A Palin thread from an Alaskan

[Jaskalas]

Originally posted by: Moonbeam
It really matters little who SP is. She is not qualified to be President. She is a nobody from Nome.

Fact that you think a Senator trumps Governor for experience is disgusting. Then again, I never did take kindly to you, maybe it?s to be expected.

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

I think personal attacks against this woman by the left are silly (yes I have said some things on here but all in good fun). I don't actually believe she is a bad mother or even a bad person for that matter.

My issue comes down to experience and qualifications. I do not believe being governor of Alaska, perhaps the least relevant state in our nation as far as mainstream America goes, is a good prerequisite for the 2nd highest position in the country. I don't think a woman who has barely visited anywhere else on the globe is going to be able to understand the nuances of foreign politics. Let me be clear, I don't want someone like Bush running this country for the next 4 years. I don't want someone who takes complex foreign matters and turns them into trivial black and white issues. I don't want my leaders to be just like me. I want them to be smarter than me, have more experience than me, have better judgment than me. That's the difference in this election.

With Obama and Biden I know I have two guys that more than meet the prerequisites for running this country. With McCain and Palin I don't have that same feeling.

 

[Apple Of Sodom]

Originally posted by: OrByte


I think there is a TON of people with a BUNCH of questions about Palin. And the media decided to do what it does best, create a circus and make some $$ off of it.

All of the hyper-sensational stories are fading into the background now. Lets allow a more
<...>

The media spins certain things, and that is why I want to set things straight. That article you linked to references a $223 million bridge that only 53 people lived on. While this is true, the airport is also there. I have a friend who has spent many nights in that airport because he missed the ferry from the island. It isn't a major hub, but it is a hub none-the-less.

They keep talking about Wasilla being only a town of 9,000 and her building things, like a youth center. Well, Wasilla is only 45 minutes away from a town with over a quarter million people, and I can see where a youth center would be very beneficial. It is also adjacent to Palmer and a few other cities that could use it. Same with a sports complex.

So, the thing is, without understanding, some of this stuff does seem weird. That is what I am trying to clear up so you can make the right decision. I'm not saying Palin is the best, or is 100% ethical; what I am saying is she did a hell of a lot for this state. Not until she was running for VP did people start nitpicking her.

It isn't like we are dumb up here and didn't know her original stance on the bridge. But to insinuate the bridge was only going to be used by 53 people is intentionally misleading.

She named a police chief accused of harrasment to head the state police? It was only an accusation. I can accuse anyone of anything. He wasn't guilty of it.

What is even more importat is that she has publicly apologized for mistakes she has made and takes accountability. We all make mistakes. McCain does, Obama does, Bush sure did...but she takes accountability and that is admirable.

 

[RightIsWrong]

Originally posted by: Apple Of Sodom

Originally posted by: RightIsWrong
Thanks for your insight. I am extremely leery however to take your post seriously because of a lesson I learned a long time ago that has been proven right over and over again...

Never trust someone that is unable to see the negatives.

You dismissed everything that she has done and supported her on every single issue. That to me screams and opinion that is blindly loyal and untrustworthy.

I never said I don't see the negatives. This thread is about understanding because I live here and see it.

For example, I do not agree with how the $1200 energy rebate was distributed. I agree with giving the money back, but many people have been here for over a year, will experience winter with heating fuel near $4.50 a gallon, and didn't get the energy rebate because it was linked to the dividend check that they didn't qualify for.

However, I understand WHY she did it that way. Reason: people wanted action now. She was concerned about people scamming the system and getting the money. We already had a system in place that is less prone to scamming - the dividend - and it was the fastest route to get people the money the truly need. Maybe some don't understand: people freeze to death here. It does get to 60 degrees below zero. If you cannot purchase fuel...what happens?

What other negatives? She isn't perfect, and yes there is a spin on her. But if you look past the spin, surprise - she isn't an angel with perfect moral compass - but even under the spin, she is pretty damned good.

Again, you dismiss her actions as something positive. You state that you don't agree with them but it was the right thing to do.

I find that to be very skeptical.

I'll give you and example of what I am looking for and would appreciate something from you in return in case I am just not communicating my thoughts clearly.

I support Obama in the upcoming election for a number of reasons. One thing that I will never say that I believe he did well on is his caving/flip-flopping on the telecom amnesty in the FISA bill. He did it for political reasons only and did it against the best interests of American citizens. I even wrote his office a letter stating as much.

