Double standards – no tax cuts for the poor and middle class workers – no that’s ‘socialist’ – but Palin paid for flights and luxury hotel stays for her children all at tax payers expense.
In this Feb. 11, 2007 file photo, Todd Palin, husband of Republican vice president candidate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, right, holds their daughter Piper, as the Gov. Palin talks, left, before the start of the Iron Dog snowmachine race in Big Lake, Alaska. Palin charged the state for her children to travel with her, including to events where they were not invited, and later amended expense reports that justified their presence as official business. (AP Photo/Al Grillo, File)
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.
[…….]
The organizer of an American Heart Association luncheon on Feb. 15 in Fairbanks said Palin asked to bring daughter Piper to the event, and the organizer said she was surprised when Palin showed up with daughters Willow and Bristol as well.
The three Palin daughters shared a room separate from their mother at the Princess Lodge in Fairbanks for two nights, at a cost to the state of $129 per night.
The luncheon took place before Palin’s husband, Todd, finished fourth in the 2,000-mile Iron Dog snowmobile race, also in Fairbanks. The family greeted him at the finish line.
When Palin showed up at the luncheon with not just Piper but also Willow and Bristol, organizers had to scramble to make room at the main table, said Janet Bartels, who set up the event.
“When it’s the governor, you just make it happen,” she said.
The state is already reviewing nearly $17,000 in per diem payments to Palin for more than 300 nights she slept at her own home, 40 miles from her satellite office in Anchorage.
Tony Knowles, a Democratic former governor of Alaska who lost to Palin in a 2006 bid to reclaim the job, said he never charged the state for his three children’s commercial flights or claimed their travel as official state business.
Knowles, who was governor from 1994 to 2002, is the only other recent Alaska governor who had school-age children while in office.
“There was no valid reason for the children to be along on state business,” said Knowles, a supporter of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. “I cannot recall any instance during my eight years as governor where it would have been appropriate to claim they performed state business.”
Knowles said he brought his children to one NGA event while in office but didn’t charge the state for their trip.
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.”
The Palins began charging the state for commercial flights after the governor kept a 2006 campaign promise to sell a jet bought by her predecessor.
Palin put the jet up for sale on eBay, a move she later trumpeted in her star-making speech at the Republican National Convention, and it was ultimately sold by the state at a loss.
That left only one high-performance aircraft deemed safe enough for her to use _ a 1980 twin-engine King Air assigned to the public safety agency but, according to flight logs, out of service for maintenance and repairs about a third of the time Palin has been governor.
Source: AP
Out Foxing Karl Rove 
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October 22, 2008 at 2:08 pm
thenonconformer
the kettle calling the pot black..
and who is also now paying for Obama’s trip to Hawaii to visit his grandmother?
let’s not by hypocritical, and say it is just Sarah Palin now,
for they now still all do that for all politicians, and even many civil and public servants, police included, who also too regularly take trips to visit their relatives in the UK, India, Australia.. now here have you been not known that such practices have been going on worldwide for the many many decades.. I have been writing and objecting to it myself for decades too..
so object to everyone doing it if you are really sincere..
October 22, 2008 at 2:40 pm
cole55
I am pretty sure That I can be sincere and expose Palin’s hypocrisy ~ though your expecting me to show mercy on someone who show little to others.
Over the past few days – Palin has taken pleasure in raising the socialist issue – implying that Barack Obama is a socialist – when pressed she would not go that far – but would only say that that is what Joe the plumber said.
What Palin has been mercilessly labeling or getting others to label as socialism – is a tax cut for the poor and middle class workers – something that would help Joe – not when he reaches the 5% top income bracket and makes over $250,000 /year – but now — Joe ‘the kind of’ Plumber with no business/ Joe who owes back taxes / Joe who lives humbly and is trying to raise a son – that Joe will get a tax cut under Obama’s plan.
Under McCain’s plan Joe has to wait until one day when he can finally earn $250K profit (minus all expenses) on his business – then he would get a tax cut from McCain.
By calling this socialist – Palin/McCain are trying to stop people from voting for what’s best for them.
More while Palin/McCain begrudge the poorest workers – a little extra money – in their pockets each year – calling it welfare – (for workers?) – Palin is jetting her children around and putting them up in fancy hotels – at the expense of the Alaskan tax payer.
I could think of a Biblical story or two that could cover this behavior.
Palin is the one who received mercy – but doesn’t show much to others.