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icarusSarah Palin: Not Just Inexperienced -- Fiscally Incompetent
This was emailed to me this morning, but the author originally didn't want it posted on the web. Some blogs started posting it anyway. I didn't.
Finally, someone contacted the author of the email. She's given permission for it to be posted there. I note that the basic facts presented are confirmed by the New York Times.
What emerges is a picture of Sarah Palin as a petty, vindictive woman who abuses her authority for personal revenge. She narrowly avoided a recall after public outcry over the firing of two city employees, one of whom was the city librarian who had refused to ban books at Palin's behest. Recently, Palin repeated the same offense as governor when she fired Alaska's "top cop" for not terminating her former brother-in-law, a state trooper, who had divorced her sister.*
As mayor of tiny Wassila, Palin was fiscally incompetent, focused largely on the glorification of herself at the expense of the taxpayers -- leaving the formerly solvent city $22 million dollars in debt. That's lot for a city of 5,000 (back then) that needed a sewer system and got a sports arena instead. By the way, the arena was built on land the city technically didn't own and has been embroiled in litigation.
And she had City Hall redecorated. Twice. Instead of responsibly funding roads out of the city budget, she supported -- yes -- still more borrowing.
A tax-and-spend Republican, Palin increased expenditures by 33%, while increasing taxes 38%. She reduced property taxes, which benefitted the wealthy, and increased sales taxes (including taxing food) that hurt the poor. Her tax cuts benefitted corporations.
She has been disloyal and ruthless. The people who supported her were the first fired once she became mayor, replaced with obscure new staff politically dependent upon her.
She has a long history of earmarks (government pork). Her reputation for "reform" is thin, based on two things:
1) She quit as chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, turning in a member for ethics violations. With her firings Palin's own history of ethics is shaky, and she has a long history of "praying for pipelines" and supporting big oil (British Petroleum funded her inauguration). This person who knows her says Palin complained about her job and didn't like the commute, so took a chance and solved that problem by finding a reason to quit.
2) She ignored government budgets and then grandstanded with line item vetoes after the fact. The items were restored after a public outcry.
"Public outcry" comes up a lot in Sarah Palin's brief political history.
Conclusion: Sarah Palin is a low-level, small town politico who couldn't balance the budget of a town of 5,000, yet has recast her incompetence as "progress." Palin is all about Palin and will happily bite the hand that feeds her if it'll help her today. Her Christianity (of the extreme right variety) is rabid enough that she wouldn't support her pro-choice mother-in-law's run for mayor after her. Yet, a few quotes from Palin unhappy about her brother's embarrassing appearance on a dating game -- she'd hoped it would boost votes -- suggests that she uses everything to get elected. It's all about appearances.
I wouldn't let her near a credit card, let alone the struggling US economy.
* Note that the McCain campaign is on the spot with the damage control: They claim that the trooper was violent. However, the Washington Post notes that Sarah Palin, although she witnessed the dangerous incident, simply walked away and left her sister there with him. Was Palin callous? Or is the danger now being exaggerated after the fact for political convenience?
This was emailed to me this morning, but the author originally didn't want it posted on the web. Some blogs started posting it anyway. I didn't.
Finally, someone contacted the author of the email. She's given permission for it to be posted there. I note that the basic facts presented are confirmed by the New York Times.
What emerges is a picture of Sarah Palin as a petty, vindictive woman who abuses her authority for personal revenge. She narrowly avoided a recall after public outcry over the firing of two city employees, one of whom was the city librarian who had refused to ban books at Palin's behest. Recently, Palin repeated the same offense as governor when she fired Alaska's "top cop" for not terminating her former brother-in-law, a state trooper, who had divorced her sister.*
As mayor of tiny Wassila, Palin was fiscally incompetent, focused largely on the glorification of herself at the expense of the taxpayers -- leaving the formerly solvent city $22 million dollars in debt. That's lot for a city of 5,000 (back then) that needed a sewer system and got a sports arena instead. By the way, the arena was built on land the city technically didn't own and has been embroiled in litigation.
And she had City Hall redecorated. Twice. Instead of responsibly funding roads out of the city budget, she supported -- yes -- still more borrowing.
A tax-and-spend Republican, Palin increased expenditures by 33%, while increasing taxes 38%. She reduced property taxes, which benefitted the wealthy, and increased sales taxes (including taxing food) that hurt the poor. Her tax cuts benefitted corporations.
She has been disloyal and ruthless. The people who supported her were the first fired once she became mayor, replaced with obscure new staff politically dependent upon her.
She has a long history of earmarks (government pork). Her reputation for "reform" is thin, based on two things:
1) She quit as chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, turning in a member for ethics violations. With her firings Palin's own history of ethics is shaky, and she has a long history of "praying for pipelines" and supporting big oil (British Petroleum funded her inauguration). This person who knows her says Palin complained about her job and didn't like the commute, so took a chance and solved that problem by finding a reason to quit.
2) She ignored government budgets and then grandstanded with line item vetoes after the fact. The items were restored after a public outcry.
"Public outcry" comes up a lot in Sarah Palin's brief political history.
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, butvetoed a bill that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships (said she did this because it was unconstitutional).
- Pro-creationism: Mixed. Supports it, but did nothing as governor to promote it.
- "Pro-life": Mixed. Knowingly gave birth to a Downs 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.
- "AGreenie": 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.
Conclusion: Sarah Palin is a low-level, small town politico who couldn't balance the budget of a town of 5,000, yet has recast her incompetence as "progress." Palin is all about Palin and will happily bite the hand that feeds her if it'll help her today. Her Christianity (of the extreme right variety) is rabid enough that she wouldn't support her pro-choice mother-in-law's run for mayor after her. Yet, a few quotes from Palin unhappy about her brother's embarrassing appearance on a dating game -- she'd hoped it would boost votes -- suggests that she uses everything to get elected. It's all about appearances.
I wouldn't let her near a credit card, let alone the struggling US economy.
* Note that the McCain campaign is on the spot with the damage control: They claim that the trooper was violent. However, the Washington Post notes that Sarah Palin, although she witnessed the dangerous incident, simply walked away and left her sister there with him. Was Palin callous? Or is the danger now being exaggerated after the fact for political convenience?
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no subject
Date: 2008-09-05 06:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-05 07:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-05 10:27 pm (UTC)This is the most informative thing I've read all week.
I think a Disney Villain would be a better VP.