Who pays for Sarah Palin's kid's travel expenses? Taxpayers

First, the Republican Party spends $150,000 to outfit Gov. Sarah Palin and her entire family for the campaign trail.

Now we find out that over $20,000 for her children's travel expenses were billed to the state of Alaska since she's been governor.

Is there no end to this self-proclaimed hockey mom's expensive celebrity lifestyle?

Associated Press reports that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin charged the state for her children's travels to official business events. Even if the children were not invited, Palin would often ask to bring them.

According to MSNBC,  "She said any event she can take her kids to is an event she tries to attend," said Jennifer McCarthy, who helped organize a June 2007 Family Day Celebration picnic in Ketchikan that Piper Palin attended with her parents.

The charges reportedly included costs for hotels and commercial flights for her three daughters to join Gov Palin to watch their father compete in a snowmobile race. