Not a Big Truck

I couldn’t disagree more with the attitude of the MSM toward Governor Palin’s foreign policy experience.  When she says that Alaska plays an important role in protecting the United States she should not be mocked. Have we all forgotten the important lessons from the epic film “Red Dawn?”

For those who have forgotten the details of that cautionary film…the Soviet armies invaded North America through, yep, you guessed it, Alaska! Palin knows what she is talking about. She is on the front the lines. One could argue that the reason we do not have Russian soldiers and their allies running wild in our hometowns, as in the clip above, is because Palin is there, in Alaska, monitoring Russian activities.

My favorite clip:

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Michael Kinsley discusses the government spending situation in Alaska.  A key passage:

Back to reality. Of the 50 states, Alaska ranks No. 1 in taxes per resident and No. 1 in spending per resident. Its tax burden per resident is 2 1/2 times the national average; its spending, more than double. The trick is that Alaska’s government spends money on its own citizens and taxes the rest of us to pay for it. Although Palin, like McCain, talks about liberating ourselves from dependence on foreign oil, there is no evidence that being dependent on Alaskan oil would be any more pleasant to the pocketbook.

Alaska is, in essence, an adjunct member of OPEC. It has four different taxes on oil, which produce more than 89% of the state’s unrestricted revenue. On average, three-quarters of the value of a barrel of oil is taken by the state government before that oil is permitted to leave the state. Alaska residents each get a yearly check for about $2,000 from oil revenues, plus an additional $1,200 pushed through by Palin last year to take advantage of rising oil prices. Any sympathy the governor of Alaska expresses for folks in the lower 48 who are suffering from high gas prices or can’t afford to heat their homes is strictly crocodile tears.

Also, on a related note, from TPM:

Senator Stevens has issued this statement about the Palin selection.

“I have known and worked with Sarah for over a decade – from her service as Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, in her role as president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors, and most recently as our Governor. She is attentive to her job and family, brings people together, and is able to make tough decisions.”

Seems awfully friendly, eh?

ABC News does some reporting.

I seem to recall hearing a number of times last night that Palin had been against the Bridge to Nowhere.  Well, not entirely true.  Here is a picture from Yglesias’ blog.

Now, I don’t blame here for supporting the bridge.  I mean, as a governor or any sort of local politician it is more than reasonable to try to maximize the federal dollars that your constituents receive.  In the end, not accepting the bridge would not have resulted in Alaskans receiving a rebate or anything.  Those dollars would have likely just been spent in other states with senior senators. 

I would even go so far to say that it is fine for Palin to argue that her support of the bridge is not in opposition to her views that earmarks and other wasteful federal spending should be curtailed. Being a federal public servant is different than being a governor or some other local politician.

But, don’t lie about your record. Take the issue on and use it as an opportunity to explain how the system in Washington needs to be fixed. She should have simply said that as governor she did everything she could for the people of Alaska and as VP she would do everything she could to benefit all of America, which would include reforming the culture of wasteful spending in DC. 

Oh well, I guess it’s just easier to lie about it and then cry that those who expose that lie are just sexist.

Saw this NYP gem linked from Drudge. The b.s. alarm started going off when she says “[Palin] has a day job as the governor of the state of Alaska - and is known to commute home from the state capital of Anchorage daily during session.” Unfortunately for Ms. Peyser, as any Middle School student should know, Juneau, not Anchorage is the capital of Alaska. Simple searchs on Google Maps and alaskaair.com reveal that it’s a two hour flight from JNU to ANC and another hour drive to Wasilla. That, plus travel time between the airport and the statehouse make me think this entire statement is complete hogwash.

She has had some corruption/ethical issues of her own in Alaska.

Here is our guy, Ted Stevens, introducing and supporting Sarah Palin.

I wonder to what extent the corruption of the Republican Party in Alaska will impact her national ambitions. She seems to have a record, however, of calling for government reform and has been tough on old Ted regarding his recent ethical issues.

Ted Stevens won his primary battle.  Polls show Stevens trailing his opponent, Democrat Mark Begich, in most of the polls.  If Stevens is found guilty, the Republicans are in deep trouble up there.  Enough to move the state to Obama? I don’t know, but I still think Obama should visit.

As one of the responses to my last post on the “best airline in America” suggested taking the financial condition of the airline into consideration, thus today’s report that Aviation Week ranks Alaska as the most financially stable U.S. legacy carrier may be of interest. Surprisingly, Alaska was given a higher numerical stability rating than Southwest, although low-cost and regional carriers were evaluated separately.