Posted on 12/17/2008 4:29:46 PM PST by redk
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Gov. Sarah Palin says she would not accept a raise recommended by the State Officers Compensation Commission. Palin spokesman Bill McAllister said Wednesday that if the Legislature submits legislation for a raise, Palin will not accept the money. Instead, if the raise is approved, she will subtract the difference from her current salary and donate it to charity or find a way to redirect the funds for the benefit of others, McAllister said.
(Excerpt) Read more at ktuu.com ...
You can pretty much count on the Anchorage Democratic News to put the worst possible spin on anything to do with our Sarah.
-ccm
Good thing they banked $5 billion for a rainy day. The rainy day is here.
The 2009 budget is based upon oil averaging over $74 a barrel. That is not looking likely at all.
I do not think $40 oil will last very long. $74 may be high for next year but not by very much. And I am sure Sarah is ready to whip out the line-item veto pen again if necessary.
-ccm
God has plans for her, I totally believe that.
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I’m with ya 100%. She is CHANGE. Washington is full of wimps at this point, on the left and right. We need a woman to show them all how to “MAN UP” to the task of running the country like it should be. I have a feeling Reagan is looking down on her with a smile!!!
You got that right. On MyObama.com, Daily Kos, DU, and MoveOn.org, there is a cadre of committed ideologues hooked up by e-mail and instant messaging. They flock to any summons from the One like orcs to Mordor.
What is needed is something, a group or some individuals who will post positive comments about Sarah everywhere there is a story and a comment board to counter the professional haters.
Team Sarah is off to a good start.
-ccm
If I didn’t know any better, she’s been reading the posts here on Free Republic.
A lot of the folks who come on these threads to trash Governor Palin are Romney disciples, who have their own agenda for their chosen “one.”
Thats why I’m proud to live in Alaska and have her as our governor.
If only we could vote her in as President of Alaska.
Myself any most Alaskans that received a bonus this fall are very grateful for it, otherwise many would have been hard pressed to pay for the then high cost of heating fuel, I still have a good reserve to get me through our winter until work starts up again in the spring, thank you Sarah.
If Washington DC was nuked while almost all of Obamas staff are there for his coronation I would firmly believe Sarah would and could rebuild America, she definitely knows how to organize the big oil companies.
I wouldn’t be too surprised if she stops by once in awhile tsort of keep her finger on the pulse of conservative “man on the street” thought, I know I would if I were running for anything or even considering it.
Agreed. I should not have said that about this year.
Oooo, I just PMed your Digg too.
Sorry.
(In need more coffee)
Dugg!
Sarah is 100% real. There is nothing fake about her. Damn, I love her!
One we've just been talking about is the oil price in the next fiscal year. I happen to think it is politically shrewd of her to submit an optimistic price forecast ($74.41) while showing a moderate amount of belt-tightening on the expense side. If her political opponents scream too much, she can agree to a lower revenue forecast and can then further slash the budget saying "they made me do it". If the $74 number stays in and the actual price comes in much lower, she's going to have to slash expenses anyway or borrow from the CBR or some other source. She'll get the blame. She's probably hoping to be "forced" to lower the number during the budget cycle...LOL. All this is JMO.
The other longer-term issue is the prospect of declining output from the North Slope with no new oil drilling on the horizon because of environmental opposition. That's why the gasline is so critical. She's taking a big risk by the approach she took to get the project off dead center. There's still plenty of entrenched opposition that could throw a monkey wrench into the whole operation. With no appreciable movement towards the gasline being a reality for the last 30 years, she felt she had to do something.
The lady's got a ton of guts, one of her most enduring attributes IMO (out of many). Alaskans are a lucky bunch to have her. Wish we could all share in her leadership. Maybe next time.
I disagree. Alaska has normally based their budgets on numbers far more conservative basis.
Graph of previous numbers and estimates.
http://www.legfin.state.ak.us/Charts/Matterhorn_OIL_Forecast_vs_Actual_11-26-08.pdf
This is (in my opinion) over the top optimistic and not supported by number out of any analysis (IEA or EIA for example.
If the $74 number stays in and the actual price comes in much lower, she's going to have to slash expenses anyway or borrow from the CBR
To look at the data of today and pretend you won't have to do that is poor planing. Cutting government spending should always be done when it is first reconquest, not based upon the numbers might get better later.
With no appreciable movement towards the gasline being a reality for the last 30 years
There was an agreement by the producers signed just before she came into office. She threw it out. In my opinion, she set the process back 2 years. The current plan still requires those same producers to build the gathering facilities and Natural Gas Treatment plant and has no agreement with them.
The lady's got a ton of guts
Agreed. I believe she holds to principled conservative values on most issues. But not quite enough on some, in my opinion.
You can make the case for or against the $74 price. We'll see what happens. Do I think it's optimistic? Yes. Do I think she won't hesitate to chop expenses further if necessary. Yes. Is that poor planning? Probably not if there is a good enough rationale behind the revenue forecast. I'm certainly not smart enough to know what the price of oil will be from mid-2009 through mid-2010. The Alaska budget will be balanced one way or the other. They have no choice. I will say this, my opinion of Gov. Palin's fiscal responsibility will certainly change if she ever entertains the notion of dipping into the Permanent Fund.
There was an agreement by the producers signed just before she came into office. She threw it out. In my opinion, she set the process back 2 years.
There have been lots of promises made over 30 years that haven't materialized. She felt Alaska was out of time to harbor more broken promises. In light of the immediate prospect of declining oil production, she made a tough choice. I happen to agree with it.
Show me one other example of any agency or group with any track record of predicting oil prices beside the Alaska Department of Revenue using a price for this above $70.
Probably not if there is a good enough rationale behind the revenue forecast.
The only rational given was based upon out of date numbers. This estimate is old and should be updated, now.
I haven't seen ANY estimates of oil prices starting from mid-2009 and don't intend to look. If there are any, I'm sure you will point them out, although I doubt you can make the case for their accuracy based on the extraordinary market conditions under which we currently experience. My point was that you could make a case for the $74 based on the current plan to reinflate the economy (wrong as that strategy is), OR just looking at 100+ years of boom/bust chart patterns for commodities.
The last thing I will say is that this issue of what price to submit is more than just someone's estimate, right or wrong. There is politics and good governance involved. Her submission was just a starting point. If revenue forecasts are going to be dramatically lowered with concurrent draconian budget cuts, what's in Alaska's best interests is that it be a shared decision between the governor and the legislature. I believe Gov. Palin is trying to force the legislature to come to grips with that. If they don't or won't, I have no doubt she will do what is necessary to protect Alaska's financial stability....none whatsoever.
JMO. Out.
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