source: Examiner
Gov. Sarah Palin received a determination from the State that she had to pay taxes on her per diem. She now owes $18,000 in taxes on the per diem at issue.
Sarah did as every governor I can remember does when they stayed in their own homes for any time during their tenure; they received per diem from the State. The difference is that Palin campaign in 2006 did remark about Frank Murkowski’s paying himself per diem to stay in his house.
This is not good for our governor. It is not like Sarah needed the money. However, she was entitled to the money under State per diem rules.
There has been an ongoing controversy over her use of her home in Wasilla versus spending most of her time in Juneau in the Governor’s mansion. Palin has made a point to use her Anchorage office much of the time, rather than the governor’s office in Juneau.
This has created friction with the populace of Juneau who believe that the governor is subtly attempting to accomplish a psychological capital move to south central Alaska by spending more time in Anchorage than Juneau.
Many Alaskans support the idea of moving the capital, but most, in south central especially, would compromise on just having the legislature in a place where most of us could attend sessions. Juneau is accessible by boat and airplane, only. If the proposed highway “out” of Juneau is ever funded, then, it would be possible to reach Juneau by car, and the sequestering of the legislature in Juneau would not be as distasteful to most of us.
The governor’s 2010 budget was announced as a $445 million reduction in her proposed budget for fiscal year 2010. However, the Anchorage Daily News lauded the reduction as a budget cut. The Legislature has yet to have its side of that issue presented to the governor to determine legislative impact upon the 2010 budget.
The State of Alaska now sets its budget for 2 years instead of one year.
I believe the Governor is slowly coming off of her V.P. campaign high and returning to the “mundane” business of governing Alaska and making her impact felt.
Sarah Palin recently announced the creation of a Transportation Commission to seek ways to expand and improve Alaska’s transportation infrastructure.
Outsiders cannot appreciate the lack of surface transportation in Alaska. The environmental lobby would rather that the people of Alaska leave, so that Alaska remains ‘pristine’—an impossibility, given Alaska’s history. However, Alaskans have a right to have our State treated on equal footing with other states in the Union. Otherwise, Alaska is a State in name, only.
The growing criticism of Sarah Palin’s lack of focus in her governance since leaving to campaign for V.P. has finally had an impact. Positive, we hope.
We are hearing more about those things that she campaigned on, and about which some of us wrote about.
Gov. Sarah Palin received a determination from the State that she had to pay taxes on her per diem. She now owes $18,000 in taxes on the per diem at issue.
Sarah did as every governor I can remember does when they stayed in their own homes for any time during their tenure; they received per diem from the State. The difference is that Palin campaign in 2006 did remark about Frank Murkowski’s paying himself per diem to stay in his house.
This is not good for our governor. It is not like Sarah needed the money. However, she was entitled to the money under State per diem rules.
There has been an ongoing controversy over her use of her home in Wasilla versus spending most of her time in Juneau in the Governor’s mansion. Palin has made a point to use her Anchorage office much of the time, rather than the governor’s office in Juneau.
This has created friction with the populace of Juneau who believe that the governor is subtly attempting to accomplish a psychological capital move to south central Alaska by spending more time in Anchorage than Juneau.
Many Alaskans support the idea of moving the capital, but most, in south central especially, would compromise on just having the legislature in a place where most of us could attend sessions. Juneau is accessible by boat and airplane, only. If the proposed highway “out” of Juneau is ever funded, then, it would be possible to reach Juneau by car, and the sequestering of the legislature in Juneau would not be as distasteful to most of us.
The governor’s 2010 budget was announced as a $445 million reduction in her proposed budget for fiscal year 2010. However, the Anchorage Daily News lauded the reduction as a budget cut. The Legislature has yet to have its side of that issue presented to the governor to determine legislative impact upon the 2010 budget.
The State of Alaska now sets its budget for 2 years instead of one year.
I believe the Governor is slowly coming off of her V.P. campaign high and returning to the “mundane” business of governing Alaska and making her impact felt.
Sarah Palin recently announced the creation of a Transportation Commission to seek ways to expand and improve Alaska’s transportation infrastructure.
Outsiders cannot appreciate the lack of surface transportation in Alaska. The environmental lobby would rather that the people of Alaska leave, so that Alaska remains ‘pristine’—an impossibility, given Alaska’s history. However, Alaskans have a right to have our State treated on equal footing with other states in the Union. Otherwise, Alaska is a State in name, only.
The growing criticism of Sarah Palin’s lack of focus in her governance since leaving to campaign for V.P. has finally had an impact. Positive, we hope.
We are hearing more about those things that she campaigned on, and about which some of us wrote about.
