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State lawmakers to speak to Myrtle Beach GOP

Four state lawmakers from the Myrtle Beach area are slated to speak to the newly formed Myrtle Beach Republican Club later this month.

State Reps. Alan Clemmons and Thad Viers and state Sens. Ray Cleary and Luke Rankin will all speak about possible new laws before the state legislature.

Among the issues they'll address are: immigration, the state budget, tax cuts, roads and bridges, education, healthcare for small businesses, and spending caps. 

There is no charge and the meeting is open to the public.

WHAT | Myrtle Beach Republican Club legislative forum

WHEN | 6 p.m., Monday, Feb. 18

WHERE | Paradise Resort, 2201 South Ocean Blvd., Myrtle Beach.

For further information, contact Mary Henry at 444-4364 or myrtlebeachrepublicanclub@gmail.com.

South Strand GOP hosts legislators

The South Strand Republican Club will hold its annual legislative breakfast, featuring an open-question session with a number of state lawmakers, next month in Murrells Inlet.

The following legislators will attend: state Sen. Ray Cleary, Sen. Luke Rankin, Rep. Nelson Hardwick, Rep. Thad Viers and Rep. Alan Clemmons.

They will discuss proposed laws covering immigration, taxes, schools, health and others. Anyone is welcome to attend, and 30 minutes will be saved for questions and answers.

WHAT | South Strand Republican Club Legislative Breakfast

WHERE | Inlet Affairs Banquet and Catering, 4031 Hwy 17 Business, Murrells Inlet.

WHEN | 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 16.

COST | $10 per person; includes buffet breakfast. 

For reservations or more information, call Bill Schweitzer at (843) 215-5030 or Charlie Soto at (843) 655-1793.

Interest groups try to get their message out

Groups representing various national issues have started coming into town, hoping to get in front of cameras or show candidates the extent of support for their issue.

The head of the Travel Industry Association said his group had “aggressively” tried to get Fox News to ask a travel-related question during the debate.

TIA Executive Director Roger Dow, who spoke to the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce in November, pointed to an October survey that said half of likely S.C. primary voters thought the federal government could do more to improve the efficiency of the system, and more than a third of likely Republican voters said the issue could affect their vote.

“We're just trying to say hey look candidates you're not the only ones who have tight schedules to keep,” Dow said.

"Fair Tax" group sets its debate plans

The local organizers of the national FairTax movement today announced details of the group's rally on the day of the Republican presidential primary debate on Jan. 10.

The group will sell $25 tickets to its rally, which includes dinner, entertainment and a sweatshirt.

The rally will kick off at 3 p.m. at the Elks Club at 606 27th Ave. N. in Myrtle Beach. The group plans to then march the half mile to the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, where the debate will be held, then go back to the rally site for more entertainment, dinner and speakers.

The group invited all the Republican candidates, radio personalities Neil Boortz and Sean Hannity, and U.S. Rep. John Linder, R-Ga., to speak, though they have not yet received responses, according to an e-mail sent by local organizer Mickey Lattimore.

Groups begin to organize for debates

Come January, supporters of one cause or another from across the country will be pouring into Myrtle Beach for the two presidential primary debates, and they have already begun preparations.

One group, which promotes a tax reform idea called the “fair tax,” held a conference call Thursday evening with supporters from across the Carolinas to discuss the logistics for its rally during the Republican debate on Jan. 10.

A Democratic debate will be held Jan. 21 on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Myrtle Beach government and tourism leaders cannot wait until the activists and political junkies – many of whom may have never been to Myrtle Beach – start filling up hotel rooms and eating at restaurants in this the coastal tourist mecca.

The fair tax group wants to get a crowd of 250 people at the Elks Lodge on 27th Avenue North in Myrtle Beach, and they hope to snag pro-fair-tax candidate Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor.

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A new idea for taxes

More and more people in the area are learning about an idea to completely overhaul the tax system. Supporters call it the FairTax – a method of taxing people based solely on what they buy, replacing all taxes such as income taxes with retail sales tax.

It gets a little more complicated than that.

Interested in knowing more? A local group is holding a FairTax Facts workshop in Myrtle Beach on Aug. 2.

The head of the local group, Mickey Lattimore, gave a presentation earlier this month at the Horry County Republican Party meeting, and members of the group greeted Rudy Giuliani with chants of “Fair Tax Now” when the presidential candidate visited Myrtle Beach earlier in July.

What | FairTax workshop

When | 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 2

Where | Chapin Memorial Library, 400 14th Ave. N., Myrtle Beach