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Edited on Sat Sep-13-08 01:16 PM by Essene
Q: is there any analysis of the impact of Alaska's oil taxes on national gas prices in 2008? http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/energetically_wrong.html">FactCheck.org says Alaska provides 14% of domestic oil. What's the impact of a 25% tax on 14% of our domestic oil or more broadly upon 4.8% of total american oil use? She raised it from 22.5% to 25%. Please help me answer that question and help me fact check the following. Palin: The fake fiscal conservative- As Mayor of a rural town of about 6000 people, Sarah Palin pulled in $27 million in federal funds, increased taxes, increased the budget from $7.6m to $13.6m and put the town into $22m in debt (http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/091408/hom_20080914003.shtml">Alaska Journal, http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ici5RhMkh6-9V07yckpLBEEjzf6QD932MU100">AP, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/02/AR2008090202257.html">Washington Post). As an ironic aside, Palin's rationale for digging her tiny town into debt to build a major sports complex (among other things) was that government should be in the business of preventing social ills - i.e. the sports facilities would stop teens from getting into drugs and crime (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/08/cbsnews_investigates/main4427776.shtml?source=mostpop_story">CBS, http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/palin_planning.pdf">Palin's email to the Wasilla City Council). Oh yea, and she began building this huge complex on somebody else's private property and the city eventually just took it under "eminent domain" powers (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122065537792905483.html?mod=googlenews_wsj">Wall Street Journal).
- Palin's beloved Wasilla pork was attacked at least 3 different times by Senator Mccain, in years gone by (http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-earmarks3-2008sep03,0,2482434.story">LA Times).
- 85% of Alaska's state budget comes from corporate oil taxes (http://dwb.adn.com/news/alaska/story/9090623p-9006670c.html">Anchorage Daily News). Alaska has no state income, property or sales tax.
- 14% of America's domestic oil comes from Alaska (http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/states/sep_prod/P2/PDF/P2.pdf">EIA). Palin increased the tax rate to 25% (http://dwb.adn.com/news/alaska/story/9090623p-9006670c.html">Anchorage Daily News) on all Oil coming out of Alaska, and has brought in $11 billion in revenue this year alone (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aYdZoyTvFrTc&refer=home">Bloomberg, http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-surplus5-2008sep05,0,2756085.story">LA Times).
- Alaska has a $5 billion budget surplus (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aYdZoyTvFrTc&refer=home">Bloomberg, http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-surplus5-2008sep05,0,2756085.story">LA Times) and is giving residents checks for $3100 this September. That's approx $750 million in checks, perhaps around $13000 for a family of four (http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-surplus5-2008sep05,0,2756085.story">LA Times). Alaska has no state income, property or sales tax so these residents are literally being paid to live there - because of high gas prices.
- 1/3rd of Alaska's jobs depend on Federal pork (http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12060464">The Economist).
- Alaska has the highest pork-per-person ratio in the nation (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/02/AR2008090202257.html">Washington Post, http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iE2JCSH5p9r2GBkQWS9TWAMzmuvQD9346HCG0">AP). Alaska is 71% above the national average in pork requests (http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12060464">The Economist). She did cut pork requests from 2007 to 2008, but mainly at the request of the President - and this doesn't count the $329 million she had hoped for to build the Bridge to Nowhere (http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/11/13/bush.budget/index.html">CNN).
