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Doodles of Dreams
October 07, 2008 12:33 PM
Do you remember last year when Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., donated a doodle for an auction to benefit The Neurofibromatosis Association and epilepsy research? The doodle, of some of his Senate colleagues, sold for more than $2,000 on eBay.
Now we have a doodle from another campaign 2008 rock star, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
New Republic senior editor Noam Scheiber went up to Alaska to profile the governor and during a visit with Palin's former colleague on the city council, Laura Chase, found this document -- the back of a Wasilla city budget which Palin doodled on in 1996 as she plotted her mayoral campaign.
She makes notes on slogans: "You would be my boss! No tax increase! ... Wasilla needs a conservative choice in leadership."
She makes notes on her resume: "Life Long Alaskan; Graduate: Wasilla High School, Univ. of Idaho (Bach. In Journalism, minor Politics); Wife, mother of three, Homeowners, Businesswoman, TAXPAYER!;…NRA supporter," "taxpayer!"
There's a close-up scan of the document HERE.
**
Two policy items of note:
Planning out her campaign promises, Palin writes, "no automatic pay increase for the mayors position" and also "City Hall says it sees the need for an increase in sales and property tax to pay for some local politicians wish list. There is no need to raise taxes, Wasilla is collecting two million dollars a year than what we had projected when we sold the sales tax proposal to you four years ago."
Both of these are forms of claims she has since made on the vice presidential stump -– that she took a pay cut as mayor, and that she fought taxes.
The reality of both is more complicated.
"As mayor, I took a voluntary pay cut, which didn't really thrill my husband,” Palin said on Sept. 9 in Lebanon, Ohio.
According to documents released by the city of Wasilla, Palin's mayoral salary did, indeed, drop from $64,200 in October 1996 to $61,200 in January 1997.
But then, a year and a half later, in June 1998, it increased to $68,000.
It went down again one year later, in July 1999, to $66,000 (still higher than her starting salary) but then it increased again, to $68,000 in October 1999, staying at that level until October 2002, when she left office.
So, for most of her time in office, Palin took a raise.
As for taxes, Palin at the vice presidential debate on Oct. 2 said, “as mayor, every year I was in office I did reduce taxes. I eliminated personal property taxes and eliminated small business inventory taxes, and as governor, we suspended our state fuel tax. We did all of those things knowing that that is how our economy would be heated up."
All true.
But Palin didn’t mention the sales tax (though she did mention it in her 1996 doodle) which did go up during her tenure.
Politifact has a thorough look at her debate claim, but the bottom line is that Palin supported a referendum (as did voters) to increase city sales taxes by a half percent to pay for an indoor sports center. One of the ways that Palin as mayor was able to afford lowering all the other taxes was because the sales tax brought in more and more revenue to local government coffers -– almost $6 million in 2002, an increase of approximately 50% from the time Palin began as mayor –- a testament to the city’s growth.
“Under Palin’s mayorship,” notes Politifact, “the city also took on an additional $23.7-million in long-term debt to finance the sports complex, as well as for street and water projects.”
So noted. (Though not so doodled.)
- jpt
October 7, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (177)
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"You people ever heard of Congress? Not to mention all the committees & subcommittees. Last time I looked we have a democratic congress."
Yes, since Jan 2007 we have had a Democratic Congress.
The 7 years before that it was a Republican House and 5 1/2 years before a Republican Senate.
With a Republican in the White House the whole time.
Posted by: Ryan C | Oct 7, 2008 3:23:37 PM
John & Cindy McCain care with there 7 houses, 12 cars, and Cindy $300,000 diamon penant she wore at the RNC... they really care! They are so out of touch, greedy, and acting like crazy OLD man, if he is acting like this now, how would he act IF he becomes President. He a stubbard OLD man with a DITSY side kick!
Get out of here an go retire in Arizona
Posted by: Neice | Oct 7, 2008 3:22:13 PM
Palin accused Obama of exploiting the health care and Social Security issues to win votes among seniors in Florida.
“Our health-care plan will give millions of middle class Americans access to better health-care coverage without costing you a dime,” she said, saying middle class families would receive a $5,000 tax credit to buy coverage.
