Plane-Gate

By now, you've no doubt heard the stumping about how Sarah Palin saved Alaskan taxpayers millions of dollars selling the Governor's luxury jet on E-bay, for a profit. Weeeelll... that's not exactly how it went down.

She did TRY to sell the jet on E-bay. But, it didn't sell there. It was sold PRIVATELY, at a LOSS of about $650,000.

Further, it wasn't used solely and frivolously to jet Alaskan Governors from the hockey game to the local pizza joint up the street. It was used to shuttle Alaska's prison inmates to and from the penitentiary, something that still has to be done and which someone's tax dollars has to pay for.

Alaskan prisoners are now transported via private airlines, at the expense of EVERY American taxpayer.

So, technically, Governor Palin did, indeed, relieve Alaskan's the burden of taking responsibility for a necessary state expense... by shifting the burden of this expense on to all of "outsiders" as Palin and other Alaskans refer to those of us Americans who aren't Alaskans.

In other news...

The Republican party has purchased and pimped out a special jet to transport Ms. Palin around the country for the duration of the campaign. The plane, an Embraer E190 to be operated by JetBlue, seats 100, has been "pimped out" with a new paint job, roomier first class and a press compartment! It's snazzy!

Which state's hard working, honest, salt of the Earth people, just like Palin grew up with, had their jobs held secure and helped stimulate the American economy through the honor of manufacturing this jet for the Republican party, the McCain campaign and Ms. Palin's travel comfort?

None of them. The jet was manufactured in Brazil.

My How Times Change...

It seems like only a few short months ago that America was questioning whether an accomplished, experienced woman with a lengthy resume of qualifications could lead our nation.

Today, there's no question that an inexperienced woman with a short resume is infinitely more qualified to lead the nation than the two men vying for the job of President, put together.


It seems like only a few years ago that John McCain said of President Clinton's then teen-aged daughter Chelsea that she was "ugly" because "Janet Reno is her father."

Today... McCain has declared families, especially the children of anyone spinning a platform that co-opts "family values," off-limits.

It seems like only a few days ago that evil, sex crazed liberals were accused of teaching their children to have rampant unprotected sex through a a sex ed curriculum not strictly limited to abstinence, but inclusive of birth control & STD prevention, in our public schools.

Today... there's a newfound awareness among the righteous that teens will be teens, there's a pride in unprotected teen sex... teen pregnancy is awesome!

It seems like only a few years ago McCain was having a party complete with cake and a photo-op with Dubya while our gulf coast was destroyed and a horrified nation watched helplessly as New Orleans drowned... and it seems like such a short time ago that McCain warned and repeatedly voted against spending money on relief for hurricane victims or the rebuilding of the coast. It seems like only days ago that hurricane relief and rebuilding the gulf coast were not among McCain's agenda.

But now, he's taken off his Republican hat to don his American hat... (clarifying that the two are, indeed, mutually exclusive as has long been suspected.)