State of South Carolina secondary Archives: on Budget & Economy

Catherine Templeton: I took a buzz-saw to government

Standing with her husband, three children and about two dozen supporters in Greenville, Templeton used an electric saw to cut a ribbon in her campaign office in the Green Gate Office Park on Woods Lake Road.

"I took a buzz-saw to government" while leading two state agencies under former Gov. Nikki Haley, Templeton said. The 47-year-old is seeking elected office for the first time. She said the state is plagued by government corruption, crumbling roads and poorly performing public schools.

Gary Johnson: On verge of financial collapse unless we balance budget

I'm an entrepreneur that ran for governor of New Mexico promising to bring a common sense business approach to state government that everything was going to be a cost benefit analysis. I got reelected in a state that was 2:1 Democrat. I think we're on the verge of a financial collapse unless we balance the budget and that means some really tough choices that all doable and they're all doable under the context of a commonsense business approach to the way government does business and a cost benefit analysis that goes along with everything that government is doing.

Gloria Bromell Tinubu: Economic justice is the number one issue

Gloria Bromell Tinubu: Raise minimum wage to $15/hour if not higher

Henry McMaster: Propose nearly doubling rainy day reserve fund

Jeb Bush: Florida thrived under my leadership

TRUMP: Florida, he put so much debt on Florida. He put so much debt on Florida, and he increased spending so much that as soon as he got out of office, Florida crashed. I happened to be there. It's my second home. He didn't do a good job as governor. He loaded it up with debt, and his spending went through the roof. He was not a good governor.

BUSH: Here's the record. We led the nation in job growth seven out of eight years. When I left there was $9 billion of reserves, 35% of general revenue. No state came close to that. During my time, we were one of the two states to go to AAA bond rating. Personal income during my time went up by 4.4 percent.

John Kasich: Ohio went from $8 billion deficit to $2 billion surplus

Lee Bright: Free enterprise is the key to national prosperity

Bright: Strongly Agree

Lindsey Graham: Dollar-for-dollar offset: cut spending to raise debt ceiling

GRAHAM: I believe we need to raise the debt ceiling, but if we don't raise it without a plan to get out of debt, all of us should be fired. Every American owes $52,000 in terms of their share of the national debt. I want to raise the debt ceiling, but I will not do it without a plan to get out of debt. If you raise the debt ceiling by a dollar, you should cut spending by a dollar. That is the way to go forward. So a dollar for dollar offset and a budget I think are two conditions to raising the debt ceiling.

Q: And you would not raise them unless you've got cuts certain in spending. You will not raise the debt ceiling?

GRAHAM: I'm not going to borrow trillions more dollars without a plan to get out of debt.

Lindsey Graham: Won't shut country down; getting back to business

Graham: I think we should allow our parents to make a decision about what's best for their children. And if a teacher doesn't want to go back to the classroom, I won't make them. But the one thing we're not going to do if I'm your Senator is shut the country down. We're going to open up safely. We're now getting back to business here in South Carolina.

Mia McLeod: Got SC Ports Authority to triple minority business goal

Mia McLeod: Allocate critical funds for infrastructure

Mitt Romney: Washington is broken; needs fundamental change

Nancy Mace: Restore some accountability in the budgeting process

Specifically, Mace plans to attack the federal spending fiasco in her first term. She wants to see "significant movement" on measures to "restore some accountability in the budgeting process." Mace supports a "cut, cap, and balance approach" that will promote economic growth. Additionally, Mace supports eliminating the income tax and would like to see America move toward a consumption based tax.

Rick Wade: Oversaw Obama stimulus implementation at Commerce Department

Rick Wade: AdWatch: 5 years in Washington on failed $787B stimulus

State Republican party leaders called Wade a "political insider." The GOP chairman said, "He spent the last five years in Washington authoring President Obama's failed $787 billion stimulus bill and sending taxpayer dollars to his political cronies. We look forward to Rick Wade explaining that record to regular South Carolinians. They won't be too impressed."

The Wade campaign responded, "When it comes to choosing between what's best for South Carolina and America and what's best for his tea party friends, Senator Tim Scott will always choose the tea party".

Thomas Ravenel: Federal spending is headed for a doomsday scenario

Now that he has been "emancipated" from the party label, the more libertarian Ravenel gladly holds forth on just about any issue that comes up. On federal spending he warns that the nation is headed for "a doomsday scenario."

"The federal government is making all these promises, but at some point, we're not going to be able to fulfill those promises," he says. "We're going to end up like dogs fighting for scraps."

Tim Pawlenty: I left MN with a balanced budget, not a $6B deficit

A: Every budget during my time as governor was balanced. So, this idea that I left a deficit in Minnesota is not accurate. This two-year budget cycle ends in the black this summer. The two years after that is a projection, based on preposterous assumptions.

Q: But people talk about a projected deficit is because of $4 billion in borrowing you took from local school districts, which the state has to pay back.

