Mauldin Mayor Don Godbey Reacts to Debt Ceiling Bill

After what seemed like an eternity of public wrangling, the House of Representatives passed a bill last evening that will allow the Federal Government to raise the debt limit and avoid default on its loans. The Senate will take up the bill today and, if it passes, it will be signed by President Barack Obama later today.

Though the government will avoid default, there is no guarantee that it will retain its AAA credit rating. And some economists are concerned that cutting spending with the national unemployment rate at 9.2 percent is a mistake. Some others feel the cuts don’t go far enough.

The biggest concern for many South Carolinians and residents of the Upstate was how the state’s high credit rating would be affected by a default. Though the default seems far less likely than it did three days ago, budgets will be slashed. Money that was available at from federal and state sources might not be there.

Mayor Don Godbey of Mauldin said the city will be fine, regardless of what happens in Columbia or Washington.

“I think all localities have learned to adapt to unfunded mandates from the county, state and federal levels,” he said. “We’ll keep the parks clean, the roads clear and the sewers functioning.”

Godbey was concerned over the weekend when it looked the Republican-dominated House would not be able to come to agreement with the Democratic-led Senate. Though both sides appear to be on the brink of a deal today, Godbey, like many Americans, was put off by the process that made it possible.

“They avoided a catastrophe of their making,” he said. “I would guess most of the population had fixed feelings at best, about the way they did it.”

Godbey criticized the lack of comity on either side, pointing out that one side (The Tea Party) essentially refused to compromise and the other side subsequently referred to them as “hostage-takers” and “terrorists.”

“Statesmanship and respect for governance have been lost,” Godbey said, comparing the politics at the federal level to the local level. “We don’t always agree here. But, we work through it and do what’s best for Mauldin.”

For details of the debt ceiling bill and who voted how and why go .