How can she say that with a straight face? Has she not read McCain's health care plan. It is paid for by taxing employer provided health care plans and cutting funding for Medicare and Medicaid. And McCain wanted to privatize social security. Thank God that did not happen we would all be in an even bigger world of hurt now that the market is tanking.
McCain, you have been on a US Govt health plan your entire life....but nobody else should have that benefit.
Posted by: becky | Oct 7, 2008 3:20:00 PM
I guess if you cut your finger it's George Bush's fault. You people ever heard of Congress? Not to mention all the committees & subcommittees. Last time I looked we have a democratic congress. Democrats are so quick to blame others for their own problems.
Posted by: southern_conservative | Oct 7, 2008 3:15:46 PM
Louis - I don't know. I was opposed to the bailout, opposed to this expensive war and agree that government priorities are just not in sync with the American public. But given the circumstances, McCain's healthcare plan is simply more realistic than Obama's idea for universal health care (honestly, if I thought it would work and if I thought the timing was right, I'd support the idea for universal healthcare too - I just don't think now's the time)
Posted by: Howdy Do! | Oct 7, 2008 3:07:10 PM
southern_conservative
the way things are going in this country.... it really doesn't matter.........the bad times are here, and, they won't be fixed for a very long time...
Posted by: ........... | Oct 7, 2008 3:05:04 PM
souther conservative
again
the whole dems want to be taken care of...
no dems want to not have the trashing of our country healthcare standing economy
that we have seen over the past 8 years.
Posted by: dl | Oct 7, 2008 3:02:40 PM
Don't worry democrats. Obama will take care of you. You will never again have to take personal responsiblity.
Posted by: southern_conservative | Oct 7, 2008 3:00:45 PM
and Woody
Obama talks about administrative costs ad nauseum
so you are wrong.
he gets it
Mccain doesn't.
because in mccain's defense he's never had to
and he never will have to.
Posted by: dl | Oct 7, 2008 2:58:31 PM
"We should scrap Medicare, Medicaid and employer based health care and use the Swiss plan as our model. The Swiss by nature are more conservative than liberal yet successfully nationalized their health care system.
The odds of all this happening here are about 1,000,000 to 1 because it's a radioactive political subject and it makes too much sense."
Woody just blew my mind by advocating single payer.
I think I may be speechless.
Posted by: Ryan C | Oct 7, 2008 2:56:51 PM
Bishop it sounds like you are one of the baby boomers.
and if you are in the healthcare field
you have to know that Hospitals as it is (wasteful or not)
are getting subsidized not only from our government but by a team of professionals raising charitable funds...
and as more and more people are losing coverage...you should realize that those costs are getting passed on to everyone.
you should also realize when Obama says "universality" but also says it is about "cost" and that universality may help but unlike other dems he says it is not the answer to reducing costs...
he is right.
He also talks about his awareness of bureaucracy causing more problems...
He gets this...better than any candidate I have ever heard talk about it. (and I saw them all in NH)
McCain couldn't show you what an insurance application looked like...
never mind how difficult it is to resolve the numbers from yuor household budget with those...
he is not a numbers guy
because he has never had to be.
and it shows.
with the economy...baby boomers...the billing issues and red tape out of control... that the malpractice issue needs to be addressed along with a free market way to address pharmaceuticals.
ignore the spin
this time vote for the smart guy.
not the soundbite team
whose policies are the same ones that brought us...HERE.
Posted by: dl | Oct 7, 2008 2:56:00 PM
"It's not true that people would be forced to drop their employer's health care - they could keep it if they want."
Sure they could keep it and pay the taxes on their health benefits.
The point is many people will not be able to afford this tax increase and will have to drop their employer healthcare plan to lower their tax liability.
After my tax credit from McCain I will have to pay between $300 & $400 more in taxes.
That's for the same plan I have right now.
What's that you say? I could shop around?
I am a single healthy person.
On the market, I could get bare bones coverage(no scripts, larger copays etc) for about $2500 a year.
So for a single healthy person, I'll break even cost wise but have a much less comprehensive plan.
Posted by: Ryan C | Oct 7, 2008 2:54:39 PM
That scan looks like the half-baked musings usually found in a middle-school History notebook.
