I was going to take this ADN news story, pick it apart, and add a little snark for flavoring, but I have to say that reporter Lisa Demer did such an excellent job of explaining the complexities of this case that it would be a shame to alter it in any way.
I encourage you to click the title and read the news story as written.
The ADN may be a dying newspaper but it does still have a few talented reporters.
However I will add that JUST because the Governor, and the Lt. Governor, "are not considered employees of the state for the purpose of state personnel laws relating to travel allowances", does not excuse them from demonstrating the kind of ethical integrity promised by Sarah Palin when she ran for the office of Governor back in 2006.
Just because there is no consequence for doing something unethical does not mean it is magically transformed into an ethical behavior.
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Thanks, Gryphen...
ReplyDeleteWhat I don't understand is the governor charging $60 for a phone call, even if it was made from her home. Heck, my phone costs about $54 a month...unlimited calls, including long distance calls.
Thanks again, for your great blog!
Sarah Palin isn't a State of Alaska employee like Dick Cheney wasn't a member of the executive branch of government. Just who does pay her salary, the gnomes at the bottom of the volcano? Seriously, those lawyers should be in St.Paul helping the Norm Colman team; they are just about out of good lawyers.
ReplyDeleteAnd, as you point out, how about truancy-gate?
ReplyDeleteAmong other things, federal funding under No Child Left Behind can be put in peril for school districts with parents who do not comply with state truancy laws and do not permit the school district properly to account for minor children's extended absences.
In Alaska the compulsory attendance laws certainly apply to all the governor's children. Failure to comply can endanger funding for other people's children:
Title 14, Chapter 14.30. PUPILS AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR PUPILS
Article 01. COMPULSORY EDUCATION
Sec. 14.30.010. When attendance compulsory.
(a) Every child between seven and 16 years of age shall attend school at the public school in the district in which the child resides during each school term. Every parent, guardian or other person having the responsibility for or control of a child between seven and 16 years of age shall maintain the child in attendance at a public school in the district in which the child resides during the entire school term, except as provided in (b) of this section.
(b) This section does not apply if a child
(1) is provided an academic education comparable to that offered by the public schools in the area, either by
(A) attendance at a private school in which the teachers are certificated according to AS 14.20.020 ;
(B) tutoring by personnel certificated according to AS 14.20.020 ; or
(C) attendance at an educational program operated in compliance with AS 14.45.100 - 14.45.200 by a religious or other private school;
(2) attends a school operated by the federal government;
(3) has a physical or mental condition that a competent medical authority determines will make attendance impractical;
(4) is in the custody of a court or law enforcement authorities;
(5) is temporarily ill or injured;
(6) has been suspended or expelled under AS 14.03.160 or suspended or denied admittance under AS 14.30.045 ;
(7) resides more than two miles from either a public school or a route on which transportation is provided by the school authorities, except that this paragraph does not apply if the child resides within two miles of a federal or private school that the child is eligible and able to attend;
(8) is excused by action of the school board of the district at a regular meeting or by the district superintendent subject to approval by the school board of the district at the next regular meeting;
(9) has completed the 12th grade;
(10) is enrolled in
(A) a state boarding school established under AS 14.16; or
(B) a full-time program of correspondence study approved by the department; in those school districts providing an approved correspondence study program, a student may be enrolled either in the district correspondence program or in the centralized correspondence study program;
(11) is equally well-served by an educational experience approved by the school board as serving the child's educational interests despite an absence from school, and the request for excuse is made in writing by the child's parents or guardian and approved by the principal or administrator of the school that the child attends;
(12) is being educated in the child's home by a parent or legal guardian.
Incidentally, if the gov isn't a state employee for travel allowance purposes, etc., under what authority could she ever validly collect a per diem?
ReplyDeleteAnd is there any governor in any other state who's ever even tried to get a per diem for doing his/her (well-salaried) job?
To add insult to injury, Palin has now added a new link to her official home page: "Invite the Governor to a Meeting or Event."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.gov.state.ak.us/gov_eventinvite.php
One of the specific questions they ask is..."Is the First Family Invited?"
Is this a response to the recent settlement? Is the legal theory now if the family is invited the state will pay?
Sure Sarah, bring the family!
You betcha.
Ratfish: WOW! Is that even legal???
ReplyDeleteSomebody should start up a website with some kind of wacko right wing title, invite Sarah and her brood to a moosemeat BBQ or tailgate affair (tell her Greta will be there), and then let her try to cash in on that! Ha!!
ReplyDelete