For the same reasons as the letter writer, I will vote for Don Smith for Senate. Anyone who uses out of state money to negatively campaign does not deserve a South Carolinians vote.
We are going to do something we have never done before and vote in the Republican primary June 10. We want to help re-elect Don Smith to the South Carolina House.
He is a good man who has represented his district well, and is beholden to no one. His opponent, also a good man, is beholden to an outside group, South Carolinians for Responsible Government, which has heavy out-of-state funding and no interest in North Augusta.
SCRG is spending tens of thousands of dollars sending out multiple, multicolored fliers for this seat and for many others in the state. They use a loophole in the law to evade spending limits, and hide their agenda under the smokescreen of typical negative ads filled with innuendo, half-truths and irrelevant points. For example, Don is falsely accused of voting for an increase in the state gas tax, now 16.8 cents per gallon -- the fourth-smallest in the country and a minuscule part of the cost of gas.
SCRG expects their candidates to provide taxpayer support for private schools while, at the same time, promising to be tax-cutting representatives, a typical negative approach. I want a representative who will decide what programs and services are needed and set taxes to fund them, not just cut taxes.
I'd rather not pay taxes. I also wish someone would provide my groceries and gasoline. But that's not the way the world works. North Augusta and South Carolina and the United States are good places to live because we have an equitable tax system to provide schools, roads, law enforcement, etc.
Don Smith has been a responsible, independent-minded representative, and I hope many others will join us in returning him to the House on June 10.
Don Hostetler
North Augusta, S.C.
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