State financing: Sanford's failures have created this dilemma

JOHN LAND, For the Herald-Journal

We learned recently that our state's credit rating has been downgraded from AAA status to AA+ status. The rating agency, Standard & Poor's, cited our state's overall economic outlook as the reason for the downgrade, specifically poor job growth and high unemployment.

As citizens and taxpayers, we know what that means. It will cost us all more money. We all know what our credit score means with our personal finances. We know that it affects how much we pay for a car loan or a mortgage for our homes. Our state's credit rating is no different. We will feel the bite when the state borrows money for things like school construction, road maintenance and disaster relief.

Gov. Mark Sanford's default explanation always involves blaming someone else, usually the General Assembly. It hasn't worked before, and it won't work now.

Standard & Poor's commended the General Assembly for putting in place comprehensive measures to ensure fiscal discipline for state government. S&P also offered that the state's economic outlook would have been worse if we had enacted Gov. Sanford's tax plan. His plan amounted to nothing more than a billion dollar welfare-for-the-wealthy program that would have plunged our state deep into debt.

The real problem is our high unemployment rate, fourth highest in the nation, and poor job growth performance. We continue to be left behind while our neighboring states and the rest of the nation excel economically.

Job growth is a primary responsibility of the governor. He must act as a salesman for the state, attracting industry and jobs to South Carolina. Gov. Carroll Campbell exemplified this role with his efforts to bring BMW to the Upstate. Gov. Jim Hodges led our state to create more than 86,000 new jobs and generated more than $6 billion in new business in 2000.

Look at Gov. Sanford's efforts to land the huge Airbus expansion. He could have undertaken a campaign similar to the winning efforts of Alabama, which included its governor, its congressional delegation and key business leaders. Instead, he went to Paris alone and returned empty-handed. He botched the opportunity to attract this high-tech, high-wage industry to South Carolina.

Gov. Sanford was given a historic opportunity when he was elected. His party controls the House, the Senate and the Governor's Office. Every conceivable advantage exists for the governor to be the champion for the South Carolina economy.

Members of the governor's own party are now openly questioning his leadership in attracting jobs to South Carolina. Newly elected Republican Speaker of the House Bobby Harrell recently said, in an interview with The Associated Press, that Gov. Sanford needs to become as focused on job growth and economic development as Gov. Campbell was.

Now that our credit rating has been downgraded because of poor job growth, the taxpayers of South Carolina will pay more for government in South Carolina -- the same government that candidate Sanford promised to make less expensive.

The state of South Carolina can no longer afford to be the subject of trial-and-error leadership and a lone ranger approach to state policy.

The way to economic prosperity is through cooperation and teamwork. Gov. Sanford needs to realize this and end the bickering with lawmakers. As Speaker Harrell said, "It's time to stop whining and start working toward bringing jobs into South Carolina."

John Land, D-Manning, has served in the S.C. Senate since 1977 and is the Democratic leader in the Senate. He can be reached at JCL@scsenate.org.