Sanford’s Sticky Stimulus Wicket

By fitsnews • on February 20, 2009

Although his office has yet to officially announce its intentions regarding the estimated $8 billion in economic “stimulus” funds slated to come to South Carolina, Gov. Mark Sanford is already facing a torrent of criticism for what many view as inconsistencies in his views on what should be done with the money.

After becoming the Republican Party’s most visible anti-bailout spokesman over the past few weeks, the governor appeared on the CBS Early Show yesterday morning and said “being against (the bailout) doesn’t preclude taking the money.”

Needless to say, that remark rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.

“Sanford Caves,” blared yesterday’s headline on the website Palmetto Scoop, which blasted the governor for cracking under pressure.

“Itâ€™s typical Sanford style to shoot his mouth off and trumpet the right conservative notes only to balk at an opportunity to do the right thing,” Scoop editor Adam Fogle wrote.

Another S.C. political blog, Wolfe Reports, took a more measured tone with its headline, “Sanford Modifies Tone On Stimulus.”

Obviously, whether Sanford “takes” or “doesn’t take” the money is a moot point.

First of all, it’s unclear exactly how much (if any) of this socialist nightmare he could “send back” even if he wanted to – which we assume he wants to.

Also, there’s absolutely nothing Sanford or any other governor can do at this point to keep the money from being spent somewhere. If South Carolina refuses to accept the bailout cash, it will be wasted in other states.

That’s clearly not going to happen, though.

No matter what Sanford decides to do, South Carolina will be claiming its slice of this monument to central planning.

That’s because Democratic Majority Whip Jim Clyburn already successfully inserted an amendment into the massive boondoggle that allows state legislatures to claim the funds even if governors refuse to request them.

Still, many were hoping that conservative governors like Sanford and Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal would continue to fight the good fight as long as possible, perhaps even filing lawsuits over the money.

Another suggestion is that the governors’ could refuse to take the money unless it is distributed to their citizens in the form of tax relief – which ignores the fact that it’s not really tax relief if you have to pay it back later.

The bottom line, though, is that Sanford’s seemingly contradictory comments are likely to hurt him on the little corner of the national stage he’s been staking out so effectively for himself of late.

Sure, he’ll be criticized for grandstanding if he decides to engage in a protracted battle against receiving the funds, but we have to agree with the Scoop on this one.

That’s the check his mouth has written.

Comments

By Chris on February 20th, 2009 at 7:32 am

In the end Sanford will be just fine with this, as the more the public sees of this bill, the more they will see he was dead on with his criticisms. The stimulus bill is a disaster!

We can only hope that Sanford will team up with the Comptroller General and make sure we get the best value for our money. If these guys do not monitor this money, our 3 billion or so dollars will be wasted. Spending should be transparent and should benefit the people of SCâ€¦not just the privileged and well connected.

By Nope on February 20th, 2009 at 8:08 am

Sanford should send a thank you note to Clyburn, because Clyburn’s amendment is the only thing saving the governor from the consequences of his grandstanding. If it weren’t for that, Sanford would have to explain to South Carolinians why it’s a good idea not to get the benefit of money our children and grandchildren will have to pay back anyway.

Now, Sanford can stand on his principles and blame someone else. It’s what he does best.

By Talk conservative , spend like a Communist on February 20th, 2009 at 8:30 am

Sanford made a few headlines and the pseudo-conservatives will think he is one of their leaders – and indeed he is.

The problem is , aside from their rhetoric, the pseudo-conservatives would be supporting a McCain package today -which would be a mirror image of the Obama spend fest.

By Cooter Brown on February 20th, 2009 at 8:40 am

Is dere a man lef’ in dis werld wit a set of tes-tickles?
San-ferd is da bes’ we’ve got– God, pleeze send us a real cand-date fer gob’ner in 2010!

By lou on February 20th, 2009 at 8:53 am

He should refuse the money on his principles. Then the people of the state will understand his principles.

