The Mudflats

Well, another “why are they always picking on me” press conference today.

Alaskans awakened to a clip of Bill McAllister on the front page of adn.com talking about “per diem gate”.  For those of you who may be getting your gates confused, “per diem gate” is the one where Sarah Palin, whose duty station as Governor is in the state capital, Juneau, has decided that she would like to collect a daily (per diem) allowance for meals and incidentals, while she lives in her own home in Wasilla and commutes to her Anchorage office.

Here’s a transcript of the Anchorage Daily News’ edited version (emphasis is mine, indicating spin).

Good afternoon.  We’ve asked you here today because of persistent reports in the news media concerning various expenses incurred by Governor Palin in discharging her official duties, notably the per diem she has collected while working in Anchorage, nearly 50 miles from her home in Wasilla.  But first, I want to address the underlying issue, namely the fact that this issue keeps coming up month, after month, after month seems to suggest that somebody believes there is something inappropriate about the governor accepting this per diem, while it is perfectly legal.

Alright.  It’s obvious that I’ve emphasized almost the entire thing. “Good afternoon” is not spin as far as I can tell, but the rest of it is spinning like a gyroscope.  That enables McAllister to actually remain standing upright while spinning at the same time.  The Palin administration has perfected the gyroscope spin. 

Every time the governor releases a “there you go again” press release, or holds a press conference whining about the unfairness of it all, and how the media is out to discredit her and take her down, it just makes me chuckle.  I know I should be furious, or exasperated, but at this point, it’s so over the top silly, I just can’t help myself.

So here we have Bill McAllister who actually really wants you to close your eyes and believe that the real “underlying issue”  is that the media won’t let it die.  And who is this mysterious “somebody” he refers to, who believes there’s something inappropriate about this despite the fact that it is completely legal.  Well….I believe that.  Anyone else?  We must be “somebody”!

If we live in Mr. McAllister’s world, we know the rules – if it’s legal, it MUST be appropriate.  I mean, legally the Governor could pick her nose during the State of the State address.  Legally she could blow raspberries at members of the Legislature.  Legally she could come to work dressed like Bozo the Clown.  Appropriate?  Hardly.  And my guess is that the media would probably have a field day with any of these scenarios.  This is why regular people who think about how their actions reflect on them, wouldn’t do it.  And regular political figures who think about how public opinion could affect them, also think about it.  But our governor, simply cannot fathom how it’s possible that Alaskans can have any qualms about paying her a per diem allowance to live in her own house.

The governor has expressed and acted upon a desireto conduct more business in Southcentral Alaska, near the population center of the state when the Legislature is not in session.  She believes that most Alaskans appreciate this greater access to their chief executive and top other administration officials.

The issue of moving the state capital to Southcentral Alaska has come up before.  It’s a contentious issue, that has intelligent opinions on both sides.  But the issue here is not Sarah Palin’s “desire.”  The people of Alaska have not voted to move the capital.  It is still in Juneau, and that’s where the government is, and where the governor’s duty station is, and that’s where the governor is expected to go to work.  I have lots of desires about my work.  I’d love to work from home in my pajamas, but if I suddenly took it upon myself to “express and act upon” this “desire”, my employer might have a thing or two to say about it.  And while the governor believes she knows how most Alaskans think, until they make it official, it isn’t.

Now, let’s look at the big picture.  Through her approach to expenses the governor in the first two years of her term saved more than nine hundred thousand dollars…OK?  Nine hundred thousand dollars in state funds compared to the last two years under her predecessor.  The governor has cut operational costs in several areas including services at the house, security and flying expenses.  Now with the exception of former governor Murkowski’s much derided purchase and use of a jet, Governor Palin is not criticizing her predecessor’s expenses, but rather demonstrating that she has been frugal.

Now another tidbit.  There have been nominal meal payments for the governor’s children: $52 in 2007 and $39 in 2008 aside from some meal charges and hotel billings…the first family obviously could have collected more than that.

So, because the governor has saved money by getting rid of Frank Murkowski’s jet, and her security detail, she deserves a little gravy.  And the kids hardly billed the state for any meals, “aside from some meal charges and hotel billings.”  Huh?  Except for what they’re not telling us, it wasn’t very much.  Do we all feel better now?  And as far as it being “obvious” that the first family could have collected more than that, I don’t believe it for a second.  Why should the state of Alaska (aka you and me) be paying for Piper to travel anywhere?  How does this benefit the state?  It doesn’t.

And we are announcing that the governor is relinquishing her state vehicle she has been using and will be driving her own car.

Found out she owed taxes on it.

The implied premise on all of this fuss about the governor’s expenses would seem to be that she is enjoying government perks that she hasn’t really earned, but most people in this state know the governor works hard.  In fact she works 24/7, on call 24/7 constantly monitoring what’s going on in all of state government and isn’t hesitant to make course corrections any old time, and I can tell you personally that I have often responded to her emails late at night or early in the morning.  She is on top of it.

She works hard, so she deserves something no other governor or state employee has ever gotten.  She deserves per diem for living home because she’s a hard worker and she does her job.  I would hope any governor would be “on top of it” in terms of their state.  This isn’t extra credit.  It’s their job.

I’m just pointing out to you that this governor has gone to great lengths to save money and she is unfairly attacked for this comparatively minor amount of per diem.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!  

And it’s less unethical that it could have been.

I don’t know that she has definitively said whether she will continue to accept this kind of per diem now that it’s determined to be taxable, and whether that really makes any difference.  If she does take it, it will be a public record.

Translation: We’re still not quite sure that we understand this whole “what the public thinks is important” thing.  If we decide to keep ignoring that fact, we’ll make that information available if you ask for it.  And we’re going to keep saying “accept” instead of “take” so you think that it was offered by someone.

The Daily News pointed out:

Some of Palin’s stated justifications to work in Anchorage and collect the expense money raise questions of their own: an interview with Fox News on Nov. 9, a telephone call with newly defeated U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole on Nov. 21 and photos with the University of Alaska Anchorage basketball teams on Nov. 28 and 29.

The state travel authorization forms don’t give Palin and her aides much room to explain her reasons for being outside Juneau. Palin is on duty 24-7, often sends e-mails in the middle of the night, and was working on more than the documents indicate, McAllister said.

Oh, the injustice!  That mean old media just won’t let the governor be special.  How do they sleep, I ask you?

And breaking news…another gate swings open.  So many gates, so little time.  Travel Gate is next on the block.  We’ve just learned that the governor will be paying for some of her children’s travel expenses that were put on the state’s dime.  More on that later…