Numbers Shmumbers…
2 07 2009That was the claim coming from the office of Governor Sarah Palin, who likes to use the phrase “frivolous ethics complaints.” That was nine days ago.
Today, we learn that “millions of dollars” is in fact, actually $296,000, as far as ethics complaints go. Numbers shmumbers.
The complete breakdown is not yet available, but we do know this about the three spendiest ones:
$187,797 stemmed from the Troopergate investigation, a good chunk of which Palin initiated herself. We’ll get back to that.
$43,028 stemmed from a complaint by Andree McLeod which resulted in a recommendation that a state employee undergo ethics training for a series of “troubling emails.”
$29,962 most likely came from the “travel gate” investigation in which Palin reimbursed almost $10,000 for expenses billed to the state for her children’s travel expenses.
That’s the top three, none of which sound particularly “frivolous.” So once we crunch the numbers, it’s highly likely that the most expensive investigation brought about by an individual, is Palin’s investigation of herself. And let’s just review that one more time.
The Legislature found enough evidence to approve $100,000 to investigate Palin’s firing of the Commissioner of Public Safety, in light of accusations that he was dismissed for not firing her ex-brother-in-law with whom there was bad blood. They spent $75,000 of the money allocated, and the bipartisan Legislative Council (composed of 8 Republicans and 4 Democrats) voted unanimously to go forward. An independent investigation by someone that they all agreed to found that Palin violated the Executive Branch Ethics Act. They unanimously voted to release that decision to the public.
As a counter-measure, and a panicked move to look good during the campaign, Palin (with the advice from the McCain cadre of lawyers headed up by Ed O’Callaghan who had no license to practice law in the State of Alaska) initiated her own ethics complaint against herself, knowing that the outcome would be decided by a friendly panel of governor-appointed people who report to her. Guess what? They found her innocent, and refused to even investigate the matter of testimony from Palin that went completely against testimony from the former commissioner. Frivolous ethics complaint? No….a calculated one that the state paid for.
What did the legislature do about their own $75,000 investigation that found the governor in violation of the Ethics Act? Nothing. So, why did we, as a state, pay that $75,000? What did we get for that money? Maybe that’s the question we should be asking.
Speaking of not knowing what you get for your money…
Palin herself reportedly has incurred over $600,000 in personal legal bills defending against complaints, although she won’t provide a breakdown of the expenses or what cases they were for. Palin friends and supporters set up a legal defense fund and are soliciting contributions for her legal bills.
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:10 PM
I’ve been thinking about it: (I’m as bad as anyone) but what if we just stopped talking about Palin? What if we just walked away from this train wreck?
She never apologizes to anyone (God knows she should), and she bitches and moans and bitches and moans and bitches and moans, but what would she have left to say if she wasn’t bitching and moaning? What’s her positive content? She doesn’t have any.
We should just shut up and stop fueling her forward momentum. Let’s wash our hands (really well) and move on.
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:14 PM
@47 NY Dem
Okay Mr. “My state legislature was just taken over by a Republic(an)(’t) coup”.
These things take time and money and patience but we’re working on it, thanks. Now how about them Mets?
-Laz
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:15 PM
Lori in Los Angeles Says:
July 2nd, 2009 at 7:54 PM
sandipants #55: YES!!!! Let’s put some heat on Cole and that slush fund, great idea!
======
End result — this game accomplishes what?
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:17 PM
So, the McCain campaign sent GINO the lawyers to quash the Leg investigation, they ran up a big bill but didn’t get the job done, and when the election went kerplunk for the GOP, the lawyers ran home to Texas and sent the bill to GINO, who forwarded it to the McCain campaign but it flew back like a guided boomerang and slap her in the back of the head.
I bet Steve Schmidt had a sh*t-eating grin on his face when he hit the send button that sent that bill back to GINO. I can even hear the dijeridoos a-playing.
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:31 PM
And here’s even more fun. Another GOP internal witch-hunt with blessing from the Pop Tart Palin and The Worst Navy Pilot ever allowed to wear wings on his uniform.
http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/campaigns/mccain-and-palin-personally-approved-internal-email-hunt-for-leakers-campaign-manager-says/
By the time the GOP gets done purging itself the party’s political bulimia will kill it dead for sure.
My gawd, will the train wreck never end?
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:33 PM
And here’s even more fun. Another GOP internal witch-hunt with blessing from the Pop Tart Palin and The Worst Navy Pilot ever allowed to wear wings on his uniform.
ht tp: //theplumline.whorunsgov.com/campaigns/mccain-and-palin-personally-approved-internal-email-hunt-for-leakers-campaign-manager-says/
By the time the GOP gets done purging itself the party’s political bulimia will kill it dead for sure.
My gawd, will the train wreck never end?
