Palin: I'm Not the Biggest Liar of the Year

[jallman]

jallman, here's a news source, which demonstrably proves millions of dollars have NOT been spent defending investigating frivolous charges.

Palin says ethics inquiries were paralyzing: Former Gov. Sarah Palin | adn.com

That's just the cost of the personnel board. That's not totalling the cost in downtime for the governor's office, the peripheral costs of legislative hearings to review findings, etc.

To state that 300k spent by the personnel board is all of the cost is a little less than honest.

 

[randel]

You haven't supported any of your points. And ask anyone around here...if I set out to give insult, you'll know it. If you are insulted from this little exchange, you just need thicker skin.

All you've done is cry and screech that she "cut and run". That might make a successful republican sound byte but that isn't a legitimate rebuttal in an intelligent conversation.

"You can do better, I have faith in you."

i have made my point, and supported it with facts...i've never claimed that my theory, and i trust you understand what a theory is, is the absolute gospel on what has transpired.

i gave you my opinion...you got pissed because my opinion doesnt match up with yours...

 

[Redress]

I'll need to sift through some threads here or the ADN archives to pull it out. There were at least two, and one was from some New England state. I think another was from some injun tribe in the Dakotas somewhere and it was over Pebble Mine.

I skimmed through the list ,and I saw one filed from out of state, and it was summarily dismissed. Most where from Alaska residents, and some of the charges where relatively serious. What I find interesting is that most seem to be dismissed not because they are materially incorrect, only that what she did is not technically illegal(such as the firing in Troopergate).

 

[jallman]

I skimmed through the list ,and I saw one filed from out of state, and it was summarily dismissed. Most where from Alaska residents, and some of the charges where relatively serious. What I find interesting is that most seem to be dismissed not because they are materially incorrect, only that what she did is not technically illegal(such as the firing in Troopergate).

Oh so now we're going to quibble, not over the fact that she doesn't have horns and fangs, but that she doesn't have a halo and feathery wings.

You guys kill me.

 

[Redress]

Oh so now we're going to quibble, not over the fact that she doesn't have horns and fangs, but that she doesn't have a halo and feathery wings.

You guys kill me.

Not following what you are saying here.

 

[jallman]

Not following what you are saying here.

I'm saying that she didn't do anything illegal. I guess it appears that in your eyes, even though she was found innocent, she just wasn't found innocent enough.

That makes no sense to me.

 

[Redress]

I'm saying that she didn't do anything illegal. I guess it appears that in your eyes, even though she was found innocent, she just wasn't found innocent enough.

That makes no sense to me.

As best I can tell, she has broken no laws. That does not make her ethical, and if, as it appears, she fired a guy for not firing a trooper who was divorcing her sister(? was that who it was), that may be legal, but I find it ethically wrong.

Jallman, you know me. I take ethics in government very serious, and consider it a nonpartisan thing.

 

[walk-in]

As best I can tell, she has broken no laws. That does not make her ethical, and if, as it appears, she fired a guy for not firing a trooper who was divorcing her sister(? was that who it was), that may be legal, but I find it ethically wrong.

Jallman, you know me. I take ethics in government very serious, and consider it a nonpartisan thing.

The trooper thing had basically blown over until she became the VP candidate. It was a relatively minor issue that was not receiving a lot of attention. Ultimately, she was found to have done nothing illegal, but you could certainly question the ethics of it.

If you think about it (in a non-partisan way), she really was in a no-win situation here even if you accept that Monegan (who my mom went to high school with, BTW) was fired because he refused to do anything about Mike Wooten (I don't....the department had other issues, and as an at-will appointee he either needed to get on board with the governor's priorities or be replaced). But, regardless of that, what would have happened if it had come out that she was aware of this trooper's actions, including tasing his 12 year old stepson, drinking while on duty in a patrol car, poaching, etc., and done nothing? She would have been crucified for that as well.

 

[jallman]

The trooper thing had basically blown over until she became the VP candidate. It was a relatively minor issue that was not receiving a lot of attention. Ultimately, she was found to have done nothing illegal, but you could certainly question the ethics of it.

If you think about it (in a non-partisan way), she really was in a no-win situation here even if you accept that Monegan (who my mom went to high school with, BTW) was fired because he refused to do anything about Mike Wooten (I don't....the department had other issues, and as an at-will appointee he either needed to get on board with the governor's priorities or be replaced). But, regardless of that, what would have happened if it had come out that she was aware of this trooper's actions, including tasing his 12 year old stepson, drinking while on duty in a patrol car, poaching, etc., and done nothing? She would have been crucified for that as well.

Exactly. The fact that he was her ex brother-in-law was just a matter of unfortunate coincidence and completely irrelevant to the fact that Wooten was one of the troopers that made them all look bad.

Monegan didn't even get fired, himself, until he scheduled press conferences outside the permission of the governor's office, which he worked for.

