Tim Moultrie for State Superintendent of Education - South Carolina
Thursday, November 09, 2006
A Big THANK YOU from STOPtax.org!
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
To all who voted for the 4th amendment. To all who worked so hard , those many hours to make this happen. This is only the beginning and not the end. We must keep working to get the other 35% off. We will not accept anything less than the removal of all property taxes.
We at STOPTAX and PROPERTY TAX NETWORK worked the midlands, NOHOMETAX the low country, and SCNOTAX in the upstate. This worked because it covered the whole State. I do not believe any of us could have done this by ourselves.
On November 7th, Tune to Media Outlets That Present the Entire Election Picture
Columbia, SC – During this election cycle, certain TV stations, radio stations, Web sites and newspapers stepped up to the plate and made an effort to break with tradition and truthfully show the voters that there are more than just two political parties that run serious, viable candidates for office.
“Several media outlets around the state have been very gracious, and have done a good job of regularly showing voters that they have more than just the typical two choices on the ballot, “said Tim Moultrie, Libertarian candidate for Superintendent of Education. “On the other hand, some outlets have used the word ‘opponent,’ and have only covered the Republican and Democrat candidates, even when there have been a total of six candidates in a particular race—the State Superintendent of Education race, for example.
“On Election Night, I hope that voters will reward media outlets that have included all active candidates, regardless of political affiliation, in their news coverage, polls and debate forums,” stated Moultrie. “In our system of government, it is imperative that voters receive accurate and complete information on all of their choices, so that they can make important, informed decisions.”
Moultrie added, “If particular newspapers, TV stations, Web sites or radio stations have refused to present you with all of your options, and in doing so have attempted to manipulate you into voting only for certain candidates, why do you support them? Do they feel that you are too unintelligent to make your own decisions? Whatever the reason, such behavior is unacceptable, and I hope that folks will change their viewing, reading and listening habits, accordingly.”
For more information on Tim Moultrie, visit www.SuperEd.org.
Tim Moultrie and SCLP Claim Interim Victory in Struggle for Legal Elections
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: SCLP, 803-788-2226
10-31-06
Tim Moultrie and SCLP Claim Interim Victory in Struggle for Legal Elections
The South Carolina Libertarian Party filed suit in Federal District Court Friday, October 27th, 2006, arguing that the State Election Commission and the Attorney General's office have consistently allowed the state’s Republican and Democrat parties to break election law without penalty. Specifically, the Republican and Democrat parties have failed for years to reorganize their county parties as required by law, and as a result the law (7-9-10) requires that they be decertified as political parties.
"The SCLP can now claim an interim victory in our struggle for legal elections and legitimate political parties in South Carolina,” stated Tim Moultrie. “In the hearing held in Federal Court Monday, October 30th, 2006, the Judge rejected arguments from attorneys for the State Election Commission and the Attorney General that this suit be decided in the State Courts. Instead, an ‘order for an expedited briefing’ was issued from the bench.”
This hearing is scheduled for November 6th, 2006.
“The upshot of this order is that the issue remains in the Federal Court and is distanced from the good ol' boy club that dominates South Carolina's political system,” Moultrie said. “The SCLP has requested that the elections be delayed and a writ of mandamus (an order to follow the law) be issued.”
“Given the timing of the hearing, this is a nail-biter to be sure, but the fight for right is always worth it."
Tim Moultrie and the SCLP Raise the Stakes to the Federal Level for Free and Fair Elections in South Carolina
In a statement released 10/29/06, South Carolina Libertarian Party (SCLP) Chairman and State Superintendent of Education candidate Tim Moultrie said, “It is our belief, based upon our interpretation of South Carolina Election law, which is written in common English, that the State Election Commission (SEC) and the Attorney General (AG) have failed in their obligation to the people of South Carolina to properly interpret and enforce election law as written.
“Furthermore, it is our belief that the SEC and the Attorney General’s office have permitted a systemic and continual breach of the law by select political parties such that the rights of the people to be governed by a legitimate and legal political process have been violated.
“There is something terribly wrong with our country,” added Moultrie. We have become a country not of laws and liberty, but of men, money, and well-connected special interests. This is the reason we have filed this Federal suit. We have the right to expect our elected and appointed leaders be held to the same standard of law that applies to us all. We have thus drawn a line in the sand.”
