Sarah Palin
In response to this http://llachglin.livejournal.com/67641.html post:
These answers are only to the first two points. More to follow.
CLAIM: Ethics reform
REALITY: Sarah Palin is currently the subject of a state ethics investigation.
Actual Reality:
1) New law signed in by Palin regarding ethics:
Ethics Reform Bills & Info
The House took the lead in passing the Governor's HB 109, a comprehensive piece
of ethics legislation that draws a brighter line for legislators, legislative staff,
public officials, lobbyists, and members of boards and commission for what is
ethical and what is not. This legislation was a work product of cooperation between
the Governor, the House and the Senate. It encompassed 13 pieces of legislation and
more than 70 amendments. It includes civil sanctions, criminal penalties, and
pension relinquishments for bad actors.
Highlights include:
• Requires public servants to report bribes
• Tightens up the definition of campaign contributions
• Denies a public pension to certain public officials if they have been
convicted of certain crimes
• Tightens up campaign disclosure requirements
• Requires legislators, staff, and lobbyists to complete a course on ethics
• Restricts certain felons from lobbying
• Reduces the amount a lobbyist can spend on dinner for an elected official to $15
• Restricts representation for others in certain official business by elected
officials
• Lays out new duties of the Legislature's Committee on Ethics
• Provides a dollar limit of $250 on "compassionate gifts" to legislators
• Reduces from $5,000 to $1,000 the amount of income from certain sources that
must be disclosed by certain public servants
• More clearly defines the use of blind trusts by public officials
• Clarifies that an interest in stock ownership of $5,000 or more is significant
and must be disclosed
• Restricts the use of state aircraft for uses related to partisan political
purposes and requires reimbursement
• Restricts subsequent employment of certain public employees after they leave
government service
• Requires disclosure of interests relating to granting clemency
2) The real reason Monegan was fired and some information from members of her staff regarding
“pressure” put on Monegan to fire trooper Wooten:
a) WHY PALIN FIRED MONEGAN
Monegan was a Palin appointee, and she had a right to fire him for any reason.
She's previously refused to say exactly why she got rid of him, but laid out
several reasons Wednesday, saying she's decided to talk about it because Monegan
is.
Palin said he wasn't doing enough to fill state trooper vacancies and battle
alcohol abuse issues. She said he "did not turn out to be a team player on
budgeting issues."
Palin said it's fine to have debates during cabinet meetings over the budget but
Monegan went further and indicated to legislators she wasn't proposing enough
spending. Palin's acting chief of staff, Mike Nizich, said Monegan asked
legislators for spending that hadn't been authorized by the governor.
"The response he got was don't come to us and ask for more money when you cannot
fill the 56 or 58 trooper positions that were vacant," Nizich said. "So he was
making a pitch for additional funding when he couldn't even fill what he currently
had available to him."
Monegan questioned that but declined to comment further, saying he's already
started talking to the special investigator hired by the Legislature to look into
his firing.
b) Palin, who has previously said her administration didn't exert pressure to get rid
of trooper Mike Wooten, also disclosed that members of her staff had made about two
dozen contacts with public safety officials about the trooper.
"I do now have to tell Alaskans that such pressure could have been perceived to
exist although I have only now become aware of it," Palin said.
c) Frank Bailey:
Bailey said in a Wednesday interview that no one asked him to make the call and he
doesn't know why he indicated in the call that he was speaking on behalf of the
Palins. He said he was calling lieutenant Dial, who was the state troopers liaison
to the Legislature and had volunteered on Palin's campaign, in order to try to get
information about the troopers union and then brought up Wooten.
Bailey said he'd heard at a security briefing right after Palin was elected that
Wooten had made a threat against Palin's family. He said he also had casual
conversations with Todd Palin about the trooper. Bailey said Todd had expressed
"general frustration with the situation" but never asked him to do anything about
it.
"My fear was (Wooten) could fly off the handle and do something that was
irreversible," Bailey said. "That concern, that fear, has always been in the back
of my mind."
Palin said it's under discussion whether Bailey is going to keep his job in the
administration.
d) Attorney General Colberg
Attorney General Colberg also disclosed Wednesday that he'd made a call about
Wooten. Colberg said he called Monegan several months ago after Todd Palin asked
him about "the process" for when state troopers make death threats against the
first family.
