Governor takes heat

Critics say move could have hurt S.C.'s jobless

Gov. Mark Sanford said Wednesday he wasn't going to allow the state's employed to be punished because of his issues with the state Employment Security Commission, but some said he already had.

South Carolina Democratic Party Chairwoman Carol Fowler said while Sanford did the right thing Wednesday, "He should not have tried to punish the unemployed people of our state in order to get to the Employment Security Commission. ... It was silly to try to make a point that way. It was also just cruel to those folks. More than 70,000 people have spent their whole Christmas holidays worrying about whether their own governor was going to allow them to have a paycheck next month."

Fowler issued a statement Tuesday urging Sanford to apply for a federal loan needed to extend unemployment benefits in the state.

"Mark Sanford has never had to think about a job or a paycheck, so he doesn't know how it feels to worry about being able to make a house payment or buy groceries," Fowler said in that statement. "He should listen to the thousands of South Carolinians who are unemployed through no fault of their own."

Had Sanford not acted, the pain and problems would have reached beyond the more than 70,000 losing benefits and extended to businesses, churches and others.

"I do think he has damaged himself by this, but it also would have been damaging to the state's economy if it continued," Fowler said. "They're not socking this money away in savings accounts. They're using this to pay their rent, pay their mortgages and buy their groceries."

State Republican Chairman Katon Dawson said he talked to two people Wednesday morning who were applying for jobs and concerned about their potential loss of benefits. "I'm glad that anxiety has been taken away," he said.

Dawson praised Speaker of the House Bobby Harrell, Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell and state Sen. Hugh Leatherman for helping find a way out of the impasse.

"I would applaud the Republican elected officials for stepping up and fulfilling that obligation that we have and not letting politics get in the way," he said, adding that not seeking the loan would have been tragic.

"These are very tough economic times," he said. "This is not a time to strike fear into anyone's hearts into how they're going to take care of their families when this is something they earned and their employers have paid into and there is a system there where they can get these payments."

Dawson applauded Sanford for seeking transparency in the Employment Security Commission and said the resolution shows that state government's systems of checks and balances work.

"It came out to a good conclusion today, and then we'll move on," he said. "This is what the voters expected. ... Our elected officials were doing what they were elected to do."

Reach Robert Behre at 937-5771 or rbehre@postandcourier.com.

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