Anticipating accusations of a late election publicity stunt Moultrie responded, “This is simply not true. We, the leadership of the SCLP, have been complaining to the SEC for years. We had to acquire documentation of these violations by means of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and exhaust all of our administrative remedies at the state level before we took our complaint to the Federal courts. If the state agencies and political parties involved find the timing of our complaint inconvenient then so be it. They had years of notice and they could have complied with the law at any time prior to this election cycle.”
[The text of Federal complaint follows.]
U.S. District Court
District of South Carolina
Notice of Electronic Filing The following transaction was entered on 10/27/2006 at 5:53 PM EDT and filed on 10/27/2006 Case Name: Moultrie et al v. South Carolina Election Commission Case Number: 3:06-cv-3073 Filer: Timothy N Moultrie
SC Libertarian Party Document Number: 3 Docket Text: MOTION for INJUNCTIVE RELIEF by Timothy N Moultrie, SC Libertarian Party. Response to Motion due by 11/16/2006 (Attachments: # (1) Memo in Support # (2) Certificate of Service)No proposed order(will, )
_______________________________________________________________________ UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT District of South Carolina Columbia Division _______________________________________________________________________
Timothy N. Moultrie, and the South Carolina Libertarian Party, SUMMONS IN A CIVIL ACTION Plaintiffs, FILED v. Case Number: 3:06-cv-3073 South Carolina Election Commission, through its members in their official capacities, and the State Attorney General, Henry Dargan McMaster, in his official capacity only, Defendants. To: Henry Dargan McMaster Marci Andino Attorney General Executive Director Office of Attorney General State Election Commission Rembert C. Dennis Building 2221 Devine Street 1000 Assembly Street Columbia, SC 29250 Columbia, SC 29201 YOUR ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to serve on PLAINTIFFS' ATTORNEY, Orin G. Briggs, P. O. Box 85085, Lexington, SC 29073 an answer to the complaint which is served on you with this summons, within twenty (20) days after service of this summons on you, exclusive of the day of service. If you fail to do so, judgment by default will be taken against you for the relief demanded in the complaint. Any answer that you serve on the parties to this action must be filed with the Clerk of this Court within a reasonable period of time after service.
Larry W. Propes Clerk Date __10/27/06 ____/signed/ (by) Deputy Clerk IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF SOUTH CAROLINA COLUMBIA DIVISION
FILED Timothy N. Moultrie, and the South ) Carolina Libertarian Party, ) Civil Action No.: 3:06-cv-3073 ) Plaintiffs, ) v. ) ) South Carolina Election Commission, ) COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY through it members in their official ) JUDGMENT AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF capacities, and the State Attorney ) General, Henry Dargan McMaster, ) in his official capacity only, ) ) Defendants. ) _______________________________)
Jurisdiction This court has jurisdiction over the parties and subject matter under the federal question doctrine as set forth in 28 USC 1331. This action arises under the Constitution of the United States, the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The South Carolina Election Commission is a state agency with its principal office in Richland County, State of South Carolina. The State Attorney General is a state agency that has its principal office in Richland County, State of South Carolina. The organization Plaintiff is a non-profit educational organization chartered in the State of South Carolina, with it principal place of business in the County of Richland, State of South Carolina, and the individual plaintiff is a Libertarian candidate for a statewide office, the office of Superintendent of Education. Underlying Facts 1. The Plaintiffs would show the court that the Defendants have systematically allowed some of the recognized political parties in the state to fail to fully comply with the state laws regulating the organization and certification of precinct meetings, county conventions and state conventions of registered political parties. 2. That this failure was documented by the State Election Commission in a memo addressed to the Political Party Chair Directors of each recognized party in the State. This non-compliance was documented in the aforesaid memo dated February 8, 2006: "It has come to my attention that some county political parties may not be aware of the statutory requirement to report party officers to the clerk of court of the county and to the Secretary of State. Below is Section 7-9-80 of the S. C. Code of Laws that set out this requirement. Emphasis parts are underlined. As you can see, these county officers must be reported prior to the State Convention. Please share this requirement with your county party organizations to ensure that the requirements of this law are met." 3. In fact, Section 7-9-80 of the S.C. Code of Laws mandates this notification as a prerequisite to being able to conduct a valid state convention: "All officers except delegates shall be reported to the clerk of court of the county and to the Secretary of State prior to the State convention. The reports shall be public record." The complete memo from the State Election Com-mission is attached hereto as Exhibit "A" and is incorporated by reference. 