Gov. Palin follows the rules

The front page for the Washington Post this morning looks like this;

Now do you see the article in the bottom right corner (with the headline that just fits above the fold);

Looks pretty suspicious doesn’t it? Looks like that Palin woman tried to screw taxpayers…but the actual article tells a different story. Well, if you have the fortitude to read past the first paragraph. Here are the first two paragraphs that lay out the case;

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has billed taxpayers for 312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a “per diem” allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business.

The governor also has charged the state for travel expenses to take her children on official out-of-town missions. And her husband, Todd, has billed the state for expenses and a daily allowance for trips he makes on official business for his wife.

But further down, we see that it’s really just a Washington Post popcorn fart of a story;

The state finance director, Kim Garnero, said Alaska law exempts the governor’s office from elaborate travel regulations. Said Leighow: “The governor is entitled to a per diem, and she claims it.”

The popular governor collected the per diem allowance from April 22, four days after the birth of her fifth child, until June 3, when she flew to Juneau for two days. Palin moved her family to the capital during the legislative session last year, but prefers to stay in Wasilla and drive 45 miles to Anchorage to a state office building where she conducts most of her business, aides have said.

Palin rarely sought reimbursement for meals while staying in Anchorage or Wasilla, the reports show.

Now, the Washington Post gets upset over a few thousand dollars spent by a governor, but do they get upset over Charley Rangel’s tax payer-funded leased Cadillacs? Or Nancy Pelosi’s demand for a military aircraft to ferry her to her California district?

But the headline bit gets the attention-deficit crowd all worked up (from the article’s comments section);

kkampf527 wrote:
Everyday more and more comes out about Gov. Palin. I hope americans are paying attention. She’s not change, she’s more of the same.

Category: John McCain/Sarah Palin, Media, Politics