See, clear example of a position of his I disagree with and I feel a very valid criticism of without making any excuses for him or dismissing the actions.

What are some examples of Palin's that you can give? If you are unable to give more than 2 or 3 when she was on the city council for 4 years, was mayor for 6 years and governor for another couple...well, quite frankly, you're a "homer" and you opinion isn't really valid.

It'd be akin to asking Patriots fans if they will still win the Super Bowl with Brady out for the year. I can guarantee you that 40-50% of them will say yes no matter what.

 

[sierrita]

Originally posted by: Jaskalas

Originally posted by: Moonbeam
It really matters little who SP is. She is not qualified to be President. She is a nobody from Nome.

Fact that you think a Senator trumps Governor for experience is disgusting. Then again, I never did take kindly to you, maybe it?s to be expected.

Please.

Be honest with yourself for a moment. Do you think this is some sort of game?

Do you really believe that simply because she is a governor that she is automatically more qualified than any U.S. Senator?

 

[Apple Of Sodom]

Originally posted by: Moonbeam
It really matters little who SP is. She is not qualified to be President. She is a nobody from Nome.

McCain is 71 I think and could die any day. It was a profound example of egotistical judgment to put her on the ticket. The American people did not have any opportunity to vet her or to even know who she is. That was a profoundly irresponsible thing for McCain to do.

It doesn't matter if she can come up to speed, the point is that she may have to and may fail. She is nothing more or less than a pig, with lipstick, in a poke.

She was chosen not because she has known qualifications to be the next President, but because the party decided she could help win the election, and fuck America if McCain dies.

Who gives a shit about the country, so long as you win. The Republican party again shows us again that they are swine.

If you had just landed from Mars and were rational and caring, would you vote for Biden or Palin? Only fools with partisan blinders can't see this.

A nobody from Nome? First, Wasilla. Second, why does it matter where she is from? Third, she may be a nobody to you, but certainly not to the largest state in the USA. Obama lived in relative obscurity until he ran for president. After all, he was just another senator and community organizer no one cared about.

See how that works? Why can't we keep vitriol out of it. Why not take this opportunity to ask questions. Ask me why I feel a sports complex in Wasilla would have been a good idea. Ask why the bridge was even considered a good idea at all. Ask me why she sold the jet, and who bought it in the first place. Ask me how she changed Alaska and the changes I've personally experienced.

Do this instead of insulting her.

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: sierrita

Originally posted by: Jaskalas

Originally posted by: Moonbeam
It really matters little who SP is. She is not qualified to be President. She is a nobody from Nome.

Fact that you think a Senator trumps Governor for experience is disgusting. Then again, I never did take kindly to you, maybe it?s to be expected.

Please.

Be honest with yourself for a moment. Do you think this is some sort of game?

Do you really believe that simply because she is a governor that she is automatically more qualified than any U.S. Senator?

Bush was a first-term governor and he was more than qualified.

 

[OrByte]

Originally posted by: RightIsWrong
Again, you dismiss her actions as something positive. You state that you don't agree with them but it was the right thing to do.

I find that to be very skeptical.

I'll give you and example of what I am looking for and would appreciate something from you in return in case I am just not communicating my thoughts clearly.

I support Obama in the upcoming election for a number of reasons. One thing that I will never say that I believe he did well on is his caving/flip-flopping on the telecom amnesty in the FISA bill. He did it for political reasons only and did it against the best interests of American citizens. I even wrote his office a letter stating as much.

See, clear example of a position of his I disagree with and I feel a very valid criticism of without making any excuses for him or dismissing the actions.

What are some examples of Palin's that you can give? If you are unable to give more than 2 or 3 when she was on the city council for 4 years, was mayor for 6 years and governor for another couple...well, quite frankly, you're a "homer" and you opinion isn't really valid.

It'd be akin to asking Patriots fans if they will still win the Super Bowl with Brady out for the year. I can guarantee you that 40-50% of them will say yes no matter what.

I will see your disagreement over Obama on the FISA issue and raise you a disagreement!

I disagree with him on gay-marriage. he doesn't support bans against gay marriage, but he does believe that marriage should be between a man and a woman only, and I don't agree with him on that.

There thats 2 things!!!

 

[dainthomas]

Originally posted by: Apple Of Sodom
Umm...this is really from me. That is an odd question.

I rarely post, clearly from my count. I've been reading the news, and am not into politics. But I keep hearing the same stuff, and the same misunderstandings and was hoping to enlighten.

