Palin, the Reform Candidate (anyone wanna buy a bridge?)
AP is now reporting:
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Gov. Sarah Palin charged the state for her children to travel with her, including to events where they were not invited, and later amended expense reports to specify that they were on official business.
The charges included costs for hotel and commercial flights for three daughters to join Palin to watch their father in a snowmobile race, and a trip to New York, where the governor attended a five-hour conference and stayed with 17-year-old Bristol for five days and four nights in a luxury hotel.
In all, Palin has charged the state $21,012 for her three daughters' 64 one-way and 12 round-trip commercial flights since she took office in December 2006. In some other cases, she has charged the state for hotel rooms for the girls.
Palin says she is going to Washington to clean up corruption, greed, and the abuse of power. Those are noble ambitions, but my question is, why not start that clean-up in Alaska?.
Palin is an ideal representative of the Loyal Bushie Republican, fleece the government for private ends while complaining about taxes as you line your pockets with taxpayer money.
Oh, and then lie about it all and alter the records after the fact.
October 21, 2008 6:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Every time I read something like this or the $21 million she got in federal funds for the city of the Wasilla to build their sports arena I can't help but think of the fact that at the same time... she had hired a chief of police and presided over his budget that required rape victim's to pay for their own rape kits in a state that has one of, if not the, highest rate of rape per capita. It just seems unbelievably morose.
October 21, 2008 6:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Actually, this is a superficial story and a really dumb hit piece.
If she'd kept the governor's private plane it would've cost a heck of a lot more to fly her family around in it. She's saved much more money when it comes to government expenses than she's spent.
October 21, 2008 8:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Huh? She SAVED more money than she spent According to voodoo economics.
When she became PART-TIME mayor of Wasilla, there was no "city" (technicality: the minimum population necessary to be a "city" is 100,000) debt. When she moved on and up from Wasilla, she left behind her a $21 million dollar debt.
And that "missing" $21 million had been Federal funds. (And part of the debt included the costs of law suits in effort to after-the-fact buy the land on which Palin built the sports stadium.)
Oh, I get what you mean, now! If one DOESN'T PAY one's bills, then one SAVES money!
Ah! don't ya just love Republican bullshit?
I believe she also claims to have cut taxes as governor of Alaska. What taxes?
October 21, 2008 9:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't think you get the issue with her charging the state for her family's travel...
October 21, 2008 9:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Either doesn't get it, or avoids the issue by flying off into the wild blue yawner.
October 21, 2008 9:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Robby, I respectfully disagree.
According to the AP, Palin's children were not invited to these events. How is it right for her to then bill the taxpayers for bringing along her brood? Palin, according to the AP, even went back and amended the expense reports to show they were on official business. If everything was on the up and up, why did she feel the need to amend the expense reports?
Far from what you describe as a 'superficial story', I think the AP piece, if accurate, may point to another example of Palin's abuse of office.
October 21, 2008 9:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'll take that bridge!
But first I have to buy a chunk of water for it to be built over -- to do which I'm waiting on my request for a Federal earmark.
So, I'll get back to ya on that!
You betcha!
October 21, 2008 9:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Westwind jet has a range of only 2400 miles, and was used for travel around Alaska or a hop to Seattle.
When not used by the governor it was used for prisoner transport around Alaska.
The government does not work on a basis of 'you save taxpayers money' then you decide how you personally want to spend it.
By Robby logic I suppose once the aircraft was sold the prisoners could also be given the money saved to take their families on vacation.
October 21, 2008 9:56 PM | Reply | Permalink