A: Actually the deferral of those payments to schools was something I wanted to make permanent, but the legislature refused. They chose to do it one time. In this session, it looks like they are going to make them permanent.

Tim Scott: Address fiscal cliff with sequestration & tax cut extension

SCOTT: The House has acted already. The House passed sequestration on four occasions. We've extended all the tax cuts. And now we wait for a response from the other side. We stand prepared to be here in Washington whenever the president or the Senate has a proposal that we can take and act on.

Q: It seems like both sides seem to be, "Well, we're waiting for them." But the fact is nothing ever gets done. Do you think that this Congress will let us go over this so-called fiscal cliff?

SCOTT: That's a really good question. And that's one of the reasons why I'm pretty excited about the fact that we have already acted. We acted several months ago to extend the tax cuts for all Americans. We don't have to go over the cliff. There is a piece of legislation that has passed the House, which is good news.What we haven't seen come out of the Senate yet is a single piece of legislation that addresses the crisis.

Tim Scott: Free enterprise is the key to national prosperity

Scott: Agree

Tom Tancredo: Reduce budget deficit--restrict feds to Constitutional role

A: Yeah, it's absolutely a problem. Reducing the national debt requires us to have some sort of fiscal discipline. There are a million programs that we operate and that we pay for with the federal government that are far beyond the bounds of the Constitution. Follow the Constitution and you'll know what is necessary. And that's the defense of the country. That's it for the federal government.

Alan Wilson: Cap growth of state budget to inflation/population growth

Pamela Evette: Upgrade aging bridges and crumbling roads to improve safety

• Upgrade aging bridges and crumbling roads to reduce congestion and improve safety
• Continue to invest in our ports on the coast and inland
• Modernize and expand our airports to boost commerce and tourism
• Close the digital divide through widespread access to high-quality broadband
• Secure reliable, clean drinking water and improve wastewater systems for every South Carolinian
• Strengthen flood protection and resilience measures to safeguard homes, businesses, and farmland

Nancy Mace: Penny Plan: balance federal budget in 5 years

Andrews suggested that putting a federal cap on the cost of prescription drugs would help, along with supporting legislation to make America less reliant on the global supply chain.

Darline Graham: Focus on the price of groceries & price of gas

Henry McMaster: Critical to invest an additional $1.1B in infrastructure

Annie Andrews: Invest in infrastructure & services, not $50B war overseas

Graham: I know you can't spend money you don't have. That's why I support a balance budget amendment. I don't think Congress should get paid until we balance the budget. I think President Trump has done a great job cutting waste, fraud and abuse, I think there's more that we can do there.

Andrews: I believe the question was about something we would cut. I would not have started or supported a 50 billion dollar war overseas. American taxpayer dollars could have been invested in our infrastructure, our public education system and our health care system. We need to rein in government spending, stop the congressional gravy train. No more pensions for members of congress, we need to tighten the belt in Washington D.C.

Whitener: Most administrations try to grow the economy but we have to decrease spending first: reform Social Security and Medicare.

Darline Graham: I support a balance budget amendment

Graham: I know you can't spend money you don't have. I know that families have to balance their budget. That's why I support a balance budget amendment. I don't think congress should get paid until we balance the budget. I think President Trump has done a great job cutting waste, fraud and abuse, I think there's more that we can do there.

Andrews: I believe the question was about something we would cut. I would not have started or supported a 50 billion dollar war overseas. American taxpayer dollars could have been invested in our infrastructure, our public education system and our health care system.

Whitener: Most administrations try to grow the economy but we have to decrease spending first. We can do that by focusing on the biggest driver of the debt, which is Social Security. It needs reforms. Medicare is the second biggest driver. It also needs reforms.

Kasie Whitener: Decrease debt by decreasing spending on entitlements

Graham: I know you can't spend money you don't have. I know that families have to balance their budget. That's why I support a balance budget amendment.

Andrews: I believe the question was about something we would cut. I would not have started or supported a 50 billion dollar war overseas. American taxpayer dollars could have been invested in our infrastructure, our public education system and our health care system.

Whitener: The only way to address the national debt is increase revenue, decrease spending or grow the economy. most administrations try to grow the economy but we have to decrease spending first. We can do that by focusing on the biggest driver of the debt, which is Social Security. We have to get real about what we're going to do about that particular program. It needs reforms. Medicare is the second biggest driver. It also needs reforms.

Kasie Whitener: National debt is the only issue

Graham: I think everybody wants the war in Ukraine to end. I was so proud to get the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act passed and signed into law by the president. It gives the president tools he can use if he so chooses to end the war through economic sanctions.

Andrews: Instead of defending Ukraine, we have now thrown a lifeline to Russia. We need to suspend the federal state and gas diesel tax. We need a temporary ban on diesel exports.

Whitener: This agreement is a unilateral act. Congress should be checking the executive branch and their power in international markets. Every other nation in the world knows that the U.S. cannot pay its bills. So continuing to talk about spending money, whether it is on war or health care, is a fool's errand. We've got to work on this national debt issue. It is the only issue.