If I scheduled press conferences on behalf of the institute I work for without having the authority or permission to do so, I would be fired in a heart beat. Especially if this conference was specifically meant to undermine the authority of my superiors.

Monegan was a dumbass and anyone else who pulled the crap he did would have expected to get fired.

 

[jackalope]

The trooper thing had basically blown over until she became the VP candidate. It was a relatively minor issue that was not receiving a lot of attention. Ultimately, she was found to have done nothing illegal, but you could certainly question the ethics of it.

If you think about it (in a non-partisan way), she really was in a no-win situation here even if you accept that Monegan (who my mom went to high school with, BTW) was fired because he refused to do anything about Mike Wooten (I don't....the department had other issues, and as an at-will appointee he either needed to get on board with the governor's priorities or be replaced). But, regardless of that, what would have happened if it had come out that she was aware of this trooper's actions, including tasing his 12 year old stepson, drinking while on duty in a patrol car, poaching, etc., and done nothing? She would have been crucified for that as well.

That is not accurate. There was an ongoing investigation, scheduled to be wrapped up Oct 31 of that year, it was not 'basically blown over'. The local paper, the ADN published several articles about the investigation, and had this to say the Wednesday after she was announced as McCain's pick:

"But the trooper controversy has been swirling around Palin for weeks, long before Palin was launched Friday into the bright lights of the national campaign....

...Palin apologized for the chaos that the Monegan dismissal and the Kopp resignation had caused. "This has been a tumultuous week in the Department of Public Safety, and as your governor, I apologize," she said at the news conference.

Alaska's legislature is spending up to $100,000 "to investigate the circumstances and events surrounding the termination of former Public Safety Commissioner Monegan, and potential abuses of power and/or improper actions by members of the executive branch." "

'Troopergate' inquiry hangs over campaign: Politics | adn.com

Also, she was found to have abused her authority as Governor:

Investigator: Palin abused power


Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin abused her power in pushing for the firing of a state trooper once married to her sister and by allowing her husband to use the governor's office in a crusade against the officer, a legislative investigation found.

"Governor Palin knowingly permitted a situation to continue where impermissible pressure was placed on several subordinates in order to advance a personal agenda, to wit: to get Trooper Michael Wooten fired," concluded investigator Steve Branchflower in his report made public Friday.

The governor let her husband, Todd, use the governor's office and its resources, "including access to state employees, to continue to contact subordinate state employees in an effort to find some way to get Trooper Wooten fired," Branchflower wrote.

"She had the authority and power to require Mr. Palin to cease contacting subordinates, but she failed to act," he wrote.

more...

http://www.adn.com/troopergate/story/552799.html

The last comments about Trooper Wooten have little to do with firing Monegan, as she fired him after the investigation into Wooten was concluded. The investigation into Wooten did not end in his firing. He kept his job.

 

[jallman]

That is not accurate. There was an ongoing investigation, scheduled to be wrapped up Oct 31 of that year, it was not 'basically blown over'. The local paper, the ADN published several articles about the investigation, and had this to say the Wednesday after she was announced as McCain's pick:




Also, she was found to have abused her authority as Governor:

In reading the entire findings, it basically states that she should have fired Monegan outright when he refused to fire Wooten and replace him with someone more in line with the governor's thinking.

 

[jackalope]

In reading the entire findings, it basically states that she should have fired Monegan outright when he refused to fire Wooten and replace him with someone more in line with the governor's thinking.

That's what she should have done then, istead of having her office continue to pressure Monegan to fire Wooten. The investigation into Wooten was concluded and they found no cause to fire him.

 

[walk-in]

That is not accurate. There was an ongoing investigation, scheduled to be wrapped up Oct 31 of that year, it was not 'basically blown over'. The local paper, the ADN published several articles about the investigation, and had this to say the Wednesday after she was announced as McCain's pick:




Also, she was found to have abused her authority as Governor:




The last comments about Trooper Wooten have little to do with firing Monegan, as she fired him after the investigation into Wooten was concluded. The investigation into Wooten did not end in his firing. He kept his job.

I'm well aware of all that. I live here. The "ongoing investigation" was going nowhere. I live by the former state senate majority leader, and he also believed that it was going nowhere until the VP campaign stirred things up.

 

[jallman]

That's what she should have done then, istead of having her office continue to pressure Monegan to fire Wooten. The investigation into Wooten was concluded and they found no cause to fire him.

That's not accurate at all. Wooten was never the center of the personnel board investigation. And Wooten was not found to have no cause to fire him so I don't know where you are coming up with that little bit of misinformation.

 

[Orion]

First of all, she proved that her commitment to the people eclipses her commitment to idealogy. Her appointments to the Alaska Supreme Court pretty much prove that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Secondly, she showed from day one a no nonsense attitude in dealing with the corruption that had become inherent in Alaska politics. She sent several blunt but professional messages to her own party that ethics were going to be cleaned up in Alaska government.

