Who would begrudge Gov. Sarah Palin using a little money from the State of Alaska to take her kids on a trip to the Big City? Anyone out there that mean spirited?
Apparently some folks are unhappy that Gov. Palin charged off to the state several thousands of dollars in travel for her daughters which, uh, may have been more family/personal travel than “business” travel. She apparently said the girls “had been invited to attend or participate in events on the governor’s schedule,” according to that AP News report. The problem was, among other things, according to that report:
“But some organizers of these events said they were surprised when the Palin children showed up uninvited, or said they agreed to a request by the governor to allow the children to attend.
“Several other organizers said the children merely accompanied their mother and did not participate. The trips enabled Palin, whose main state office is in the capital of Juneau, to spend more time with her children.”
Some of that state-funded travel included this very interesting trip to New York City:
“In October 2007, Palin brought daughter Bristol along on a trip to New York for a women’s leadership conference. Plane tickets from Anchorage to La Guardia Airport for $1,385.11 were billed to the state, records show, and mother and daughter shared a room for four nights at the $707.29-per-night Essex House hotel, which overlooks Central Park.
“The event’s organizers said Palin asked if she could bring her daughter.
“Alexis Gelber, who organized Newsweek’s Third Annual Women & Leadership Conference, said she does not know how Bristol ended up attending. Gelber said invitees usually attend alone, but some ask if they can bring a relative or friend.”
Good to know that we have such a financial crusader and her Maverick Friend trying to get in the White House where they can cut all that government corruption, isn’t it?
(Sure would be nice if I could afford to take my wife on a nice trip to New York City. Guess I should consider a name change to Joe Six-Pack or Joe the Plumber. You betcha!)