SC Governor: We're moving close to 'a savior-based economy'
As many state and local officials clamor for their share of the billions of dollars in federal aid in the stimulus bill under consideration in Washington, South Carolina's Republican governor is sounding a note of dissent about federal efforts to help the economy.
"A problem that was created by building up of too much debt will not be solved with yet more debt," Gov. Mark Sanford said Sunday, making a reference to the federal deficit spending that will likely finance the federal stimulus package.
"We're moving precipitously close to what I would call a savior-based economy," Sanford also said Sunday on CNN's State of the Union.
The South Carolina Republican said such an economy is "what you see in Russia or Venezuela or Zimbabwe or places like that where it matters not how good your product is to the consumer but what your political connection is to those in power."
"That is quite different than a market-based economy where some rise and some fall but there's a consequence to making a stupid decision," Sanford said after pointing to the powers granted to the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve to help deal with the current economic crisis.
"A lot of people who've made some very stupid decisions are being bailed out by the population at large," he added.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/02/08/sc-governor-were-moving-close-to-a-savior-based-economy/