Posted on 03/22/2009 8:08:30 AM PDT by BarnacleCenturion
WASHINGTON: South Carolina's Republican governor says his state may accept money from President Barack Obama's stimulus plan even though he is ideologically opposed to it.
Gov. Mark Sanford says being against the plan "doesn't preclude taking the money."
(Excerpt) Read more at iht.com ...
This is old news. He’s rejecting the portion of it that comes with strings and affects SC law.
This is over a month old..
Romney shill alert.
Joel Sawyer
Communications Director
Published: March 20, 2009
Governor Mark Sanford today announced that since the White House has denied his request to use $700 million of the $2.8 billion in stimulus dollars to pay down state debt, he will not be seeking certification of that quarter of stimulus funds. Instead, if the General Assembly chooses to seek the funds in his place, he is asking the legislature to use other money for debt repayment so that the state does not dig itself further into a budget hole.
“We’re obviously disappointed by the White House’s decision, because it cuts against the notion of federalism and the idea of each state having the flexibility to act in a manner that best suits its needs,“ Gov. Sanford said. “As a result, we will not be seeking the use of these federal funds for the way they put our state even further into an unconscionable level of debt. If our General Assembly chooses to make use of this federal money, we’d ask them to use existing state resources to begin paying down our state’s sizable liabilities. Now is the time to do so, because it will give us more flexibility in addressing future needs at a state level if this economic downturn is indeed protracted. We simply cannot afford to base 10 percent of our state budget on money that will disappear in two years’ time.“
Governor Sanford has opposed the federal stimulus package because he doesn’t believe we should spend money we don’t have, because we shouldn’t pass a substantial bill for today’s government services on to future generations, and because the massive run-up in government spending in time will devalue the American dollar. The Congressional Budget Office has forecast a $1.8 trillion federal deficit for this year - the largest ever - and just today said the President’s budget plan would lead to $9.3 trillion in deficit spending over the next 10 years, a level $2.3 trillion higher than the White House predicted just weeks ago.
The governor sought to use just one quarter of the $2.8 billion coming to South Carolina - about $700 million - to pay for past promises made by state government. Doing so with debt related to education would free up over $162 million in debt service in the first two years and save roughly $125 million in interest payments over the next 13 years - just as paying off a family’s mortgage early frees up money for other uses. A recent study by the American Legislative Exchange Council ranked us 4th highest in the nation for the percentage of annual revenue required to pay debts.
“Speaker Harrell, Senator McConnell and others have expressed support for the idea of paying down debt with stimulus dollars. If the legislature decides to take these funds, we stand ready to work with them and the rest of the legislature in finding ways to accelerate our state’s repayment of debt so that we can free up dollars for other purposes,“ Gov. Sanford said.
Governor Sanford Rejects Stimulus Money, Controversy BrewsGovernor Mark Sanford angers members of his own party after rejecting $700 million in Federal stimulus money. State leaders are now looking for loopholes to bring that cash to South Carolina.Sanford asks Obama to stop ad (zero says No)
On Friday, we noted the TV ad the Democratic National Committee is airing that blasts South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's opposition to $700 million in stimulus funds for his state.
Gov. Sanford re-submits request for using stimulus money
Gov. Mark Sanford today clarified in a new letter to the White House how he'd like to use $700 million in economic stimulus money available for South Carolina.
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http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20090317/NEWS01/90317011/1186/YOURUPSTATE
Gov. Sanford to announce plans for stimulus funds
http://www.carolinalive.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=271080
OOOPS. Well I’ll be! That spine of mine was here just a minute ago! Evidently politics is thicker than the Constitution or guts.
?
Something to think about: Is it the Governor’s duty to see that his people get back some of the money that is being stolen through taxation and inflation? Would it be right for him to say “no thanks” to make a point. Or would it be on principle? Understand that I adamantly against the feds taking and redistributing wealth. I think it might just be his duty to see that the people of S.C. get back their stolen wealth.
Did you see the letters to the article
and there are more like this one.
Posted by Tim Hopkins, Myrtle Beach - Thursday, March 12, 2009 at 11:29 p.m.
I wish he would run for President; that way South Carolina can finally get this idiot out of office, and the rest of the country will see what a moron he really is.
I have lost all respect for his abilities to lead this state; plus he has no grasp of even basic Economics.
It’s time for this “good ole boy” to be finally be put to pasture, and get a candidate and Governor who known how to govern and not run the state into what is quickly becoming the poorest, least educated, and most laughed at state in the union; his actions border culpability
Hey thanks for the ping bud, I’m not gonna vote for Romney.
That guy is posting all the anti-Sanford threads.
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