Information provided by The State
A Chapin High School senior has filed a lawsuit asking the S.C. Supreme Court to decide who — Gov. Mark Sanford or the Legislature — controls $700 million in disputed federal stimulus money.
In an indication it could act swiftly, the court ordered S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster to respond to the lawsuit by Monday.
Casey Edwards, the 18-year-old who filed the lawsuit Thursday, said S.C. students and schools are suffering from budget cuts and would benefit from the money.
Now I have to say that this is a gutsy move. Not only that, but coming from a Senior in High School. I could see a career in Law for her in the future.
Sanfords response below the jump.
In a statement, Sanford — who has gained national attention for his anti-stimulus position amid speculation he might run for president in 2012 — called the challenge a "politically-driven press spectacle ... rather than a suit with any actual merit."
Now I have to claim B.S. on this one. Of course the suit has actual merit. Gov. Sanford wants to use money that should be going into the Education System to pay off State debts. Our unemployment rate for this state just hit 11.4%, and it is still climbing. Without that stimulus, there will be many teacher layoffs very soon.
Sanford criticized the lawsuit as filed by two Columbia political insiders — Drake and former S.C. Democratic Party chairman Dick Harpootlian — and added the White House and McMaster previously have said federal law gives him control over the money.
Referring to an anti-tax rally he addressed Wednesday, Sanford said, "Thousands of taxpayers in our state stood up yesterday and said they’re tired of government spending beyond its means, that they’re tired of these so-called ‘stimulus’ efforts out of Washington, D.C., and that they’re tired of Columbia insiders like these driving decisions in the State House."
This from a man who has obvious political aspirations for a 2012 Political run. He used the "Tea Party" protests to hock his drivel about how "If we take that stimulus money, we're just going to be deeper in debt!", even though we will have to repay this money no matter what is done with it. I, as are many in this state, am sick and tired of Gov. Sanford trying to push his political ideologies into what's good for this state. He has already run this state into the ground, now he wants us to have to buy the shovels to bury it.
And a little timeline on this suite to end this diary.
What’s next?
A look at the impasse over $700 million in federal money
S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster has until Monday to respond to the lawsuit filed Thursday. After that, the S.C. Supreme Court must decide whether it will accept the case or send it to a lower court.
The Legislature could act — including the money in the state’s budget for the year that starts July 1 or requiring Sanford to accept the money. Sanford could veto the budget and the Legislature could override his veto. (Both have happened before.) He also could challenge in court a legislative order requiring him to accept the money.
A federal lawsuit could be filed. As a state senator said Thursday, that could set the table for conflicting state and federal court rulings.
A date to keep in mind: May 15 — deadline for schools to offer contracts to teachers for the next school year. Now, schools say they don’t know how many teachers they can afford.