Pelosi and Obama Meddling in Alaska's Affairs

The following two articles from the Alaska Daily News (ADN) indicate that Pelosi and Obama have found a way to meddle in Alaskan affairs through the pay-for-play appointment of Ken Elton. Pelosi stopped in Alaska on Saturday and met with Native Americans with no apparent by your leave to Governor Palin. It looks like the new administration is trying to milk the global warming farce for all it is worth to exert more government control. As if taking over the auto industry and the banking industry and next the health care industry isn't enough. Folks, we live in very scary times, and we need to wake up and defend our liberties while we still have them.

Through his appointment of Elton, Obama is also now trying to control road construction in Alaska. Governor Palin's instincts about the strings attached to the stimulus money were dead on. It's too bad for them that the people of Alaska (and other states as well) could only see dollar signs.

Sarah Palin is the one Republican with the combined star power, conservative principles, and integrity to successfully take Obama on in 2012 and return government to the people. Is this why Obama and his followers are trying so hard to marginalize her? Well, it won't work, because Sarah Palin has a grassroots army of dedicated followers who are already at work supporting and defending her and who are hoping she does decide to run for President in 2012. We can't wait to call her President Sarah Palin!


Pelosi and delegation stop in Alaska en route to China

MEET WITH NATIVES: Effects of climate change discussed.

The Associated Press

Published: May 23rd, 2009 02:33 PMLast Modified: May 23rd, 2009 09:12 PM

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi headed to China Saturday after a quick stop in Alaska that included a discussion with Alaska Native representatives over the effects of global warming.

Pelosi staffers said the intent of the trip is to "focus on opportunities that will help create clean, sustainable energy policies."

Pelosi's spokesman, Drew Hammill, said the delegation left Anchorage on Saturday morning, departing from Elmendorf Air Force Base, where members had landed Friday. There was no public announcement of the delegation's mission until Saturday.

Hammill said for security reasons he could not divulge the China itinerary of the trip, which will last about a week.

According to Pelosi's office, the delegation met Friday with Alaska Natives, who said that climate change is affecting their culture and habitat and that villages are crumbling into the sea.

Traveling with Pelosi are Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., committee chairman; Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., ranking committee member; Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore.; Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash.; and Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif.

Pelosi's office said the delegation was invited to engage with national and local government officials in China, as well as students, environmentalists and business leaders, there on topics including climate change, clean energy and international trade.

"The urgency of the global climate crisis requires that critical choices be made now that are bold and based on the clearest understanding of how to achieve our goals of preserving the planet and protecting the health of the world's people," Pelosi said in a prepared statement. "Climate change provides a crucial opportunity for dialogue between our two nations."

http://www.adn.com/news/politics/story/806223.html

Report slams Indian Affairs

ALASKA: Allegations of mismanaged funds bring more oversight.

By SEAN COCKERHAMscockerham@adn.com

Published: May 23rd, 2009 12:35 AMLast Modified: May 23rd, 2009 12:35 AM

The Interior Department is tightening the flow of economic stimulus money to the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Alaska roads program after a scathing inspector general's report alleged mismanagement and the waste of millions in tax dollars.

"Given the history, we are proceeding with an abundance of caution and additional oversight on all projects. Our plan has been and will continue to be that funds will only be distributed once we determine that there are sufficient controls over spending and accountability in place," Interior department spokeswoman Kendra Barkoff said.

That's a result of a February report conducted by the Interior Department's inspector general, Earl Devaney.

"The Alaska regional office's consistent decision to ignore sound management practices has resulted in the loss of millions of dollars and left Native American citizens without needed infrastructure," the report concluded.

Niles Cesar, who has directed the BIA's Alaska regional office since 1990, did not return calls seeking comment.

The Interior department, of which the Bureau of Indian Affairs is a part, said a new team is now in place overseeing the roads program that was criticized in the report. The department also immediately imposed a "corrective action plan" that includes a reporting and monitoring program.

ROADS PROGRAM

At issue is what's known as the BIA Alaska's "Indian Reservation Roads Program." In states like Alaska where tribes generally do not have reservations, public roads that serve Native communities are eligible for money through grant requests made by tribes.

