Why did Palin charge Alaska an allowance while she lived at home?
"Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has charged her state a daily allowance, normally used for official travel, for more than 300 nights spent at her home, The Washington Post reported Tuesday. An analysis of travel statements filed by the governor, now John McCain's Republican running mate, shows she claimed the per diem allowance on 312 occasions when she was home in Wasilla and that she billed taxpayers $43,490 for travel by her husband and children. Per diem payments are meant for meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business. State officials told The Post her claims — nearly $17,000 over 19 months — were permitted because her "duty station" is Juneau, the capital, and she was in Wasilla 600 miles away. The governor moved to Juneau last year but often stays in Wasilla and works 45 miles away, in a state office in Anchorage." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080909/ap_on_el_pr/palin_travel_expenses In my experience, you use the per diem allowance when you're on a business trip to pay for hotels and meals. If she's choosing to live at her home in Wasilla and work in Anchorage, I don't see why she's charging Alaska a per diem allowance for that. She has a home there, so there's no lodging costs, and she can buy and cook meals at home just as easily as if she were in Juneau. Yet she charged the state nearly $1000 per month on top of her usual salary. Can anyone explain why Palin would do that? I understand it's technically legal because her "duty station" is Juneau, but I don't see how she can justify it to the taxpayers.
Elections - 17 Answers
People's Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
Answer 1 :
nobody can explain it. gotta make money somehow. they only made $125,000 as governer..........homie gotta eat!
Answer 2 :
She's a crook like McCain
Answer 3 :
I'd like a response from the other side, but you can jump to any conclusion you want. She could have killed someone with an axe, but I still won't vote for Obama.
Answer 4 :
Isn't that her duty as a Republican?
Answer 5 :
If this is the bes thing that can be found to complain about, she has no problems. BHO has been running for President for 4 years now, and nobody in the media raises questions about his ties to William Ayers, his lies about how much he worships Rev. Wright, his 4 years at Columbia that he won't release. Gov of a state comes with perks, that is one of them. She billed the state one fifth of what the previous Gov did for travel, and still people bitch and moan. Are all of the people that walk to work, yet still accept a car allowance check from work wrong? No, it's part of your pay and there is nothing wrong with accepting it.
Answer 6 :
she the next george Bush, corrupt is her middle name. McSame made a insane decision
Answer 7 :
Because she's so hot and precious.
Answer 8 :
Because this is just another example how she uses her office to abuse her power. Heaven help America should she and McCain get into office. I don't want to think about how she'll abuse her power with the second highest office in the land. Once again, she's proven herself to be a liar. Talking about not wanting pork spending, yet she's using her office to get thousands from her constituents.
Answer 9 :
Why did Palin charge less than her predecessor who was a democrat? You answered your own question. Keep looking Skippy, you're not there yet.
Answer 10 :
Political leaders have to entertain people for work purposes and is isn't uncommon for them to host meetings in their home. this makes the expenses allowable. If my husband brings clients home for business purposes I am allowed to be reimbursed for those expenses or to write them off of my taxes. Democrats don't work enough to have seen how this happens.
Answer 11 :
She will justify it by stating how much she cut expences since the last administration "Overall, Palin's travel spending pales in comparison with that of predecessor Frank Murkowski, who charged $463,000 for air fare in 2006. Palin charged $93,000 in 2007." from the same link you gave us but.... I still think its wrong...just saying that will be her response....
Answer 12 :
This is a Catch-22 for Alaska's govenors. By law, they are allowed to collect a per-deim when living outside the Juneau area. Palin, like many govenors before her, have remained in the Anchorage area and do work at the state house there. It is perfectly legal to collect this per-diem , however, you will be jumped all over by your political opponent for talking it. Per-diems are technically used to cover travel expenses, so it's hard to justify them when you are living at home.
Answer 13 :
Whoever wrote that article should be asking what is allowed by Alaska state law, what was Gov. Palin's travel budget, what has past precedent allowed, and why did the state's accounting office, comptroller or whatever, approve them for payment. Compared to her predecessor, I bet Gov. Palin was probably following rules for travel that had been used in the past. This sounds like the kind of crap that a journalist on a mission writes when there is nothing to write about! 6 minutes ago - Edit - Delete
Answer 14 :
Same reason she took, and sought, more federal government handouts to alaska than any other state get's per capita.. then with the overwhelming budget surplus after taxing oil companies.. she gives Rebate checks to every Alaskan with OUR MONEY. That's right... they could have used the oil taxes to get the stuff done they asked the federal government for. They take federal money, don't need it, and then pass it out to their citizens to boost approval. They say it's coming from the oil companies to fool the Alaskan people into wanting to drill. I wanna know this... if we drill in Alaska, are the Alaskan people going to get even more 'rebates', or are they going to start paying for their own infrastructure instead of taking what little money is left from the federal budget?
Answer 15 :
How can any politician justify the tax burden that they put upon tax payers? Check out the expenses put upon us by our representatives and senators for travel and luncheons. And this per diem was allowed by law for commuting from Wasilla to Anchorage. Just something else the leftist can make an issue of.
Answer 16 :
She did it because she COULD. Seems there were no challenges to her ostentatious/outrageous behavior. That said, The public needs to focus on the issues and not the superfluous activity of the politicos. The McCain/Palin ticket is more of the SAME as they follow in the footsteps of the Bush Regime. Do not be diverted from the critical issues such as basic civil rights, survival, maintenance of Constitutional Rights, employment, budgetary constraints, limiting "pork barrel projects " that are enjoyed by the select few, health care, education, fair wages, enforcement of welfare to work projects, limiting health care and other perks to politicos who are elected officials,decrease the bloated numbers of civil service employees along with their lucrative salaries.
