Sarah Palin - The Reform Candidate?

Principessa

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Hello, I wrote a piece on Sarah Palin which is posted on the following website with my permission: adn.com | Alaska Politics : "I have known Sarah since 1992...".

I'm sorry that I cannot reply personally and directly to your email, but email is coming in faster than I can even read it. I applaud you for trying to verify the things that you receive before you send them around the internet. I have learned several things from this experience.

#1) I'm impressed with how hard the press is working and how fast they have gotten up to speed on this very small town's political history. The people in the regular media are doing a pretty doggone good job. The reports I'm reading in the newspapers and seeing on the major networks are as close to totally accurate as is reasonable to expect, given this imperfect world and the fact that everyone has had to go from zero to 60 in under 2 seconds,

#2) How wonderful my fellow American are. People are NOT into the Karl Rovian politics of personal destruction. Americans are idealists; we desperately want to find someone to vote FOR and to believe in, and we keep looking for that perfect candidate.

#3) I’m sorry I don’t know which books Sarah Palin wanted removed from the Wasilla Public Library collection. Censorship is censorship: what difference does it make which books? Over the years, City Librarians had selected books for the colletion based on standard professional guidelines.

Thank you for taking your responsibilities as a citizen so seriously,
A.K.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a post in response to the Washington Independent article entitled "The Reform Candidate?" []The Washington Independent The Reform Candidate?


Dear friends,

So many people have asked me about what I know about Sarah Palin in the last 2 days that I decided to write something up . . .

Basically, Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton have only 2 things in common: their gender and their good looks. :)

You have my permission to forward this to your friends/email contacts with my name and email address attached, but please do not post it on any websites, as there are too many kooks out there . . .

Thanks,
A.K.


ABOUT SARAH PALIN
I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Sarah since 1992. Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a first-name basis. Our children have attended the same schools. Her father was my child's favorite substitute teacher. I also am on a first name basis with her parents and mother-in-law. I attended more City Council meetings during her administration than about 99% of the residents of the city.

She is enormously popular; in every way she's like the most popular girl in middle school. Even men who think she is a poor choice and won't vote for her can't quit smiling when talking about her because she is a "babe".

It is astonishing and almost scary how well she can keep a secret. She kept her most recent pregnancy a secret from her children and parents for seven months.

She is "pro-life". She recently gave birth to a Down's syndrome baby. There is no cover-up involved, here; Trig is her baby.

She is energetic and hardworking. She regularly worked out at the gym.

She is savvy. She doesn't take positions; she just "puts things out there" and if they prove to be popular, then she takes credit.

Her husband works a union job on the North Slope for BP and is a champion snowmobile racer. Todd Palin's kind of job is highly sought-after because of the schedule and high pay. He arranges his work schedule so he can fish for salmon in Bristol Bay for a month or so in summer, but by no stretch of the imagination is fishing their major source of income. Nor has her life-style ever been anything like that of native Alaskans.

Sarah and her whole family are avid hunters.

She's smart.

Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000 (at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about 670,000 residents.

During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had given rise to a recall campaign.

Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a "fiscal conservative". During her 6 years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over 33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation (1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they benefited residents.

The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration weren't enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece of property that the City didn't even have clear title to, that was still in litigation 7 yrs later--to the delight of the lawyers involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing.

While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office redecorated more than once.

These are small numbers, but Wasilla is a very small city.

As an oil producer, the high price of oil has created a budget surplus in Alaska. Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as Governor she proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state.

In this time of record state revenues and budget surpluses, she recommended that the state borrow/bond for road projects, even while she proposed distribution of surplus state revenues: spend today's surplus, borrow for needs.

She's not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideas or compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren't generated by her or her staff. Ideas weren't evaluated on their merits, but on the basis of who proposed them.

While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin's attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the Librarian are on her enemies list to this day.


Article Continued Here.
 

Principessa

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My question is why isn't the mainstream media talking about any of the points raised in this article???? Do you think Charlie Gibson will do a probing interview for ABC? I think not, it will be a puff piece more akin to a Palin Bio-pic.
A friend sent me the article last week. I waited to post it to make sure it didn't pop up on snopes.com as a hoax. I admit I was sucked in by the she faked her pregnancy hullaballoo, didn't want to make that mistake again. I also sent an e-mail to the author of this op-ed piece to confirm it was true. Her response is the part above the red squiggly line.