Interior Department officials stressed that the misconduct identified in the inspector general's report dates from before the Obama administration came to office.

"This is a problem that we kind of inherited, and I'm very comfortable what we have a team in place that's going to do a great job with protecting our constituents and protecting the public's dollars," said Kim Elton, the Interior Secretary's special assistant on Alaska issues.

The inspector general's report found $32 million in program funding went to Alaska Native communities each year and only about $3 to $4 million in roads projects had any physical oversight or verification of work completed. The report conceded severe understaffing -- 12 of the 25 program positions were vacant -- but said that's long been a problem and the issues were not corrected despite the program apparently ending up with annual surplus operations money.
Devaney, the inspector general, wrote a memo to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar saying "the region's internal management controls have completely broken down, enabling wage-grade employees to earn over $100,000 in a given year without explanation."

The inspector's report said overtime pay claimed by unsupervised employees was approved with no verification and allowed a construction supervisor, for example, to make $130,000 in a year and a heavy-equipment mechanic to make more than $100,000 in the same year. The report said BIA Alaska road officials were unable "to explain or justify why employees would be paid such large amounts of overtime during the winter months (a slow time for road construction) and earn the large amount of wages shown in any given year."

The report also criticized specific projects. The inspector general said one investigation found a project in which more than $1.6 million was estimated to have been spent on unauthorized and unnecessary work. "Over six years later, this project is still considered dormant with the main road incomplete," the report said.

The inspector general also found "several other projects that indicated similar mismanagement and potential loss or theft of funds." The report listed two such examples -- although the Interior Department refused to say which tribes were at fault and revealed in interviews that the examples are actually more than a decade old.

In one case, the report said an Alaska Native community was advanced about $500,000 for a road project but instead "used those monies to purchase equipment and a restaurant/saloon." The road was apparently never designed and BIA took no perceptible action to get the money back, according to the report.

Another Alaska Native community was given an undisclosed amount of money for a project that was arbitrarily changed "from addressing the transportation needs of the community to creating an avenue of tourism revenue," the inspector general found.

STIMULUS MONEY COMING

Ron King, chief of surface transportation programs for the Alaska Department of Transportation, has read the report.

King said the many tribal transportation directors he's worked with over the past few years have been hard working and dedicated to improving transportation in their communities.

"The report does not reflect my personal experience," King said. "But of course there are 227 tribes and obviously someone may not have done everything right or at least did not have all of the checks and balances in place."

The inspector general's report urged caution in giving federal economic stimulus money to the program.

Interior department spokeswoman Barkoff said the BIA Alaska roads program will indeed receive stimulus funds, "but we are determining which projects in Alaska will receive money on a case by case basis."

More than $3 million in stimulus money has been lined up for BIA road and bridge work in Alaska, although it's not clear how much will end up given out through tribal applications to this program. Barkoff said none of the money has gone out to Alaska yet. "In the selection of specific road projects, we are proceeding with an abundance of caution and making sure there is strong oversight so to avoid the problems that the (inspector general) identified," she said.

Find Sean Cockerham online at adn.com/contact/scockerham or call him at 257-4344.

http://www.adn.com/politics/story/805705.html

Governor Palin to Visit Auburn, New York on June 6

Governor Palin will be visiting Auburn, a city in upstate New York, to attend a Founder's Day event on June 6, the 50th anniversary of Alaska's attaining statehood. There had been an earlier miscommunication about the Governor's intentions to attend the event. However, everything has been ironed out, and there is great anticipation of Governor Palin's visit.


You betcha, Palin’s coming to Auburn

By Kathleen Barran / The Citizen

Friday, May 22, 2009 10:11 AM EDT

In a surprising turn of events on Thursday, the city manager and the director of Seward House learned that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will be coming to Auburn.

Last week, city officials and representatives from Palin’s office informed The Citizen that Palin would not be attending Founder’s Day on June 6. Since March, they had been anticipating a commitment from her to attend the event, which takes place on the 50th anniversary of Alaska’s statehood.

