Editorial: Sanford should own up to his actions
7 months ago | 1641 views | 2 
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The more we learn about Gov. Mark Sanford, the less we respect him, not only as the leader of our state but as a person.
Thursday, Attorney General Henry McMaster asked state ethics commissioners to review Sanford’s use of state planes for personal and political trips.
Investigations by the Associated Press revealed that since he took office in 2003, the Republican governor has taken trips on state aircraft to locations of his children’s sporting events, hair and dentist appointments, political party gatherings and a birthday party for a campaign donor.
Under South Carolina’s ethics laws, misuse of state resources can lead to civil or criminal penalties. A public official found to have used state property for personal financial gain could be fined as much as $5,000 and be sentenced to five years in prison.
During his three terms in Congress and six years as governor, Sanford publicly stressed fiscal responsibility: He demanded that state employees use both sides of Post-It notes. He fought against government spending, and attempted to block federal stimulus money for South Carolina schools. In Congress, he returned his housing allowance and slept on a futon in his office.
Privately, however, he flew first class and business class on commercial airlines at taxpayer expense. Last month, the AP revealed Sanford charged the state more than $37,600 for first class and business flights overseas since November 2005, while other state employees flew in the back of the plane in much cheaper seats.
Meanwhile, Sanford’s personal life is in shambles. He admitted in June that he had a mistress in Argentina, but said he is trying to reconcile with his wife. Last week she moved out of the governor’s mansion to live at the family’s beach house with their sons.
The ongoing saga of Sanford’s misdeeds resembles a daytime soap opera — every week, it seems, there are new revelations of wrongdoing.
It’s time for Sanford to stop making excuses and own up to his actions. Only then can he turn his attention to completing the rest of his term as governor.
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Sanford has already told me more about his sordid affair than I needed or even wanted to know.
He would have been much better off to say he had an affair and shut his BIG MOUTH. I do not think it will serve the state, county, or his family to keep talking about it. Which shows me he must be proud of the fact he had an affair and wants to brag about, now we have people wanting more.
Enough is enough and I had heard enough. I want him to shut up and govern the state for we have a Lt. governor that is incapable to being governor, for he acts like an undisciplined teenager and the state patrol does not have the guts to ticket him for speeding and endangering the lives of all the citizens of this state and all the visitors.
The time to stop this kind of stuff is before you go to the ballot box and find out where the money is coming from to fund the campaign before you mark the ballot.
When you have those so called groups that are constantly criticizing the other candidate or implying he or she is doing something, then that is the one to vote for.
Rich people do not spend money unless they expect a profit and when they can spend million of dollars without any accountability from the 529 of something like that against a candidate, you can bet you last dollar they are the one to vote for.
When a candidate goes out of state to raise money to run for office, DO YOU REALLY THINK THEY ARE GOING TO REPRESENT SOUTH CAROLINA?? IF YOU DO I HAVE SOME OCEAN FRONT PROPERTY DOWN BY WHITMIRE TO SELL YOU CHEAP