South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, with his State’s unemployment rate hitting 11%, must decide by today whether to accept $700 million in federal stimulus money. Under rules governing this money Sanford’s decision will not be subject to review by South Carolina’s Legislature. The Governor, looking to burnish his conservative credentials, has indicated that he may refuse the money. That potential refusal is causing him some real political problems, even in Republican South Carolina. From the Wall Street Journal:
“I’m real disappointed in the governor that he’s doing what he’s doing for political reasons, apparently,” said Lexington County Sheriff James Metts, a Republican who echoed the rising indignation among the governor’s core base of conservative voters. “We have programs that are being cut, school teachers being cut, jobs being lost by the thousand across the state.”
Jimmy Ray Douglas agreed. The 66-year-old owner of Carolina Furniture Co. whose donations to the national Republican Party earned him Christmas cards from former President George W. Bush, said: “We need every cent we can get in South Carolina.”
Governor Sanford’s South Carolina is experiencing some severe budget problems.
South Carolina House Speaker Bobby Harrell, a Republican who has been critical of the governor’s position, said the state has already cut its budget by $1 billion to $5.6 billion since August, and will likely have to lay off as many as 5,000 teachers and close down several prisons without the money. …..Mr. Sanford and the president of the University of South Carolina, the state’s eight-campus public university, are feuding over looming cuts that would come on top of a 25% decrease in state dollars since June. The university has cut class sections, frozen hiring and stopped buying library books, among other measures, said Harris Pastides, the university’s president.
The Governor is trying to sell the proposition that portions of that $700 million should be used to retire debt.
The governor said he wants some say in how to spend the $700 million earmarked for schools, higher education and public safety. He said he wants to use some of this money to pay down South Carolina’s debt. He has asked for the White House’s permission but was twice denied.
“Say you win the lottery,” the governor said. “A prudent household would not only spend some of the money, they’d pay down the mortgage.” States should do the same, he added.
The Governor must make this call sometime today. Let us see if he puts the people of South Carolina ahead of his own political ambition.
Bill Manzi.com 
Your Honor,
Let’s try this from the other side.
Governor Deval Patrick grabbed every penny offered from his state’s share of the stimulus payout. It was required since the state of Massachusetts has been in a descending budget crash even before the “recession started” as the total Democratic legislature grabs and spends every darn penny it can rob…..er wrest from the compliant voters.
Meanwhile, Mayor Bill Manzi of Methuen was seen drooling openly as he imagines the uses he will put his share of the Obama/Manzi/Mertz stimulus inflationary had out to work.
No pride here.
Jules
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I’m shocked, shocked I tell you that a Republican governor and Legislature could be so irresponsible as to accumulate such massive debt. That in fact, South Carolina’s leadership has created a larger budget gap in percentage terms than our favorite Commonwealth (12.7% vs 16.3%). I wouldn’t have thought that possible, myself (I’m sure they don’t have a subway system down there).
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=711
Lay off 5000 teachers, stop buying library books, cut classes at your universities. Pull yourselves up by your bootstraps, South Carolinians. You’ll get no help from your own (R) government.
-FM
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ooooh so bitter Jules. Maybe you shouldn’t be making so many trips to Star Bucks. Time to lay off the caffeine for awhile. Mayor Manzi will make good use of whatever funds the Federal Stimulas offers to Methuen through the state or otherwise. Reminder! Methuen is the only Community in the Merrimack Valley that has not had to lay off vital workers or cut services which makes our city the best Managed city in the whole Merrimack Valley!
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Summer,
I absolutely agree with you. Mayor Manzi is the best mayor I have ever new.
However, he has a flaw. He’s a Democrat, so he can’t help but to suck up any free cash he can. I trust him the most as to apply the “stimulus” cash most appropriately to benefit the town.
In fact, if he were governor this state would not be in the shape it is.
Fred,
There you go again obfuscating the issue with your “percentage terms”. We, as a state are 49th in every bad category. I know of several companies moving to South Carolina. My next door neighbor just lost his job as his company is in the middle of such a move.
Jules
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Looks like Sanford has bought some more time for his decision by filing paperwork that may technically extend his time but his legislature wants to include the money in this budget cycle. That means in reality he has only a few short weeks. He has dug a big hole for himself here.
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Yes, your Honor: kicked it down the road to see what face can be salvaged. There’s no doubt that the Feds will not back down: meanwhile, the legislature down there has already done an end run and entered the cash into the budget. He’s going to be an awfully lonely guy.
OK, first it was Sarah P, then Bobby J, then Mark S. They’re falling like flies. Who’s next in the Republican hit parade?
Jules:
Can’t imagine that our Commonwealth, even on it’s worst day, is anywhere near 49th in anything. South Carolina may be one of those last stops until your neighbor’s job moves offshore, just like those textile jobs you knew as a youth. What plays out between states is the same game that plays out between nations.
I admit: I found your SC numbers while trying to understand just how deep a problem they’re facing down there: the report illustrates that almost every state in the Union is in deep trouble. It was just a bonus to me that the Republicans of SC were doing just slightly worse than the Dems of the Commonwealth.
And Summer gets the funniest tweak of the day award for the Starbucks comment.
-FM
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