Auburn city officials announced last week that Palin turned down the invitation. A representative from the governor’s office confirmed she would not attend the event, but would not disclose the reason why.

But Meghan Stapleton, one of Palin’s media coordinators, who had been working on the Seward House event for Palin’s office, called Mark Palesh, city manager, and Peter Wisbey, director of the Seward House, to inform them that Palin would definitely participate in Founder’s Day and the fundraising event at Seward House.

“We are going to work out and announce the details of the event soon,” Stapleton said. “We are incredibly excited to celebrate Founder’s Day in Auburn and to celebrate at the home of William H. Seward, who helped to put Alaska on the map.”

Stapleton said a mix-up in Palin’s offices, where Founder’s Day and Seward House weren’t connected as the same event, created the error. She said the governor did not change her mind. Stapleton had been working all along on the Seward House event, but the inundation of requests for appearances by the governor when people heard she might be coming led to some confusion about Founder’s Day.

Stapleton, who is a native Auburnian and daughter of Helene (Karpinsky) and David Stapleton, said she would also be at the event.

“We’re excited that she (Palin) is able to attend the Founder’s Day activity and the Seward House fundraiser in the afternoon. I’m walking on air,” Wisbey said.
He said he received the call Thursday.

“This will be a great boost of recognition and visibility to Seward House. It’s my understanding that she gets thousands of invitations.”

Palin will say a few words at the fund-raiser, which is a ticketed event. She will also have a private tour of Seward House, where she can view some Alaskan items acquired by Seward.

Palesh said he only learned Thursday that Palin was actually going to come. City officials and Founder’s Day organizers will have to re-focus some of their efforts on security and other aspects of the event for such a high-profile guest.

“We’re absolutely thrilled she would take the time to visit the birthplace of Alaska,” Palesh said.

Ticket sales for the Seward House fund-raiser have just started and Wisbey said the event would be held in the gardens, which can hold between 400 and 500 people. General level tickets can be purchased for $100, with a $250 ticket at founder’s level that will allow the ticket holder to have a photo taken with the governor as well as special access to cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.

People wishing to purchase tickets can call the Seward House at 252-1283. The office will be open on Saturday and Monday also.

- Staff writer Christopher Caskey contributed to this report.

Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311, ext. 238 or kathleen.barran@lee.net

http://www.auburnpub.com/articles/2009/05/22/local_news/news01.txt

Governor Palin Cites Alaska Constitution in Veto Decision

Governor Sarah Palin has vetoed $28.6 million in stimulus funds, the portion of the stimulus package that included a mandate for local governments to adopt federally defined building codes. If she had accepted this funding, it would have been an unconstitutional usurpation of power from local government. Governor Palin's position is that as Governor she does not have the authority, from a Constitutional standpoint, to infringe upon the power of the people and their local governments in community planning.

From Governor Palin's press release:

"Alaskans and our communities have a long history of independence and opposing many mandates from Washington, D.C.,” Governor Palin said. “This principle of maximum self-government for local communities is also set out in our constitution. There isn’t a lot of support for the federal government to coerce Alaska communities to adopt building codes, but lawmakers can always exercise checks and balances by overriding my veto.

“Our 18 boroughs and unified home-rule municipalities, 145 incorporated cities, and individual Alaskans will continue to be free to fully exercise their discretion regarding local building codes. I do not support coercing our local communities to adopt building codes, which then act as a mandatory tax on Alaskans building or renovating homes or businesses."

I do believe she's citing Article 10, there, of the Alaska Constitution which provides for "maximum local self-government with a minimum of local government units".

Ya gotta love a woman who loves her Constitution, particularly when she is the primary agent in charge of defending it.

Some have criticized Governor Palin's reasoning. "My disappointment is that Sarah Palin hasn't paid attention or looked closely enough to the Missouri model," Senator Lesil McGuire said referring to the Department of Energy's decision to allow local governments in Missouri to retain their building codes.

