Palin Billed State for Nights Spent at Home

[Crabtownboy]

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, who earns $125,000 a year, claimed and received $16,951 as her allowance, which officials say was permitted because her official "duty station" is Juneau, according to an analysis of her travel documents by The Washington Post.

The governor's daughters and husband charged the state $43,490 to travel, and many of the trips were between their house in Wasilla and Juneau, the capital city 600 miles away, the documents show.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/08/AR2008090803088.html?hpid=topnews

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26616212/

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/09...ka_for_nights_in_own_home/UPI-89191220936744/

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23552701-details/Sarah+Palin+'billed+taxpayers+for+312+nights+spent+at+home'+in+new+political+scandal/article.do

 

[North Carolina Tentmaker]

Glad to see I am not the only one trolling Drudge today. Drudge had the link to the Washington Post Story up earlier. They must have read the entire story because they took it down.

Yes this headline worried me until I read the article.

From the link [i.e. the "rest of the story"]:

Gubernatorial spokeswoman Sharon Leighow said Monday that Palin's expenses are not unusual and that, under state policy, the first family could have claimed per diem expenses for each child taken on official business but has not done so.

Speaking from Palin's Anchorage office, Leighow said Palin dealt with the plane and also trimmed other expenses, including forgoing a chef in the governor's mansion because she preferred to cook for her family. The first family's travel is an expected part of the job, she said.

"As a matter of protocol, the governor and the first family are expected to attend community events across the state," she said. "It's absolutely reasonable that the first family participates in community events."
The state finance director, Kim Garnero, said Alaska law exempts the governor's office from elaborate travel regulations. Said Leighow: "The governor is entitled to a per diem, and she claims it."

Leighow noted that under state policy, all of the governor's children are entitled to per diem expenses, even her infant son. "The first family declined the per diem [for] the children," Leighow said. "The amount that they had declined was $4,461, as of August 5."

Gov. Palin has spent far less on her personal travel than her predecessor: $93,000 on airfare in 2007, compared with $463,000 spent the year before by her predecessor, Frank Murkowski. He traveled often in an executive jet that Palin called an extravagance during her campaign. She sold it after she was sworn into office.

"She flies coach and encourages her cabinet to fly coach as well," said Garnero, whose job is equivalent to state controller. "Some do, some don't."

 

[Crabtownboy]

I would have loved a job where I could file an expense account for sleeping in my own bed. :laugh:

 

[North Carolina Tentmaker]

I would have loved a job where I could file an expense account for sleeping in my own bed. :laugh:

But that wasn't her bed, ok, it was her bed, but her "official" bed was in the governor's mansion in Juneau.

Take what you can, give nothing back

 

[North Carolina Tentmaker]

I would have loved a job where I could file an expense account for sleeping in my own bed. :laugh:

It does bring up an interesting issue that might actually make a valid anti Palin argument.

With Sarah's preference to stay away from Juneau and do business from Anchorage or Wasilla how much time do we think she will spend in Washington as VP?

I think the press is missing this because most of them would rather live in Washington or some other big city. They just don't get people that would choose to live in Wasilla. But Sarah obviously prefers it there. What about her husband, is he going to move to Washington if she wins? What about her kids? These are questions the press should ask.

I know that I would be hard pressed to take a job in a place like Washington. I have personally passed on several jobs and promotions making more money than I do now because they were in Charlotte, Atlanta or other large cities. I like living in a small town, that is why I do. I would assume that if Sarah and her family wanted big city living they would have moved a long time ago. I would rather live in Wasilla than Washington.

 

[LeBuick]

It does bring up an interesting issue that might actually make a valid anti Palin argument.

With Sarah's preference to stay away from Juneau and do business from Anchorage or Wasilla how much time do we think she will spend in Washington as VP?

I think the press is missing this because most of them would rather live in Washington or some other big city. They just don't get people that would choose to live in Wasilla. But Sarah obviously prefers it there. What about her husband, is he going to move to Washington if she wins? What about her kids? These are questions the press should ask.

I know that I would be hard pressed to take a job in a place like Washington. I have personally passed on several jobs and promotions making more money than I do now because they were in Charlotte, Atlanta or other large cities. I like living in a small town, that is why I do. I would assume that if Sarah and her family wanted big city living they would have moved a long time ago. I would rather live in Wasilla than Washington.

i think she and her family will move to DC but will take extended trips back home like Bush does on his ranch. It won't be the same being in Wasilla with the secret service two feet away at all times. I suspect her trips back to Alaska will be more hunting, snowmobiling and fishing in nature.

 

[Revmitchell]

Alaskans See No Scandal in Palin's Routine Travel Reimbursements

The Washington Post on Tuesday ran a front-page story about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin receiving $16,951 in travel reimbursements, including a per diem travel allowance for members of her family, and for sometimes staying in her home as part of official business. But Alaskans who follow politics told CNSNews.com that such action is standard practice.



More Here

 

[sag38]

They try to say she tried to censor books in the local library. Now this. What's next?