4. That according to the assertions of the S. C. Election Commission, that agency has been notified formally by the State Attorney General that the mandates of Section 7-9-80 are to be taken as directives and do not constitute mandatory, conditions precedent to the valid conducting of state party conventions. (see this in letter from the Election Commission, August 17, 2006, attached as Exhibit "B" and incorporated by reference.) 5. This court has the authority to postpone or cancel any planned elections that were established by state conventions which were not formed in full compliance with the mandatory provisions of the State Election Laws. 6. That during the month of April of 2006, Plaintiff, the S. C. Libertarian Party, made inquiry of each county in the State of South Carolina for a complete reporting of county officers pursuant to Sections 7-9-10 through 7-9-80. The result of this request pursuant to the State Freedom of Information Act, Section 30-4-10 et seq. was as follows per the written response from the individual county clerks of court: A) On May 8, 2006, the 46 South Carolina counties were sent a FOIA request by U. S. Postal Service, requesting specific dates and times that all the SC political parties in each county held their precinct reorganizations and county conventions, which results were supposed to be made public record with the Clerk of Court in each county. B) There were 13 counties that failed and/or refused to respond to the Plaintiffs' request. C) Only 33 counties responded in part to the FOIA request. D) The SC Libertarian Party filed the required information to each county clerk per all properly organized county clubs as required in Sections 7-9-10 and 7-9-80. E) The SC Republican Party failed to file in every county which responded to the FOIA without providing all the precinct and county convention documentation. F) The SC Democratic Party failed to correctly file in 32 counties that responded to the FOIA; Cherokee County responded and correctly filed with the Clerk of Court that it held precinct reorganization on 2-26-06 and held its county convention on 3-26-06. See the Affidavit of Grover E. Lown, Exhibit "E", attached hereto and incorporated. 7. Notwithstanding the claim by the S. C. Election Commission that it does not have authority to decertify political parties that fail to fully comply with the mandatory provisions of 7-9-10, et seq., section 7-9-10 of the S. C. Code of Laws specifically authorizes decertification. 8. All the above violations of the South Carolina Election Laws have been documented in an official complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission, alleging that such violations also violate the Voting Rights Law of 1965; this complaint is attached hereto as Exhibit "C" and incorporated by reference. 9. Plaintiffs also allege that the failure of the Defendants to require full compliance with the State Election Laws violates the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and as such, violates the constitutional rights of each plaintiff under the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution and Article V of the State Constitution, and also violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution and Article V of the State Constitution in that such failure denies citizens within the jurisdiction of this court of the equal protection of the laws. 10. That such failure to enforce the duly enacted election laws of the State of South Carolina create suspect classifications that significantly burden the exercise of fundamental rights guaranteed to the Plaintiffs and other citizens of the State of South Carolina. Plaintiffs' formal complaint to Defendant Election Commission is attached as Exhibit "D" hereto and is incorporated by reference. 11. Plaintiffs further allege that the existing set of circumstances prevents them from having an adequate remedy at law, and that the requested injunctive relief is the only remedy suited for this kind of cause of action, and the Plaintiffs have exhausted all possible administrative remedies. 12. Plaintiffs further alleged that each defendant has violated fundamental rights of the Plaintiffs; that the Election Commission has a statutory duty to enforce all the mandatory election laws; and the Attorney General, as the Chief Law Enforcement Officer in the State, has the duty to see that the election laws are proper interpreted and that all mandatory laws are fully enforced. 13. The State Election Commission is mandated to decertify organized political parties for failure to fully comply with the provisions of Section 7-9-10, including failure "to organize on the precinct level as provided by Section 7-9-50, hold county conventions as provided by Sections 7-9-70 and 7-9-80, and hold a state convention as provided by Section 7-9-100 . . . ."
