But, I’ll bet you had the folks at the DailyKos and all the little Palin hatin’ Old Media fols about to jump for joy! LOL

is not only acceptable when you are a liberal, it’s rewarded!

You’re saying that if I had a frontal lobotomy – and could then, somehow, wrap my brain around the idea that I’m a victim, and that I DESERVE to have people give me things through no effort of my own – I could break the law and have it ignored? /jk

Even I almost bought it. I’m a huge Palin supporter (which, for some reason, bugs my wife). Just after Election Day, I slapped a handsome “Pailn 2012″ sticker on my pickup, along with a No-Socialsim sticker. I support her because of her proven leadership and role as a Reaganesque happy-warrior for the cause of freedom. But if she ever had a Clinton/Obama “taxes are for the little people” moment, she’d deserve the same smackdown, especially from her supporters. That’s where we’re much different than the other side.

Those who can’t teach.

I’m sure the IRS must be wrong so these two eggheads can be right….

At least the WSJ reports the IRS letter of agreement,
Gee , I wonder which part of the story PMSNBC will leave out.

Besides, if the eggheads were right and the IRS is wrong, this qualifies the Governor for an Obama cabinet post!!

Regards

This is really good! Oh, let me correct myself… it’s really an excellent diary, especially for the hypocritical libs and dems including the above-mentioned Harvard professors.

Thanks Josh.

I love your posts, and you make an excellent point here. However, if I had a weak heart, I probably would have keeled over before I got to the part where you point out that you really weren’t talking about Sarah!

Since your diary is about Sarah Palin, I’m sure Achance will read it. Achance, notice my informal reference to Sarah (oops, I did it again) above! I think that’s one great thing about her public persona is that folks feel comfortable referring to her that way. Just like we did with “Ronnie” Reagan. I actually made my future mother-in-law send a wedding invitation in ’87 to the Reagans, and insisted that she put “Ron and Nancy” on the invite. Something about Reagan’s nature made me (and many others) feel comfortable referring to them that way, and Sarah is the first politician I’ve felt that way about since (well, maybe ‘Fred’, too, as he used to be my Senator when I lived in TN).
Sorry, couldn’t resist a little dig there! I really do respect your opinions on Gov. Palin.

n/t

at the top of the rec list for 2 or 3 months.

approved travel for my staff under those rules. The only difference for me from Gov. Palin is that I had to have my instate travel approved by my Commissioner and my out of state travel approved by the Governor’s Office. She can approve her own travel and that of her staff and others by her determination that it is in the State’s interest.

The State can either reimburse a State traveller’s actual expenses or pay per diem at an IRS approved rate. All travel by common carrier is either paid directly by the State, paid through a State credit card, or on rare ocassions an employee can purchase the travel and be reimbursed for the actual cost. Hotel expenses likewise are either direct pay, paid by the State on a State credit card, or, rarely, a direct reimbursement. The ‘per diem” at issue here is actually a rather meager “meals and incidental expenses” allowance. It was $42/dy. when I retired and wouldn’t buy you three decent meals anywhere in Alaska or on the West Coast. I think it is up to a whopping $62/dy. or so now. That is one of the things we’re quarrelling about. It is an IRS accepted rate and the traveller does not have to present or retain expenses. In fact, you don’t even have to actually incur the expenses if you don’t mind being hungry although there are some restrictions on getting it if you stay with friends and the like. In the past, the State was so stingy with it that they would try to deny you the meal allowance if your travel time indicated that you got an airline meal. I don’t think anyone can dispute that if she was travelling on State business she was entitled to the M&IE (per diem) and that allowance is not taxable. Likewise, anyone that she properly authorized to travel is entitled to it. I think she’s really pushing the rules to pay herself per diem when she works in ANC rather in Juneau, but technically I think she’s entitled to it. So, Josh and I won’t argue on that part.

What I do question is how much of Todd Palin’s and the various children’s travel was appropriately authorized though that may boil down to more of a political issue than any legal issue with the State or with the IRS. Fundamentally, the Governor can make the determination that ANY travel is in the interest of the State of Alaska and that settles it. If she determines that having her husband or children accompanying her is in the State’s interest, it is in the State’s interest and it is authorized. You can argue with the wisdom of some of her authorizations, and many here do, including me, but she has the right to do it. I really can’t see the IRS inserting itself and deciding that properly authorized State travel somehow wasn’t properly authorized for IRS purposes, but in a BHO Administration they might. If so, she owes some taxes. In fact, I suspect that ANY Republican figure might be wise to play is very straight with the IRS for the next four years, Democrats actually know how to use Executive Branch power.

I’ll just leave it at this: there were very few people in State government who would have dared to question me or try to stay my hand and I would not have dared to authorize travel for my wife and, unlike Todd Palin, my wife was a State employee and actually had some skills in State business that I could have used as a facially plausible excuse for having her accompany me. You just know that if you are at all visible in State Government, somebody is going to question that sort of travel and you’re going to be in the blogs, the Alaska Ear, and if you’re famous enough and a Republican on the front page above the fold in the Anchorage Daily News. I know if Gov. Palin had asked me, I would have told her not to have Todd or the children travel at State expense except in the most extraordinary circumstance. I think most anyone experienced with State travel and the kinds of controversy it can cause would have told her the same thing. Either she didn’t ask, she chose not to accept advice, or somebody was afraid to give her advice that she might not want to hear.

I’m using your Palin post to post Palin.

Please help her get this message to the morons in DC.

Write letters to your Reps and Senators.

ANWR Drillin’
http://www.gov.state.ak.us/news.php?id=1603

Lieberman, should’ve never trusted that guy…….

THANK YOU!