Palin appointed friends and donors to key posts in Alaska, records show

[tpsbmam]

Source: LA Times

Among The Times' findings:

* More than 100 appointments to state posts -- nearly 1 in 4 -- went to campaign contributors or their relatives, sometimes without apparent regard to qualifications.

* Palin filled 16 state offices with appointees from families that donated $2,000 to $5,600 and were among her top political patrons.

* Several of Palin's leading campaign donors received state-subsidized industrial development loans of up to $3.6 million for business ventures of questionable public value.

* Palin picked a donor to replace the public safety commissioner she fired. But the new top cop had to resign days later under an ethics cloud. And Palin drew a formal ethics complaint still pending against her and several aides for allegedly helping another donor and fundraiser land a state job.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-palinrecords24-2008oct24,0,6683728.story

[katmondoo]

1. Just another Bushie

Thats how things are done in the Bush world

[mwb970]

5. Amazing! She's a total bush clone!

She's ignorant. She's arrogant. She's dishonest. She's overly religious. She withholds incriminating e-mails after illegally using private accounts. Her people refuse to honor subpoenas. She appoints incompetent cronies. She can't speak proper English. She's phony through and through.

This is getting eerie. Has anyone ever seen the two of them together?

[saigon68]

9. Has anyone ever seen the two of them together

Last nite on SNL

[saigon68]

7. McPalin another dishonest thug like her mentor president Cheney.

And his Hand puppet--the "CHIMPANZEE"

[mac56]

2. My grandpa used to say

you don't elect the person, you also elect his (or her) friends.

[Solly Mack]

3. Everything wrong about Palin is everything the right-wing likes about her

So for them, this isn't the kind of news that exposes her even more as corrupt and unethical...this is the kind of news that just verifies that she is one them and they like that.

[midnight]

4. Yep!

[City Lights]

6. She's George Bush with a better wardrobe.

No reformer. No mav'rick. Just more of the same.

[rfranklin]

8. You don't remember the $4000 suits?

Ten times as expensive as Edwards' haircut but never brought up in the MSM.

[lynnertic]

13. Prez dresses quite well. n/t

[jorno67]

10. nice!

How very Maverickry

[seafan]

11. Glad the LAT finally dug into this story, after 6 weeks.

Palin appointed friends and donors to key posts in Alaska, records show, LA Times, October 24, 2008



Once Elected, Palin Hired Friends and Lashed Foes, NYT, September 14, 2008


Sarah Palin, 1996: "I want to be president.", September 13, 2008

[woodsprite]

12. Over the past few days, Palin has been in the headlines

-- negative headlines -- pretty much every day. I wonder if this is a trend that the media can continue. I certainly hope so :evilgrin:

With a good number of newspapers backing Obama now, you'd think more and more journalists would be actually doing some digging into more McCain/Palin crap and be able to overcome the talking heads static on TV.

[LynnTheDem]

14. Heck of a job, Palin'.

No wonder she adores George W. bUsh.

[2Design]

15. skilled politician yes - honest -no - ready to govern - no we don't

need more of the same

[bettyellen]

16. LOL, the NYT saids she recruited HS friends as if using Myspace. They nailed it...

[qwlauren35]

17. Isn't this "normal"???

I thought all politicians gave a certain number of jobs to those who campaigned for them and supported them... however, based on qualifications, vetted and approved by another arm of government.

Is this a legitimate issue? When there are so many others???

[Piewhacket]

19. Not "normal"...

qwlauren35 sez:
I thought all politicians gave a certain number of jobs to those who campaigned for them and supported them... however, based on qualifications, vetted and approved by another arm of government.

Is this a legitimate issue? When there are so many others???

Not "normal" to fill government jobs with unqualified sycophants. No. Nor "proper".
Qualified sycophants, sure. But unqualified, no.

And this is a legitimate issue, even when its about qualified sycophants, particularly
where there is evidence of corruption and abuse of power at the top.

After all, an unqualified sycophant is possibly incompetent, thereby damaging society.
A qualified sycophant is even more of a threat, if they be corrupt, and that seems MORE
likely to be the case if the boss is corrupt, after all, what is the point of being corrupt
if you can't gather your henchmen and cronies around you, right Sarah? right George?

So the point is this. If you would govern rather than loot, run a government rather than
a criminal enterprise, do not appoint any "friends" or sycophants who are not also competent
people and who's qualifications and reputations for integrity are widely accepted.

Oh yeah, its legitimate. In any event, you have a problem with multitasking?

[krkaufman]

18. Glad the LA Times has done this article, but WTF took them so long?

This was obvious to the even-slightly-curious by the first week of September; but I'm glad the Times is finally getting around to doing some reporting, and fleshing-out Palin's record. (And, just remember, this is based on a mere 20 months in office; imagine the record of corruption she'd have after a few more years.)