Governor Palin did consult the Department of Energy on the matter and had this to say about their assurances:

“While I was encouraged by that acknowledgment, I cannot in good conscience agree to use the full authority of state government to ‘promote’ and advocate on behalf of Washington, D.C., that our communities adopt the building codes or their equivalent.”

It has to do with power. Does the power come down from D.C to the people of Alaska? If Palin had not vetoed it, the ultimate decision would have belonged to the feds. Despite their assurances, it was a risk she refused to take. With this veto, Palin has not made as strong a statement about spending as she has about freedom. Freedom is priceless. Is your freedom worth $28.6 million? Well?

Sometimes it's tough to do the right thing. Palin is going to get hammered for this in the liberal blogosphere and from the proponents of big government in Alaska. They're going to be writing about the economic impact, but this is a critical step she has taken to preserve the right of the people to self-rule that has been afforded them by their state constitution. They'll talk about Missouri until you're sick of hearing about it, but we know we can't leave our freedom up to agents of the federal government promising us they'll honor it. It's far better to have a governor willing to sign her name to guarantee it -- to leave no doubt -- because her constitution demands it.

Folks, this is why I support Sarah Palin. She is going to get hammered for this and it will be twisted nine different ways, if not ninety. How many people are going to really "get this"? People are hurting economically in Alaska and she knows it, but her job is to protect their freedom no matter how tough things get economically. I don't know about you, but I value my freedom so highly that I appreciate leadership like this, particularly in these troubled times when so many are willing to sell it for dollars.

The Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development has a boatload of information on the operations of communities in Alaska including this document on Home Rule. Before you all go whacko on the meaning of this veto, please, do some homework on it, will you?

Incidentally, Governor Palin also used her line-item veto power to cut $80 million from appropriations bills. I have no opinion on this because I haven't done any research on it, but since 80 is always bigger than 28.6, I'll be awfully curious if there is way more talk about the stimulus veto than there is about the appropriations veto, won't you?

Cross-posted at Why Mommy is a Republican

WORLD Magazine's Lynn Vincent Chosen As Collaborator for Sarah Palin's New Book

Guts and grace

World Magazine WEB EXTRA May 21, 2009

BOOKS: WORLD’s Lynn Vincent teams up with Sarah Palin on a book that promises to set the record straight about the Alaska governor’s personal and political life Mickey McLean

After last week’s announcement that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin would pen a memoir to set the record straight about her personal and political life, HarperCollins revealed Thursday that WORLD Magazine Features Editor Lynn Vincent has been signed on as Palin’s collaborator.

The book, not yet titled, will be co-published by HarperCollins imprint Harper and HarperCollins-owned Zondervan and is scheduled for release in the spring of 2010.

During her 10 years as a senior writer and features editor for WORLD, Vincent has covered politics, culture, and hot-button social issues such as abortion for the biweekly news magazine. She has also specialized in narrative journalism.

“Lynn has been WORLD’s best writer of action stories ranging from shots fired in a Texas church to raging fires on California hillsides,” said WORLD Editor in Chief Marvin Olasky. “She combines guts and grace, as does Sarah Palin, so the book should be outstanding.”

Vincent, 46, has collaborated on four previous memoirs. Her most popular collaboration, Same Kind of Different As Me (Thomas Nelson, 2006), tells the remarkable story of Ron Hall, a wealthy white art dealer, and Denver Moore, an illiterate homeless black man, as their lives converge unexpectedly. The book has sold nearly half a million copies and has stayed on the New York Times best-seller list for more than 59 consecutive weeks, including 29 weeks at No. 15 or above. Through speaking engagements by Hall and Moore, the book has helped raise more than $30 million for homeless shelters nationwide.

“Having worked for more than a decade with Lynn Vincent in what is often a man’s world, I know she brings a rare kind of strong-mindedness and tender-heartedness to every assignment,” said WORLD Editor Mindy Belz. “Lynn is a tenacious reporter and an exacting writer—and I’m not sure when she sleeps.”