"I made an inquiry and was told by commissioner Monegan that there was a process
in place and that it was handled and it was over. And I reported back to the
first gentleman that there was nothing more that could be done," Colberg said.
e) Palin said her husband also contacted Monegan about a threat made by Wooten but
backed off when Monegan indicated he couldn't get into the matter.
The family had alleged the threat in 2005, before Palin became governor. They
said Wooten had told Palin's sister he would shoot their father if he got the
sister a lawyer.
Wooten denied saying anything like that. But a trooper investigation concluded he
did, although it wasn't a crime because he didn't threaten the father directly.
Wooten's actions did violate trooper policy, the investigator found.
Palin said she was meeting with the investigator hired by the Legislature, Steve
Branchflower, on Wednesday and would turn over everything gathered as part of the
attorney general's inquiry. The Bailey phone call was the only one that Palin
singled out as being wrong. Assistant Attorney General Mike Barnhill said all the
calls from then-chief of staff Tibbles, who is now running Sen. Ted Stevens'
re-election campaign, regarding Wooten looked to be appropriate.
"It's absolutely appropriate that a chief of staff was checking on staff issues
and personnel, policy and procedure," Palin said.
Palin said no one from the Department of Public Safety -- including Monegan
before his firing -- had complained they felt pressured regarding Wooten.
.
CLAIM: Got rid of governor's jet and chef
REALITY: The $2.7 million jet was put up for sale on Ebay at $2.45 million but never sold. It was eventually sold by an aircraft broker for $2.1 million at a $600,000 loss for the state.
ACTUAL REALITY: So wait, what? You are complaining that she sold the jet at a loss? That is was purchased (by the previous governor) in the first place? Or that she said it was put on ebay? Help me out here, I don't know where you're going with this one. Has anyone here ever tried to sell a “new car” once it’s been driven off the lot? It would have been impossible to get full value for the jet. It was listed twice on ebay and when it did not sell they moved to an aircraft broker. It is also important to note that the jet was purchased by the previous governor after it had been denied by the Legislature, Sarah never set foot on the jet and made arrangements for the sale as soon as she took office. I have heard her say in several interviews that she "put the jet on ebay" which she did. She, like every other candidate went for the funny line without bothering to follow up and explain that her two attempts at selling it on ebay failed and therefore she was forced to go with another plan.
These answers are only to the first two points. More to follow.
CLAIM: Ethics reform
REALITY: Sarah Palin is currently the subject of a state ethics investigation.
Actual Reality:
1) New law signed in by Palin regarding ethics:
Ethics Reform Bills & Info
The House took the lead in passing the Governor's HB 109, a comprehensive piece
of ethics legislation that draws a brighter line for legislators, legislative staff,
public officials, lobbyists, and members of boards and commission for what is
ethical and what is not. This legislation was a work product of cooperation between
the Governor, the House and the Senate. It encompassed 13 pieces of legislation and
more than 70 amendments. It includes civil sanctions, criminal penalties, and
pension relinquishments for bad actors.
Highlights include:
• Requires public servants to report bribes
• Tightens up the definition of campaign contributions
• Denies a public pension to certain public officials if they have been
convicted of certain crimes
• Tightens up campaign disclosure requirements
• Requires legislators, staff, and lobbyists to complete a course on ethics
• Restricts certain felons from lobbying
• Reduces the amount a lobbyist can spend on dinner for an elected official to $15
• Restricts representation for others in certain official business by elected
officials
• Lays out new duties of the Legislature's Committee on Ethics
• Provides a dollar limit of $250 on "compassionate gifts" to legislators
• Reduces from $5,000 to $1,000 the amount of income from certain sources that
must be disclosed by certain public servants
• More clearly defines the use of blind trusts by public officials
• Clarifies that an interest in stock ownership of $5,000 or more is significant
and must be disclosed
• Restricts the use of state aircraft for uses related to partisan political
purposes and requires reimbursement
• Restricts subsequent employment of certain public employees after they leave
government service
• Requires disclosure of interests relating to granting clemency
2) The real reason Monegan was fired and some information from members of her staff regarding
“pressure” put on Monegan to fire trooper Wooten:
a) WHY PALIN FIRED MONEGAN
Monegan was a Palin appointee, and she had a right to fire him for any reason.
She's previously refused to say exactly why she got rid of him, but laid out
several reasons Wednesday, saying she's decided to talk about it because Monegan
is.