Prayer for Relief from the Court 14. The Plaintiffs seek relief pursuant to the S. C. Uniform Declaratory Judgments Act, section 15-3-10, et seq., Code of Laws of South Carolina 1976, as amended; specifi- cally requesting the court's declaration of the "rights, status and other legal relations" between the parties and a determination of the threshold question of whether the mandates of the State Election Laws are prerequisites to certifying political parties and the conducting of legal state conventions of the several state political parties. 15. Plaintiffs seek only prospective relief pursuant to the court’s authority under 28 USC sect. 1983; namely injunctive relief as the court deems appropriate, and a final declaration of the mandatory nature of the provisions of Sections 7-9-10 through 7-9-100 of the S. C. Code of Laws; Plaintiffs do not seek damages against the state defendants. 16. Plaintiffs specifically request a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction declaring that the State Election Commission must strictly enforce the mandatory provisions of the State Election Laws, and seek a mandamus action against the Attorney General requiring his office to properly interpret these laws as mandatory and as conditions precedent to the conducting of legal state conventions for all political parties functioning in the State. 17. Plaintiffs pray for the court to mandate the defendants to fully enforce the decertification provisions of Section 7-9-10 by issuing its order requiring both the defendants to again review the law, and to report to the court on a joint plan to give proper notice to non-compliant political parties, notice of the Election Commission's intention to decertify certain organizations, and a time frame for the correction of obvious deficiencies prior to the decertification process. THEREFORE, Plaintiffs request an early hearing on their plea for preliminary relief, and that the court consider all the issues raised herein for the purpose of issuing it final order for the purpose of pronouncing the proper interpretation of the mandatory provisions of the South Carolina Election Laws. Plaintiffs would also seek attorney fees pursuant to 28 USC Sect. 1988 for such successful results that are obtained for Plaintiffs. OGB /signed/ _________________________ Orin G. Briggs P. O. Box 85085 Lexington, SC 29073 803/957-4383 Fax: 957-5763 Attorney for Plaintiffs Fed. ID No. 1475 October 25, 2006
Tim Moultrie Comes Out Swinging and Demands SC Elections be Lawful
In a statement released Monday, Tim Moultrie, candidate for SC Superintendent of Education and SCLP Chairman, was quoted saying, "We demand the state of South Carolina follow the law and abide by our Constitution. For too long the people of our state have been deprived of lawful elections with the complicity of state agencies. The age or wealth of a political party does not absolve it from following the law, nor do age or wealth grant a party a hereditary right to ignore the law."
Moultrie added, "Our Federal Election Commission complaint is merely the opening salvo that will shake the corrupt electoral process to its very core. The ramifications of our action will effect every election from the local dog catcher to the halls of the U.S. Congress."
(The first letter, below, is a summary of grievance and supporting documentation. The second letter is the actual letter of complaint.)
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To: Federal Election Commission From: Timothy Moultrie – Chairman, South Carolina Libertarian Party Re: Violations of South Carolina Election Law and Summary and Overview of Attached Complaint and Accompanying Documentation Date: 10/01/06
The attached documents demonstrate a clear pattern of violations of South Carolina election law by State agencies and select political parties. South Carolina election law requires that certain events occur at specified times, places, and dates for political parties to retain certification (ballot) status.
The law requires precinct meetings to be held. At a later date county conventions are to be held. The main orders of business required to take place in the county conventions are the election of new county club (party) officers and the nomination of delegates to the various state party conventions.
The law also requires the following documents be submitted to the county clerks of court in a time sensitive fashion: documentation of organized precincts and officers, and documentation of the county club (party) convention, within all organized counties.
Select political parties have for years routinely ignored South Carolina election law with the complicity of various State governmental agencies named in the attached letter of complaint.
We assert that since the most basic and routine steps required to retain ballot status within counties are being ignored by select political parties, specifically the filing of appropriate precinct meeting and county convention forms, then their delegates to the various state conventions have no legal standing to vote in state level party business.
Therefore, various select state parties have by law: lost their county certification status, are conducting their state level business illegally, have no legal standing to request the State Election Commission to conduct primary elections, should not receive placement upon ballots, or receive any further support or subsidy by State or Federal agencies.
The attached documents are found in three (3) groups: 1) Correspondence with various State Agencies and other documentation, 2) responses from county clerks of court, 3) documents/letters from SCETV and available documentation of state party conventions.