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:35 PM
And here’s even more fun. Another GOP internal witch-hunt with blessing from the Pop Tart Palin and The Worst Navy Pilot ever allowed to wear wings on his uniform.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2284356/posts?page=13
By the time the GOP gets done purging itself the party’s political bulimia will kill it dead for sure.
My gawd, will the train wreck never end?
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:37 PM
Aren’t there laws governing trust funds? What are they? If it’s proven that the folks at AFT have lied, where would you file a complaint? I’m sure there are laws about lying to solicit public donations.
Also, regarding the web site. Why is there no email address for public comments/concerns? I almost wish I had donated so I could very publicly demand my money back. Could citizens concerned with truth file an ethics complaint, based on their lies (if proven)?
Speaking of lying, I still cannot find any reference anywhere to a chairty set up by SP to help the troops visit home before/after deployment. There is a web site called Bring ‘Em Home that helps military personnel who lack the funds to go home for Christmas. Did not see Palin’s name in the list of donors.
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:38 PM
“Remind Kristan and her unscrupulous grifter pal that they are liars, cheats, and cons.” (from sandipants)
Yeah….CONS. Not Icons.
What an epic farce.
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:38 PM
And here’s even more fun. Another GOP internal witch-hunt with blessing from the Pop Tart Palin and The Worst Navy Pilot ever allowed to wear wings on his uniform.
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0709/McCain_and_Palin_approved_leak_hunt.html
By the time the GOP gets done purging itself the party’s political bulimia will kill it dead for sure.
My gawd, will the train wreck never end?
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:45 PM
Speaking of way out whacko behaviour, I’m still blown away by the GINO trotting out some Fake “Democrats” to replace Juneau Senator, Kim Elton. The audacity is seismic!
Someone should compile these to form a theme in the GINO’s unauthorized bio to compete with her book.
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:48 PM
@ Eye on You #86, 87
—————
Good links.
Liberty Legal Institute. The legal branch of Dobson’s empire. This whole debacle makes a person wonder about the issue of separation of church and state, eh?
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:52 PM
Canadian Neighbor at #94 “End result — this game accomplishes what?”
Well, perhaps not much – just a reminder that we are watching and noting the lies associated with the Trust. This AK Fund Trust stinks IMO, and I hold a wee bit of hope that Cole is saner than GINO and may want to distance herself from all the bad press (like Donatelli did with sarahpac). As a prominent Realtor in the Wasilla area, Cole does not need the bad press that may ensue due to her financial dealings with SP. The more people that jump the SS Palin sinking ship, the better.
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:00 PM
BigSlick Says:
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:17 PM
So, the McCain campaign sent GINO the lawyers to quash the Leg investigation, they ran up a big bill but didn’t get the job done, and when the election went kerplunk for the GOP, the lawyers ran home to Texas and sent the bill to GINO, who forwarded it to the McCain campaign but it flew back like a guided boomerang and slap her in the back of the head.
___________
No, the lawyers were for the legislators who were trying to kill the original troopergate investigation. No doubt that this was engineered by the McCain folks, but Dobson got his folks up to AK to take care of the legal support.
The cost was basically free to the legislators, as the bill was never sent to them, but they found out that they had to report that amount spent, even though they didn’t actually pay the bill. They accepted services, and had to report it as “gifts”.
McCain/Dobson ate the cost of these bills. It was all a failed attempt to stop the investigation, so they wasted over 200 grand for nothing.
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:01 PM
Lee323~ I think that from what we have seen from these folks there is absolutely no “separation” of church and state…it all blends together for them, and have no desire nor intention of keeping them separated from each other.
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:02 PM
Blatantly OT, but for a good cause…….(sorry to the mods for going OT, but…)
AKM’s “Accidental Secessionist” piece is on Huffpo. The more comments, the more exposure!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/akmuckraker/the-accidental-secessioni_b_225149.html
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:16 PM
107 seattlefan Says:
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:02 PM
Blatantly OT, but for a good cause…….(sorry to the mods for going OT, but…)
AKM’s “Accidental Secessionist” piece is on Huffpo. The more comments, the more exposure!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/akmuckraker/the-accidental-secessioni_b_225149.html
***********buzz it up.
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:11 PM
If Sarah ever shows up at that Starbucks again they should ask her, BEFORE they start making her coffee, whether she has the money to pay for it.
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:15 PM
Or better still– let us know which Starbucks it was and people can go there and start asking for the Sarah Palin discount!
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:44 PM
So several million dollars of wasted state money turns out to be less than 300k, and the the majority of that went to three major cases. Hmmm. I wonder why they won’t break the money down by case. And these same cases cost Sarah twice as much as it did the state. I would like to see a breakdown of that 600K. Man, Van Flien must be swimming in the dough.