We probably won't hear a public response to this information, because the truth is the Republicans need her. She may not have been fully vetted but she is going to bring in a whole lot of disenfranchised sheeple.

Sarah Palin appeals to:
Working moms
Pro-life people
Conservative Christians
Parents of soldiers
Parents of special needs children
Parents of teen mothers
Teen mothers
Hillocrats - Those "Sisters of the Traveling Pantsuits" who think they have to vote for McCain since Hillary is not on the ticket. :irked:
 

kalipygian

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That has been posted to our local LGBT discussion groups. I am not sure about it. It differs from what local PBS journalists have reported about the book banning.

I did not become aware of SP until she ran for Lt Gov in '02, I was volunteering for Fran Ulmer, who was running for Gov.

I am not a supporter of SP for veep.
 

Industrialsize

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A friend sent me the article last week. I waited to post it to make sure it didn't pop up on snopes.com as a hoax. I admit I was sucked in by the she faked her pregnancy hullaballoo, didn't want to make that mistake again. I also sent an e-mail to the author of this op-ed piece to confirm it was true. Her response is the part above the red squiggly line.

We probably won't hear a public response to this information, because the truth is the Republicans need her. She may not have been fully vetted but she is going to bring in a whole lot of disenfranchised sheeple.

Sarah Palin appeals to:
Working moms
Pro-life people
Conservative Christians
Parents of soldiers
Parents of special needs children
Parents of teen mothers
Teen mothers
Hillocrats - Those "Sisters of the Traveling Pantsuits" who think they have to vote for McCain since Hillary is not on the ticket. :irked:
Parents of special needs children??? Not if they knew this and the mainstream Media reported it:
From CBS:
Palin: "To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House."
Sarah Palin might have changed her mind on this one recently. However, a comment here notes that Palin actually slashed funding for schools for special needs kids by 62%. Budgets: ).FY 2007 (pre-Palin), )2008, 2009 (all pdf)
 

Principessa

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Parents of special needs children??? Not if they knew this and the mainstream Media reported it:
From CBS:
Palin: "To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House."
Sarah Palin might have changed her mind on this one recently. However, a comment here notes that Palin actually slashed funding for schools for special needs kids by 62%. Budgets: ).FY 2007 (pre-Palin), )2008, 2009 (all pdf)

I am not surprised by her slashing the funding for special education. I bet she changes her tune now that it is an issue for her.
 

B_phe1249

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My question is why isn't the mainstream media talking about any of the points raised in this article???? Do you think Charlie Gibson will do a probing interview for ABC? I think not, it will be a puff piece more akin to a Palin Bio-pic.

Because they are not true, and if reported there would be serious conseqence. The budget information is completely incorrect.

I do like questioning "reform" here in IL the most corrupt arm of government is Cook Co. When the Cook Co Pres John Stroger suffered a massive stroke, his family and staff lied about his condition for weeks, all the while knowing he was a veg, they planned how to get his son into office to replace him- no background in county government not even sure he went to school out new Cook Co Pres is Todd Strodger. I can handle that its Chicago politics but why is our change guy Barack endorsing and supporting him?
 

B_phe1249

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I am not surprised by her slashing the funding for special education. I bet she changes her tune now that it is an issue for her.
The governor does not slash funding for special ed... they follow the guide lines that are handed down from the Dept of Edu in Washington.
 

B_VinylBoy

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The governor does not slash funding for special ed... they follow the guide lines that are handed down from the Dept of Edu in Washington.

Either way you want to believe it, the result is still the same. All you've essentially done is pass the blame onto someone else. And special education still loses out.
 
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deleted15807

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What a reformer we have here...

Palin Billed State for Nights Spent at Home Taxpayers Also Funded Family's Travel


By James V. Grimaldi and Karl Vick
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, September 9, 2008; Page A01

ANCHORAGE, Sept. 8 -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has billed taxpayers for 312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a "per diem" allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business.

The governor also has charged the state for travel expenses to take her children on official out-of-town missions. And her husband, Todd, has billed the state for expenses and a daily allowance for trips he makes on official business for his wife.