 

[Crabtownboy]

They try to say she tried to censor books in the local library. Now this. What's next?

I read she tried to censor books in the publioc library.

Palin pressured Wasilla librarian
TOWN MAYOR: She wanted to know if books would be pulled.

By RINDI WHITE
rwhite@adn.com

Published: September 4th, 2008 01:49 AM
Last Modified: September 4th, 2008 06:36 PM

WASILLA -- Back in 1996, when she first became mayor, Sarah Palin asked the city librarian if she would be all right with censoring library books should she be asked to do so.

http://www.adn.com/sarah-palin/story/515512.html

Who knows what is next ... depends on what she did ... or did not do.

 

[givengrace]

I know that I would be hard pressed to take a job in a place like Washington. I have personally passed on several jobs and promotions making more money than I do now because they were in Charlotte, Atlanta or other large cities. I like living in a small town, that is why I do. I would assume that if Sarah and her family wanted big city living they would have moved a long time ago. I would rather live in Wasilla than Washington.[/QUOTE]


Hey, just because the job is in the city doesn't mean you have to live there. Most people who work in Atlanta don't live there. Go ahead and that that job in Atlanta next time and come move here to Newnan. We'd just love to have ya! Hey,it's the Home town of Alan Jackson. :wavey:

 

[North Carolina Tentmaker]

Hey, just because the job is in the city doesn't mean you have to live there. Most people who work in Atlanta don't live there. Go ahead and that that job in Atlanta next time and come move here to Newnan. We'd just love to have ya! Hey,it's the Home town of Alan Jackson. :wavey:

Thanks for the invitation grace, but I have lived in Atlanta before. I know the Newnan/Peachtree City area well. Oh, I know you don't have to live in Atlanta, I lived in Stone Mountain and then in Duluth. Then you get to spend 3 hours a day in your car going back and forth. Thanks but no thanks, I think I live in paradise.

 

[North Carolina Tentmaker]

They try to say she tried to censor books in the local library. Now this. What's next?

You need to be careful listening to them, whoever "They" are. This is another of the internet lies being spread about Palin.

Hey, lies like this exist about all the canidates, google Larry Sinclair and you can see the nut jobs attacking Obama.

Snopes says this is false

http://www.snopes.com/politics/palin/bannedbooks.asp

Don't let your bias sucker you into believing a lie.

 

[Bro. Curtis]

I would say it's pretty hard to personally benefit from a budget you hacked 80% off the top.....

 

[Crabtownboy]

I would say it's pretty hard to personally benefit from a budget you hacked 80% off the top.....

Not if I left my perks in the budget. :laugh:

 

[Crabtownboy]

You need to be careful listening to them, whoever "They" are. This is another of the internet lies being spread about Palin.

Hey, lies like this exist about all the canidates, google Larry Sinclair and you can see the nut jobs attacking Obama.

Snopes says this is false

http://www.snopes.com/politics/palin/bannedbooks.asp

Don't let your bias sucker you into believing a lie.

NC, check the Anchorage Daily News for the story.

http://www.adn.com/sarah-palin/story/515512.html

Published: September 4th, 2008 01:49 AM
Last Modified: September 4th, 2008 06:36 PM

WASILLA -- Back in 1996, when she first became mayor, Sarah Palin asked the city librarian if she would be all right with censoring library books should she be asked to do so.

According to news coverage at the time, the librarian said she would definitely not be all right with it. A few months later, the librarian, Mary Ellen Emmons, got a letter from Palin telling her she was going to be fired. The censorship issue was not mentioned as a reason for the firing. The letter just said the new mayor felt Emmons didn't fully support her and had to go.

Emmons had been city librarian for seven years and was well liked. After a wave of public support for her, Palin relented and let Emmons keep her job.

It all happened 12 years ago and the controversy long ago disappeared into musty files. Until this week. Under intense national scrutiny, the issue has returned to dog her. It has been mentioned in news stories in Time Magazine and The New York Times and is spreading like a virus through the blogosphere.

The stories are all suggestive, but facts are hard to come by. Did Palin actually ban books at the Wasilla Public Library?

 

[Pastor Larry]

Quite frankly, there are some books in the library that should be censored, but that's beside the point. Here the issue is did she actually do it? So far, there doesn't appear to be any evidence that she did. Furthermore, as VP, will she really have control over library books?

 

[just-want-peace]

Quite frankly, there are some books in the library that should be censored, but that's beside the point. Here the issue is did she actually do it? So far, there doesn't appear to be any evidence that she did. Furthermore, as VP, will she really have control over library books?

The pettiness and desperation continues---!

As the old bard said, "Methinks he doth protest too much."

What would the libs do if she were running for president---???:laugh::BangHead:

 

[dcorbett]

I would have loved a job where I could file an expense account for sleeping in my own bed. :laugh:

Hey, it is everywhere, sir. My boss bills the city for trips to see her Mother, because she has a 2 hour meeting on Fridays to cover it, then spends the rest of the weekend with Mom.

Politicians are politicians. We just have to vote for the best - and that is McCain/Palin in this election.