Palin said he wasn't doing enough to fill state trooper vacancies and battle
alcohol abuse issues. She said he "did not turn out to be a team player on
budgeting issues."
Palin said it's fine to have debates during cabinet meetings over the budget but
Monegan went further and indicated to legislators she wasn't proposing enough
spending. Palin's acting chief of staff, Mike Nizich, said Monegan asked
legislators for spending that hadn't been authorized by the governor.
"The response he got was don't come to us and ask for more money when you cannot
fill the 56 or 58 trooper positions that were vacant," Nizich said. "So he was
making a pitch for additional funding when he couldn't even fill what he currently
had available to him."
Monegan questioned that but declined to comment further, saying he's already
started talking to the special investigator hired by the Legislature to look into
his firing.
b) Palin, who has previously said her administration didn't exert pressure to get rid
of trooper Mike Wooten, also disclosed that members of her staff had made about two
dozen contacts with public safety officials about the trooper.
"I do now have to tell Alaskans that such pressure could have been perceived to
exist although I have only now become aware of it," Palin said.
c) Frank Bailey:
Bailey said in a Wednesday interview that no one asked him to make the call and he
doesn't know why he indicated in the call that he was speaking on behalf of the
Palins. He said he was calling lieutenant Dial, who was the state troopers liaison
to the Legislature and had volunteered on Palin's campaign, in order to try to get
information about the troopers union and then brought up Wooten.
Bailey said he'd heard at a security briefing right after Palin was elected that
Wooten had made a threat against Palin's family. He said he also had casual
conversations with Todd Palin about the trooper. Bailey said Todd had expressed
"general frustration with the situation" but never asked him to do anything about
it.
"My fear was (Wooten) could fly off the handle and do something that was
irreversible," Bailey said. "That concern, that fear, has always been in the back
of my mind."
Palin said it's under discussion whether Bailey is going to keep his job in the
administration.
d) Attorney General Colberg
Attorney General Colberg also disclosed Wednesday that he'd made a call about
Wooten. Colberg said he called Monegan several months ago after Todd Palin asked
him about "the process" for when state troopers make death threats against the
first family.
"I made an inquiry and was told by commissioner Monegan that there was a process
in place and that it was handled and it was over. And I reported back to the
first gentleman that there was nothing more that could be done," Colberg said.
e) Palin said her husband also contacted Monegan about a threat made by Wooten but
backed off when Monegan indicated he couldn't get into the matter.
The family had alleged the threat in 2005, before Palin became governor. They
said Wooten had told Palin's sister he would shoot their father if he got the
sister a lawyer.
Wooten denied saying anything like that. But a trooper investigation concluded he
did, although it wasn't a crime because he didn't threaten the father directly.
Wooten's actions did violate trooper policy, the investigator found.
Palin said she was meeting with the investigator hired by the Legislature, Steve
Branchflower, on Wednesday and would turn over everything gathered as part of the
attorney general's inquiry. The Bailey phone call was the only one that Palin
singled out as being wrong. Assistant Attorney General Mike Barnhill said all the
calls from then-chief of staff Tibbles, who is now running Sen. Ted Stevens'
re-election campaign, regarding Wooten looked to be appropriate.
"It's absolutely appropriate that a chief of staff was checking on staff issues
and personnel, policy and procedure," Palin said.
Palin said no one from the Department of Public Safety -- including Monegan
before his firing -- had complained they felt pressured regarding Wooten.
.
CLAIM: Got rid of governor's jet and chef
REALITY: The $2.7 million jet was put up for sale on Ebay at $2.45 million but never sold. It was eventually sold by an aircraft broker for $2.1 million at a $600,000 loss for the state.
ACTUAL REALITY: So wait, what? You are complaining that she sold the jet at a loss? That is was purchased (by the previous governor) in the first place? Or that she said it was put on ebay? Help me out here, I don't know where you're going with this one. Has anyone here ever tried to sell a “new car” once it’s been driven off the lot? It would have been impossible to get full value for the jet. It was listed twice on ebay and when it did not sell they moved to an aircraft broker. It is also important to note that the jet was purchased by the previous governor after it had been denied by the Legislature, Sarah never set foot on the jet and made arrangements for the sale as soon as she took office. I have heard her say in several interviews that she "put the jet on ebay" which she did. She, like every other candidate went for the funny line without bothering to follow up and explain that her two attempts at selling it on ebay failed and therefore she was forced to go with another plan.