Sanford Rolls Out $5.8 Billion Budget
S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford rolled out a $5.8 billion executive budget today that offers $267 million in cost savings and seeks to “protect core government functions such as education, law enforcement, and healthcare.”
An $800 million reduction from the previous year’s spending plan, Sanford kept the heat on fiscally reckless lawmakers for growing government at record levels in previous years, saying “this should serve as a wake-up call to the many who have spent money as if it’s been growing on trees.”
“We’ve said for the past four years that you can’t grow government faster than the underlying economy without having to pay for it sooner or later, and it’s unfortunate for everyone that day has arrived,†Gov. Sanford said. “Some incredibly tough choices had to be made in this budget, and in many cases they’re choices that we wouldn’t be facing had we put more money away for a rainy day.”
The governor’s budget includes a curious focus on his recently-released tax plan, which we’re not entirely sure fits the message, but whatever. We’ll have a lot more on that in future posts.
The budget – as with all of Sanford’s previous spending plans – is activity-based and was created through agency input at a series of public hearings.
Also, a few people we know about fell out of their chairs when an “initial draft” of the budget web page showed Sanford proposing a $6.8 billion budget … wait, what?
Yeah … that was last year’s budget page.
More later …
WEB EXTRAS:
Comments
By Mab on January 9th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
I guess there’s a reason he’s only getting straps of ones out of the vault?
By Just the Facts Ma'am on January 10th, 2009 at 8:01 am
Let’s watch the “true” conservatives (aka Tea Drinkers) support the gov’s proposals. In this morning’s Rock Hill Herald, Mic Mulvaney,a “true” conservative calls it like it is. Regarding the gov’s proposed cuts on the state’s university system, he says in Saturdays Rock Hill Herald: “I think it’s a symbolic move on the governor’s part,” Mulvaney said. Truth is spoken — Symbolism is the mode of operation for this administration.
By liz on January 10th, 2009 at 9:12 am
I can personally blow this budget out of the proverbial water . First of all, there is NO healthcare for the people of SC. Get sick and see. Get cancer and need Hospice- sorry Medicaid cut that part out. Doctors, well many of them are leaving the system and becoming private pay. Sorry, that doesn’t wash Governor.
Law Enforcement? Is it just me or can anyone else get any law enforcement officier to do anything at all? Best I have had is CLOSED investigations without answers.
And my problem again for the record, is that I have TWO paying accounts at the SSA, one I get, one I don’t. The second account is tied into a subsidized Medicare Part D account.
*The people of the state of South Carolina are paying through the nost for FAKE FRAUDULENT SSA AND SSI ACCOUNTS> The only part of the secret is YOU did not know!
One of my accounts has been paying since 1987, even though I surrendered it in 1990. That’s the one continuing to pay into a black hole and tied up with a Medicare subsidy. Then finally I, the real me, got some help too.
Let me also mention that I have evidence of two other paying accounts that were supposedly terminated as well. So it’s really NOT just me.
And court awards- never expect them to be accepted as evidence in courts of law… McMaster and Sanford and Graham now allow Administrative Decisions or court awards to be ignored.
****seeks to “protect core government functions such as education, law enforcement, and healthcare.†BULL
By Sollicitus Civis on January 10th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
It is so easy for the privileged to call for sacrifice. The governor does not seem to understand that we live in a poor state, in part thanks to the plantation aristocracy who still run this state. Sanford can blame the Good Ol’ Boys all he wants, but this plantation boy is knee-deep in the mess. He needs to travel around and see the “real” state. I suspect my perception would be skewed if I lived in a mansion in Columbia and traveled 26 to Sullivan’s Island to my house. He should come from behind the gates and visit people living in the former mill and tobacco towns in this state. Talk to people who are currently living on unemployment, those who have to work full time to pay for books and tuition at one of the two year campuses he proposes to close, the teachers who he bashes at every turn, and the so-called fat-cat bureaucrats.
By rick not Quinn on January 10th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Liz: you are clueless about healthcare and medicaid. Optional services, meaning those not mandated by the feds) have been cut. BUT, reimbursements to healthcare providers have risen sharply in the past few years so that docs and others would not leave the system. These payments were protected during the recent budget cuts so that access to neccessary (not optional) care would not be cut off. Medicaid is a cadillac insurance plan that provides more benefits then your private coverage. Now, if you want to see all the optional coverage fully restored right now then tell us what tax or taxes you want to see increased to pay for it.
By Fashizzle on January 11th, 2009 at 10:40 am
We traded liberty for promises of government security and even now some refuse to see it was a fraud. Government cannot create happiness. It cannot create wealth. All government can do is take from one and give to another while stealing a portion for itself.
Thus, a $5.8 billion budget proposal — the 4th highest in state history — and people scream as though starvation abounds and bodies lie in the streets.
Damn it, people — where is your dignity? We are hogs at the trough gorging on every last scrap to the moment of slaughter. Rise up and demand your freedom.