Sarah Palin Defines Socialism Sideways (And The Rest Of Today's Scritti Politti)

Via Taegan Goddard.

PALIN: We are the only state with a negative tax rate where we don't have any income, sales or property tax statewide, and yes we have a share of our oil resource revenue that goes back to the people that own the resources. Imagine that.

HANNITY: And it went up higher since you've been the governor and you negotiated with the oil companies. That all went up so people get a bigger check.

PALIN: There was a corrupt tax system up there and we had a couple of lawmakers end up in jail because of the tax system that was adopted so we cleaned it up and said we wanted a fair and equitable share of the resources that we own, and the people will share in those resource revenues that are derived.

(A few minutes later...)

PALIN: If Americans aren't paying attention, unfortunately our country could evolve into something that we do not even recognize. Certainly that is so far from what the founders of our country had in mind for us.

HANNITY: Socialism?

PALIN: Well... that is where we are headed.

Ahh, yes. Socialism.

Story continues below

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OH NOES! REVERSE COURSE! Head in the direction of GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION IN INDUSTRY FOR THE PURPOSES OF BASE POLITICAL CRONYISM BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.

Also, The Part Where Glenn Beck Vents Gas Into The Air Is Pretty Great: The best part of Media Matters' mashup of talking heads getting all sorts of facts wrong, because there's never any accountability for anyone -- right, Fred Hiatt, journalism's worst editorial page editor? -- is this tone poem by Rush Limbaugh:

The sea eats oil.
The sea eats oil...alive.
That place up there?
Nature cleaned it up faster
Than we ever could

"Ski Injury," Eh?: Via Balk, this has got to be the most disingenuous thing Sarah Palin has ever tweeted.

Seasons change: But the Washington Independent's Dave Weigel captured something annoyingly perennial in the Nation's Capitol.

Lehmann On The Poverty Narrative: "So it would seem, in other words, that government has done more than its share to shape the suburban housing market, and its many higher-performing lily-white school districts. It's just that, on the New York Post end of the journalism market, no op-ed contributor is about to point out that his or her aggrieved white suburban readers are actually de facto dole beneficiaries; and the midtown savants at the gleaming new Times tower want to turn any available story about social class into a parable on the variable meanings of diversity, and how they make for comparative attitudes of stick-to-it-iveness in your individually sampled Supreme Court justice-in-the-making."

[Would you like to follow me on Twitter? Because why not? Also, please send tips to [e-mail] -- learn more about our media monitoring project here.]

Comments

[GEOG138]

....I support sarah Palin.With her as the face of the Republican Party Obama is guaranteed another 4 years in office.No on takes her seriously, and especially the Republicans who will execute her in the repub primaries.Good bye sarah, we are sorry we knew you.

[My Bonerese]

If states support big business such as oil companies in Alaska, then states actually make so much money they return it to the citizens. If Alaska didn't support big oil, they would get nothing. If Alaska took over the oil companies they'd get nothing, such as we're seeing with the companies our government has taken over now. If Alaska hurt their profits through taxation and over regulation, they'd get nothing.

This money is payback for supporting big business and that's quite the opposite of socialism. This is called making extreme profits under capitalism without the burdens of over taxation and over regulation. Socialism would kill this economic windfall...kind of like..ummm...an over regulated GM!

[RCSwolf]

We wanted a fair and equitable share of the resources that we(?) own, and the people will share in those resource revenues that are derived. - Palin

Alaskan Socialism just struck these two dumbies in the head and they do not have since enough to realize it.

[csmcmillion]

Technically incorrect. It would only be socialism if the (Alaskan) government owned the means of production (the wells, refineries, etc.)

[dude abides]

I live in Alaska and I pay property taxes in Alaska, and in some areas a sales tax is collected on purchases what is this twit talking about 'NoTaxes'?

[Bronxdude]

Mitt Rommey is right: Government should keep its hands out of the pockets of big business--a hard tasks for greed-driven republicans.