In summary, we assert that delegate and ballot status is not hereditary, that it is achieved by following specific legal steps, that failure to follow the legal electoral process from the beginning renders all that follows “fruit of the poison tree,” and that any actions on the part of State agencies to ignore the law or facilitate the breach of the law rises, at minimum, to the level of collusion and, most likely, conspiracy to deprive the people of South Carolina and ultimately the nation of a free, fair, open, and legal electoral process.
Timothy N. Moultrie, Chairman South Carolina Libertarian Party (SCLP) 09/28/06
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Federal Election Commission Please accept this letter as our complaint against,
Marci Andino - South Carolina State Election Commission (SC SEC) 2221 Devine Street Columbia, S.C. 29205
Maurice Bresnahan - South Carolina Educational Television (SCETV) 1101 George Rogers Boulevard Columbia, S.C. 29201
Honorable Henry McMaster for Attorney General for the State of South Carolina (AG) Rembert Dennis Building1000 Assembly Street, Room 519Columbia, S.C. 29201
We, the official representatives of the complainants, do swear and attest that the following is true and constitutes a reasonable grievance. We further swear that when considered together the behaviors herein described demonstrate a clear pattern of abuse rising to constitute systematic voting fraud leveled upon the people of South Carolina and of our nation.
Our complaint meets the criteria for Federal jurisdiction by virtue of the Constitution of the United States, Article 1 Section 1, Article 1 Section 2, Article 1 Section 4, Amendment 1, the Equal protection clause of Amendment 14, and misuse of Federal funds.
The SC SEC and AG respondents named above violated Article 1 Section 5 of the South Carolina Constitution by granting themselves the right to ignore South Carolina election law (Title 7) while placing onerous burdens upon the complainants. Furthermore, the respondents through inaction have bestowed the special right to violate South Carolina Election law upon select political parties. This insults the egalitarian spirit embodied in Amendment 15. The paid advertising requirements under Title 7 placed upon the complainants amount to a poll tax for the express purpose of exclusion from the political process, a violation of the provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
This collusion between select political parties and governmental agencies is compounded as the state’s educational television service derives its list of certified candidates from the SC SEC and derives some funding from the Federal government. Furthermore, SCETV has hosted debates for multiple candidates with dubious certification status but segregates “convention candidates” to separate debates. In the landmark Brown v. Board decision the U.S. Supreme Court established that separate is not equal.
For these reasons we appeal to the Federal Election Commission for relief with all due haste.
Writing for the complainants, I am
Timothy N. Moultrie Chairman of the South Carolina Libertarian Party
Rex & Floyd Conspicuously Clueless on School Violence
The recent vacuous exchange between the Republican and Democrat contenders for the State Superintendent of Education post serves only to demonstrate with how conspicuously clueless they each are in terms of having a real grasp on the problems plaguing public education.
The Democrat argues against zero tolerance for school violence, as if there is a tolerable level for throat slashing in public schools. The Republican, in turn, throws herself off the other deep end and claims that fully implementing Big Brother, by installing cameras in every classroom, is a reasonable solution. Thus, the Republican blithely ignores the fact that South Carolina's property tax payers simply cannot afford another layer of useless school bureaucracy, or another multibillion-dollar assault on their home finances, in support of a fundamentally flawed system.
"Instead, I offer what teachers around the state have craved for decades: The ability to respond with truth regarding school violence, without fear of administrative backlash,” said Tim Moultrie, Libertarian candidate for Superintendent of Education. “Every teacher should be able to call 9-1-1 without fearing for their job or worrying about district "appearances" and expect that the government agencies charged with addressing crime, the police, will come to their aid.”
Moultrie goes on to say, "It is not rocket science. As a society, we should treat violent criminals like violent criminals. With three short strokes of a finger, a teacher can dial 9-1-1 and the consequences for violent behavior will be swift and sure. There is also the added bonus for taxpayers if we fully implement my Truth without Fear policy.
“Truth costs nothing, but the benefits are priceless."
