Feb 07 2010
Haley and the Stimulus
Republican gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley has cast herself as the one candidate who would reject federal stimulus money and corporate bailouts.
But Haley, a state representative from Lexington, cast a vote last year to accept a disputed $700 million in federal money.
Haley said she cast the vote before it was clear that the state could reject the money – new stimulus legal wrinkles emerged almost daily last spring.
The porkulus bill is pretty much an issue of the past at this point, but my thoughts on it are this. If the money would have never been spent at all had we not taken it, then it should have been refused. It was a complete waste of money by the Federal government and its had next to no effect whatsoever in helping the economy recover. All it has done is add to our incredibly high debt. However, if the money would have just been reallocated to another state, which was the case, then we should have accepted it. If it’s going to be spent anyway it may as well be spent here. Ultimately, the state legislature forced Sanford to accept the money, so that is that.
Is Haley trying to have it both ways? I guess that’s up to you to decide.
Despite the vote, Haley said she has been consistently against the federal money. After the vote, Haley said she spoke with the offices of Sanford and U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint who assured her the state could reject the money. Haley later voted against final passage of the stimulus-boosted state budget.
“Everybody knows I was against it,” she said. “I’m the only one that can consistently say that.”
Oh, dear! I can’t identify with learning something and honestly acting on that new information.
Oh, wait, yes, I can. I do it all the time.
If it was wrong to take the money at all then she should have stuck to her guns. But then, she wasn’t elected to do what SHE herself thinks but what would be good for those who elected her. Did she do that?
Is Haley just another ‘maverick-y’ republican, all talk and no substance?
If it were just the bailout issue, I might could overlook it as a mistake but according to trusted sources in Cherokee County, her collegues have stated that she refused to raise her hand for the roll call vote more times than they could count but then accepted the call by Sanford to accompany him on a statewide tour for transparency. That was an eye opener.
Then there’s the manditory Gardisil shots for 11 year old girls and the one before that, where colleges and institutions of higher learning could refuse a student who had not be vaccinated. I guess big government is part of her kneejerk reactionary makeup.
My guess is that we have to consider Henry McMaster and Andre Bauer to be the best SC has to offer. Both fine gentlemen but Mr. McMaster has too many fingers reach out to him on the takin and givin end. (I’m not saying he has done anything wrong, just that he is entrenched and it’s time to shake things up a bit, don’t ya think? How does Gov. Bauer sound?? I think he is smart and would work to put SC back in the black. Right now, that’s what we need. No offense Mr. McMaster, Sir.