The most important things we have to deal with are the same things we had to deal with before Mr. Sanford traipsed off to Argentina. And we must not allow Mr. Sanford’s troubles to distract us from those tasks.
It is entirely unclear at this point whether the governor will be able to play any sort of positive role in strengthening our economy. But that’s nothing new. Legislators have complained all year (some much longer) that he has done nothing to create or keep jobs in our state, and that the incessant efforts by his allies to badmouth our schools, combined with his own extremist approach to federal stimulus funding, have actually driven off economic development. And whatever hope there had been that the governor and the Legislature might work together on this or any other front in the coming year evaporated with Mr. Sanford’s petulant stance on the stimulus funds.
I knew it was The State before I clicked on the link.
Sanford’s “allies” don’t need “to badmouth our schools” — they’re truly dreadful, and the product of protective, self-serving teacher’s unions that don’t want there to be competition — either public or private — to spoil their gravy train. We are *larded* up with expensive administrators, and the result — no matter how much money is spent — is perfectly awful education.
His *excellent* [not petulant and not extremist] “approach to federal stimulus funding” was high in integrity and put many so-called “Republicans” to shame with conservative voters — something that they are, shall we say, keenly aware of. The idea that rejecting “free gifts from the government” [which as we’ve all seen in rich living color are in no way “free”] drove “off economic development” is laughable.