AP INVESTIGATION: Alaska funded Palin kids' travel

[Whoda Thunk?]

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Gov. Sarah Palin charged the state for her children to travel with her, including to events where they were not invited, and later amended expense reports to specify that they were on official business.

The charges included costs for hotel and commercial flights for three daughters to join Palin to watch their father in a snowmobile race, and a trip to New York, where the governor attended a five-hour conference and stayed with 17-year-old Bristol for five days and four nights in a luxury hotel.

In all, Palin has charged the state $21,012 for her three daughters' 64 one-way and 12 round-trip commercial flights since she took office in December 2006. In some other cases, she has charged the state for hotel rooms for the girls.

Alaska law does not specifically address expenses for a governor's children. The law allows for payment of expenses for anyone conducting official state business.


The rest:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081022/ap_on_el_pr/palin_family_travel

[db44]

I was reading this earlier this morning... She would apparently ask if her kids could come, then would end up saying they were invited as she expensed it.

My favorite was the one to the governors' meeting, where she said her kids attended a Youth Group. Turns out that group is pretty much day care for the kids that get brought along... So it looks like she charged her state a couple of thousand dollars for three days of babysitting.

Oh, also the one about calling her kids official guests so they could pull names in a raffle drawing at a fisning festival. Somenthig definitely is fishy, and it ain't the seafood.

[LesterX]

And now the RNC has paid $150,000 to dress Palin and her family in high-end clothes. Just wondering, do all those Joe 6-Packs (and Joe the Plumbers) that Sarah relates to so well shop at Saks and Neiman Marcus on someone else's dime?

[db44]

Can't wait to hear about their haircuts... And to see Reg run with his tail between his legs. After all, he seems to think that made John Edwards unworthy of running for office.

[LesterX]

Maybe they could have saved some $ on the clothes budget for the kids by leaving them at home and in school where they belong. Why are her children on the campaign trail with her? I understand that everyone parades their families at the convention, but Obama's kids aren't out campaigning every day with dad.

[lions1mew]

Excellent points. If this was the other way around, you know those right-wingers would be all over it like *snickers* white on rice ... sorry for the color pun there :angel:

[db44]

Hey, what can you say? Palin believes in "No Child Left Behind." She doesn't want to leave them behind to *GASP* get an education.

[lions1mew]

Education isn't high on right-wing priority lists ... gotta keep 'em stupid enough to think Palin is really qualified *shudders*

[songwriterchk20]

Yeah, you can clearly see that by some of the people voting for them. (NOT ALL, but there are those few "special" cases.)

[Whoda Thunk?]

Maybe her kids are home schooled? I don't have a problem with them going with her, but she needs to flip her own dime for it, not scam others for it.

[SparkleHugs]

They are probably charging the tax payers for a private tutor for her kids to be on the road.

ridiculous. this is not reform.

[lions1mew]

Sparks, you mean *gasp* this isn't her being "mavrikky" ... say it ain't soooooooo ...