Answer 17 :
Typical small town family values at work
"Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has charged her state a daily allowance, normally used for official travel, for more than 300 nights spent at her home, The Washington Post reported Tuesday. An analysis of travel statements filed by the governor, now John McCain's Republican running mate, shows she claimed the per diem allowance on 312 occasions when she was home in Wasilla and that she billed taxpayers $43,490 for travel by her husband and children. Per diem payments are meant for meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business. State officials told The Post her claims — nearly $17,000 over 19 months — were permitted because her "duty station" is Juneau, the capital, and she was in Wasilla 600 miles away. The governor moved to Juneau last year but often stays in Wasilla and works 45 miles away, in a state office in Anchorage." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080909/ap_on_el_pr/palin_travel_expenses In my experience, you use the per diem allowance when you're on a business trip to pay for hotels and meals. If she's choosing to live at her home in Wasilla and work in Anchorage, I don't see why she's charging Alaska a per diem allowance for that. She has a home there, so there's no lodging costs, and she can buy and cook meals at home just as easily as if she were in Juneau. Yet she charged the state nearly $1000 per month on top of her usual salary. Can anyone explain why Palin would do that? I understand it's technically legal because her "duty station" is Juneau, but I don't see how she can justify it to the taxpayers.
Elections - 17 Answers
People's Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
Answer 1 :
nobody can explain it. gotta make money somehow. they only made $125,000 as governer..........homie gotta eat!
Answer 2 :
She's a crook like McCain
Answer 3 :
I'd like a response from the other side, but you can jump to any conclusion you want. She could have killed someone with an axe, but I still won't vote for Obama.
Answer 4 :
Isn't that her duty as a Republican?
Answer 5 :
If this is the bes thing that can be found to complain about, she has no problems. BHO has been running for President for 4 years now, and nobody in the media raises questions about his ties to William Ayers, his lies about how much he worships Rev. Wright, his 4 years at Columbia that he won't release. Gov of a state comes with perks, that is one of them. She billed the state one fifth of what the previous Gov did for travel, and still people bitch and moan. Are all of the people that walk to work, yet still accept a car allowance check from work wrong? No, it's part of your pay and there is nothing wrong with accepting it.
Answer 6 :
she the next george Bush, corrupt is her middle name. McSame made a insane decision
Answer 7 :
Because she's so hot and precious.
Answer 8 :
Because this is just another example how she uses her office to abuse her power. Heaven help America should she and McCain get into office. I don't want to think about how she'll abuse her power with the second highest office in the land. Once again, she's proven herself to be a liar. Talking about not wanting pork spending, yet she's using her office to get thousands from her constituents.
Answer 9 :
Why did Palin charge less than her predecessor who was a democrat? You answered your own question. Keep looking Skippy, you're not there yet.
Answer 10 :
Political leaders have to entertain people for work purposes and is isn't uncommon for them to host meetings in their home. this makes the expenses allowable. If my husband brings clients home for business purposes I am allowed to be reimbursed for those expenses or to write them off of my taxes. Democrats don't work enough to have seen how this happens.
Answer 11 :
She will justify it by stating how much she cut expences since the last administration "Overall, Palin's travel spending pales in comparison with that of predecessor Frank Murkowski, who charged $463,000 for air fare in 2006. Palin charged $93,000 in 2007." from the same link you gave us but.... I still think its wrong...just saying that will be her response....
Answer 12 :
This is a Catch-22 for Alaska's govenors. By law, they are allowed to collect a per-deim when living outside the Juneau area. Palin, like many govenors before her, have remained in the Anchorage area and do work at the state house there. It is perfectly legal to collect this per-diem , however, you will be jumped all over by your political opponent for talking it. Per-diems are technically used to cover travel expenses, so it's hard to justify them when you are living at home.
Answer 13 :
Whoever wrote that article should be asking what is allowed by Alaska state law, what was Gov. Palin's travel budget, what has past precedent allowed, and why did the state's accounting office, comptroller or whatever, approve them for payment. Compared to her predecessor, I bet Gov. Palin was probably following rules for travel that had been used in the past. This sounds like the kind of crap that a journalist on a mission writes when there is nothing to write about! 6 minutes ago - Edit - Delete
Answer 14 :
Same reason she took, and sought, more federal government handouts to alaska than any other state get's per capita.. then with the overwhelming budget surplus after taxing oil companies.. she gives Rebate checks to every Alaskan with OUR MONEY. That's right... they could have used the oil taxes to get the stuff done they asked the federal government for. They take federal money, don't need it, and then pass it out to their citizens to boost approval. They say it's coming from the oil companies to fool the Alaskan people into wanting to drill. I wanna know this... if we drill in Alaska, are the Alaskan people going to get even more 'rebates', or are they going to start paying for their own infrastructure instead of taking what little money is left from the federal budget?
Answer 15 :
How can any politician justify the tax burden that they put upon tax payers? Check out the expenses put upon us by our representatives and senators for travel and luncheons. And this per diem was allowed by law for commuting from Wasilla to Anchorage. Just something else the leftist can make an issue of.
Answer 16 :
She did it because she COULD. Seems there were no challenges to her ostentatious/outrageous behavior. That said, The public needs to focus on the issues and not the superfluous activity of the politicos. The McCain/Palin ticket is more of the SAME as they follow in the footsteps of the Bush Regime. Do not be diverted from the critical issues such as basic civil rights, survival, maintenance of Constitutional Rights, employment, budgetary constraints, limiting "pork barrel projects " that are enjoyed by the select few, health care, education, fair wages, enforcement of welfare to work projects, limiting health care and other perks to politicos who are elected officials,decrease the bloated numbers of civil service employees along with their lucrative salaries.
Answer 17 :
Typical small town family values at work
Read more other entries :