The lady who makes my coffee every morning is really nice, sincere, hard-working, and seems to have a lot of common sense. Everyone I know really likes her and we think she runs a great business.

I will not be voting for her for vice president either.

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: Apple Of Sodom
Third, she may be a nobody to you, but certainly not to the 47th least populous state in the USA.

Fixed.

Although Alaska does rank #1 in earmark dollars per capita. Ever after Palin rejected the bridge (after she accepted it) and cut a little earmark spending.

 

[OrByte]

Originally posted by: sierrita

Originally posted by: Jaskalas

Originally posted by: Moonbeam
It really matters little who SP is. She is not qualified to be President. She is a nobody from Nome.

Fact that you think a Senator trumps Governor for experience is disgusting. Then again, I never did take kindly to you, maybe it?s to be expected.

Please.

Be honest with yourself for a moment. Do you think this is some sort of game?

Do you really believe that simply because she is a governor that she is automatically more qualified than any U.S. Senator?

Being a governor doesnt automatically make you competent at governing. Gray Davis was governor of Cali, he was recalled. Cali got Arnold Schwartzenegger...alot of people don't think he is very competent. Looking at the current budget crisis in Cali and you might begin to understand why. Arnold can't get the legislature to do anything and his office is basically helpless.

Jesse ventura was governor of Minnesota...does that make him compent enough to be President?

I am sure there are many more examples.

 

[Druidx]

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: RightIsWrong
Thanks for your insight. I am extremely leery however to take your post seriously because of a lesson I learned a long time ago that has been proven right over and over again...

Never trust someone that is unable to see the negatives.

You dismissed everything that she has done and supported her on every single issue. That to me screams and opinion that is blindly loyal and untrustworthy.

:thumbsup:

Funny I don't see either of you doing anything different when it comes to Obama.

 

[Apple Of Sodom]

Originally posted by: OneOfTheseDays
I think personal attacks against this woman by the left are silly (yes I have said some things on here but all in good fun). I don't actually believe she is a bad mother or even a bad person for that matter.

My issue comes down to experience and qualifications. I do not believe being governor of Alaska, perhaps the least relevant state in our nation as far as mainstream America goes, is a good prerequisite for the 2nd highest position in the country. I don't think a woman who has barely visited anywhere else on the globe is going to be able to understand the nuances of foreign politics. Let me be clear, I don't want someone like Bush running this country for the next 4 years. I don't want someone who takes complex foreign matters and turns them into trivial black and white issues. I don't want my leaders to be just like me. I want them to be smarter than me, have more experience than me, have better judgment than me. That's the difference in this election.

With Obama and Biden I know I have two guys that more than meet the prerequisites for running this country. With McCain and Palin I don't have that same feeling.

Please explain why Alaska is the least relevant state? I would argue that Alaska is, at the least, the most complex state. We provide a large amount of oil to this country and others. We are geographically diverse with more subgroups of people and cultures than I'm sure any other state has.

Why is travelling abroad so noble? I've been more places than I care to count, from Europe to Aruba to Japan, and I have very little grasp on foreign policy.

Just because you visited the physicians office doesn't make you a doctor.

To say Alaska is the least relevant state shows true ignorance. Just because we have a small demographic doesn't make us irrelevant. It doesn't make us less important. It makes us different.

How about we base state relevancy on something other than population. How about number of indigenous tribes? How about amount of oil produced? How about tough issues to deal with, like teen pregnancy rates or meth addiction?

Just because we are small in numbers doesn't make the state simple. I would argue that our geographical sparseness and diversity, paired with the weird people that migrate up here (you have to be weird to want to live here!) and the lucrative University system, super-computing centers, oil fields, fishing industry, and any number of other things make us a very hard state to govern.

 

[OneOfTheseDays]

I would have no problem with Palin and this bridge to nowhere and Jet nonsense if she wasn't touting them both as huge accomplishments of hers. She's setting herself up for all the criticism that comes here way and has nobody to blame but herself.

 

[Pens1566]

Originally posted by: Apple Of Sodom

Originally posted by: jonks
I appreciate the time you took with your post. Please stick around.

However, I don't believe you have more authority on the matter of setting straight certain criticisms than independent fact checkers just because you live in Alaska. You make a lot of assertions and normative judgments about her decisions and seem to ignore her spin on certain issues, specifically the Bridge, which if you listened to her convention speech you'd think she was against from the beginning and would never have had anything to do with such a waste of funds. She certainly didn't say "thanks but no thanks" before the controversy arose.

