AP INVESTIGATION: Alaska funded Palin kids' travel

techs

Lifer
Sep 26, 2000
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200...pr/palin_family_travel

Associated Press:

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.

Alaska law does not specifically address expenses for a governor's children. The law allows for payment of expenses for anyone conducting official state business.


As governor, Palin justified having the state pay for the travel of her daughters ? Bristol, 17; Willow, 14; and Piper, 7 ? by noting on travel forms that the girls had been invited to attend or participate in events on the governor's schedule.

But some organizers of these events said they were surprised when the Palin children showed up uninvited, or said they agreed to a request by the governor to allow the children to attend.

Several other organizers said the children merely accompanied their mother and did not participate. The trips enabled Palin, whose main state office is in the capital of Juneau, to spend more time with her children.

"She said any event she can take her kids to is an event she tries to attend," said Jennifer McCarthy, who helped organize the June 2007 Family Day Celebration picnic in Ketchikan that Piper attended with her parents.

State Finance Director Kim Garnero told The Associated Press she has not reviewed the Palins' travel expense forms, so she could not say whether the daughters' travel with their mother would meet the definition of official business.



I wonder how Caribou Barbie is going to spin this one? Seems between this and Troopergate she should be dropped by Gramps McCain. Except its too late in the campaign.
As to her, and FoxNews's "explanations" (tune in) we have a saying here in the anti-American parts of the country:
"If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, its a duck"

 

DealMonkey

Lifer
Nov 25, 2001
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I think the truly Maverick-y thing to do would have been to simply hire a baby-sitter. That would certainly save the taxpayers some cash ... not that Alaska citizens pay state taxes. Or even better, leave them with Todd. He's basically employed part-time at best. Why can't he watch them?
 

techs

Lifer
Sep 26, 2000
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Originally posted by: Ballatician
I knew this would already be posted here, I'm actually surprised it took you so long. :)
I'm surprised you're surprised:D
 

techs

Lifer
Sep 26, 2000
28,561
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Originally posted by: Ballatician
Maybe I'm just bitter you beat me to it.

Don't feel blue. After all its Caribou Barbie. There will be plenty more of these revelations to come. You can have the next one.

 

nageov3t

Lifer
Feb 18, 2004
42,816
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Originally posted by: Ballatician
I knew this would already be posted here, I'm actually surprised it took you so long. :)

I'm like positive that an identical story was posted ages ago.
 

techs

Lifer
Sep 26, 2000
28,561
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Originally posted by: loki8481
Originally posted by: Ballatician
I knew this would already be posted here, I'm actually surprised it took you so long. :)

I'm like positive that an identical story was posted ages ago.

Can't keep your Caribou Barbie scandals straight?
 

conehead433

Diamond Member
Dec 4, 2002
5,566
890
126
I don't see how anyone could want this woman to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency. She did give McCain a surge of sorts after being picked as his VP choice, but after much more is known about her McCain has already lost any chance of being elected.
 

techs

Lifer
Sep 26, 2000
28,561
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Originally posted by: UberNeuman
Hey, quit picking on her kids, Chipper, Clipper and Rake!

You mean Dewey, Cheatem and Howe?

Sarah Palin on the scandal:
"I can be in jail and still be in charge of the Senate, so what's the big deal?"

I think we just bought another week of Tina Fey on SNL
 

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
70,150
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Originally posted by: techs
Originally posted by: loki8481
Originally posted by: Ballatician
I knew this would already be posted here, I'm actually surprised it took you so long. :)

I'm like positive that an identical story was posted ages ago.

Can't keep your Caribou Barbie scandals straight?
I cna't really but I think it was posted some time ago although we were all caught up in the whirlwind. Now it's time for another look at them.

Palin = fail

 

techs

Lifer
Sep 26, 2000
28,561
4
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Originally posted by: conehead433
I don't see how anyone could want this woman to be a heartbeat away from the Presidency. She did give McCain a surge of sorts after being picked as his VP choice, but after much more is known about her McCain has already lost any chance of being elected.

