Palin: Government Can Fix Social Ills

Mayor's Rationale Sounds More Obama Than Conservative

(CBS)  CBS News Investigative Producer Laura Strickler wrote this story for CBSNews.com.

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Sarah Palin’s lasting legacy as mayor of the town of Wasilla, Alaska is a gleaming sports complex with an indoor soccer field, running track and of course, a hockey rink.

To understand what makes the complex so much better than the old rink, all you have to do is sit down. The seats are heated.

This keeps hockey dads and moms like Sarah Palin a lot warmer as they watch their kids zoom around the ice. Palin’s son and future son-in-law have made good use of the facility.

Local pundit Ann Kilkenny attended almost every city council meeting where Palin presided. While dozens of local organizations supported the building of the sports complex, Kilkenny did not, “I think it’s self-serving, I’m not a hockey mom.”

During Palin’s recent convention speech she sharply criticized Senator Barack Obama for wanting to end Bush's tax cuts. She pointed to her sister and husband who are new small business owners in Alaska, “How are they going to be any better off if taxes go up?”

But in fact, the way the hockey rink was built was by raising taxes. Palin funded the project by pushing a special referendum that raised the sales tax by 25 percent. City hall records show the referendum was passed by twenty votes.

One Wasilla resident who voted for the complex is Mike Edwards. He says he spends about an hour a day at the facility watching his son play. He says he’s glad government stepped in to build the new ice because privately run rinks are much more expensive, costing teams as much as $300 an hour to practice compared to $185 at the public rink.

CBS News obtained 86 pages of city council documents that show Palin sought to justify the tax increase to fund the sports complex in part because the private sector had not stepped in to fill the gap. She noted the strong support in the community as a reason to move ahead.

But her most striking argument for raising taxes is one you might not expect from a fiscal conservative. She writes that the rink offers an opportunity for government to stop a social ill like drug abuse or juvenile delinquency before it starts.

Among the documents is this email written from Palin’s account to the “Dept Heads” of the council in January 2001. Although its left margin is sliced off, the message of the email is clear. Palin writes:

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Palin's Email To "Dept. Heads" Of City Council

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“…as I look at the money that government [spends] on projects, programs, personnel and facilities to ‘fix’ societies ills and I realize that it’s [be]come more politically correct and accepted for government to throw money towards ‘after-the-fact [services]’, instead of preventive measures that a community could take to support and promote…family oriented, positive, constructive activities and lifestyles. Even on the local level we [spend] hundreds of thousands of dollars on our Police Dept., Youth Court, DARE Program, etc... ‘after the fact’ fixes for juvenile problems. We are in a position to help prevent (Palin’s emphasis) the [problems] that we are now forced to pay to attempt to remedy.”

This approach sounds surprisingly similar to Senator Barack Obama’s philosophies about youth violence and health care spending. Obama’s “Blueprint for Change” bemoans the lack of money spent on preventive health measures, “The nation faces epidemics of obesity and chronic diseases as well as new threats of pandemic flu and bioterrorism. Yet despite all of this less than 4 cents of every health care dollar is spent on prevention and public health.”

Robin Bailes, another hockey dad who moved to town after the complex was built says he doesn’t think government should be involved in anything, “Every time you want to do something you need five permits.”

But when asked about how he feels about local government funding the ice rink, his tone changes. “Kids like it, so I would probably support it.”

[mabourn]

What do all of these statements have in common?? They were all posted today Sept. 11 in response to various articles on CBS. What does it say about us as Americans if people have nothing better to do than post this stuff on a day when the country is remembering the thousands that died on 911. Spirited debate is one thing... but this is just embarrassing. You should all be ashamed.

-We call Palin Trailer Trash, because, well, she is....
-TundraBilly Barbie/McWho? 08! All the JaysusBillies are praying for McWho? to die now?
-If I were a Messiah Barbie/McWho? partisan, I ''''d be worried that the End Times were coming and that I had my Left Behind Books with me
-Obama is the disgraceful Pig... with Lipstick on the Bu-tt
-The lipsticked pig has gone back to her home wallow. I hear they have nice mud in Alaska.....
-Here''''s the sound coming from Alaska today..."Oink, Oink."
-Palin: Lipstick on a fascist.
-Obama is lucky that he is supported by Many Self-Hating & Low Self-esteem White Liberals... and Blacks who thought Obama was "really" a Black.
-Getting a religious extremist on the ticket was just what the doctor ordered. Hopefully she gets her orders from a different God than W.
-The rotten hypocrite *** and her sidekick McBush will be exposed soon enough for their lies.