By Fashizzle on February 20th, 2009 at 9:27 am

I’ve remained a Sanford fan this long because despite his personality shortcomings he is a true believer in limited government. But this latest escapade of shooting his mouth off for weeks and then caving without a fight is the final straw for me. He had the high ground to educate citizens on why the bailout is so dangerous, but now all that moral authority is wasted because he too is taking the money. This is a betrayal, but watch him continue lecturing everyone else about how conservative they should be. Just go home already.

By Mab on February 20th, 2009 at 10:00 am

Cooter,

We have to BELIEVE the good Governor means what he says and says what he means!

And to help him, Mab is putting blocks on the BOA bank accounts from D.C.

~ Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from THAT One ~

By I can't believe it on February 20th, 2009 at 11:10 am

Amazing…. It was fine to protest the stimulus package before it was passed…. Now you want to critize him for saying we will take the $$$????

YOu all are a bunch of idiots!!! Do you think if we don’t take the money that will reduce the spending????? WRONG!! It will just send the dollars somewhere else and South Carolineans will still have to pay for the debt with our taxes….

Grow up people…. know when you have lost a fight…

If we in South Carolina are going to have to pay for it anyway…. Why shouldn’t we get some of it!?

By Mab on February 20th, 2009 at 11:11 am

And another thing — if we know how worthless that currency is, the rest of the world is bound to catch on soon enough.

By Pat Hendrix on February 20th, 2009 at 12:14 pm

I suspect Sanford is a decent enough man and is objections to the plan are sincere. -unlike Demint, this not just about grand standing, though I’m certain this has something to with Sanford running in 2012.

The probelm, however, is that Sanford is completely out to lunch on his own state. We have no economy, a terrible education system, roads and bridges in disrepair and he’s talking the New Deal (by the way, his opinion on the New Deal is not substantiated by facts). He’s out of touch with reality and his own solution is to quote the Club for Growth crowd.

Hey, what do you expect from a guy that asked the Marine Corps to stop flying over his cocktail parties?

By Nyet on February 20th, 2009 at 2:03 pm

They were probably flying over his cocktail parties just to aggravate him.

By BC on February 20th, 2009 at 2:21 pm

While it seems many of you are informed…you are not well informed enough. (UBS) the Swiss banking giant sued Thursday by U.S. authorities in an escalated demand for the identities of owners of approximately 52,000 such accounts in which Americans secretly held at least $14.8 billion. The developments are part of a historic legal struggle that has cracked Switzerland’s renowned reputation for banking secrecy and cast a spotlight on what a 2008 Senate hearing identified as $100 billion in annual tax evasion by American owners of foreign accounts. USA Today. While isn’t that interesting? I find it more then amazing that we point fingers at the “lazy…welfare driven segments of society.” Which actually represents less then 5% of the entire country. Yet, there has been an investigation growing under the noses of all of us that consists of 52,000 tax evaders. If the IRS proscutes these individuals (once named) that would present a recapturing of almost $100 billion in back taxes. That alone would bring down the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Stimulus Bill) to right at 687 billion dollars. Plus, as private investors start to since that the economy is moving, they will infuse additional private funds into the markets at a weak but steady rate. I know for many of you that is hard to think ahead but so is life for those left behind in the dust. You know like North Carolina and Georgia that is progressing along and has not experienced as a severe reduction in their state budges as South Carolina.

What’s the point of the above? Everything. Our federal coffers are missing revenues due to years of illegal (not those individuals that bank off shore legal) off shore bank activity and tax evasion. If Gov. Mark Sanford wants to step on the national stage and point fingers, lets get all our facts and work on solutions instead of politicing. While many of us do not agree with President’s Obama’s initiative in dealing with this crisis, it is certainly better then what former President Bush did with the bank bailout money. At least Obama has constructed a plan with consequences. Bush took $350 billion in taxpayer money and none of the banks and financial investment firms have a clue of what has happened to it. What’s that saying…if you fail to plan then you plan to fail!