You may find the issue silly, but correcting the evolution of her true position is important, since the convention was the first time most people had ever heard her speak. She tried to come off as an anti-lobbyist/anti-washington/anti-earmark pol, and as we have since learned, that's not the case. I don't condemn her taking the funds, but introducing yourself to the country and claiming you never wanted the money is dishonest.

Now I'm a democrat and am predisposed against McCain/Palin, so you can ignore my comments if you like. I don't think Paliln is crooked, but the campaign is clearly trying to present her in the best possible light, and we have a right to ask questions about her background to find out how she really felt about certain issues without being accused of digging for dirt, as opposed to digging for facts.

I completely understand. However, I don't think Sarah turned the money away because it became unpopular with her constiuents. I believe she was one of the people that started seeing this spiral and put an end to it at the same time as her constiuents started saying "What the hell?" Coincidence? Not really. She really is one of us and started feeling the same way about the bridge.

I know there is a spin. I think seeing through the spin is important. Now that we have gotten down to it, and we know what really happened, is it still acceptable? Yes. She accepted the money to begin with, and yes it was for a specific thing, but in the end she felt it was a terrible idea.

I am not more of an authority than independent fact checkers. But I have more understanding of how things work up here than those fact checkers and can mitigate some of her actions, such as attending the 5 universities. I can say "Hey, this is actually very normal." I can say "Yes, she spent a lot of money on travel. It is because I've flown here and it costs $3000 to get to some of these places she has to travel to." I can also give some sort of context. Our last governer spent over 5 times what she spent on travel, and purchased a private jet.

I can say that I've been to Wasilla and can see that it is becoming a very nice city, thanks to her.

Other than the bridge, can anyone name an earmark she supported at one point?

Uh, she actually kept the money ....

 

[JS80]

Originally posted by: JD50

Originally posted by: jpeyton
Here is a better letter from a Wasilla resident:

I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Gov. Sarah Palin 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 percent 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 for vice president 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 lifestyle 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 two 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 six years as mayor, she increased general government expenditures by more than 33 percent. During those same six years, the amount of taxes collected by the city increased by 38 percent. 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 benefitted large corporate property owners way more than they benefited residents.

The huge increases in tax revenue 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 more than $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. $1 million for a park. $15 million-plus for construction of a multi-use sports complex, which she rushed through, on a piece of property that the city didn't even have clear title to. That was still in litigation seven years 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 $5.5 million for road projects that could have been done in five to seven years 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 Sarah 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 revenue: 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.

Sarah complained about the "old boy's club" when she first ran for mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of "old boys." Palin fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the city and as governor, she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people, creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally grateful and fiercely loyal ? loyal to the point of abusing their power to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the case of pressuring the state's top cop.

As mayor, Sarah fired Wasilla's police chief because he "intimidated" her, she told the press. As governor, her recent firing of Alaska's top cop has the ring of familiarity about it. He served at her pleasure and she had every legal right to fire him, but it's pretty clear that an important factor in her decision to fire him was because he wouldn't fire her sister's ex-husband, a state trooper. Under investigation for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than two dozen contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew her support.

She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in help. The City Council person who personally escorted her around town, introducing her to voters when she first ran for Wasilla City Council became one of her first targets when she was later elected mayor. She abruptly fired her loyal city administrator; even people who didn't like the guy were stunned by this ruthlessness.

Fear of retribution has kept all of these people from saying anything publicly about her.

When then-Gov. Frank Murkowski was handing out political plums, Sarah got the best, chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission ? one of the few jobs not in Juneau and one of the best paid. She had no background in oil and gas issues. Within months of scoring this great job, which paid $122,400 a year, she was complaining in the press about the high salary. I was told that she hated that job: the commute, the structured hours, the work. Sarah became aware that a member of this commission (who was also the state chair of the Republican Party) engaged in unethical behavior on the job. In a gutsy move which some undoubtedly cautioned her could be political suicide, Sarah solved all her problems in one fell swoop: got out of the job she hated and garnered gobs of media attention as the patron saint of ethics and as a gutsy fighter against the "old boys' club," when she dramatically quit, exposing this man's ethics violations (for which he was fined).

As mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from Sen. Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the "bridge to nowhere" after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.

As governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative action restored most of these projects ? which had been vetoed simply because she was not aware of their importance ? but with the unobservant she had gained a reputation as "anti-pork."

She is solidly Republican: no political maverick. The state party leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated them. Other members of the party object to her self-description as a fiscal conservative.