[garymc8]

Alaska is a socialist state if there ever was one. She left a town of 5000, 23 million dollars in debt after 5 years as mayor. She then calls herself a fiscal conservative. She clearly is a BOLD FACE LIAR OR DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF ANY OF THE WORDS SHE USES.

[patricksmom]

With Sarah those are hard choices Gary, ignorant or liar?

[lis60]

Someone needs to ask her the HARD questions. Unfortunately she refuses to do interviews with people who are intelligent enough to ask them. And if someone does ask her something and she screws up, she turns it around and blames them anyhow. She is pathological.

[Angmorg]

so if a democrat gives money back to the people it is Socialism

If a Republican gives money back to the people it is the Gov't running the way it should be

HMMMMMMMMMMM

Let me think about this one

[patricksmom]

Ang,
It is hard to wrap one's mind around that riddle.

[CigarGod]

The resources of the state being distributed equally to all.
I like it.

[HailSinfonia]

Me too. I believe it's called socialism.

[polson]

Karl Marx: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need."
In Alaska, ability = oil
Sounds like SOCIALISM to me.

[patricksmom]

Doesn't that make Sarah a Marxist, (the horror)?

[bogues]

Palin says if the country isn't paying attention we may evolve into something that we do not even recognize. Unfortunately for Sarah Palin, the country is paying CLOSE attention and we are far more nationally and internationally curious than she has ever been. Webster's dictionary defines socialism; " any of various systems in which the means of producing goods are PUBLICLY OWNED, with all people SHARING in the work and the goods produced." Sarah Palin says, (referring to Alaskan oil), " We wanted a fair and equitable share of the resources that we OWN, and the people will SHARE in those resource revenues that are derived." Republicans want to equate the temporary intervention with financial institutions and auto makers with socialism. They know the intervention was necessary and they know it is temporary but Palin's Alaskan oil distribution is anything but temporary.

[DennyCrane]

Sarah Palin = Proof that looks don't make up for a lousy personality.

[oaklynne]

...or the lack of an intellect

[b1rd67]

Don't ALL Americans own the resources in Alaska? Where's my check? Or, alternatively we can keep the extra 83 cents that they get from the Federal government for every federal tax dollar they pay! No stimulus for you!

[inmyopinion]

To clarify: All Americans do own plenty of Alaska resources -- national parks, national wildlife refuges, national forests, BLM lands, etc. But the state of Alaska owns about 100 million acres within state borders, territory that includes not just state parks but also the central North Slope -- Prudhoe Bay and environs. Beneath the surface, the state owns the mineral rights. Revenues from those mineral rights are what -- along with federal money -- keeps Alaska going and pays for schools, public safety, and other essential public services.
The federal government owns mineral rights in Alaska tool, but nearly all oil development to date has been on state lands. It just so happens that the American public has been, in general, more interested in preserving the natural resources on federal lands in Alaska than in extracting them for money -- and I'm not criticizing. If ANWR or Denali National Park were drilled and started producing oil, the federal treasury would get the $$$.
When you understand how Alaska operates, and what are the responsibilities of the state government to its people -- including financial responsibilities -- Sarah Palin becomes even more ridiculous.
It is ludicrous for her to be blabbing on about "socialism" when Alaska functions only because of the revenues derived from commonly-owned resources.
P.S. - Sean Hannity is an idiot. Palin did NOT negotiate anything with the oil companies.

[MisterHands]

This coming from the governor of the #1 welfare state in the nation.

State of Dependency
http://www2.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2007/0711.homans.html

[dax49]

i love watching the folks at fox kiss her a$$, no matter what stupid thing she and her family says or does

[grammy11]

What she never tells is that Alaskans pay the highest price for gasoline in the country since Sarah raised their taxes. So, she raised tax and they increased price to pay for it.

[justoverit333]

oh brother. she just explained socialism going on in
her own State and she doesn't even know. She just
picks up talking points off of Faux News and doesn't
know what she's talking about. LOL

[indy girl]

Sarah is not educated enough to see the irony in it.

[Andrea Claxton]

Republicans are never capable of seeing their own ironic statements and actions!

[jnah]

its no surprise most americans dont seem to know what socialism actually means