Conservative Friends – It happens every year. The nasty attacks start the weekend before the election. I hope you’ll take the chance to read the press release below in which I respond to Joe Bustos’ disgusting attacks.

I ask for your vote tomorrow. As always, please call my cell phone at 224.9260 if you have any questions.

Sottile Calls On Bustos To Retract Statements

Sottile: “Gutter politics is running our state into the ground.”

Isle of Palms, SC – This weekend Mt. Pleasant voters received a mailing from State House candidate Joe Bustos encourging Mount Pleasant voters to vote against Mike Sottile because he lives in Isle of Palms. Bustos claims that Mount Pleasant voters need to elect one of their own. Today Sottile demanded that Bustos retract his comments and apologize to all Charleston area voters.

“The entire Charleston area needs to work together to restore economic growth and create jobs for our unemployed families. Boeing might be centered in North Charleston, but employees will live on Daniel Island, James Island and Mount Pleasant. They’ll visit downtown restaurants, enjoy the beaches of Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s Island and Folly Beach. Every part of the Charleston area must work together,” SC Representative Mike Sottile said. “Pitting one area against the other is a recipe for failure.”

Bustos also attacked Sottile for voting for the cigarette tax. Sottile quickly answered Bustos’ accusations.

“This is the kind of gutter politics running our state into the ground. Joe Bustos tells voters that I voted for billions of dollars in tax increases, but he gives a ten year sum. Why not twenty years or fifty years? These types of dishonest attacks must top,” Sottile replied.

“Yes, I voted for the cigarette tax increase. We had the lowest cigarette tax in the nation and when polled, 85% of our district’s Republican voters said that they supported the tax increase. Smokers are driving up health care costs and its only right that they help foot the bill instead of making non-smoking families pay these exorbitant costs. This is the ONLY tax increase I will ever vote for.”

As our State Representative, Mike Sottile has been pushing for comprehensive tax reform that reduces the burden on working families instead of funding Columbia special interests. He has also been strongly pushing more roll call voting and he has pushed a specific spending caps plan that won’t let politicians spend more than a formula equal to population + inflation increases.

1. Mike Sottile is supported by all three Mayors in our district because he’s speaking loudly as OUR VOICE for coastal issues in Columbia. South Carolina’s coastal tourism fuels much of the state’s economy and also shoulders much of the state’s burdens. Giving us more financial assistance for growth, transportation, and conservation isn’t pork barrel spending- it’s a wise investment.

2. Mike Sottile is helping create jobs in our region. He is endorsed by South Carolina’s major business groups including the SC Chamber of Commerce for his work to create a conservative atmosphere that promotes economic freedom. He will fight hard to bring more Boeings to our region.

3. Mike Sottile is shaking up Columbia. He’s pushing for mandatory spending caps that limit the amount of money politicians can spend each year. He wants to make pork barrel spending more transparent by requiring a roll call vote for every spending project and tax increase.

4. Mike Sottile is fight federal government intrusion. Mike knows that we must give our Attorney General the ability to fight the federal government when it pushes liberal takeovers and extreme social programs on South Carolina’s taxpayers.

5. Mike Sottile is fighting to maintain our conservative family values. He’s endorsed by South Carolina Right to Life because he wants to protect the conservative principles on which our great nation was founded.

VOTE TUESDAY FOR MIKE SOTTILE

OUR CONSERVATIVE VOICE

Columbia is spending too much money. The federal government is intruding on our rights. Illegal immigration is still running amuck. I’m tired of sitting in traffic.

We can continue to concentrate on problems and remain stuck in the pluff mud or we can get busy finding the commonsense solutions that will fix our state.

OUR VOICE FOR CONSERVATIVE SOLUTIONS

1. It’s time to rein in state spending. I’m pushing for mandatory spending caps that limit the amount of money politicians can spend each year. We should also make pork barrel spending more transparent by requiring a role call vote for every spending project and tax increase.

2. Let’s cut taxes and create jobs. When working families have more money to spend, our economy booms and jobs are created. We can get the job done by completely scrapping and rewriting South Carolina’s tax code that supports special interest groups instead of businesses.

3. Illegal immigrants must not be allowed to take advantage of our hard working taxpayers. The federal government has made too many promises that it has not fulfilled. It’s time for our state and local law enforcement to be given the tools to solve this problem themselves.

4. Our state government should give our area more assistance. South Carolina’s coastal tourism fuels much of the state’s economy and also shoulders much of the state’s burdens. Giving us more financial assistance for growth, transportation, and conservation isn’t pork barrel spending- it’s a wise investment.

5. Fight federal government intrusion. We must give our Attorney General the ability to fight the federal government when it pushes liberal takeovers and extreme social programs on South Carolina’s taxpayers.