- Palin officially requested $197 million in federal earmarks in 2008 & $550 million in 2007 (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ici5RhMkh6-9V07yckpLBEEjzf6QD932MU100">AP, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/02/AR2008090202257.html">Washington Post)
- Palin claims she said "thanks but no thanks, and told Congress to keep the money" pertaining the infamous Bridge to Nowhere. In truth, Palin supported the project while running for governor and mocked those who didn't understand Alaska's infrastructure needs (http://www.adn.com/sarahpalin/story/511471.html">Anchorage Daily News). In fact, she supported using STATE funds for it (http://www.adn.com/sarahpalin/story/510378.html">Anchorage Daily News). Only 11 months into her first term, when Congress wouldn't fully fund it, did she declare the program dead. She simply refused to make good on her promise to use state funds. Her http://www.dot.state.ak.us/comm/pressbox/arch_2007/PR_0921_GravinaAccessProjRed.pdf">official press release blamed Congress. Palin went ahead and spent the left-over $36 million in federal funds for the "bridge to nowhere" on the road leading to the bridge to nowhere) (http://www.nypost.com/seven/09062008/news/nationalnews/obama_rebukes_palin_on_earmarks_127806.htm">NY Post, http://www.dot.state.ak.us/comm/pressbox/arch_2007/PR_0921_GravinaAccessProjRed.pdf">Press Release). Oh, and her administration is actually still pursuing the Bridge to Nowhere project (http://www.propublica.org/article/palin-administration-still-pursuing-nowhere-project-913">Propublica).
- Palin claims to have cut spending, but Alaska's operating budget actually increased (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aYdZoyTvFrTc&refer=home">Bloomberg). Her cuts were primarily on local Capital expenses - $231 million in local infrastructure projects including "hydropower projects to ball fields, roads and bridges to police cars" (http://dwb.adn.com/news/alaska/story/9090623p-9006670c.html">Anchorage Daily News). She also line-item vetoed funds for Catholic Community Services family counseling and adoption programs, a shelter for single mothers, repairing sidewalks for elementary schools, replacing fire stations, etc. (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aYdZoyTvFrTc&refer=home">Bloomberg). However, she did manage to add funding for her Pentecostal church's outreach & evangelical training program where folks learn to speak in tongues, experience the Holy Spirit, divine prophecy from God, and learn to go out into public life in God's name - the same church where she told practitioners that her proposal for a new pipeline was God's will (http://guthriesguitar.blogspot.com/2008/09/palins-push-for-grants-for-jcc.html">Blogspot).
- Perhaps the most cute claim is how Palin put the governor's jet on ebay and sold it for a profit, or perhaps how she claims to have fired the governor's chef. The truth is, she failed to sell the jet and had to sell it outside of ebay for a loss (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/06/politics/animal/main4422397.shtml">CBS). And in fairness, the state is nearly the length of the entire USA so the state having a $2.5m plane isn't exactly extravagant. Similarly, she didn't actually fire the chef. She gave him another job in the state government (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iE2JCSH5p9r2GBkQWS9TWAMzmuvQD9346HCG0">AP).
Sources:
http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/091408/hom_20080914003.shtml
http://www.adn.com/sarahpalin/story/510378.html
http://www.adn.com/sarahpalin/story/511471.html
http://dwb.adn.com/news/alaska/story/9090623p-9006670c.html
http://www.dot.state.ak.us/comm/pressbox/arch_2007/PR_0921_GravinaAccessProjRed.pdf
http://www.nypost.com/seven/09062008/news/nationalnews/obama_rebukes_palin_on_earmarks_127806.htm
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iE2JCSH5p9r2GBkQWS9TWAMzmuvQD9346HCG0
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ici5RhMkh6-9V07yckpLBEEjzf6QD932MU100
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iE2JCSH5p9r2GBkQWS9TWAMzmuvQD9346HCG0
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/08/cbsnews_investigates/main4427776.shtml?source=mostpop_story
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/06/politics/animal/main4422397.shtml
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/02/AR2008090202257.html
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-earmarks3-2008sep03,0,2482434.story
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-surplus5-2008sep05,0,2756085.story
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/states/sep_prod/P2/PDF/P2.pdf
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aYdZoyTvFrTc&refer=home
http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displaystory.cfm?story_id=12060464
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/11/13/bush.budget/index.html
http://guthriesguitar.blogspot.com/2008/09/palins-push-for-grants-for-jcc.html
http://www.propublica.org/article/palin-administration-still-pursuing-nowhere-project-913
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