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Gov. Mark Sanford Ping! |
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Posted on 03/30/2009 9:10:08 AM PDT by rabscuttle385
Now that Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina has polished his credentials with the Republican right by recklessly rejecting $700 million in federal education stimulus money, we keep hoping he will change his mind and put the needs of his recession-ravaged state ahead of his political ambitions.
It will be up to more responsible political leaders to act if Mr. Sanford sticks by his disastrous choice, which would drive an already depressed state economy deeper into a hole and place even more South Carolinians at risk of losing their homes.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
To the editor; I would submit that being employed by a corporation that finds itself required to a) sell its corporate headquarters and b) borrow hundreds of millions at usurious rates from a Mexican of questionable reputation, among others things; in order to be able to pay its bills, hardly qualifies you as experts on business and economic strategy. Have a nice day!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...the NYT has lost their mind. Mark Sanford is best Gov that SC has ever had, and very fiscally conservative. SHEESH, it is the right decision for SC IMHO.
Columbia, S.C. - March 20, 2009 - Governor Mark Sanford today announced that since the White House has denied his request to use stimulus dollars to pay down state debt, he will not be seeking certification of those 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.
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Joel Sawyer
Communications Director
Office of Gov. Mark Sanford
The Honorable Barack Obama
President
United States of America
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Northwest
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President,
I’d first thank you and Director Orszag for your response of March 16 to my letter of the previous week. Likewise, I have to express my disappointment that our substantive dialogue about the best way to adapt this stimulus to the unique situations of states across this country was interrupted by the Democratic National Committee’s launching of a petty attack ad against us even before we had received your response.
I’ve made clear my opposition to using debt to solve a problem created in the first place by too much debt - and I don’t believe this to be an unreasonable position. What I find less reasonable is the way this DNC attack ad returns a nation indeed yearning for change back to the same old politics-as-usual. Because I believe you and I share a common desire to escape this worn-out “attack first” mentality, I’d respectfully ask you to immediately condemn and put an end to this unnecessary politicization of a truly important policy discussion.
In the spirit of moving forward, I’d offer the following as a clarification to our using a portion of the stimulus funds to paying down our state’s sizable debt. With regard to the Education Stabilization Fund monies (ARRA § 14002(a)(1)) that must be used “for the support of … education,” we think it would be consistent with statutory requirements to use this $577 million to pay down the roughly $579 million of principal for State School Facilities Bonds and Research University Infrastructure Bonds over two years. This would immediately 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, which could then be directed towards other educational purposes - just as paying off a mortgage early frees up the typical monthly payment for other uses.
Regarding the $125 million in the Fiscal Stabilization Fund (ARRA § 14002(b)(1)) headed to South Carolina, we’d lay out a few options for your consideration: first, paying down debt related to the state’s Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund that currently exceeds $200 million and would directly impact those currently out of work in this struggling economy; second, paying down debt related to state retirees, since that would seem to satisfy the statutory requirement that these funds be used for “other government services”; or third, paying down other bonded indebtedness at the state level.
We trust these alternative proposals fit both the statutory requirements and spirit of the stimulus legislation. Thank you again for your response, and we would again appreciate your opinion as soon as possible given that we believe this course of action will do more to ensure South Carolina's long-term economic strength than would other contemplated uses of the funds.
I also await your response on pulling down the attack ads. A good part of your candidacy was fueled by the hope for change in the way political debate is conducted in our country. On this, actions will speak louder than words - words you have been so gifted in delivering - in determining where you really stand, not as a candidate promising to deliver on change, but as a leader now capable of bringing this change. I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Mark Sanford
cc: The Honorable Peter R. Orszag, Director
Office of Management and Budget
Governor Sanford Responds to DNC Attack Ad
Columbia, S.C. - March 16, 2009 - Governor Mark Sanford today issued the following statement on the Democratic National Committee attack ad that’s begun airing in South Carolina:
“Over the past year, candidate Obama promised a break from ‘politics as usual’ - something that I joined with millions of Americans in indeed hoping for. I did so because my entire time in public life has reinforced how needed change is from ‘politics as usual,’ and because for better or worse I have always tried to debate ideas on their merits.
“My opposition to the stimulus bill was based on the merits as I saw them and has been well-chronicled, but rather than engaging our administration in that debate, Obama’s Democratic National Committee instead chose to launch a political attack ad against us for not supporting the stimulus plan exactly as the Obama administration saw fit. What may fit in one state may not fit in another, and accordingly I think tailoring stimulus responses makes sense.
“Equally disturbing is the fact that this ad was launched before the White House even bothered to respond to our request to use just one quarter of the available stimulus money to our state to pay down a portion of our high state debt. This still means a $2.1 billion spending windfall would come to our state - and one has to ask isn't there a point when enough is enough in spending money we don't have? I don’t think this approach of targeting ads against anyone who sees an issue a little differently represents the kind of so-called ‘change’ many people were voting for in November.
“In his inaugural, President Obama proclaimed ‘an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.’ It’s in that spirit that I’d respectfully ask him to end this ad, as it shatters the idea of change he so well articulated this fall - and to ask his Democratic National Committee to put an end to this mudslinging and get back to an honest debate about the future of our country.”
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Joel Sawyer
Communications Director
Office of Gov. Mark Sanford
To NY TIMES: Thank you for your concern now worry about what’s going on in your own state since you know nothing about any other state or their state/local affairs.
The Business
In The Line of Business
Is To Mind Your Business
But If You Don’t Have a Business
Then Make It Your Business
To Leave My Business
Alone!
(eagle_star)
Sanford is our best chance in 2012. He is a Conservative Republican governor from the South. The left is terrified by him. They know that he has a very good chance of defeating the Socialist in 2012.
Rush Responds To Sanford Calling Him An Idiot
Feb 26, 2009
LIMBAUGH: I am told South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford called me an idiot, not by name. But he said, “Anyone who wants Obama to fail is an idiot.
” I don’t anybody else who said it. So, I guess he’s talking about– … Politicians have different audiences than I do and they’ve got to say things in different ways.
So, after he said, “Anyone who wants Obama to fail is an idiot,” then went on in his own way to say, “Gosh, I hope this doesn’t work.” … He just had to say, “We don’t want the president to fail.”
Hell we don’t! We want something to blow up here politically. We want something to not go right. … We’re talking about freedom that is under assault
What matters are actions. Sanford refused Obama welfare bill and acted on Conservative principles, I am sure Limaugh is happy with that.
Limaugh= limbaugh
And yet these same charlatans spike a story on Acorn/Obama...
Amazing.
And - then they continue to wonder why the print media is dying a slow ugly death.
refused Obama welfare bill
So did Gov. Palin
Republicans need to learn from John McCain-- no amount of moderation will ever win them liberal support. When it comes to election time, they will savage you.
Great for Palin. I do not see your point though.
Sanford is not alone in realizing that taking the $$$ will ultimately drive his state into depression. He is just the most likely GOP governor to have a real shot in 2012 (sorry all you Sarahitis sufferers). Hence the NYT's target on his back.
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Is "charlatan" the French word for commie bastard?
The long-term “expansion of social subsidies” ARE the cables of which I typed...
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