July 3rd, 2009 at 12:18 AM
AKM, I really love your writings; but your storytelling my favorite!
I am sure you know by now that I am not the sharpest tack. And I am simple minded; add pain for a distraction. That said, I don’t think it takes a rocket scientist to figure out Palin has abused her power. As far as I am aware, all the ethics complaints had merit. If Palin’s behavior warranted such attention in the private sector, she would have been fired during the investigation of Troopergate. When the boss found out that her husband was in her meetings and using the office phone to make calls on her behalf, calling fellow employees. Look what she’s cost the taxpayers, just another Bush. She doesn’t deserve any clout in my mind. How could the Legislature ignore thousands of emails calling for Palin’s impeachment?
July 3rd, 2009 at 4:47 AM
Wow….once again Palin’s relationship with the truth is a long distance relationship.
Does she NOT understand the concept of fact checking and that little thing called the internet?
I’m guessing that she is still living in her former days of glory when she could say whatever she wanted to, and could make any claim she wished—–and no one checked up on her.
Wow Palin, reality bites, doesn’t it?
July 3rd, 2009 at 5:06 AM
Numbers….Schmumers.
Come on, she actually said that it would help the families of Alaska if the State budget were to be reduced by around 75%, so we can add lack of basic math skills to her “I’m NOT qualified to be in charge” resume.
July 3rd, 2009 at 5:36 AM
Mark Hemingway and Bill Kristol both attempt unsuccessfully to dismiss strong suspicions that Governor Palin suffers from NPD (Narcissistic Personality Disorder).
Specifics about the McCain-Palin campaign must see the light if Republicans and the country are to avoid the danger and inevitable crises were an NPD to achieve high office. See: John Edwards, Bill Clinton.
Palin’s documented behavior fits the description of an NPD (Narcissistic Personality Disorder) to a tee. Palin is very probably NPD, and possibly ASPD as well. You need a shrink for an official diagnosis, but you don’t need a shrink to compare Palin to the DSM-IV’s NPD traits to make your own conclusion. A “pervasive pattern” of behavior for 5 of 9 traits is required for an NPD diagnosis — I count 8 out of 9.
Humorously, Hemingway attempts to disprove Palin’s screaming NPD with a Google search for +Palin +”Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders” on HuffPo (bit.ly/AxUr2, bit.ly/Rbg0N), rather than the much more specific and direct +Palin +npd or +Palin +narcissist, which would reveal many, many people who have reached the same conclusion: Palin suffers from NPD. Here’s just one HuffPo example Hemingway misses with his (intentionally?) poorly framed search: “Diagnosing Sarah Palin” (bit.ly/dlk3J)
“Two therapists responded to my request to diagnose Sarah Palin, independently identifying her condition as Narcissistic Personality Disorder”
Based on his poorly targeted search, Hemingway concludes “a meme that gained currency among those on the far left who actively despise Palin”. More likely, nearly everyone with even a little knowledge about NPD comes to the same conclusion: Sarah Palin suffers from NPD.
Please, shine a lot more light into the campaign.
July 3rd, 2009 at 5:45 AM
lazarhat Says:
July 2nd, 2009 at 8:14 PM
@47 NY Dem
Okay Mr. “My state legislature was just taken over by a Republic(an)(’t) coup”.
These things take time and money and patience but we’re working on it, thanks. Now how about them Mets?
-Laz
——————————————————————–
Oh Laz!! Snap!! We’re just tryin’ to be as entertaining on the East Coast as your Gov is on the West Coast (altho Arnie is running a really close second) otherwise we’d all be sitting around bored out of our skulls just hating and jealous of the beautiful Sarah Palin also too. Therefore and. (*snark*)
July 3rd, 2009 at 6:53 AM
[...] has found another untruth from the office of the Alaskan governor: “In the past two years, the state of Alaska has spent [...]
July 3rd, 2009 at 7:21 AM
@89 anon blogger
Well I’m neither envious nor personally hateful, so that’s just more dissembling and attempted re-branding on their part… then again I’m male. So perhaps I’m not the ‘target audience’.
On the other side of this double headed coin is the sexualization of Sarah. The Naughty Monkey pumps. The jogging togs cheesecake shots. The skimpy bikini comic book character (and granted on this latter issue Sarah has little or no control over what third parties do with her ‘image’, or ‘iconography’ as we have all recently learned with the help of Meg “The Mouth”, the internet and graphics editing software). Or consider the excessively sexualized nature of comments made by numerous male supporters, including John Cole and Wayne Anthony Ross, both of whose public comments about Sarah’s looks were excessively creepy… yeah that doesn’t work for me either. I have never thought Sarah particularly beautiful or attractive nor have I/would I entertain inappropriate fantasies, sexual or otherwise about her. She’s a married woman with five kids, people. There is nothing in that looks/circumstance/lifestyle combo that would close the deal for me. Sorry Sarah, I’m just not that into you.
