Speech gets mixed reviews from Upstate residents

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While they favor lower taxes, they wonder where money will come from to run a state already swimming in a deficit of $350 million. They like the idea of trimming government overhead, but wonder if the process will be too complex for people to assess.

And while smaller schools would help students in the classroom, they wanted to know where money would come from to build them. They also wanted to know more about how his programs will create jobs.

Nicholtown resident Leon Jones, a barber, said a few of his customers have lost jobs but were still able to find work doing construction.

"There's always work to do," he said.

As for the state's record on education, Jones said he has been impressed. He has nephews in grade school, one of whom took Spanish in the first grade.

"He's in the third grade now and still speaks a little," he said.

Sanford spoke for more than 50 minutes in his State of the State address on a series of topics he wants the state General Assembly to consider this year. Addressing a room full of dark-suited legislators in Columbia, he named more than 30 individually during his speech.

"I hope he knows some of the wild plants in the state as well as knows the names of those politicians," said Joe Lyles, a Greenville attorney and a member of the Sierra Club.

Lyles, a Democrat, said before the speech he hoped Sanford would address urban sprawl, which the second year governor addressed saying the state needs to keeps its natural beauty.

However, Lyles said he wanted to hear more details.

"Urban sprawl is just as costly to the taxpayer as disorganized government is," Lyles said.

Sanford spoke a lot about streamlining the government, which Lyles was uneasy about. Citizens would have to vote on changes made to state government.

"They are going to take complex issues and try and reduce them down to a yes or no vote," Lyles said.

Lyles also wondered if the consolidating agencies would create a power grab among state leaders trying to strengthen their own groups.

Susan Hoag, a Republican a banker in Greenville, said she also likes the idea of lowering income tax, but doesn't think it should come by raising cigarette taxes, which she feels would affect mostly low-income people.

She would rather see a sales tax increase of some kind because it would tax state residents as well as people traveling to South Carolina on holidays.

Hoag said she especially supports Sanford's ideas on trimming state bureaucracies and his education reforms.

However, she said Sanford needs to communicate better with the General Assembly. She pointed to the cigarette tax increase proposal, which he announced after taking office before really telling many legislators what he planned to do.

"He has some great ideas, but he needs to work with all the delegations," she said.

William Rodriguez, an Easley Republican, watched the speech while playing with his 1-year-old son Ryan.

Sanford's call for smaller schools rang true with him as he prepares to send his kids into the classroom.

"I'm all for smaller schools," Rodriguez, 39, said. "Teachers have too many students in the classroom and I think they spend more time disciplining than teaching."

However, he wondered how Sanford planned to run the state while lowering income tax. Sanford said Wednesday lowering income tax would create more jobs and create more smaller businesses.

"It's always good for our pockets, but (Sanford) has a lot on the table and he needs money for that," Rodriguez said.

Libertarian Jeff Austin, 44, described Sanford as articulate and said he has confidence the first-term governor will be able to lead the state out of hard times economically while also reducing the income tax.

"Instead of trying to take a bigger piece of the pie, get more people contributing," Austin said, referring to Sanford's call for the expansion of small business in the state. "That's the way out of the shortfall."

Sanford also called for South Carolinians to become active citing the state's high rates of obesity and bad eating habit.

He vowed personally to take a bike ride across the state with his family.

"Maybe I'll join him," said Furman student Tom Santaniello, an active Democrat.

On a more serious side, Santaniello said he wanted to hear more about job creation.

"I guess I still wish he'd talked more about what he plans to do for all those families who have recently lost their jobs across the state," he said.