There are no words to describe our shock and sadness for the people of the North Carolina mountains, South Carolina Upstate, and Florida Gulf Coast over the last month. While rescue, recovery, and restoration of power efforts are ongoing, we all continue to do what we can and to pray for our fellow citizens ravaged by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. We would hope to learn from each experience and be better prepared for the future, but it is exceedingly hard to prepare for a hurricane to hit so hard so far inland in high elevations.

As I write this newsletter, it is only 23 days to the election. Among many other observations, I am very grateful we do not live in a swing state, but thankfully, a predominantly Republican one. My friends and clients in swing states say they have been absolutely non-stop bombarded with negative campaign ads on television and elsewhere. On the subject of campaigning, I have to use a paragraph to set the record straight on an issue that arose after my last email. Someone who read my "End of Summer Update" complained that I was using this space to push my conservative position and campaign. The last line of the email read, "Please Kathy, stick to the facts and do your electioneering on your own dime." About a week later, I received a notification from the SC State House Ethics Commission that this same person, a neighbor in District 80, had filed a complaint against me for using my position as a State House Representative to run for office. Fortunately, the SC State House Ethics Commission informed him that we were within 50 days of an election, and no complaints would be considered. At first, I was stunned that anyone would think this newsletter is intended to be bipartisan and non-political! Then I figured it was the first time he had opened it. It turns out that he had only signed up in June of this year, so he apparently didn't realize the format. In full and fair transparency, this email is intended to inform my constituents in District 80, as well as anyone else in South Carolina or elsewhere who has an interest in what we are doing in the State House and is absolutely about conservative politics. I do my best to stick to problem-solving with common sense solutions, and those are always going to reflect my conservative values. The email expense is minimal, which to me is the most efficient way to keep people informed, and is paid for by my campaign, not taxpayers. Speaking of campaign finances, our final report prior to the election is due very soon, and if you would like to continue to have me serve our District, it would be wonderful to have your name on that report. Any amount is appreciated, and you can donate to Kathy Landing for SC State House by clicking here, or by a check mailed to 2114 Sewee Indian Court, Mount Pleasant, SC 29466.

Power Outages, Resiliency, and Providing for the Common Defense:

While out on the campaign trail meeting and speaking with many different groups over the last several months, my message has become more and more focused on why the Preamble to the US Constitution absolutely has it right. The number one job by far of elected officials is to provide for the common defense. We should be constantly protecting against all the risks everyone can see, but also preparing for the ones that most people may not be able to see yet. This has been my task as a financial planner/investment advisor for 40 years, helping people plan for their best life, determining what could go wrong, and either eliminating or mitigating those risks as much as humanly possible. Hurricane Helene brought into stark relief the lack of resiliency of our grid and backup plans for power and communications. In my bill in the 125th Session to require all critical infrastructure to be hardened against an Electromagnetic Pulse event or solar flare, the intent was for all those entities to have an alternative source of power so that if the hardening procedures failed, they could carry on. The sense of urgency created by the suffering of so many of our citizens in the aftermath of Helene makes it all the more obvious that the alternative plans for power and communications need to be an integral part of this bill. Regardless of what causes a major power outage, our state must be as prepared as possible to continue to provide all the services citizens desperately need to survive and ultimately, to thrive. 

Second Major Light Show by Mother Nature Serves as Another Warning:

If you think the Northern Lights last Thursday night were just a pretty light show by Mother Nature, think again! They were caused by a G4 Geomagnetic Storm, also known as a coronal mass ejection (CME). We had one back in May. These are warning shots. A G5 could potentially render all unprotected electronics across the globe completely worthless. No coming back. No power at all. President Trump recognized this risk and signed an Executive Order in 2019 for Congress to hold hearings and take action. They did, with substantial funding in the 2019 National Defense Appropriation Act (NDAA). In 2020, after President Biden took office, this effort was essentially halted, and the funds reallocated. Here is the link to the Post & Courier article about this on Friday.

My Electromagnetic Pulse Protection Bill (referenced above) submitted last year had strong bipartisan support with at least 70 co-sponsors, but never had a hearing. There are many people, including some on the Energy Subcommittee of the Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee, that believe such an event is a "high risk, low probability" occurrence, or that the Department of Defense has already done everything that is needed. I held a conference call on Friday with one of the top experts in the nation and the top expert in SC. I was told on that call that scientists and engineers regarding this subject believe that a major solar flare greatly affecting our power grid and all unprotected electronics is no longer a matter of if, but a matter of when. That does not even take into account the risk of enemy combatants looking for a way to attack us where it would be nearly impossible to identify the source in order to retaliate. We are preparing the new bill for the 126th Session that hopefully will have a hearing right away in January to prepare our state for whatever lies ahead. We can't afford to wait for a nuclear device in an enemy's "weather balloon," or a crippling solar flare to potentially destroy our way of life!!

Little Things Really Do Matter and Add Up to Big Things:

Politicians often talk about the importance of "growing the party" or "broadening the base." What I have observed in my six years as an elected official is something I learned many years ago as a businesswoman working hard to build my practice. When you listen to people, really listen and not just talk, they will tell you their problems, fears, concerns, and sometimes even their goals and dreams. Taking action to fix those problems, or help them conquer their fears by addressing the risks that cause them goes a long way to showing people that you not only care, but are effective in getting things done. In my last newsletter, I referenced a picnic in the Phillips Community where the hosts provided an opportunity for me to speak to the gathering. One of the attendees did not live in District 80, but reached out to me afterwards for help. He was having a lot of trouble getting in touch with anyone to fix a serious problem on his street that happened to also be at the foot of his driveway. It sounded like a sinkhole was forming, but at the very least, a drainage ditch was falling in that might affect the entire side of the street. I did not know anyone in his area, so I contacted SCDOT. It turned out to be a Charleston County issue, and within one day of making that call, someone was out to this young man's house to inspect the problem on the street and fix it. Fixing problems is not always partisan, and it is part of our responsibility as elected officials. I believe offering real solutions efficiently is the best way to "grow the base," especially since conservative values offer much more common sense solutions to most problems.