So I am further protected from their “populist sex-ray gun marketing campaign” as conducted by Republic(an)(’t)(s) Meg, the C4Pers and AFT (her legal slush fund) by personal ethics and morals. And maybe a necklace of garlic, some holy water and a large wooden cross. Or a big ‘whacking’ shovel in case they’re actually ZOMBIES that come after my BRAAAAIIIIIINNNNNSSSS! Or a big bucket of wet beach sand from Homer to pour on the Palinbots… so yay — go me! As an Alaskan, I am prepared to be Austin Powers to her Dr. Evil. Metaphorically speaking, of course. Look it up, neotheocons (supporters of Palin).
Alaskan bloggers have gotten past the sharks with frikken’ lasers, past the fembots with machine guns for nipples, past the missile launch (see recent youtube video produced by a Sarahcophant). We’re ready for the justice and just deserts part. Yeah baby, YEAH!
Now show me the public documents providing full disclosure or actually run an open and transparent government and I get all flush with excitement!
You betcha! I’m just old enough to be funny that way. But I understand Sarah just isn’t all that into the representative democracy, public servant foreplay stuff.
-Laz
July 3rd, 2009 at 7:42 AM
@124 Ted
“Mark Hemingway and Bill Kristol both attempt unsuccessfully to dismiss strong suspicions that Governor Palin suffers from NPD (Narcissistic Personality Disorder).”
That Mr. Bill “always been wrong about absolutely every damn thing” Kristol could a.) be objective about NPD (as its biggest sufferer) and b.) not actually support Sarah Palin when he is the chief metrosexual/DC insider representative to her new neotheocon wing of the Republic(an)(’t) party — both are ideas I find totally hilarious. You can nearly see Bill’s kool-aid mustache.
Wrong again, Bill! Keeping the streak alive, buddy! Go you!
-Laz
July 3rd, 2009 at 7:56 AM
duct idaho palin said July 2nd, 2009 at 10:11 PM “If Sarah ever shows up at that Starbucks again they should ask her, BEFORE they start making her coffee, whether she has the money to pay for it.”
I was thinking about that yesterday.
Chances are that the barista DID ask her, since she said she never carries a wallet, that she ask “her people” (who were doubtless standing right next to her) to pay the bill — and that same barista 3 days later found him/herself out of a job, and looking for work the same way Levi Johnston did — out of state, because he/she’d been blacklisted in Alaska by the GINO.
July 3rd, 2009 at 9:09 AM
RE: The Palin Coffee Theft…
I have to wonder why in the hell the Governor would go into a place and expect to obtain services knowing she doesn’t have any way to pay for it.
Unless she has a prior arrangement to run a tab, there is simply no reason for her to think that it would be acceptable to simply walk into an establishment thinking it is okay to obtain something without paying for it.
July 3rd, 2009 at 3:21 PM
Because Palin thinks she’s entitled to free anything by virtue of being the Governor.
And she is certainly vindictive enough to have the barista fired. As far as preventing them from getting another job, I don’t think she’s that good. She’s that petty, but she can’t simply send out a circular with the barista’s name (which she won’t know) or picture (which she won’t have) or even description (which she wouldn’t remember even if she cared) to have the person blackballed for every job in Alaska.
As for the entitlement issue, I think this is what will come back to bite her because I think she’s been doing her IRS taxes for the last 16 years or at least since she’s been in office with this entitlement mindset. I doubt she has declared plenty of “gifts” going all the way back to when she was elected to her first position.
As for the barista…I suppose they could shout to an employee to bring their purse, then get out their wallet and make a big show of putting the money to pay for GINO’s order in the cash register saying “My treat. I make minimum wage and can certainly afford to treat you.” Snark is the only thing GINO would understand.
But it’s a lose lose situation. Let GINO go without paying. Get fired or have it taken out of your pay. Make GINO pay, get fired. Pay it yourself, you’re still out the money and may possibly be fired anyway.
Now that she’s resigned, I imagine many baristas and waitresses will heave a sigh of relief over their jobs and their paychecks.
July 3rd, 2009 at 4:08 PM
[...] here in Feeeeenix. Hey guys, you think that other mudflat story (posted before the lipstick one) The Mudflats
July 4th, 2009 at 1:55 AM
[...] the state. Millions, she said. Two million. Yesterday’s headline in the Anchorage Daily News tallied up the cost at $296,000, with the bulk of that stemming from the Troopergate investigation of last [...]
July 5th, 2009 at 3:47 PM
I suggest you edit out the
“headed up by Ed O’Callaghan who had no license to practice law in the State of Alaska)”
It’s meaningless in the context of political advise and just dilutes or undercuts the meaningful information.
Respectfully
rjw