Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Latest Palin Problem: Big Earmarks for Her Little Town

John McCain says she's a fight-fisted reformer, but her record in Alaska suggests otherwise. 

The Washington Post is reporting today that Palin "employed a lobbying firm to secure almost $27 million in federal earmarks for a town of 6,700 residents while she was its mayor, according to an analysis by an independent government watchdog group."

What did federal dollars buy for Wasilla? The Post has details: "There was $500,000 for a youth shelter, $1.9 million for a transportation hub, $900,000 for sewer repairs, and $15 million for a rail project." 

The paper notes that when McCain introduced Palin as his running mate, he emphasized that she was "someone who's stopped government from wasting taxpayer's money." 

A $1.9 million transportation hub? In Wasilla? A $15 million rail project? Really? 

Unless these sound like worthy federal expenses to you, Gov. Palin is hardly the reformer McCain says she is. 

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