Palin likes free money

Palin Billed State for Nights Spent at Home

ANCHORAGE, Sept. 8 -- 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.

Palin, who earns $125,000 a year, claimed and received $16,951 as her allowance, which officials say was permitted because her official "duty station" is Juneau, according to an analysis of her travel documents by The Washington Post.

The governor's daughters and husband charged the state $43,490 to travel, and many of the trips were between their house in Wasilla and Juneau, the capital city 600 miles away, the documents show

Oh Sarah you do not disappoint. I must say, finding a way to get the state to pay all your families travel expenses and grab a per diem for staying at your own house is a....kind of reform. I mean I sure would like to bill the state to go see a basketball tournament and then bill family vacations to the Iditarod and one to see your husband win the Iron Dog snowmobile race. These are truly reformy mavericky uses of taxpayer money. Of course you can bill it to the state, you were the governor when you went to the basketball game and being the governor at a place counts as billable work.

Aping checks off your kids is the real masterstroke. I mean as the state finance director said "We cover the expenses of anyone who's conducting state business. I can't imagine kids could be doing that." I think you'll find that little Trig Palin has been made Secretary of Making Doodies and his involvement is necessary and his flight expenses and per diem are thus state business.

Besides, this is why you become governor of a place like Alaska, so you can nickel and dime the taxpayer for extra money to fly to some remote part of the state to look at a tribal ice sculpture of Scott Gomez. Between billing the state for family vacations, flights, and staying at your own house, plus the whole ethics/abuse of power thing it seems Palin got a nice little racket going. I can see why she would want to up her shenanigans to some Cheney level, VP stuff. At least there were no references to moos..."Associates of Murkowski said the former governor was moose hunting and could not be reached to comment. " I hate you Alaska.