Mark Sanford for President 2008

In an age where Republicans now expand government as much as Democrats, we need a proven leader for conservative values in the White House. We need a leader who will say "NO!" to the out-of-touch powerbrokers in Washington. Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina has fought tirelessly for small, responsible government, lower taxes, gun rights, educational reform, family values, and other principles that are true to the Republican platform. Mark Sanford is a true leader.

(PRWEB) December 22, 2004 -- Why support a Sanford ticket? Under President George W. Bush, aided by a Republican Congress, we've seen the size of government expand -- dramatically. Discretionary spending has soared; education has become federalized under the No Child Left Behind Act; and the American welfare state has received it's biggest booster shot since the days of Lyndon B. Johnson, in the form of the Medicare prescription drug coverage entitlement.

This is all despite the fact that Bush campaigned on a platform of smaller government and lower taxes. While he followed through with lowering taxes, the skyrocketing size and cost of government has made deficits even worse. While some government expansion is natural in the face of the War on Terror, much of this growth occurred before 9/11.

Why? A Los Angeles Times Poll found that almost 60% of Americans would rather have a smaller government that provides fewer services, as opposed to 26% that want larger government providing more services. If Bush genuinely believed in smaller government, it would be no problem to rally public support around him. And yet, today, we have seen an expansion of government powers that would make even Democrats like Bill Clinton gush with pride.

And John Kerry is no better. Besides announcing he would repeal Bush's tax cuts, he also promised a vast and costly new health care plan -- one that dwarves even the cost of Bush's pork-laden Medicare plan. Toss in even more federalization of education, stricter gun control, and abortion on demand, and the mix is a government that makes Bush's administration look like that of a frothing-at-the-mouth anarchist.

Today, we have record high deficits and extravagant federal spending. It took centuries for government spending to reach $1 billion. It took an extra few decades for it to reach $2 billion. Bush will propel government spending to $3 billion in only a few extra years. Government is growing exponentially, and unless we elect strong leaders to undo this damage, we can expect only economic ruin in the future.

Governor Sanford is that leader.
He has stood up not only to pork-barrel, spendthrift Democrats, but to his own Republican majority in the South Carolina state legislatures. He vetoed 106 parts of his own party's suggested budgets, saying that it simply cost too much and criticizing his fellow Republicans for reckless spending. On the other hand, Bush has yet to say "no" even once -- he has never used his veto power at all.

If Sanford can face down the comparatively small budget of his own state, imagine how much change he can bring to the morbidly obese federal budget. A massive, across-the-board cut in taxes paired with an immense budget reduction would invigorate the suffering American economy, but we can only see such a plan put into action if we elect those with the spine to follow through on it.

Governor Sanford has proven that he has the grit to face down the wasteful partisans in his own party. He has taken serious measures, including rare budget line-item vetoes, to ensure that taxes stay low and government growth stays contained. He has held true to conservative principles, supporting reasonable abortion limitations, gun rights, and family values. And through it all, he has been met with skyrocketing approval ratings as high as 70%, proving that he knows what to do and how to make people feel good about it.

Men with this much conviction are rare -- and we need to give them all the support we can. I'm ready to see President Sanford in the White House, shrinking the budget, cutting taxes, and respecting our Constitutional rights; are you?

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