Sanford to Reject Some Stimulus Money

There is a reason to do this that has nothing to do with politics. There is no such thing as free money from the Federal government, it will always come with strings. These conditions in aid then can have the affect of costing more to your state over the long term then any possible gain from the stimulus package.

NEW YORK (AP) -- South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has been the leading voice among Republican governors who have criticized President Barack Obama's $787 billion economic stimulus plan as a pork-laden boondoggle that will plunge the country further into debt. It's won him praise from many conservatives and boosted his national profile, fueling speculation he will run for president in 2012.

But the governor's announcement this week that he may reject nearly a quarter of the money headed to South Carolina has stirred criticism in the state and elsewhere that he has placed his own political future ahead of the needs of the state's most vulnerable citizens.

Of course Democrats went ballistic and even managed to link Sanford to Rush Limbaugh:

'Mark Sanford is putting his personal ambition ahead of the people of South Carolina by kowtowing to the Rush Limbaugh-led, obstructionist wing of the Republican Party,'' DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse said. Even Democratic governors got in the game, with Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley issuing a statement decrying Sanford's ''fringe'' stance.

''Every state should be laser-focused right now on one issue: jobs, jobs, jobs,'' O'Malley, vice chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, said, adding, ''This rejection is less about the people of South Carolina than it is Sanford's political ambitions.''South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, the No. 3 House Democrat, dismissed Sanford's move as ''100 percent political posturing.''

Clyburn also criticized Sanford on Thursday for a comment he made at a news conference in South Carolina comparing Obama's economic stimulus efforts to the hyperinflationary economy in Zimbabwe, one of Africa's most corrupt governments.''What took the man to Zimbabwe?'' Clyburn said in Washington. ''Someone should ask him if that's really the best comparison. ... How can he compare this country's situation to Zimbabwe?''

As for Zimbabwe, we may not have hyper-inflation, but why is Gold soaring lately? Anyway this is how Sanford governed and why should he compromise his principles.