Around Wasilla, there are people who went to high school with Sarah. They call her "Sarah Barracuda" because of her unbridled ambition and predatory ruthlessness. Before she became so powerful, very ugly stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made point guard on the high school basketball team. When Sarah's mother-in-law, a highly respected member of the community and experienced manager, ran for mayor, Sarah refused to endorse her.

As governor, she stepped outside of the box and put together of package of legislation known as "AGIA" that forced the oil companies to march to the beat of her drum.

Like most Alaskans, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to global warming. She campaigned "as a private citizen" against a state initiaitive that would have either protected salmon streams from pollution from mines or tied up in the courts all mining in the state (depending on whom you listen to). She has pushed the state's lawsuit against the Department of the Interior's decision to list polar bears as a threatened species.

McCain is the oldest person to ever run for president; Sarah will be a heartbeat away from being president.

There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more knowledgeable and experienced than she.

However, there are a lot of people who have underestimated her and are regretting it.
Claim vs. Fact

* "Hockey mom": True for a few years
* "PTA mom": True years ago when her first-born was in elementary school, not since
* "NRA supporter": Absolutely true
* Social conservative: mixed. Opposes gay marriage, but vetoed a bill that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships (said she did this because it was unconsitutional).
* Pro-creationism: Mixed. Supports it, but did nothing as governor to promote it.
* "Pro-life": Mixed. Knowingly gave birth to a Down's syndrome baby but declined to call a special legislative session on some pro-life legislation.
* "Experienced": Some high schools have more students than Wasilla has residents. Many cities have more residents than the state of Alaska. No legislative experience other than City Council. Little hands-on supervisory or managerial experience; needed help of a city administrator to run town of about 5,000.
* Political maverick: Not at all.
* Gutsy: Absolutely!
* Open and transparent: ??? Good at keeping secrets. Not good at explaining actions.
* Has a developed philosophy of public policy: No.
* "A Greenie": No. Turned Wasilla into a wasteland of big box stores and disconnected parking lots. Is pro-drilling off-shore and in ANWR.
* Fiscal conservative: Not by my definition!
* Pro-infrastructure: No. Promoted a sports complex and park in a city without a sewage treatment plant or storm drainage system. Built streets to early 20th century standards.
* Pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on residents
* Pro-small government: No. Oversaw greatest expansion of city government in Wasilla's history.
* Pro-labor/pro-union: No. Just because her husband works union doesn't make her pro-labor. I have seen nothing to support any claim that she is pro-labor/pro-union.

Why am I writing this?

First, I have long believed in the importance of being an informed voter. I am a voter registrar. For 10 years I put on student voting programs in the schools. If you google my name, you will find references to my participation in local government, education, and PTA/parent organizations.

Secondly, I've always operated in the belief that "bad things happen when good people stay silent." Few people know as much as I do because few have gone to as many City Council meetings.

Third, I am just a housewife. I don't have a job she can bump me out of. I don't belong to any organization that she can hurt. But I am no fool; she is immensely popular here, and it is likely that this will cost me somehow in the future: that's life.

Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100 or so people who rallied to support the city librarian against Sarah's attempt at censorship.

Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to say anything because they were somehow vulnerable.

Caveats: I am not a statistician. I developed the numbers for the increase in spending and taxation two years ago (when Palin was running for governor) from information supplied to me by the finance director of the City of Wasilla, and I can't recall exactly what I adjusted for: Did I adjust for inflation? For population increases? Right now, it is impossible for a private person to get any info out of City Hall ? they are swamped. So I can't verify my numbers.

You may have noticed that there are various numbers circulating for the population of Wasilla, ranging from my "about 5,000" up to 9,000. The day Palin's selection was announced, a city official told me that the current population is about 7,000. The official 2000 census count was 5,460. I have used about 5,000 because Palin was Mayor from 1996 to 2002, and the city was growing rapidly in the mid-1990s.

Anne Kilkenny

Originally posted by: ProfJohn

Originally posted by: OrByte
SO, is this really from you or is this an email you got?

seriously I'm curious.

I tried to google a few lines and got nothing.

With all the other chain letters around this place I was thinking the same thing.

And in comes Jpeyton, right one cue. Just google the first sentence.

why do i have a feeling some lib wrote that for her and slapped her name on it

 

[RightIsWrong]

Originally posted by: Apple Of Sodom

A nobody from Nome? First, Wasilla. Second, why does it matter where she is from? Third, she may be a nobody to you, but certainly not to the largest state in the USA. Obama lived in relative obscurity until he ran for president. After all, he was just another senator and community organizer no one cared about.