Palin Billed State for Nights Spent at Home - washingtonpost.com
 
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B_phe1249

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Either way you want to believe it, the result is still the same. All you've essentially done is pass the blame onto someone else. And special education still loses out.[/quote

Tell me exactly what that means? You just bypassed major federal and state statue I guess to make some attempt at drama. Approach Special Ed and its funding with caution, Ill out debate you 10 fold.
If the funding is not there or has been tampered with where's the state legislature?
 

BobLeeSwagger

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My question is why isn't the mainstream media talking about any of the points raised in this article???? Do you think Charlie Gibson will do a probing interview for ABC? I think not, it will be a puff piece more akin to a Palin Bio-pic.

Actually, I've seen most of these mentioned in various MSM news items. Didn't hear about the sports park one. But the town budget issues, friction with critics, cronyism, taxes, anti-environmentalism, all of these have been reported on already.

I think people need to be a bit more patient. She's been in the news for what, 10 days now? Can't expect the press to drag all of her skeletons out at once.
 

B_VinylBoy

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Tell me exactly what that means? You just bypassed major federal and state statue I guess to make some attempt at drama. Approach Special Ed and its funding with caution, Ill out debate you 10 fold.
If the funding is not there or has been tampered with where's the state legislature?

You stated, and I quote:
The governor does not slash funding for special ed... they follow the guide lines that are handed down from the Dept of Edu in Washington.

You argue that the governor didn't slash funds in this area. Instead, the governor followed orders from another source. So basically, you passed the buck. Even if the governor was just following orders from someone above them, the fact still stands that funds for special education were cut. Doesn't matter who did it.
 

kalipygian

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What a reformer we have here...

Palin Billed State for Nights Spent at Home Taxpayers Also Funded Family's Travel


By James V. Grimaldi and Karl Vick
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, September 9, 2008; Page A01

ANCHORAGE, Sept. 8 -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has billed taxpayers for 312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a "per diem" allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business.

The governor also has charged the state for travel expenses to take her children on official out-of-town missions. And her husband, Todd, has billed the state for expenses and a daily allowance for trips he makes on official business for his wife.

Palin Billed State for Nights Spent at Home - washingtonpost.com

Sounds more than a bit scammy to me.
 

uniqueusername

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Parents of special needs children??? Not if they knew this and the mainstream Media reported it:
From CBS:
Palin: "To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House."
Sarah Palin might have changed her mind on this one recently. However, a comment here notes that Palin actually slashed funding for schools for special needs kids by 62%. Budgets: ).FY 2007 (pre-Palin), )2008, 2009 (all pdf)

You can play with the numbers a lot of ways in those budgets. First of all, you don't know the situation. The school may have had to buy an extra bus (or insert other capital expense here) that first year and didn't the second (the cut was for 17,700 dollars; this alone could explain it). They may not have had as many students that year. Maybe she just wanted to save money. Having an "advocate" in the White House doesn't mean "I'll throw money at you every chance I get."
 

Principessa

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Sarah believes the Pledge of Allegiance was written by our Founding Fathers, and included 'Under God'. (In fact, it was written in the late 1800s, and 'Under God' was added in the 1950s.)
This is common knowledge why doesn't she know this. :confused:


Cindy McCain claimed that Palin is ready to lead due to her state's proximity to Russia.
:wtf1: Well what do you expect from a woman who dresses like a 1972 Barbie doll. :tongue::rolleyes:

Sarah claimed that the War in Iraq is a "task that is from God."
Oh great, just what we need, another whacko in the White House that believes God speaks to them.

Palin got her passport last year.
Not quite sure why everyone is making such a big deal over this. :confused: It's obvious she has no experience in foreign affairs. Having a passport wouldn't change that.
 

Penis Aficionado

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I have worked in state government for several years, and slightly-higher-than-mid-level management is full of people who remind me exactly of Sarah Palin. My sense is that in Texas or California or New York, a woman of Sarah Palin's ambition and intelligence, if she went into state government, would probably be the assistant director of health and human services, or deputy railroad commssioner, or commissioner of fish and game licensing, or something of that nature. In a state of less than a million people, I can see how a woman like that, if she's pretty and comes across in a spunky, folksy sort of way, could become governor.

And of course if you're a governor you're qualified to be President of the United States.