Alaskanomics

Look, Sarah Palin may or may not be qualified to be our Vice President or President if McCain were to kick the bucket (although I'm strongly leaning toward "not qualified"). That's not what this post is about, though. What really bothers me about all the hype surrounding Palin is that I can't believe the American people are that easily manipulated or just that plain stupid to be so easily caught up in the Palin mania. Virtually, everything that has come out of her mouth has been either a half-truth or a flat out lie.

It took me a few hours of searching on the Internet to discover quite a bit of what she said at the convention is in direct conflict with how she actually voted or what she actually did. Her record indicates she participated in the practices she now claims to condemn. She was for the "Bridge to Nowhere" before she was against it and she kept the money. She hired friends and business partners for official positions. Nepotism anyone? Alaska ranks number 1 in both taxes per resident and spending per resident. Its tax burden per resident is 2.5x the national average and its spending more than double. Alaska has 4 different taxes on oil, which accounts for 89 percent of the state's unrestricted revenue. Alaska ranks 18th in federal taxes paid per resident but first in federal taxes received. Her talk about how she's a tough fiscal conservative is at best an extreme exaggeration. And that is just for starters.

The rub is that anyone could find the same information. So, why are so many still hitched to her bandwagon? I don't get it. Beyond not "getting it" it makes me furious that so many are a)really that stupid or b) choose to ignore the obvious facts simply to support their party with blind allegiance. Come on America, we should be smarter than this!

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/257092.php

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1839724-1,00.html