While Vincent works with Palin on her memoir, she will take a leave of absence from her writing for WORLD and its online counterparts, WORLDmag.com and WorldMagBlog.

http://www.worldmag.com/webextra/15432

Bristol Palin On the Cover of People Magazine

People's Magazine is running a feature story about Bristol Palin and her baby Tripp in this week's issue, which will be on newstands Friday. Exclusive photos of the Palin family will also be featured.

People Exclusive

Bristol Palin Exposes Her Sometimes Isolated Life

By Sandra Sobieraj Westfall

Originally posted Wednesday May 20, 2009 08:30 AM EDT

Bristol Palin’s pretty, lightly freckled face was nowhere to be seen on the overhead screen as images from her high-school senior slideshow – photos from the prom and a Class of 2009 portrait set against the Alaska snow – played during May 14’s Wasilla High commencement ceremony.

Did it make her sad to have missed out on so much senior-year fun – to be spending graduation night not with a gang of friends but at home, giving her 5-month-old son a bottle while her extended family plays “Eskimo bingo”?

Bristol, the eldest daughter of Alaska GOP Gov. Sarah Palin’s five children, answers with a multitasking mom’s whiff of impatience: “I have other things to worry about.”

Bristol Palin, 18, has logged more of those “other things” than some people twice her age. In just the past nine months, she weathered her mother’s bruising vice-presidential run; a failed engagement to boyfriend Levi Johnston that played out in the national media; and, most indelibly, a pregnancy that made her both mother and poster child. She is uncertain where she will go to college – she’s thinking of a two-year business program – but says her near future will include advocating for teen-pregnancy prevention.

No Nanny in House
“Girls need to imagine and picture their life with a screaming newborn baby and then think before they have sex,” she tells PEOPLE. “Think about the consequences.”

Her mom may be governor, but there is no nanny in the Palin house. Bristol gets up – usually twice during the night – to feed Tripp, who sleeps in a hand-me-down crib in her bedroom, and she says she has tapped out at least one school paper with her son crying in the background. She breastfed her baby for a month, pumping milk before class and rushing straight home to feed him. And she worked two part-time jobs to help pay for the diapers and formula her parents otherwise supply.

“If girls realized the consequences of sex, nobody would be having sex,” says Bristol, sitting at her parents’ lakeside patio table. “Trust me. Nobody.”

As for her breakup with Levi, 19, with whom she’s still trying to resolve child support and visitation issues, Bristol says it was for the best. “I’m thankful we didn’t get married because if it wasn’t going to work now, it wasn’t going to work in five years.”

For more on Bristol’s life with her baby and exclusive at-home photos of the Palin family, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20280071,00.html

Governor Sarah Palin's Statement Contrasting Obama and Steele

Below is Governor Sarah Palin's eloquent statement about her opposition to Obama's policies and her support for RNC Chairman Michael Steele. Her statement is posted on SarahPAC at http://www.sarahpac.com/news/news28.aspx.

Statement from Governor Sarah Palin

The transition from Candidate Obama to President Obama has been as predictable as Alaska's winter snow.

We are now witnessing actions that will lead to a monumental shift away from free market capitalism and the strong work ethic that built this great country. 'Change' in this administration has meant rapid movement toward massive government growth, huge tax burdens on future generations, and an unprecedented reliance upon foreign countries.

Today, we learned that Obama’s decisions continue to impact Alaskans; while we as taxpayers now own General Motors, Obama closes another dealership – this time in Soldotna as more of Alaskans’ hard-earned money and jobs are lost to big government. Government should not be in the auto industry business. In Alaska, we have also seen a shift in federal priorities that threaten the loss of subsidized village health care services under the same candidate who led you to believe he'd insure all Americans. The inconsistent messages and actions are unsettling.

But we have another voice in Washington, DC – a man who understands what Alaskans believe: less centralized government control, restrained budgets, more opportunity for development, and fewer taxes. Today, we have a friend in RNC Chairman Michael Steele and his bold and courageous speech defines his leadership goals that will guide us all through this most difficult time for our nation.”

