By now, most Americans have learned that the Republican National Committee spruced up Sarah Palin and her family with $150,000 worth of new clothes, accessories, makeup, and hair styling. But the McCain campaign tells the public that it was always the intention to donate the Palin family's new clothing to charity after the election. Is Mother Palin really goin' to take away the new Louis Vuitton purse from Piper and donate it to a young girl livin' in a homeless shelter? That young girl needs warm clothing not a designer handbag.
This morning, our local newspaper reported that three more manufacturing plants in our state will be laying off hundreds of workers and that the statewide unemployment rate has risen sharply. Thousands of people attended a local job fair last week -- a much higher attendance than in the past. Local food banks and even animal shelters are low on food stocks as more people lose their jobs and their homes. Our community college is conducting a winter coat drive.
There is nothing wrong with buying nice clothes if we pay for them ourselves and we share our financial resources by giving to charitable causes. But going on a massive spending spree, using your fellow citizens' money, at a time when "Joe Six Pack" is looking for work to feed his family is outrageous. It reminds me of the 18th century Queen of France, Marie Antoinette, who when told that there was no bread to feed the starving citizens of Paris, infamously said "Let them eat cake."
This lack of moral, and even political judgment, reveals once again that Senator McCain did not put "country first" when he selected Governor Palin as his running mate. The RNC should be ashamed of itself for this misuse of donor funds. It may or may not have been an illegal use of RNC contributions but that is beside the point. This latest Palin episode clearly demonstrates that this year's Republican ticket is totally out of touch with the financial struggles of millions of our fellow citizens.