South Carolina’s Governor Has Lost His Fool Mind

SANFORD USING STORIES ABOUT BEARS, PORRIDGE TO LOBBY FOR RIDICULOUSLY SMALL INCOME TAX CUT

FITSNews – April 8, 2007 - We’re not sure which is more pathetic – the fact that S.C. Governor Mark Sanford has been reduced to begging for an income tax cut of less than two tenths of a percentage point, or that he actually wrote this in today’s paper encouraging legislators to pass it:

Bolton, our third son, has always liked the story of the three bears — of the papa, mama and baby bear, and of the porridge being hot, cold and eventually “just right.” Work has begun on the state budget, and because that means hot, cold or “just right” now deals with your money, it’s worth sizing up whether or not you think things are indeed right in this year’s budget.

Holy hell. That might actually be the worst analogy we’ve read. Ever. Of course you never know with Sanford whether these folksy stories about his kids are even true or not. Sometimes he gets spokesman Joel Sawyer to search for funny anecdotes involving children on the Internet which he then passes off as his own. Heck, Bolton probably hates the three bears story. Kind of like genuine fiscal conservatives hate his dad’s chronic tax reduction dysfunction.

Anyway, we’re sure Sanford’s bearish push to “cut” South Carolina’s income tax from 7% to 6.83% could very well stimulate South Carolina’s economy. Kind of like a tree falling in the woods. Or somebody buying a cup of coffee.

In fact, when you adjust for inflation we’re not entirely sure this limp, little adjustment of the top marginal rate even qualifies as a tax cut anymore.

You know, it’s incredibly depressing that the bold leader of five years ago, the man who promised not to “tinker around the edges” of South Carolina’s outdated, antiquated, non-competitive tax code is … well, tinkering around the edges. Or at least attempting to do so.

He’ll only have successfully tinkered around the edges if the porridge ends up turning out “just right.”