Governor Sarah Palin

El Voto Hispano y Sarah Palin

El Voto Hispano y Sarah Palin:Parte 1

Estimados mis amigos y hermanos hispanos,

Estoy escribiendo en español para que los hispanoparlantes sepan la verdad de Sarah Palin y los elecciones de noviembre 2008. Cuando hago esta pregunta a mis amigos hispanos, “¿Le gusta Sarah Palin? ” , la mayoría, con una curiosa mirada en sus caras, me pregutaron ¿“Quién es Sarah Palin ? ”

Sarah Palin es la gobernadora de Alaska, el más grande estado en estados unidos.En la eleccion de noviembre 2008, Sarah era la candidata para vice presidente con McCain como el candidato para presidente. Ellos representaron el Partido Republicano,un partido con valores conservativos, valores de los hispanos.

Desde la eleccion, muchas personas han dicho y han escrito que ellos votaron solamente por McCain-Palin porque Sarah era la candidata con McCain.

Yo ví a Sarah por primera vez, la noche en que ella acceptó la nominación para vice presidente. Sarah apareció como un rayo de sol en un día obscuro cuando ella entró en el escenario. Pocos minutos después de Sarah empezó a pronunciar su discurso , de repente los apuntadores de televisión dejaron de funcionar . Las palabras del discurso de Sarah desaparecieron.

Cuando ocurrió esto, distinto de Obama, Sarah pudo de continuar con su discurso sin los apuntaores .Ella no estuvo disconcertado y continuó con mucha confienza y siempre con un sonrisa en la cara. Sarah habló con orgullo de su familia, Alaska y nuestro país. Estaba orgulloso tambien.Inmediamente Sarah tuvo muchos fans y ellos votaron por McCain-Palin, estoy incluido.

Pero la mayoría de los hispanos no votaron por los candidatos como Sarah, candidatos conservativos que tienen las mismas creencias y valores, como los hispanos. En lugar, 66 % de los Hispanos votaron por Obama y 75% votaron por los Democratas en la eleccion general i.e. El Senado, La Cámara de Representantes y elecciones locales.Los Democratas, por lo general ,son muy liberales Por ejemplo, ellos están a favor de abortos gratis, abortos pagados con nuestro dinero de los impuestos.

No lo entiendo. ¿ Cómo lo hizo, el voto hispano,¿Por qué crees que sucedió esto ? En mí opinión y la opinión de muchos otros incluido los hispanos esto sucedió a causa del medio de comunicación hispano en estados unidos. Este medio de comunicación habló y escribió sólo a Obama y Biden ,y a veces con información falsa.

La prensa en Orlando escribió “ Obama es un imigrante,como nosotros.” ¡ Creo que no ! El lugar del naciemento de Obama es Hawaii un estado de América. Hawaii no es un país extranjero. Los programas del noticias, periódicos, revistas,radio, televisión,todos,sin falta,promovió a Obama y otros liberales para ser eligidos y el medio tuvo éxito con su misíón. No quiero que Vds. piensan que estoy criticando solo a los medios hispanos: los medios de comunicación americanos lo hizo el mismo.

¿ Y qué dijo el medio hispano sobre Sarah Palin ? A ver,usualmente casi nada, probablemente porque de que los medios de comunicación hispanos se dieron cuenta de que si sabemos de Sarah y sus valores, principios, convicciones pro-vida, logros, nos vamos a sentir con mucho respeto y admiración para ella, y lo peor de todo, que nos votariamos por Sarah y McCain.

A la conclusión, quiero contarles que Sarah tiene un coraje increíble. Cuando estaba en el colegio, ella jugaba basquetbol para su colegio ¿ Sabe que la noche de la última compentencia Sarah jugaba con su tobillo quebrado ? Sarah lo hizo porque ella es una competidora excelente y una jugadora de equipo. Con esto Sarah llevó a su equipo al campeonato.

¿Tengo yo confienza en Sarah ? ¡Por supuesto ! ¡ Definitivamente !

¡ Absolutamente ! ¡Sin dudas !

Yo sé muy bién que mí gramáticaen español no es perfecta ,pero hablo de mí corazón.

Quedence en nuestra frequencia y la proxima vez, les contaré más.

Se puede leer más a www.politicadelpueblo.ning.com/