GOVERNOR VETOES 47 ITEMS INCLUDING STIMULUS MONEY, CAPITOL POLICE

Like a mad scientist dissecting his latest project, Gov. Mark Sanford hacked through the South Carolina budget and removed the part he didn’t like.

Forty-seven items total, including $350 million in controversial budget stabilization funds, were vetoed from the budget by Sanford Tuesday.

The governor went further than vetoing parts of the budget, though. Sanford took the added step of telling legislators to toss the entire entire bill out the window and start from scratch.

“Quite simply, the General Assembly needs to start over on its spending plan if we’re going to have a responsible state budget that not only looks out for current taxpayers, but future generations as well,” Sanford said.

And that stunt sat none-too-well with the General Assembly.

House Speaker Bobby Harrell said he agreed with Sanford that the stimulus bill should have never been passed and that he would like to use the money on paying down debt, but that it is “not legally possible to do what the Governor is saying.”

Sanford’s proposal, Harrell said, “would only ensure that South Carolina’s money would be sent to other states while our citizens are left paying it back. The governor’s vetoes take away money that would keep teachers in the classroom and criminals in prisons. We owe it to our teachers and law enforcement officers to override these vetoes.”

Besides removing the stabilization funds, Sanford also vetoed the proposed Capitol Police Force.

The governor and his de facto mouthpiece (or should I say, trash heap) have used the CPF program for political posturing against the General Assembly.

Despite allegations of mismanaging the Bureau of Protective Services, the governor’s office insisted that Sanford should continue to control the department which oversees protecting the state’s three branches of government.

Sanford also vetoed a number of other items that he considered “waste.”

Legislative leaders were in session at the time of Sanford’s announcement and could not be immediately reached for comment.