The Easiest Governorship in the Country
Republican surrogates tasked with the unenviable job of defending McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate always place heavy emphasis on her "executive experience," even going as far as making the absurd claim that her 18 months as Governor of Alaska makes her more qualified than Barack Obama to be president.
To the extent anyone finds the "executive experience" canard convincing, it's probably worth pointing out that being the Governor of Alaska is really not at all like being the Governor of any other state. Alaska is unique in that its primary source of revenue is oil profits, not taxes. Alaskans pay neither a sales tax nor an income tax. And if you've been a resident of Alaska for at least 11 months, the government actually pays you a cut of its oil profits, which can be as much as several thousand dollars a year.
In fact, Alaska is so flush with money at the moment that the biggest decision Palin had to make as Governor was what to do with the massive budget surplus. She ultimately decided to write a check to every Alaskan for $1200. No wonder she's popular.
In virtually every other state, Governors are forced to make very difficult decisions in order to balance the state budget. They have to cut services or raise taxes, neither of which are popular. They're forced to scour the state budget for unnecessary expenditures and find ways of providing services in more efficient ways. None of that is necessary in Alaska.
But now we're told that Palin's 18 month tenure in the easiest governorship in the country has prepared her to potentially run the largest economy in the world and a government deeply in debt and currently running a massive budget deficit. What a joke.
UPDATE: I should have been clearer. I wrote that Alaska's primary source of revenue is "oil profits, not taxes." It's probably more accurate to say Alaska derives most of its revenue from royalties and taxes levied on those who harvest its oil and natural resources, as opposed to individual taxes on its citizenry. The point is the same, though. Alaska is flush with money and therefore its leaders don't have to make many of the difficult political choices that their counterparts in other states do.
To the extent anyone finds the "executive experience" canard convincing, it's probably worth pointing out that being the Governor of Alaska is really not at all like being the Governor of any other state. Alaska is unique in that its primary source of revenue is oil profits, not taxes. Alaskans pay neither a sales tax nor an income tax. And if you've been a resident of Alaska for at least 11 months, the government actually pays you a cut of its oil profits, which can be as much as several thousand dollars a year.
In fact, Alaska is so flush with money at the moment that the biggest decision Palin had to make as Governor was what to do with the massive budget surplus. She ultimately decided to write a check to every Alaskan for $1200. No wonder she's popular.
In virtually every other state, Governors are forced to make very difficult decisions in order to balance the state budget. They have to cut services or raise taxes, neither of which are popular. They're forced to scour the state budget for unnecessary expenditures and find ways of providing services in more efficient ways. None of that is necessary in Alaska.
But now we're told that Palin's 18 month tenure in the easiest governorship in the country has prepared her to potentially run the largest economy in the world and a government deeply in debt and currently running a massive budget deficit. What a joke.
UPDATE: I should have been clearer. I wrote that Alaska's primary source of revenue is "oil profits, not taxes." It's probably more accurate to say Alaska derives most of its revenue from royalties and taxes levied on those who harvest its oil and natural resources, as opposed to individual taxes on its citizenry. The point is the same, though. Alaska is flush with money and therefore its leaders don't have to make many of the difficult political choices that their counterparts in other states do.
posted by A.L. at 10:00 AM
9 Comments:
You know, Palin is still viewed favorably by a majority of voters according to Rasmussen.
Anonymous Liberal and Andrew Sullivan are working hard to change that!
V.C.,
I don't put great stock in overnight polls one way or the other, but I suggest reading this analysis regarding the validity of the Rasmussen poll:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26495571/
Also instructive is the USA Today poll:
"By Susan Page, USA TODAY
ST. PAUL — Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin faces a getting-to-know-you process as the Republican vice presidential candidate, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds: Most Americans say they've never heard of her.
There is also wide uncertainty about whether she's qualified to be president. In the poll, taken Friday, 39% say she is ready to serve as president if needed, 33% say she isn't, and 29% have no opinion.
That's the lowest vote of confidence in a running mate since the elder George Bush chose then-Indiana senator Dan Quayle to join his ticket in 1988. In comparison, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden was seen as qualified by 57%-18% after Democrat Barack Obama chose him as a running mate last week."
Writing checks to their constituents in the form of a "tax rebate" is how Republicans from the lower 48 states garner their popularity as well (the fact that we're borrowing that rebate from China is neither here nor there). But the media keeps calling her a "maverick" anyway. Dictionaries be damned.
A.L., you really don't have a clue at all.
Alaska is unique in that its primary source of revenue is oil profits, not taxes.
Maybe you need to read a bit further. Look at page 10 of this PDF file. What it shows as "Oil Revenue" is primarily the tax on oil production the companies have to pay the state, along with additional royalties and rent the state receives from this production.
In virtually every other state, Governors are forced to make very difficult decisions in order to balance the state budget.
Here in Illinois, we used to have that problem because stupid liberal politicians (many of those were Republicans) kept adding goodies that have no business being in a state budget. It's not a problem now since the Governor and the Illinois Speaker aren't on speaking terms, and there is no budget whatsoever. And both are liberal Democrats. Gee, that's working out well, ain't it?
Steve,
You're right I should be more clear. Alaska's primary revenue source isn't "oil profits" per se, but royalties and taxes on oil producers. But the point is the same: Alaska is unique in that it derives its revenue not from its citizens, but from the companies that harvest its natural resources. As a result, the state is flush with money and its leaders don't have to make difficult budget choices.
Thanks for adding the correction.
maybe im wrong but the GOP or the DEMS talk about the economy in real life terms, we just had another bank to fail. That’s makes 10
its about my pocket – im sorry
and sarah got a gun LOL
I love Debbie Wasserman-Schmidt! I just watched Hardball and she blew away the Repug mouthpiece. Finally, some Dem had the guts, and savvy, to continue talking right through the Repug - a tactic that all Repugs use when they know they're about to be proven liars or wrong... I'm lovin' this woman. She's a real woman,only difference is she tells the truth!
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