See how that works? Why can't we keep vitriol out of it. Why not take this opportunity to ask questions. Ask me why I feel a sports complex in Wasilla would have been a good idea. Ask why the bridge was even considered a good idea at all. Ask me why she sold the jet, and who bought it in the first place. Ask me how she changed Alaska and the changes I've personally experienced.

Do this instead of insulting her.

See. You did it again. You ran to her defense. You are completely partisan and loyal to her. Your opinion cannot be trusted as anything more than someone vehemently campaigning for her.

The sports complex was a major blunder according to all indications. It set the town (with a tax base of 6-9k into millions of dollars of debt every single year for the next few decades.

No one said that "a" bridge wouldn't be a good idea. We are saying that at $350M dollar bridge is a horrible idea. Bridges can be built a hell of a lot cheaper than that. The only reason she said no to that one was because it was political suicide to not change. Stevens didn't bother changing because he already knew that his corpse could win re-election in Alaska (and it has the last couple).

The jet issue might have some merits. But it could also be spun that she had no idea that it was being used for other purposes (prisoner transport) and also had no intentions of visiting the outlying areas of Alaska that are accessible by plane only.

Very few people have insulted her outside the lunatic fringe on the far left. Criticizing her policies, decisions and her actions are completely valid and should have been done by McCain's vetting team before he picked her because he knew he would have forced half the Republican party to stay at home in November if he had gotten his true wish and picked Lieberman.

He was too stupid to do it so the rest of the country and the press are tasked with it.

 

[Corbett]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
Here is a better letter from a Wasilla resident:

I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Gov. Sarah Palin 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 percent 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 for vice president 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 lifestyle 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 two 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 six years as mayor, she increased general government expenditures by more than 33 percent. During those same six years, the amount of taxes collected by the city increased by 38 percent. 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 benefitted large corporate property owners way more than they benefited residents.

The huge increases in tax revenue 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 more than $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. $1 million for a park. $15 million-plus for construction of a multi-use sports complex, which she rushed through, on a piece of property that the city didn't even have clear title to. That was still in litigation seven years 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 $5.5 million for road projects that could have been done in five to seven years 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 Sarah 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 revenue: 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.

Sarah complained about the "old boy's club" when she first ran for mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of "old boys." Palin fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the city and as governor, she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people, creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally grateful and fiercely loyal ? loyal to the point of abusing their power to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the case of pressuring the state's top cop.

As mayor, Sarah fired Wasilla's police chief because he "intimidated" her, she told the press. As governor, her recent firing of Alaska's top cop has the ring of familiarity about it. He served at her pleasure and she had every legal right to fire him, but it's pretty clear that an important factor in her decision to fire him was because he wouldn't fire her sister's ex-husband, a state trooper. Under investigation for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than two dozen contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew her support.

She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in help. The City Council person who personally escorted her around town, introducing her to voters when she first ran for Wasilla City Council became one of her first targets when she was later elected mayor. She abruptly fired her loyal city administrator; even people who didn't like the guy were stunned by this ruthlessness.

Fear of retribution has kept all of these people from saying anything publicly about her.

When then-Gov. Frank Murkowski was handing out political plums, Sarah got the best, chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission ? one of the few jobs not in Juneau and one of the best paid. She had no background in oil and gas issues. Within months of scoring this great job, which paid $122,400 a year, she was complaining in the press about the high salary. I was told that she hated that job: the commute, the structured hours, the work. Sarah became aware that a member of this commission (who was also the state chair of the Republican Party) engaged in unethical behavior on the job. In a gutsy move which some undoubtedly cautioned her could be political suicide, Sarah solved all her problems in one fell swoop: got out of the job she hated and garnered gobs of media attention as the patron saint of ethics and as a gutsy fighter against the "old boys' club," when she dramatically quit, exposing this man's ethics violations (for which he was fined).

As mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from Sen. Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the "bridge to nowhere" after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.

As governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative action restored most of these projects ? which had been vetoed simply because she was not aware of their importance ? but with the unobservant she had gained a reputation as "anti-pork."

She is solidly Republican: no political maverick. The state party leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated them. Other members of the party object to her self-description as a fiscal conservative.

