Gov. Mark Sanford (R) has gone to the airwaves in South Carolina defending his decision to reject some federal stimulus dollars unless they can be used to pay down the state’s debt.
“Some say the solution lies in more government spending and deeper debt,” Sanford says, adding that “there must be a stopping point. Going further into debt will not solve a problem that was created by too much debt.”
Sanford also claims he’s taking a principled stand against reckless spending: “For me, the easy thing would be to accept money handed out from Washington. But the easy thing isn’t always the right thing.”
Meanwhile, a South Carolina legislator says he will introduce a joint resolution ordering Sanford to apply for the $700 million in federal stimulus money.