• COURTROOM VERBAL SMACKDOWN DEPT.: During former Lt. Gov. Ken Ard‘s appearance in a Richland County courtroom before Judge G. Thomas Cooper last Friday, Ard’s lawyers tried to paint him as a hard worker and a family man who didn’t know any better about campaign finance laws. They said that no one speaks poorly of Ard and that everyone calls him “a good man” — to which Judge Cooper replied, “Perhaps they haven’t read the indictment.”
• PRICEY EDUCATION DEPT.: According to an analysis of public records by Post and Courier education reporter Diette Courrégé, the Charleston County School District has spent $600,000 on Burke High School’s Advanced Placement Academy, a program meant to help improve academic scores. The result? In the past two years, only two students at the school have earned passing scores on AP exams to earn college credit. At $300,000 a credit, that’s slightly higher than tuition at most American universities.
• CATCHY DITTIES ABOUT CONTRACEPTIVES DEPT.: Musical comedy duo The Reformed Whores, who brought down the house at this year’s Charleston Comedy Festival, have injected a bit of levity into the raging debate over the word “slut.” In case you missed it, the media rumble began when talk radio provocateur Rush Limbaugh repeatedly called a Georgetown law student a slut for testifying to House Democrats on Feb. 23 about a friend whose insurance company denied her coverage for birth control pills she needed to treat polycystic ovary syndrome. A few sample lyrics from the New York-based group’s song: “I’ve only slept with one / man my entire life / We got married last June / now I’m proud to be his wife. / I’m on the pill so we won’t have kids / until we can be financially responsible for them. / Then they can be a joy in our lives / instead of a burden. / (You slut!) Thank you!”
Now, we know the governor will kick you off of her Facebook page if you stir up dissension in the comments under her status updates, but will she give you the boot for pointing out that Blender magazine once called Starship’s “We Built This City” the worst song of all time?
On a more serious note, Gov. Haley will be in town this afternoon to talk about her proposed $140 million in tax relief. You can catch her at Banks Construction Company (4901 Banco Road, North Charleston) at 3:30 p.m.
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