Ben

By anonymous on February 21st, 2009 at 9:34 am

THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA
Introduced in the House on February 17, 2009

Summary: Federal stimulus

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

TO PROVIDE THAT PURSUANT TO HR-1 OF 2009, THE AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT OF 2009, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY ACCEPTS THE USE OF FEDERAL STIMULUS FUNDS PROVIDED TO THIS STATE IN THIS ACT IF THE GOVERNOR OF SOUTH CAROLINA WITHIN THE REQUIRED FORTY-FIVE DAY PERIOD FAILS TO CERTIFY THAT HE WILL REQUEST AND USE THESE FUNDS FOR THIS STATE AND THE AGENCIES AND ENTITIES THEREOF IN THE MANNER PROVIDED IN THE FEDERAL ACT, AND TO PROVIDE FOR THE MANNER OF DISTRIBUTION OF THESE FUNDS.

Whereas, in Section 1115 of HR-1 of 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the Congress of the United States has provided as follows:

“(a) CERTIFICATION BY GOVERNOR. – Not later than 45 days after the date of enactment of this Act, for funds provided to any State or agency thereof, the Governor of the State shall certify that the State will request and use funds provided by this Act.

(b) ACCEPTANCE BY STATE LEGISLATURE. – If funds provided to any State in any division of this Act are not accepted for use by the Governor, then acceptance by the State legislature, by means of the adoption of a concurrent resolution, shall be sufficient to provide funding to such State.

http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess118_2009-2010/bills/3554.htm

By anonymous on February 21st, 2009 at 8:17 pm

Governator: “If Other GOP Governors Reject Cash, I’ll Take It”

“As the economic stimulus bill has been signed into effect, some of the GOP Governors said they may reject the money. GOP Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California said that heâ€™ll take the funds if that is the case”.

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/267756

By anonymous on February 21st, 2009 at 8:41 pm

LAWMAKERS WANT TO AUDIT GOVERNOR MARK SANFORD

A South Carolina lawmaker responsible for writing and overseeing Gov. Mark Sanfordâ€™s office budget has called for a state audit of those operations to explain what happened with thousands of dollars he wanted used for a veterans cemetery project.

State Rep. Brian White said he has tried for weeks to figure out what happened to more than $250,000 he said was supposed to be transferred to the Governorâ€™s Office of Veterans Affairs from the State Budget and Control Board. White said he had notified the Republican governorâ€™s staff that the money was to be spent to help build a facility.

â€œWe want to find out where the money went,â€ White, R-Anderson, said this week.

Four other legislators, state Reps. Mike Pitts, Jeff Duncan, Liston Barfield and Dwight Loftis, joined White in making the Feb. 11 audit request in a letter to Philip Laughbridge, the chairman of the Legislative Audit Council.

Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer said heâ€™ll welcome an audit and says White canâ€™t document any of the money was intended for the veterans facility. Rather, he said, the money was in an uncommitted fund that was used in part to pay the governorâ€™s security detail bills.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE $250,000.00? Where’s the money Sanfraud?

http://www.thestate.com/local-metro/story/690488.html

By anonymous on February 22nd, 2009 at 12:55 pm

Gov. Jennifer Granholm will take the money that Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina has turned down

WASHINGTON — Gov. Jennifer Granholm said Sunday she would be “first in line” for money from the federal stimulus package that a handful of Republican governors have said they will turn down.

The Michigan Democrat appeared on “Fox News Sunday” with three other governors in Washington for their annual meeting, including South Carolina Republican Mark Sanford, …who has said he will decline part of the stimulus money Congress approved this month, including expanded unemployment benefits.

“You better believe I’m going to take every dollar that’s coming to Michigan,” Granholm said. “If my colleagues here in South Carolina and Minnesota don’t use theirs, I’m going to be first in line to say … I’ll take their dollars, too.”

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090222/POLITICS/902220315/1361