Around Wasilla, there are people who went to high school with Sarah. They call her "Sarah Barracuda" because of her unbridled ambition and predatory ruthlessness. Before she became so powerful, very ugly stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made point guard on the high school basketball team. When Sarah's mother-in-law, a highly respected member of the community and experienced manager, ran for mayor, Sarah refused to endorse her.

As governor, she stepped outside of the box and put together of package of legislation known as "AGIA" that forced the oil companies to march to the beat of her drum.

Like most Alaskans, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to global warming. She campaigned "as a private citizen" against a state initiaitive that would have either protected salmon streams from pollution from mines or tied up in the courts all mining in the state (depending on whom you listen to). She has pushed the state's lawsuit against the Department of the Interior's decision to list polar bears as a threatened species.

McCain is the oldest person to ever run for president; Sarah will be a heartbeat away from being president.

There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more knowledgeable and experienced than she.

However, there are a lot of people who have underestimated her and are regretting it.
Claim vs. Fact

* "Hockey mom": True for a few years
* "PTA mom": True years ago when her first-born was in elementary school, not since
* "NRA supporter": Absolutely true
* Social conservative: mixed. Opposes gay marriage, but vetoed a bill that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships (said she did this because it was unconsitutional).
* Pro-creationism: Mixed. Supports it, but did nothing as governor to promote it.
* "Pro-life": Mixed. Knowingly gave birth to a Down's syndrome baby but declined to call a special legislative session on some pro-life legislation.
* "Experienced": Some high schools have more students than Wasilla has residents. Many cities have more residents than the state of Alaska. No legislative experience other than City Council. Little hands-on supervisory or managerial experience; needed help of a city administrator to run town of about 5,000.
* Political maverick: Not at all.
* Gutsy: Absolutely!
* Open and transparent: ??? Good at keeping secrets. Not good at explaining actions.
* Has a developed philosophy of public policy: No.
* "A Greenie": No. Turned Wasilla into a wasteland of big box stores and disconnected parking lots. Is pro-drilling off-shore and in ANWR.
* Fiscal conservative: Not by my definition!
* Pro-infrastructure: No. Promoted a sports complex and park in a city without a sewage treatment plant or storm drainage system. Built streets to early 20th century standards.
* Pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on residents
* Pro-small government: No. Oversaw greatest expansion of city government in Wasilla's history.
* Pro-labor/pro-union: No. Just because her husband works union doesn't make her pro-labor. I have seen nothing to support any claim that she is pro-labor/pro-union.

Why am I writing this?

First, I have long believed in the importance of being an informed voter. I am a voter registrar. For 10 years I put on student voting programs in the schools. If you google my name, you will find references to my participation in local government, education, and PTA/parent organizations.

Secondly, I've always operated in the belief that "bad things happen when good people stay silent." Few people know as much as I do because few have gone to as many City Council meetings.

Third, I am just a housewife. I don't have a job she can bump me out of. I don't belong to any organization that she can hurt. But I am no fool; she is immensely popular here, and it is likely that this will cost me somehow in the future: that's life.

Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100 or so people who rallied to support the city librarian against Sarah's attempt at censorship.

Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to say anything because they were somehow vulnerable.

Caveats: I am not a statistician. I developed the numbers for the increase in spending and taxation two years ago (when Palin was running for governor) from information supplied to me by the finance director of the City of Wasilla, and I can't recall exactly what I adjusted for: Did I adjust for inflation? For population increases? Right now, it is impossible for a private person to get any info out of City Hall ? they are swamped. So I can't verify my numbers.

You may have noticed that there are various numbers circulating for the population of Wasilla, ranging from my "about 5,000" up to 9,000. The day Palin's selection was announced, a city official told me that the current population is about 7,000. The official 2000 census count was 5,460. I have used about 5,000 because Palin was Mayor from 1996 to 2002, and the city was growing rapidly in the mid-1990s.

Anne Kilkenny

And like clockwork, jpeyton ignore's the fact that Palin has an 85% approval rating in her home state and finds one of the few people who obviously don't like her.

 

[RightIsWrong]

Originally posted by: Druidx

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: RightIsWrong
Thanks for your insight. I am extremely leery however to take your post seriously because of a lesson I learned a long time ago that has been proven right over and over again...

Never trust someone that is unable to see the negatives.

You dismissed everything that she has done and supported her on every single issue. That to me screams and opinion that is blindly loyal and untrustworthy.

:thumbsup:

Funny I don't see either of you doing anything different when it comes to Obama.

Apparently you don't read my posts too frequently and you didn't look 4-5 posts up either.