Tim Moultrie Offers to Fill Floyd’s Absences in Debates
On June 14 of this year, Tim Moultrie congratulated Floyd and Rex on being nominated to represent their Parties in the Superintendent of Education race. He also added this statement:
“In the interest of exploring options, advancing education, and informing the public, I formally challenge Ms. Floyd and Mr. Rex to a series of debates. Furthermore, to avoid any perceptions that I might stack the debate deck in my favor, I give Ms. Floyd and Mr. Rex all of the cards. I will meet them in head-to-head debates, without seconds or stand-ins, and debate issues of their choosing, at times and places of their choosing, in front of an audience of their choice.”Not surprisingly, neither Floyd nor Rex came forward to take up the challenge, and both of these candidates failed to respond to invitations to debate when all six of the Superintendent of Education candidates were invited to participate.
Regarding reports that Floyd has pulled out of certain upcoming debates—debates that will feature only two of the six candidates in the race—Tim Moultrie offered this statement:
“I am ready to debate, any time, any place—and I won’t need to have the questions beforehand, or need to be coached on how to respond. Unlike my opponents, I am a public school teacher, so I know what’s happening on the frontlines of the Education System,” said Moultrie. “If Ms. Floyd doesn’t care to show up for debates, I’ll gladly fill her spot.”
For more information on Tim Moultrie, visit www.SuperEd.org.
Tim Moultrie to file Candidate Employee Contract with Secretary of State
Tim Moultrie, Libertarian candidate for State Superintendent of Education, will formally file his Candidate Employee Contract with the Secretary of State's office on Wednesday September 13th. Moultrie stated, "I will make the effort to restore the people's faith in their government, even if I must do it alone. Furthermore, I believe creating a binding contract with the people is the best way to end the malaise that has gripped the nation. Honesty and integrity in government does not have to be the oxymoron it has become."
Tim Moultrie's Candidate Employee Contract can be viewed at www.SuperEd.org.
In other news, Tim will participate in a School Improvement Council meeting this Friday, September 15th, at noon, to be held at the SCETV offices on George Rogers Blvd.
Libertarian Superintendent of Education candidate caught doing the unthinkable
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
08-10-06
Contact: 843-260-1896, Moultrie2006@earthlink.net
Libertarian Superintendent of Education candidate caught doing the unthinkable
COLUMBIA, SC – Tim Moultrie is actually teaching. While the other candidates for Superintendent may be holding high-dollar, exclusionary fundraising events, Tim Moultrie is in the classroom, educating students. How ludicrous, that a candidate for Superintendent of Education would have experience in the field, working from the frontlines of the education system?
Moultrie is the only candidate running for the post of State Superintendent of Education who is a public school teacher, and he has earned the respect and support of teachers from across the state.
Unlike his opponents, who either have no experience in education at all (advertising), or who have made a career out of being part of the problem (bureaucrat), Moultrie began teaching even before he left college. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Experimental Psychology and a Masters of Arts in Teaching - Secondary Education.
Is South Carolina ready for experienced, competent leadership in the post of Superintendent, or will voters continue to elect those who are on the outside looking in, who will continue to give us more of the same failing policies?
For more information, visit www.SuperEd.org.
Upcoming Events
August 19: Moultrie will be a guest of the “Unauthorized Access” radio show, on WIS 1320 AM, in Columbia (live Internet broadcast at www.UnauthorizedAccess.net)
August 26 – 27: Moultrie will address the SCSBA School Law Conference
September 15: Moultrie will participate in the SC School Improvement Council’s “Conversation with the Candidates”
Tim Moultrie offers Congratulations and Challenge to Floyd and Rex
For More Information CONTACT – Doug Kendall 843-260-1896 moultrie2006@earthlink.net
For Immediate Release June 14, 2006
Tim Moultrie offers Congratulations and Challenge to Floyd and Rex
Tim Moultrie, Libertarian candidate for State Superintendent of Education, offers his congratulations to Karen Floyd and Jim Rex in receiving the official nods of their parties following the June 13th primary. Moultrie also extends this challenge to both candidates.
“In the interest of exploring options, advancing education, and informing the public, I formally challenge Ms. Floyd and Mr. Rex to a series of debates. Furthermore, to avoid any perceptions that I might stack the debate deck in my favor, I give Ms. Floyd and Mr. Rex all of the cards. I will meet them in head-to-head debates, without seconds or stand-ins, and debate issues of their choosing, at times and places of their choosing, in front of an audience of their choice.”
Moultrie went on to say, “If this gauntlet is not taken up by my challengers then it is tantamount to an admission that their positions on education have no merit and cannot be defended.” For more information on Tim Moultrie, visit www.SuperEd.org.
