South Carolina’s local governments want an extra $70 million from state taxpayers next year, but some state representatives don’t want to give it to them. That $70 million increase, required by state law, will be on the table when House budget writers begin work today on a budget proposal for the state’s fiscal year that starts July 1. The State
Submitted 7 hours ago

The State Department may become the nation's human resources department by adding job creation to its already bulging portfolio. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton invited U.S. companies to call on Foggy Bottom experts for guidance on increasing their exports, safeguarding intellectual property abroad, and increasing foreign direct investment in the U.S. as part of a new administration effort to promote domestic jobs. The Fiscal Times
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Major U.S. stock market indexes are starting to bear an uncanny resemblance to the Energizer bunny: They just keep going and going and going – going higher, that is. A morning rally pushed the Dow past 13,000 for the first time since May 2008 – and up almost 100 percent from its 12-year closing low of 6547 reached on March 9, 2009. The Fiscal Times
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President Obama today hailed congressional passage of a $143 billion economic package that will extend a Social Security payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits through the end of the year, while urging Republican and Democratic lawmakers to work with him to do more for the middle class before the November election. The Fiscal Times
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TULSA, Okla. -- Newt Gingrich punctuated his riff about rising gas prices and the Obama administration’s push for smaller, more fuel-efficient cars with a flourish. “Let me start with a simple premise that most Oklahomans will understand,” he said, pausing for the punch line. “You cannot put a gun rack on a Volt.” Atlanta Journal Constitution
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Rick Santorum brought his surging presidential campaign to Georgia Sunday, emphasizing his conservative Christian message to 3,000 people at a Forsyth County church. Santorum said afterward that he felt his candidacy is resonating with Georgia voters and that he was optimistic about his chances in the state primary March 6. "We are working hard here," he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. And as he shook hand after hand following a speech that drew several standing ovations, "Look at the reaction." Atlanta Journal Constiution
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RICHMOND, Va. — A bill requiring a woman to get an ultrasound before having an abortion is poised to pass Virginia’s legislature this week, placing it on track to be signed into law by Gov. Bob McDonnell. The bill, which could pass the Republican-led House of Delegates as early as Tuesday, is one of the stronger ultrasound laws passed by states in recent years. If it is adopted, Virginia will become the eighth state to require ultrasounds before abortions, a rule that anti-abortion forces hope will cause some women to change their minds but that women’s advocates call an effort to shame women and interfere with their privacy. The Senate, which is split evenly along party lines, narrowly adopted the bill this month. The New York Times
Submitted 8 hours ago

The absurdity of the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba was evident from the moment of its inception 50 years ago this month, when President John F. Kennedy ordered press secretary Pierre Salinger to buy 1,200 H. Upmann Cuban cigars before signing the order. The embargo failed in its primary objective to remove the Castro brothers from power and has imposed undue hardship on the country's 11 million citizens. It is an anachronism embraced only by hard-liners from a bygone era. Tampa Bay Times
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Remember all that talk about Florida's universities being an answer to the state's economic troubles? The New York Times points out that Florida lawmakers have a funny way of showing their commitment to that, with both the House and Senate now proposing big budget cuts to universities for the fifth year in a row. Even so, it seems the state universities are doing a decent job with what they've got. A report from the Florida Board of Governors released this month shows that the system has a total economic impact of nearly $80 billion. Tampa Bay Times
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Alex Sink feels regret. That's understandable when you come within 1 percentage point of being elected governor of Florida. The Democratic former chief financial officer lost the 2010 race for governor to Republican Rick Scott by that margin. She lost by 61,550 votes out of more than 5 million cast, in a year that was disastrous for Democrats, not just in Florida but all over the country. Tampa Bay Times
Submitted 8 hours ago