And just like a surge in your pants, you wake up the next day and you ask yourself, what was I thinking?
 

DealMonkey

Lifer
Nov 25, 2001
13,136
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Well, she also charged the state $17,000 per diem charges for 312 nights spent in her Wasila home in 2006 so this shouldn't surprise anyone. I wonder what the IRS thinks about all of this unreported income? $43,490 over a 20-month period for family travel including tickets for her children?
 

techs

Lifer
Sep 26, 2000
28,561
4
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Originally posted by: Skoorb
Originally posted by: techs
Originally posted by: loki8481
Originally posted by: Ballatician
I knew this would already be posted here, I'm actually surprised it took you so long. :)

I'm like positive that an identical story was posted ages ago.

Can't keep your Caribou Barbie scandals straight?
I cna't really but I think it was posted some time ago although we were all caught up in the whirlwind. Now it's time for another look at them.

Palin = fail

It may be there were some rumors or partial info, but this was just posted by the AP (at least it looks like it) and better yet on the Yahoo homepage under the news stories.

I guess you can't hide from the gotcha liberal media, can ya Sarah?
 

heyheybooboo

Diamond Member
Jun 29, 2007
6,278
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Originally posted by: DealMonkey
Well, she also charged the state $17,000 per diem charges for 312 nights spent in her Wasila home in 2006 so this shouldn't surprise anyone. I wonder what the IRS thinks about all of this unreported income? $43,490 over a 20-month period for family travel including tickets for her children?

Shirley this was reported to the IRS


(and I'll stop calling you Shirley :p )
 

Ballatician

Golden Member
Dec 6, 2007
1,985
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I'm tired of having to listen to her on the news but this is a relatively minor point compared to everything else going against her and her ticket. Seems like more unethical decisions without breaking the law.
 

DealMonkey

Lifer
Nov 25, 2001
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I found this particularly interesting:

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.

... snip ...

On Aug. 6, three weeks before Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain chose Palin his running mate, and after Alaska reporters asked for the records, Palin ordered changes to previously filed expense reports for her daughters' travel.

Source: Link

Interesting that she went back and changed it after the fact. Hmmm... But seriously, what "official business" could these kids be on? I can't imagine one.

And then this:

State Finance Director Kim Garnero told The Associated Press she has not reviewed the Palins' travel expense forms, so she could not say whether the daughters' travel with their mother would meet the definition of official business.

Why doesn't anyone review official travel expense forms? That seems like a no-brainer. Even corporations do so. Isn't that Kim's job?

Reviewing some of the specifics of her amended reports (at the source above), it appears Palin just generated bogus reasons for her kids to be with her.

For example:

In July, the governor charged the state $2,741.26 to take Bristol and Piper to Philadelphia for a meeting of the National Governors Association. The girls had their own room for five nights at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel for $215.46 a night, expense records show.

Expense forms describe the girls' official purpose as "NGA Governor's Youth Programs and family activities." But those programs were activities designed to keep children busy, a service provided by the NGA to accommodate governors and their families, NGA spokeswoman Jodi Omear said.

 

Engineer

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
39,234
701
126
Originally posted by: cKGunslinger
Meh - I don't like the lady, but I can't really get riled up over this.

If you were "Joe the plumber" and one of your employees did this, you would be leaking at the seams! :D

Edit: Future employees, damnit. Future employees.
 

DealMonkey

Lifer
Nov 25, 2001
13,136
1
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See if you can spot the problem with this item from her expense report:

In February 2007, the three girls flew from Juneau to Anchorage on Alaska Airlines. Palin charged the state for the $519.30 round-trip ticket for each girl, and noted on the expense form that the daughters accompanied her to "open the start of the Iron Dog race."

The children and their mother then watched as Todd Palin and other racers started the competition, which Todd won that year. Palin later had the relevant expense forms changed to describe the girls' business as "First Family official starter for the start of the Iron Dog race."

Correct answers are worth +1 point.