Gov. Palin demonstrates competence ...

[96Qowner]

Dunno, I'm just not finding stuff that suggests Palin is a big spender - dated March 31, 2008.

At stake are about $70 million worth of items lawmakers resurrected from a $231 million list of projects Palin cut last year, saying they didn’t qualify in her book for state spending.

The vetoes infuriated many lawmakers, who said they felt Palin blindsided them.

Now the Republican governor is displeased legislators are trying again to fund part of last year’s wish list by padding what’s known as a supplemental budget.

So she has the veto ax cocked and ready to strike again.

http://community.adn.com/node/120392

JUNEAU - Aug 1st, 2008 - The $1,200 "resource rebate" Gov. Sarah Palin proposed for Alaskans hurting from high gasoline and other energy costs could be in jeopardy -- at least in part.

State legislators on Thursday rolled out comprehensive energy relief legislation that cuts back the rebate.

In the House bill, the amount was pared to $1,000 per resident, with the amount to be tacked onto this fall's Permanent Fund dividend checks.

In the Senate bill, the rebate was chopped down to $250.

http://www.adn.com/legislature/story/481158.html

[96Qowner]

She won the rebate battle:

August 8, 2008 10:35 AM ET - JUNEAU, Alaska (AP)

Most Alaskans are $1,200 richer.

That's because the Alaska Legislature backed Gov. Sarah Palin's call for an energy assistance package in a special session that ended just hours before its 11:59 p.m. Thursday deadline.

An energy bill and an accompanying appropriations bill are worth close to $1 billion. Both await Palin's signature. The Legislature also supported Palin's suspension of the state's 8 cent a gallon fuel sales tax.

In a statement, Palin praised lawmakers for 60 days of special session work that also featured the approval of a license to a Canadian company to pursue a natural gas pipeline project.

http://news.moneycentral.msn.c...78181

She won the pipeline battle, too.

August 2, 2008 - 12:46amBy STEVE QUINNAssociated Press Writer

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - Alaska lawmakers approved a state license Friday for TransCanada Corp. to pursue construction of a natural gas pipeline, ending a decades-long battle to open up 4.5 billion cubic feet of North Slope natural gas daily for use in North American markets.

The bill awaits the signature of Gov. Sarah Palin, who has backed the Canadian proposal from the start.

"It will be our Alaska gas flowing to provide aid to those in the Lower 48, who are turning to Alaska, waiting and wanting Alaska to help," Palin said after the Legislature's support.

The license does not guarantee construction, but it means TransCanada must move forward on costly federal permitting applications for the 1,700-mile pipeline. The project is estimated to cost $26 billion to $30 billion.

The license comes with up to $500 million in state seed money.

http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=111&sid=1324271

She seems pretty darned competent, to me. I'm kinda surprised.

[szh]

Good idea - it went off-topic anyway. Include the other info posts, too.

Oops, I missed those.

That's okay ... these are good!

Z

[srellim234]

She seems very competent in pushing through her own projects. A line item veto works well in killing other people's pork projects while you quietly increase your day-to-day spending.

She has a track record of wanting Washington to fund things instead of her own state. If she gets to Washington, is she going to want to shove everything back on the states to come up with funding her agenda, or will she push for increased Washington spending to fund projects in the state as her history in Alask indicates?

The rebates are due to Alaska's unique relationship to big oil. She did not reduce actual spending to save that money. She proposed and signed a record budget that, I agree, would have been much worse if she hadn't used the line item veto pen, but I don't see where proposing budgets that call for increases in state government spending and transferring the funding of said increases to the federal government is demonstrating the promotion of smaller government.

Slowing down the growth of something is not the same as eliminating the growth. It's still growing, and in Alaska it's growing at a faster rate than it should be for someone in charge who claims to want smaller government.

She has the line item veto. She submits the budget. When she submits a smaller budget instead of a larger one and uses the veto to keep it smaller I'll believe her.

This is a little irrelevant, in a way. Should she become President she won't have the line item veto to use on a hostile Congress in Washington, and who above Washington is she going to lobby to get to pay for the projects she wants?

[rn79870]

In the latest Gallop poll, (9/2/08) Obama pulled ahead another point while McCain fell behind another point. It's 50/42 now. Not that there is much value to the poll other than that Palin isn't what the voters want.

[96Qowner]

Doesn't this belong in the polls on Palin thread?

[audtatious]

I can picture you sitting there and constantly hitting the refresh button with the look of anticipation.

[themadscientist]

I am very disappointed in the MSM. Despite their ridiculously thorough digging into every dark corner of Palin's past I have not yet seen one decent Boudoir shot. Call yourselves journalists, get some naughty shots for me! Your mudslinging is making no dent in my feelings about her competency so get me eye candy you paparazzi!

[ishkabibble]

Despite their ridiculously thorough digging into every dark corner of Palin's past I have not yet seen one decent Boudoir shot.

That's because she's from Alaska. They wear flannel and long johns there, not American Apparel.

[themadscientist]

Forming mental image, long johns, touselled hair, oops, backflap pops open, somebody needs a spankin!