Tim Moultrie to Address Spartanburg County School District Six
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 17, 2006
Tim Moultrie to Address Spartanburg County School District Six
Tim Moultrie will participate in a moderated discussion of important educational issues hosted by the Spartanburg County School District Six Teacher Forum.
Of core concern to District Six are the issues of the increase in the in the number of English as Second Language Students (ESL), vouchers, scholarships, and school choice.
“I am pleased to have the opportunity to share my vision of the vital paradigm shift in the way we think about and fund public education. I am delighted to show how my nuts-and-bolts taxpayer friendly approach can directly and inexpensively address the issues of greatest concern for Spartanburg students, parents, and teachers.” - Moultrie
The Forum will take place May 18th, 7:00PM @ Dorman High School - Freshman campus 1390 Cavalier Way in Roebuck, South Carolina.
For more information on Tim Moultrie, visit www.SuperEd.org.
Tim Moultrie Pans Latest Senate Bill as Worst of All Worlds
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 10, 2006
Tim Moultrie Pans Latest Senate Bill as Worst of All Worlds
Moultrie set the tone and clearly dominated the Coastal Carolina candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters in Conway on Tuesday, May 9th. His ideas on equity in funding, school discipline, and fiscal restraint were very well received. Republican contenders were heard more than once to say, “I agree with Mr. Moultrie.” Upon his return to Lexington, he hit the ground running with his critical analysis of the latest property tax “relief” offering by the South Carolina Senate.
“This latest bill demonstrates that the Senate is beholden only to special interests and harbors nothing but contempt for the needs of South Carolina’s homeowners. This is little more than a ruse contrived to give the appearance of making headway toward property tax relief. It is not property tax elimination. It is, in fact, a nightmarish worst of all worlds for property tax burdened homeowners. It is potentially the largest local tax increase in the history of South Carolina. This bill gives local governments and other taxing entities like school districts the golden opportunity to skin homeowners twice. The bill gives local taxing authorities the chance to have both an additional local sales tax and continued unchecked property tax revenue. All that is needed is for them to sucker the voters.” – Moultrie
Moultrie, a board member of www.StopTax.org, deferred further comment and data analysis to David Whetsell, Chairman of StopTax.org.
For more information on Tim Moultrie, visit www.SuperEd.org.
Columbia, SC – Tim Moultrie declared that Karen Floyd erred in her statement that she is the only candidate to support Choice.
“Floyd is wrong,” says Moultrie. “I support true tax-credit-based choice for parents and the creation of a statewide charter school district. Both are cost efficient and academically productive options to today’s ponderous and poorly performing education leviathan.”
“What I do not support are ludicrous and phenomenally expensive new programs like Floyd’s cameras in classrooms. This camera scheme could easily cost a billion dollars or more to implement. Instead, give teachers the solid expectation that district administrations will support them when they report criminal behavior in the classroom. Give taxpayers a break and treat criminals like criminals. It’s not rocket science,” says Moultrie.
Property Taxation and Public Schools – An Unnatural Union
By Tim Moultrie
We are all familiar with the refrains coming from any frank discussion of public education. Epidemic social promotion, flat SAT scores, expanding bureaucracy, inequity in funding, outrageous expense, lack of parent choices, and the absence of fiscal restraint; all of these problems stem from the same root cause: government’s addiction to property taxation.
Correcting the problems demands nothing less than a paradigm shift in the way we think about and fund local government and public education. For the sake of our state and her young people we must end the epidemic of social promotion. For the sake of homeowners we must reassert the right of South Carolina’s citizens to own their homes.
Property taxes currently provide the lion’s share of funding for public education. The bills presently in the General Assembly unfortunately offer the citizens the worst of all worlds. They leave some form of taxation attached to homes. This is the proverbial camel’s nose in the tent. If our prior experience is any indication the recent slate of bills will only result in the citizens being saddled with additional sales taxes and rising property taxes.
This leads us to the reason why property taxation is such a fundamentally poor mechanism to fund government services like public schools. It is in the nature of property taxes to discourage fiscal restraint. Unlike consumption or sales taxes, whose revenues grow with the economy, property taxes grow with the wish lists of education bureaucrats. This is the reason property taxes can easily grow 100-500% between reassessments.
