Aiken Standard Accused of Cheap Shots

The following letter from Scott Singer appeared in the Aiken Standard today.

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On numerous occasions the Standard has espoused the need for us to be civil and tolerant toward others and their point of views and to refrain from personal character attacks. Hence, I found the tone and tenor of today's (May 1)editorial regarding Mark Sanford's refusal to accept the stimulus money under the terms set forth by the Obama Administration to be extremely hypocritical and certainly not in keeping with this purported ideal.

I hope we can agree that reasonable people can draw different conclusions based on a set of facts and circumstances. I for one believe the unparalleled amount of debt we are rolling up as a Nation in the name of "stimulus" is the greatest threat to our long-term prosperity as a people, which if left unchecked will eventually destroy the economic and political fabric upon which America is built. You may disagree. But that makes neither one of us bad people.

To categorically attribute the Governor's position on the stimulus money as an effort "to stroke his 2012 Presidential aspirations..." is simply irresponsible. Need I remind you that this is the man who stepped down as U.S.
Congressman after six years because he said he believed in term limits; the millionaire who slept on a cot in his Congressional office and returned his housing allowance to the U.S. Treasury. Certainly you don't believe Sanford did these things way back in the early 90's in order to score political points. You may not like him, but Mark Sanford is the same man today that he has been throughout his public life; a true leader that does what he thinks is right rather than what is politically expedient.

It appears that in your zeal to support public education (certainly a worthy goal) you have resorted to cheap shots and even seem to be willing to trash the SC Constitution, which vests certain powers in the Office of the Governor.
Categorically dismissing the concerns of fiscal conservatives by attributing the Governor's actions to selfish motives does nothing to build trust and thus in the long run is counterproductive to your ultimate goal.