She also understands that the government should be run like a business and that the bottom line means something when approving the budget. She kept herself seperated from a lot of the special interest lobbying (mainly oil companies) and she was key in bringing about investigations of the ethics of some of the state's most influential politicians, Ted Stevens being the first that comes to mind.

I could go on and on, but those are the main reasons.

Thanks for this. It has given me pause.

 

[NiteGuy]

And Wooten was not found to have no cause to fire him so I don't know where you are coming up with that little bit of misinformation.

Umm, maybe because it's not misinformation?

Wooten is/was not an angel. No question about it. But most of the "charges" against him were filed during the course of his contentious divorce with Palin's sister, and brought up long after the supposed incidents occured.

The charges were investigated, however, and the State Public Safety Commission suspended Wooten for his transgressions. They also held that none of his actions rose to the level of requiring his termination.

So yes, Wooten was found to have no cause to be fired, under the State of Alaska's own laws and personnel rules established by the very agency that hired him on the first place.

Seems the only one misinformed here, is you.

 

[jallman]

Umm, maybe because it's not misinformation?

Wooten is/was not an angel. No question about it. But most of the "charges" against him were filed during the course of his contentious divorce with Palin's sister, and brought up long after the supposed incidents occured.

The charges were investigated, however, and the State Public Safety Commission suspended Wooten for his transgressions. They also held that none of his actions rose to the level of requiring his termination.

So yes, Wooten was found to have no cause to be fired, under the State of Alaska's own laws and personnel rules established by the very agency that hired him on the first place.

Seems the only one misinformed here, is you.

Well maybe you can show documentation of this or are you just a keyboard cowboy shooting off at the mouth for us?

Looks like we got a live one here, folks. :lol:

 

[jackalope]

I'm well aware of all that. I live here. The "ongoing investigation" was going nowhere. I live by the former state senate majority leader, and he also believed that it was going nowhere until the VP campaign stirred things up.

Of course the 'ongoing investigation' was going somewhere. It was going to its termination date of Oct 31, and resulted in the Branchflower report, which found Palin to have abused her authority as Governor.

 

[jackalope]

That's not accurate at all. Wooten was never the center of the personnel board investigation. And Wooten was not found to have no cause to fire him so I don't know where you are coming up with that little bit of misinformation.

Not accurate? That is exactly what the Personnel Board's investigation was about. Did Palin abuse her authority as Governor and fire Monegan because he would not fire Wooten (for whom there was no cause for termination). Palin was found to have been abusing her authority as Governor because her people were applying pressuring on Monegan to fire Wooten. That is what the investigation was about. She was found to have abused her authority in this matter. She had the authority to fire Monegan. She did not have the authority to fire Wooten, nor pressure Monegan to fire Wooten.

And, yes, it is a fact that there was not found to be cause to fire Wooten. The Wooten investigations were long over, and he wasn't fired b/c there was no cause to fire him.

"A trooper internal investigation begun in April 2005 and completed in March 2006 resulted in a five-day suspension for Wooten."
Palin staff pushed to have trooper fired: Walt Monegan firing | adn.com

There are longer articles in adn.com archives, if you're interested, but you have to pay a fee to access them. The Palin's filed multiple complaints against Wooten (14, I think?). Four were found to have merit, none rose to the level of termination as a disciplinary action. I believe the suspension was originally ten days; Wooten's union sued and had it reduced to five days.

 

[jackalope]

Well maybe you can show documentation of this or are you just a keyboard cowboy shooting off at the mouth for us?

Looks like we got a live one here, folks. :lol:

I don't know about a live one, but that is exactly what happened.

 

[jackalope]

I skimmed through the list ,and I saw one filed from out of state, and it was summarily dismissed. Most where from Alaska residents, and some of the charges where relatively serious. What I find interesting is that most seem to be dismissed not because they are materially incorrect, only that what she did is not technically illegal(such as the firing in Troopergate).

Which one, Redress? I looked again, and didn't find any, except this one:

12. Jan. 12: Complaint alleging interference in a job hiring was filed under the name of Edna Birch, a busybody character on the British soap opera Emmerdale. Palin's attorney, Thomas Van Flein, said no one by that name could be found living in Alaska and the filer refused to use a real name, so the complaint was dismissed Feb. 20.
http://palininvestigated.blogspot.com/2009/07/list-of-ethics-complaint-filed-against.html

Which was dismmissed b/c noone by that name was living in Alaska. It doesn't sound like any out-of-state groups are allowed to file ethics complaints in Alaska against the Alaska Governor.

 

[texmaster]

The undisputed liar of 2009, Barack Obama.

Count em. 8 times and that's just one of his ongoing lies.

Breitbart.tv The C-SPAN Lie? See Eight Clips of Obama Promising Televised Healthcare Negotiations