Unfortunately, 100-500% increases in property taxes do not equate to parallel increases in SAT scores and graduation rates. However, they do equate to increases in spending. Education bureaucrats cannot force students to learn, SAT scores to rise, or graduation rates to increase. So, they do what they can. They spend more money, produce more paper work, hire more paper shufflers, start more new programs, build more elaborate schools, and lean on teachers to produce artificially inflated “results.”
This leads us to why it is imperative to eliminate residential property taxes entirely and replace them with a statewide sales tax. Since sales taxes grow with the economy they provide a natural mechanism for fiscal restraint. In short, sales tax based funding will force the education bureaucracy to make the choice between growing itself and allowing teachers to teach. Teachers crave being academically honest with regard to student comprehension and mastery. Once again student grades will be earned not issued.
Naturally, restricting the amount of taxpayer money flowing into the system will force the education bureaucracy to restructure its spending. Issuing passage quotas to teachers, spending on wasteful programs like PACT when the PSAT/SAT are nationally normed and recognized tests, forcing students who have no interest in academics to remain in college preparatory classes, and standing in the way of real parent choice will no longer be the priorities they are today to the ponderous education bureaucracy.
Sales tax based funding will also take the wind out of the sails of the newest deceit devised by school districts. The 1.3 billion dollar new school building bill faced by Greenville County property owners is a prime example. Private shell corporations have been created to borrow beyond the 8% legislative cap. These schemes void the spirit of the law and leave property owners defenseless to the spending designs of council members and well-connected builders.
Fortunately, if we can muster the political will to make tough decisions, the solutions to the problems facing public education and homeowners are relatively simple. Eliminating property taxes and replacing their revenues with a sales tax is the first step. If we then create an Education Trust Fund to disperse these monies on a per student basis, South Carolina will meet its constitutional obligation and finally resolve the equal funding dispute that has plagued us. Similar Trusts can be constructed to fairly disperse monies to local governments to meet their obligations.
The statewide crisis in public education has lasted for decades. We must stop the engine that drives this cycle. To accomplish our goal we must recognize how those problems are related to each other and have the political will to explore new and sound solutions.
Tim Moultrie is a 42 year old father of two. He is currently seeking the post of State Superintendent of Education. http://SuperEd.org He is also on the board of StopTax.org. http://StopTax.org He has a Bachelor of Science in Experimental Psychology and a Master of Arts in Teaching. He has been a counselor for children and young people with special needs in conjunction with USC, the Tri-Development Center, and the Babcock Center.He has also been teaching College Preparatory and Honors Classes in public schools for more than a decade.
Tim Moultrie receives nomination to run for State Superintendent of Education
On April 29, Tim Moultrie received the nomination to run for Superintendent of Education from the South Carolina Libertarian Party State Convention that was held in North Myrtle Beach.
Moultrie has been teaching College Preparatory and Honors classes in public schools for more than a decade. He holds a Master of Arts in Teaching and a Bachelor of Science in Experimental Psychology. Moultrie is also on the Board of STOPtax, an organization dedicated to property tax relief.
In winning the nomination, Moultrie stated, “Now that I have received the nomination, I can go forward, full-steam, with addressing the problems of too much bureaucracy, driven by too much money, which has created an epidemic of social promotion—and it all rests upon the fact that, through property taxes, our homes are hostages to unrestrained spending. Also, we must free teachers to do what they have been trained to do: teach.”
Moultrie has been criss-crossing the state, speaking to many groups and organizations that are concerned about education reform and property tax relief. Upcoming events include a tri-county Midlands Libertarian Society dinner, a South Carolina Association of Public Charter Schools luncheon, a Spartanburg SD6 Candidate Forum and a South Carolina School Improvement Council candidate forum.
For more information on Tim Moultrie, visit www.SuperEd.org.
This is the official campaign news site of Tim Moultrie, candidate for State Superintendent of Education. Visit the main campaign Web site at www.SuperEd.org.
I have been teaching College Preparatory and Honors classes in public schools for more than a decade. I hold a Master of Arts in Teaching and a Bachelor of Science in Experimental Psychology. I am also on the Board of STOPtax, an organization dedicated to property tax relief.
