you were scolding about being too hard on Ms. Palin. Have you had an awakening? When she came on the scene, many of us voters looked to people in Alaska for news and information on her, and then we got heck for it when it was not good. We have had this info. on the question you are just now getting around to pondering for a long time. And still, you continue to leave out many other considerations. What woman in her right mind, claims that when expecting a high risk birth that she waited a day and one-half (leaking amniotic fluid)to seek medical help and then flying from Texas to Alaska--sounds like an unnecessary whopper to me, and there were so many more. Now, her legal bills cause her to leave her post-what about the Alaska Fund Trust founded to pay those bills? We she follow the guidelines on this perk, or blow them off, because she was and remains untouchable because women are all of the sudden new found feminists. What about her PAC? Her lies were evident long before you woke up ! And that is what make me the maddest --that she got so many passes by women just because she is a woman. And by the by I am a woman, who got no passes, but read the first and many issues of Ms. magazine, and this is not the behavior I took away from those times.

She's lying because she's pathological! Remember the "Thanks, but no thanks" to the bridge to nowhere? I think she just crossed said bridge. She is so over her head and in a job that goes way beyond her intellectual capacity and abilities.

Here is a link to a breakdown of expenses (Go mudflats! ).

http://www.themudflats.net/2009/07/08/palins-milllllions-of-dollars/ .

Somebody upstream in this thread posted the 'spreadsheet' earlier.

Also, I think it's important to keep in the mind the role of the Fed in this disaster. There are the ones that allowed the financials to borrow at close to 0% and lend it out at 5%-6% (of course leveraged 30 times, and with CDS's to help make it all appear AAA rated). Higher rates from the Fed would have resulted in mortgages above 7%: likely no feeding frenzy housing bubble.

The last crop of Republicans violated all their self held beliefs of limited government, fiscal restraint (see Dick 'Deficits don't matter' Cheney), and foreign adventurism. They also haven't been doing to well on the family values either.

And AKA Smith, good to see you again. Your prose is always a pleasure to read

Good reporting Joan keep it up i'm getting sick of hearing about Palin but if she is going to be kept alive by the media I'm at least glad that you are here with the facts and sharp a elbow that keeps everyone on the facts.

Thanks, Joan, for going into this. The media is just starting to pick apart this claim, and is just starting to see that it's baloney.

A few things:

-- Almost all of the costs cited by the Palin administration are for salaried state employees doing their regular jobs, part of which is responding to public inquiries and public complaints. Almost all of this much-touted $1.9 million "cost" would have been borne by the state anyway, whether employees were responding to FOIAs or responding to ethics charges or dancing on their desks. These are salaried employees, people!

-- Members of the public have a legitimate right to see public documents. Likewise, members of the public have a legitimate right to file ethics charges when they perceive wrongdoing. If the charges are frivolous, the should be disposed of easily.

-- Maybe if Sarah weren't so secretive -- and believe me, she is -- there wouldn't have been such a need for people to file FOIAs. Generally, the act has to be invoked only when government officials are trying to hide something, or at least being difficult. Sarah has been obsessed with hiding information, and has been the opposite of "open and transparent."

-- Even more obnoxious, the Palin administration has been charging citizens who do manage to make it through the secrecy gauntlet thousands of dollars just to view the pubic documents that they have every right to view. And people have been paying these fees. So Sarah, please zip it about the state's expenses. The people making filing the FOIA requests are themselves picking up the costs, if indeed there are any costs.

I do appreciate the letters sent in from other Alaskans, and I hope Salon readers will pay attention to actual Alaskans who really do know Sarah Palin.

In short, we're in the mess we're in right now because too many people listened to the rich and powerful for too long. They screwed us and continue the process on a daily basis.

-- Cuchulain2007

We're in this mess because too many stupid people listened to the progressive BS from both parties that they were going to help the poor if they just went along with them. Democrats don't give a crap about the poor,uninsured or needy it's about power. They only have your best interest in mind as far as getting what they want personally.

We've listened to empty promises for too long and the Chris Dodds, Barney Franks, William Jeffersons and Barack Obamas and the like continue to screw us on a daily basis. I'm a libertarian but at least Republicans admit to being pro business and aren't phoneys.

What Palin represents to many regardless of your personal opinion is the hunger for just one national leader who isn't beholding to either party or the Wall St Mullahs and doesn't care about getting thier blessing. That thing Obama promised remember? He ended up being just another corrupt Chicago decieving and lying politician. The backlash will be great so the early start to take out the competition by going after Palin now.

Most americans know the crap won't stop until we clean house. They are fed up as hell and these liberal games have been exposed and don't amount to squat.