 

[JS80]

Originally posted by: RightIsWrong
Thanks for your insight. I am extremely leery however to take your post seriously because of a lesson I learned a long time ago that has been proven right over and over again...

Never trust someone that is unable to see the negatives.

You dismissed everything that she has done and supported her on every single issue. That to me screams and opinion that is blindly loyal and untrustworthy.

yea, along with 80%+ of alaskans lol :roll:

 

[QED]

The new mantra of the anti-Palin brigade:

"We need to hear more about Palin and what she did in Alaska-- her policies and her actions!

(But only if it is negative, dismissive, or written by someone with an ax to grind)".

 

[sierrita]

Originally posted by: Corbett

Originally posted by: OrByte
SO, is this really from you or is this an email you got?

seriously I'm curious.

Even if it were from an email, would it make it any less valid?

No, nothing could make this less valid. It is crapaganda at its stinkiest.

 

[Apple Of Sodom]

Originally posted by: RightIsWrong

Again, you dismiss her actions as something positive. You state that you don't agree with them but it was the right thing to do.

I find that to be very skeptical.

I'll give you and example of what I am looking for and would appreciate something from you in return in case I am just not communicating my thoughts clearly.

I support Obama in the upcoming election for a number of reasons. One thing that I will never say that I believe he did well on is his caving/flip-flopping on the telecom amnesty in the FISA bill. He did it for political reasons only and did it against the best interests of American citizens. I even wrote his office a letter stating as much.

See, clear example of a position of his I disagree with and I feel a very valid criticism of without making any excuses for him or dismissing the actions.

What are some examples of Palin's that you can give? If you are unable to give more than 2 or 3 when she was on the city council for 4 years, was mayor for 6 years and governor for another couple...well, quite frankly, you're a "homer" and you opinion isn't really valid.

It'd be akin to asking Patriots fans if they will still win the Super Bowl with Brady out for the year. I can guarantee you that 40-50% of them will say yes no matter what.

One of the things I am unsure about is taking her daughter to NY and staying in a $700/night hotel for a convention. I understand it is allowed, but am not convinced it was ethical.

Appointing a former oil company lobbyist to oversea the company they lobbied for (with regards to the oil pipeline.) However, I don't know full details on this.

Making a cabinet position and filling it with a friend. However, is said friend was qualified, I see no real issues. It may have been bad judgement.

Saying she is anti-lobby when she has had lobbyists. Speaking from both sides of her mouth on that issue. There is nothing wrong with having lobbyists and I see no reason for her to spin that.

Flying her family to and from Juneau. I understand she needs to see them, but I don't necessarily think they needed to visit the capitol with her.

She isn't perfect. That is not really what this is about. People are bringing up the "big issues" and I am trying to impart some understanding on those big issues.

I am certainly not a "homer." I didn't even vote for her as governer (I actually didn't vote at all) and I didn't go see her yesterday, even when she was in my home town only 15 miles from my house.

I'm simply tired of people saying ridiculous things about her when they have no understanding. She went to five universities! Ok, if she did, so what? That is common in Alaska.

And could someone please, please tell me why it is so important to travel abroad? Travelling somewhere doesn't make you an expert on foreign policy. More can be learned from reading the CIA world fact book than actually visiting somewhere.

 

[JD50]

Originally posted by: sierrita

Originally posted by: Corbett

Originally posted by: OrByte
SO, is this really from you or is this an email you got?

seriously I'm curious.

Even if it were from an email, would it make it any less valid?

No, nothing could make this less valid. It is crapaganda at its stinkiest.

Didn't you just call someone out for trolling in another thread?

 

[OrByte]

Originally posted by: QED
The new mantra of the anti-Palin brigade:

"We need to hear more about Palin and what she did in Alaska-- her policies and her actions!

(But only if it is negative, dismissive, or written by someone with an ax to grind)".

Actually, I think its more like we need to hear anything from Palin, about Palin, and about her policies and her actions. PERIOD.

because for almost 2 weeks now we haven't heard at all from her...and the media has tortured us with sh!tty news reporting day in and day out.

Not everyone that has taken sides in this thing believes in the hype. I am willing to wager that those indy/moderate voters haven't bought into the hype coming from BOTH sides. After the dust has settled, she still has to show us some semblence of substance. She can't just claim she is a reformer and she is anti-washington and she can't just claim that her and McCain are good for America. Although, that seems to be what McCain and his supporters want to do.

She hasn't taken a reporters question or a VOTERS question in almost 2 weeks!!!! DUDE!!!!