currently serves.

Social Security and immigration are among the hot-topic issues that divide the candidates as they burn shoe leather across the 10-county district that stretches from Oconee and Pickens in the mountains to Aiken in the Midlands.

Dalen called the Social Security system “a Ponzi scheme.” It isn’t sustainable, he said. The Constitution Party “wants to see it phased out, but can’t yank it out from under older people depending on it,” Dalen said.

The two major party candidates propose starkly contrasting solutions. Duncan wants to eliminate Social Security; Dyer wants to fix it.

Social Security was created to be “a safety net,” not “a retirement plan,” Duncan said. The Social Security trust fund has been “raided” over the years and the system “is insolvent,” he said. He proposes elimination of Social Security “for babies born today going forward,” and creation of a “60- to 70-year plan to have people take responsibility for their retirement.”

Dyer said Social Security is “one of the greatest things we have ever done.” Senior citizens who saved money and planned for the future “have outlived their money,” and workers have lost pensions “because corporate America decided it takes too much from the bottom line,” Dyer said. The system “needs shoring up,” and lawmakers need to “find a way to make Social Security work for everybody.”

The candidates also are split on the question of illegal immigration and the handling of those already here.

Dalen opposes any amnesty. “Don’t break the law,” he said. “Go home and come in the legal way like everybody else.” Any departure from strict enforcement of immigration laws and deportation would be a disservice to those who came in the legal way, he said.

Duncan’s approach is “concrete, steel and barbed wire,” A secure border that allows only controlled entry is essential, he said. Duncan said he doesn’t support amnesty but does support “common sense guest worker programs” that would allow workers here temporarily. “It is up to the executive branch to support the laws Congress passed,” Duncan said.

Dyer said immigration laws need to be enforced but the cost of deporting everyone here illegally is too high. “Hire American is the best solution,” said Dyer, who proposes that illegal immigrants be identified and pay taxes while Congress comes up with a solution of what do with those already here.

By Anna Simon, Clemson Bureau

Please note that the Greenville News online is subscription only.

After watching the recent “debate” between candidates for the 3rd Congressional District, I am certain that Jane Dyer is the best person to represent us in the U.S. House.  She obviously knows the issues and has well-thought-out solutions to many of the problems our state and our country are facing.

The other candidates seemed more intent on sound-bite answers and talking points that are learned from a script.

As a South Carolina native, I urge voters to look at issues logically and quit falling for hot-button sound bites. Think about what our past representatives have done for S.C. The answer is very little to nothing.

Many voters say they’re angry because Democrats have not yet fixed the economy and the job market. These problems took time to develop.

To consider voting for the party that created the problems we face today is like returning to the doctor that made you sick with bad medicine because the new doctor couldn’t immediately make you feel better.

On Nov. 2, Democrats need to get out and vote. Independents need to remember how we got to be in the fix we’re in and moderate Republicans — if there are any left — need to take a hard look at who speaks for them these days.

Mary Collins, Mountain Rest

http://www.independentmail.com/news/2010/oct/14/dont-base-vote-sound-bites/