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Gov. Mark Sanford Ping! |
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Posted on 03/12/2009 10:16:08 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Stimulus: South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is saying no to some federal bailout money. Good for him. Others now bellying up to the bailout bar will soon learn that oldest of maxims — there's no such thing as a free lunch.
Sure, Sanford would love some of the $787 billion in "stimulus" cash. But he understands what many others can't seem to grasp — that once the federal government gets into your business, it's hard to get it out again.
"Our objections to the so-called stimulus bill have been well-chronicled for the way it spends money that we don't have and for the way this printing of money could ultimately devalue the American dollar," he said.
Critics will note that Sanford will take some money from the government. He can't let his state suffer, while others gorge at the public trough. Still, any show of principle these days in rejecting federal aid is welcome.
"When one is in a hole the first order of business is to stop digging," Sanford wrote late last month, explaining his objections.
Hard to argue that logic. A number of other governors, all of them Republicans, have expressed similar concerns about the stimulus. To some, this smells of rank politics — GOP leaders trying to make President Obama look bad.
Fact is, the GOP may be the only hope left for reining in the out-of-control juggernaut that federal spending has become. On this, Sanford has credibility: In 1994, he was elected to the House, promising to limit himself to three terms and to be fiscally responsible.
As James Rose of McClatchy Newspapers recently pointed out, "While most of his colleagues abandoned their term-limit pledges, dropped plans to jettison the Department of Education and became less averse to federal spending, Sanford slept on a cot in his office, opposed most appropriations bills — and left after six years."
Compare that with, say, the government wastrels in California. They spent wildly for a decade, pushing their once-wealthy state close to bankruptcy with a $42 billion deficit. Now, they're licking their chops over the prospect of $31 billion in federal money to bail them out from the very problems they created.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger hopes to get an added $20 billion by leveraging the state's outsized presence in the House and the Senate to get more grants in aid.
States that are greedily snapping up the taxpayers' money might want to ask someone who's been there, done that, what all this federal generosity means. Bankers, for example.
In recent weeks, a number of U.S. banks have asked to give back their taxpayer-funded government bailout money. The reason: too many strings attached. As the International Herald Tribune noted, the list of restrictions that comes with bailout money is a long one:
"U.S. financial institutions that are getting government bailout funds have been told to put off evictions and modify mortgages for distressed homeowners. They must let shareholders vote on executive pay packages. They must lower dividends, cancel employee training and morale-boosting exercises, and withdraw job offers to foreign citizens."
In short, despite White House denials, the federal government — not bankers — now runs our banking system. This is unhealthy in the extreme for our financial system and our economy.
Worse, it represents a kind of backdoor socialism and political control that will lead to a heavily regulated economy, and the dead hand of government lying on everything, smothering free enterprise with new rules, higher taxes and incompetent federal control.
So much for the pledges made that the government has "no interest" in interfering with the private sector. It does. Indeed, control, not "stimulus," is the plan.
The first step toward fiscal sobriety is saying no to money you don't deserve. No one gets anything for free. With every handout, you give up a little piece of control. The governors will learn this the hard way, as the federal government ties them down with new rules, requirements and diktats.
Way to go Sanford!
There have been alot made out of the large number of teacher/staff layoff announced lately.
Yet, the budget for Dept of Education has now been increased 500% (5X). What’s up with that?
A 5X expenditure of funds used to indoctrinate your child into Socialism as a way of life in America!!!
Cancel employee training? That can only help, can't it?
And what are "morale-boosting exercises"? Monthly birthday parties? "Atta'-boy" recognition plaques or certificates? Company picnics?
Where did you see that? My wife works for the school system here in central Florida and her job is threatened (they've already told 22 teachers at her school that they will not have a job next Fall), and I'd like to research some things for her.
Thanks.
A “I hate government-—fed, the most” ping.
Steve Moore was on VanSustren last night and said the new $410 omnibus bill gave the DOE a 500% increase in budget.
Steve Moore didn’t say anything about that money being block-granted to the states, did he?
Otherwise I’m very happy for DOE and all their new employees.
No he did not. But the discussion came up about MO stimulus money and how they were going to determine how to forestall their layoffs of teachers/staff, even IF they could use the money for that purpose.
What will the DOE do with their increase?
Well, for starters, they might want to refurbish that little red schoolhouse they built out front of HQ to commemorate “No Child Left Behind.”
They might want to fix up that whole courtyard, it’s looking really dreary.
I should check their website, they may be hiring some more Executive Assistants... or janitors.
“Where did you see that? My wife works for the school system here in central Florida and her job is threatened (they’ve already told 22 teachers at her school that they will not have a job next Fall), and I’d like to research some things for her.”
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That’s why Obama will be going down. Even his hard-core, natural constituency is finding out they’re not recession-proof. As more and more State and County/Municipal employees start getting furloughed, and/or laid-off, and/or paid in IOU’s you know the pitchforks and torches will be coming out.
Unless they want to pick up a shovel for those new Civilian Conservation Corps make-work jobs that the Messiah will be creating.
Thank you, sir! I’ll check Greta’s FOX page.
Considering that people are actually moving here from other areas of Florida because this area is cheaper, it seems there should be a balance of some sort (house prices have fallen dramatically here in the past 4 months).
The DOE has two line-items on the federal budget. One is money to the states, and the other is federal monstrosity operating budget.
It’s sick.
We spend billions and billions on the operation of the federal monstrisity that never gets back to students, schools, states.
*is saying no to some federal bailout money*
and with the some Sanford is taking he is giving to public schools.
Why give money to public schools, liberal teachers and controlled by the Far Left Teachers Union.
Mark Sanford ping!
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