[agarland5]

Gov. Palin: Top Ten Negative Stories
(Satire)

1. Diplomat asked Palin to fetch coffee. "How would I know?" he said.
2. Call to Wassila library interrupted operations. "Palin talked for half an hour", says librarian.
3. Palin''s children may not be citizens due to technicalities of Alaska Purchase.
4. Palin campaign operative asks permission for gun rack over VP Seal.
5. Sarah Palin did not inspire character Sarah Conner in the movie "The Terminator". "She inspired the Terminator character", reports screenwriter.
6. Secret sources report "Al-Qaeda will never surrender to a woman, may it please Allah".
7. Palin is not vetted about future pregnancy. Federal law prevented asking.
8. Palin denies rumors of "virgin birth", despite religious leanings.
9. "Killing moose is overflow hostility", says psychiatrist.
10. When Bridge to Nowhere cancelled, 35 homeless denied shelter beneath.

Andrew Garland
My blog: http://easyopinions.blogspot.com/

[buzzmag]

Oh, the scandal! Good work, CBS Investigative Unit! A story about a mayor funding a sports complex. I''m against cities funding sports complexes -- though this one is actually for people to use, rather than for overpaid professional athletes to make money in, so maybe not -- but if this is what the crack CBS Investigative Unit has "obtained," then, well, they don''t have anything: A document so innocuous that, even though it comes from CBS, I doubt it was faked . . . .

[starleo146]

Caribou Barbie of the republipig party is having a luncheon for her supporters and the entree is moose burgers french fries polar bear stew

[barbaraf4]

I am reassured....I don''t think she used the word "God" once time in her memo.

[tpraskac]

to banders6. We all have Red blood. Dont get all bent out of shape.

[rafterman1]

===Republican "stay the course" advocates, now have become "change" advocates, stealing Mr. Obama''''s slogan, but hiding the same old neocon BS behind it.===
Posted by brianbwb

Republicans always manage to find an asterisk attached to all he hypocritical things they do.

[cdlkbwolf]

You Lefties are the dangerous ones! CNN did ran a documentary on Barack HUSSEIN Yomama the other night and it was very revealing. This guy was a ruthless, cut-throat Chicago politician. Behind that big smile, is an ambitious, me-firs,t egomaniac who will take this country down the European path to destruction.

[banders6]

We thick skinned people love the names we are called, I%u2019ll bet she is ROTFL, we walk tall with our head up and just laugh as the names run off our back. But you thin skinned people get people fired when we name you, but we still have to laugh at you.

[craigh9]

ANYONE that would MANDATE a LIFELONG sentence to the VICTIM of a sexual assault that resulted in pregnancy is not only unfit for public office but nearly unfit for the human race. How can ANY woman in their right mind find the selection of Palin as a positive step for women. Palin is a PIG in lipstick!

[powerman2001]

Caribou Barbie...I LOVE IT! That was too funny. I almost fell out of my chair. Thanks for the laugh.

[banders6]

John Insane and his prom date, Caribou Barbie, should be medicated or institutionalized. These are dangerous people who should never be near the nuke button!
Posted by imprisonrove

Well the empty suit says that he has looked up to the heavens and there will be an epiphany that will save us all, so what%u2019s your point? That%u2019s on tape, here is the link? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BHyqtaECLI
And who do you say is the nut case?

[powerman2001]

Who cares about her politics? She is only good for 2 things. Cooking is the second thing.

[nextgenman]

Robin Bailes, another hockey dad who moved to town after the complex was built says he doesn%u2019t think government should be involved in anything, %u201CEvery time you want to do something you need five permits.%u201D

But when asked about how he feels about local government funding the ice rink, his tone changes. %u201CKids like it, so I would probably support it.%u201D
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I hate socialism! Unless there''s something in it for me....

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

[nextgenman]

I''m voting for Sarah! She''s Purty! Even if she''s a socialist who thinks Government can solve all of our problems. Being Socialist is OK if you love Jesus!

[abbe91]

but I did hear O''''s paster say GOD ** America by the way..(if they said that in tongues I guess I didn''''t hear it)...
Posted by bgmusic at 07:43 AM : Sep 10, 2008.

Alaska first, Alaska always ...
http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/09/08/palin-republican-party-infiltrator-damning-video/

[powerman2001]

Palin is HOT! Did Playboy, Hustler or Penthouse offer her a spread deal yet? They should! I don''t agree with her politics, but I''d like to tap it once!

[cattlekate]

Palin wanted the rink because it benefited her family. She doesn''t spend tax money on things she thinks won''t. (Like funds for unwed teenage girls who need a place to stay.)

Just another self-serving person who uses her elected office for what benefits her.

[abbe91]

"Republican "stay the course" advocates, now have become "change" advocates, stealing Mr. Obama''''s slogan, but hiding the same old neocon BS behind it.
Posted by brianbwb at 07:55 AM : Sep 10, 2008"

Soon, they will come with the tire gauge for saving gas, once they find out that Obama was right.

[bigsk8fan]

another legacy of sarah palin is her ability to get the library to stop stocking books that her church deems heretical.