We Don't Need No Stinkin' Governing
People need to understand that in Republican circles, resigning as Governor does not harm Sarah Palin's career. Being a Governor is just ... governing ... and Republicans don't do that.
In fact, there is a contempt for the idea, and Palin has just reinforced her brand as one with contempt for government. The very word, "Governor," is suspect to them. The only use of the job is to affect redistricting so Republicans can have more power, and to keep a state from "spending" (also known as providing services to the citizens) and especially from asking the rich or corporations to pay any taxes for their use of the infrastructure the rest of us built.
In California we understand this.
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Should it not be blogsphere, not blogosphere?
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Excellent article!!
Bingo!
Waiting on Arnold's announcement.
the very platform of the republican party is overtly treasonous and has been ever since Reagan gave that "scariest nine words" speech. Progressives should point this out whenever possible.
Sarah Palin uncovered serious corruption by Alaskan politicians. What she found was that politicians of both parties where feathering their own nests by granting special favors to special interest groups (rich oil producing industrialists in this case.) All sides were ignoring their Constitutional obligations to the citizens of Alaska while enriching themselves.
She brought it to the attention of Alaska's voters and promised to clean up the government. Her election victory ousted the old corrupt guard. She has targeted the special privileges of elected officials and cut their pay too. She continually empowers the law abiding citizens of Alaska. As a direct result of her actions each individual Alaska citizen now receives his/her constitutionally mandated natural resource royalty payment. Crooked politicians in Alaska and everywhere else fear and hate her for this. Her sweeping termination of crooked government behavior is a success which lifts the lives of average citizens. Unlike California and so many other states Alaska has sound financial management. It made her the most successful and popular governor in all 50 states.
She is an articulate messenger that government should fear its citizens and not the other way around. When a law abiding citizenry fears its government tyranny reigns. When a government fears its citizenry liberty reigns.
Ask yourself who seeks to control what you can consume and how you care for your health.
Happy 4th of July.
I'm sure Palin has done some good things -- after all, even a stopped clock is right twice a day. Nevertheless, the idea that she is "an articulate messenger" is hilarious.
The reason California does not have "sound financial management" like Alaska is:
- First, the Alaskans are among the most subsidized by federal money (California is a net donor of tax dollars).
- Second Alaskans get oil royalties for large fields like the North Slope -- something I'm sure is ripe for corrupt misuse as jerocat notes.
- Third, Alaska didn't have proposition 13, and a legislature that wouldn't stand up to Arnold when he kept the auto registration tax low.
The Legislative Analyst's Office says California's so-called "out-of-control" spending, is roughly flat, when you adjust for population and inflation. But, according to the California Budget Project’s 1996 study, “California’s state and local tax burden has dropped two and a half times more than the national average.” So spending is flat while taxes have gone down 250% faster than the national average.
This means it's lower taxes, not drunken-sailor spending that have mismanaged California. The Republican mantra -- and certainly Palin's -- is that no tax is a good tax. Trying to hold up the R's as the solution to this is unbelievably backwards.
For more about the reality of California Budget, see former State Senator Sheila Kuehl's website: http://www
See Dave Johnson's Profile
"Alaskans get oil royalties for large fields like the North Slope"
Whoa - back up. California has oil as well, but all attempts to tax the oil here and use that revenue for the benefit of our citizens is blocked by that Republican minority.
Alaska - oil revenues cover all need for income taxes AND everyone gets a check. (Which has NOTHING to do with Palin.)
California - refuses to tax oil companies, and has to shut down state services instead.
Since Alaska is doing so well fiscally paying it's way with oil revenue from leases owned by the US taxpayers (all of us) but only accruing to Alaskans maybe you can give back the Federal Tax money you suck up from the rest of us in the lower 48? Don't take more from Washington than you contribute. Think you can live without the charity of the lower 48?
My question exactly.
What part of "natural resource royalty payment is not socialism?
Emmonak!
Yes, only Palin would consider running for the governorship of Alaska on culture war issues when what they need is governance. Being radically anti-abortion does not repair the pot holes in streets or bring jobs to the state. Goverance is day-to-day fundamentals and conservatives easily bore of that. They like radical culture war battles for the hearts and minds of society and burning books. They detest the very need for government so they try to extinguish it at each turn by incompetence or corruption or both, just like Bush did for eight years.
As Mayor of Wasilla, didn't Palin use the street maintenance and repair money to redecorate her office?
Oddly, Palin was running a socialist program in Alaska, paying citizens 3,000.00/y
So, essentially, Republicans simply take zero responsibility for their spending -- but they still spend. They just don't spend on things like education, rape kits, police, etc -- those things which benefit society in the long run. Republicans don't think they should have to balance budgets. For examples of how this "fiscal conservatism" plays out, I give you Bush, Schwartzenegger, Palin, etc. Bush simply left big ticket items like the war off the budget! Arnie promised no new car tax, and got the voters to line up -- but he never bothered to find a way to actually PAY for the state's expenditures. Palin took from the kids and the feds, and then condemned Obama for federal spending. They stand for nothing except bumper sticker slogans which translate into no responsible governing policies.
According to the Alaska Constitution the citizens of Alaska own certain natural resources within the state. It's already their property by constitutional right. Before Palin exposed them powerful politicians were lining their pockets with oil money so the companies would not have to honor their legal obligations to the citizens of Alaska. Thanks to Palin each citizen of Alaska receives payment for their property regardless of their race, creed, color or membership in any special interest group. She booted out the thieves who diverted the money to their own personal advantage.
Nowhere in the Alaska constitution does it say that "kids" are entitled to more oil revenue royalty money than anyone else.
Regarding spending why do politicians have lavish taxpayer funded pensions, perks and pay raises while they spend more than what they have? Those who produce nothing and seek to control everything are insulated from the economic pain of their decisions.
Uhm, the payments from the Alaska Permanent Fund started in 1976... when Palin was 12 yrs old.
That's a socialist agenda she had, and she managed to get a lot of public support for it, especially from Democrats.
But Sarah changes with the tide, you see. She was one thing to the conservative people in Wasilla and to the Alaskan Republican primary voters - an anti-gay, anti-abortion cultural conservative. But when it came time to run for a statewide position, she was suddenly all about getting lots of money for people. It worked in Alaska, but on the national stage, her chameleon habits were quickly found out.
Amen.
Soon, California will have the infrastructure and human capital of Borneo. Let's see how that plays as an alternative to "job killer" taxes.
The very word"Governor," is suspect to them. The only use of the job is to affect redistricting so Republicans can have more power, and to keep a state from "spending" (also known as providing services to the citizens) and especially from asking the rich or corporations to pay any taxes for their use of the infrastructure the rest of us built
This is the most succinct description of the Rethugs that I have ever heard.
Well done.
Every time I try to listen to what this woman is saying, I end up wondering what her first language might have been. I don't think she could carry a coherent thought in a bucket even if it had a cover on it. The conservatives like her however and I'd love to see them nominate her as their next candidate for president. The next election would be a cake walk for us liberals.
As for my state, and yours Dave, I picture our terminator simply standing in the way with his arms folded across his chest. There are some things about our budget problems that get overlooked by those blogging and commenting here. First, the governor has a line item veto. He could have made either of the two budgets that have made it to his desk pretty much his own were he so inclined. Second, they forget that two majority budgets have been passed by our legislature. How can you blame our legislature when they have solved our problems, twice?! Schwarzenegger isn't governing California, he's trying to destroy it!! We should make certain that he gets the credit for that.
But if he did that, he wouldn't be able to blame the Unions for everything.
Dave forgot to add that to his Republican list: Union busting.
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