Posted by: Bill | Oct 7, 2008 2:53:38 PM
WISE UP AMERICANS!!
To McCain, Palin and the Republicans you are all just TERRORISTS AND COMMUNISTS if you do not hold the same beliefs that they do...
Look out if they get elected, as the only thing they will shake-up in Washington if they get elected is your rights!!!
Welcome to a Republican administration that will be even more secretive and evil that Bush/Cheney could have ever hoped to be...
Welcome to the Palin/McCain NEOCON POLICE STATE!!! Where you will be branded a communist and a terrorist if you do not agree with their right wing-nut evangelical views!!!
Vote for smart, educated and inclusive leaders this time! Vote for OBAMA/BIDEN '08!!!!
Please you "Joe Six-Pack" people, let's not elect the DUMMIES AGAIN!!!!
Posted by: Davis | Oct 7, 2008 2:52:34 PM
omg: the difference is that Hilary Clinton is a *****! And she's married to an impeached president that you people wanted to put back in the White House.
Posted by: southern_conservative | Oct 7, 2008 2:52:32 PM
"Taxpayer" - ha, ha, ha. Jake you are too sly for throwing that one down.
Not only is Sarah Palin a habitual liar, we also know she is the ultimate TAX DODGER!!! Oh, $40K+ in allowances for her kids and husband's travel and she didn't pay a dime in taxes? Plus another $17K in allowances for staying in her own home - and no taxes? And another several thousand in bogus deductions?
Oh, say it aint so Sarah!!!! Sarah, you better get the number of Cindy McCain's lawyer, the felony fixer. And you better make it quick, doggone it!
As if McCain's campaign hasn't been proven pitiful enough, every tax professional pointed this tax dodge out from a mile away; except, of course, for the three blind mice that are advising McCain on economics and vetting all his staff and appointments.
Even the WSJ went after Palin on this. Here's what their tax pros said:
"The Palins did not report as income some $43,000 that the State of Alaska paid the Governor as an “allowance” for her husband and children’s travel. Can they do that? No, most likely not."
The Palins deducted $9,000 on their 2007 return, claiming it was a loss from Mr. Palin’s snow machine racing activity. Can they do that? Most likely not, but more info could make the deduction o.k. If any of the above issues goes against the Palins they then risk getting hit with the section 6662 penalty for “negligence or disregard of rules or regulations.” "
Lying, Tax Dodging Sarah, it's time you pay up the $20K+ in taxes and penalties you owe America!
Posted by: Bud | Oct 7, 2008 2:52:25 PM
Ryan:
"Does any Republican here think that people should have their healthcare benefits taxed as income as John McCain proposes?"
I'm not a Republican but I am a conservative so I'll give it a shot. The answer is an emphatic "No"! However, both health care plans stink because they fail to address the heart of the problem: administrative costs.
We should scrap Medicare, Medicaid and employer based health care and use the Swiss plan as our model. The Swiss by nature are more conservative than liberal yet successfully nationalized their health care system.
The odds of all this happening here are about 1,000,000 to 1 because it's a radioactive political subject and it makes too much sense.
Posted by: Woody | Oct 7, 2008 2:51:54 PM
howdy, why is it no one says we can't afford a trillion dollar war or an 800 billion dollar bail out but health care, whoa nellie, that is too expensive! That is crap. we can afford it, we chose to have 47+ million people out of health care and another 100 million with inadequate health care because there is profit in it.
Posted by: Louis | Oct 7, 2008 2:51:00 PM
Tonya - WalMart only charges $4 for all generic drugs - they advertise it pretty aggressively.
Posted by: Howdy Do! | Oct 7, 2008 2:47:47 PM
jhw539 - I'm not sure how you're defining universal healthcare, but no, we do not have it in this country. Millions of people go without basic medical care because they don't have insurance and can't afford to pay a doctor. And yes, people DO in fact die because of it (not to mention the lack of preventative care that leads to many deaths). As for people dying in the streets - every now and again, there's a horrific story of people dying in hospital emergency rooms. ~~ And $20 antibiotics for kids?? where are you buying your antibiotics? The last antibiotic I bought was $4! You need to look for a cheaper pharmacy.
Posted by: Howdy Do! | Oct 7, 2008 2:46:49 PM
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