A Grownup In South Carolina

Can we get one of these in Massachusetts?

Rejecting Aid, One Governor Irks His Own
By SHAILA DEWAN
Published: April 3, 2009
COLUMBIA, S.C. — For a millionaire, Gov. Mark Sanford has a reputation for frugality that borders on the extreme.

Former employees say he has been known to require his staff to use both sides of a Post-it note. When Mr. Sanford was a congressman, he slept on a futon in his office and returned his housing allowance. And when, after he moved into the Governor’s Mansion here, tax collectors declared his family’s home on Sullivan’s Island a secondary residence subject to a higher tax rate, he appealed and won.

Now, with his threat to refuse more than $700 million in federal money to stimulate the economy, Mr. Sanford’s contrarian streak is taking him from South Carolina, which is second only to Michigan in unemployment, to the national stage.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wow, just cause he has money, he doesn't waste it. How astonishing! LOL The NYT has to be staffed with trust fund babies.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Without the money, predicted State Senator Hugh K. Leatherman Sr., the chairman of the Finance Committee and a Republican, there would be “budgetary Armageddon.” Public schools would lose an estimated 3,000 jobs, including 1,500 teaching positions. Prisons could be forced to release thousands of inmates. Tuition and class sizes would increase at universities, which have already suffered larger budget cuts than any other state system this year, according to Harris Pastides, the president of the University of South Carolina.

Mr. Sanford said those forecasts were intended to scare people and were based on the faulty assumption that no other savings could be found in the budget.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You see this is what happens in Massachusetts all the effing time.

Someone tries to be the grownup and cut some pork.

Someone tries to explain the state budget is hideously bloated and it hurting taxpayers.

Someone tries to say.....institute a tax cut.

And Deval and his minions and all the state legislators and all of those who feed at the public trough scream! "There will be no money for schools - every child will suffer!" "There will be no money for municipalities - we will have to lay off cops and firefighters!"

BS!

Their problem is that there will be no money to hire neighbors for do nothing jobs.
Their problem is there will be no money for people who double their pensions.

Sanford didn't fall for it. He wasn't cowed by the extreme rhetoric of those who live like parasites off of tax money.

In the end the majority of Massachusetts voters fell for the scare tactic and let Deval keep the money.

Guess what, firefighters still got laid off, but fortunately there was enough money so Deval didn't have to honor the hiring freeze.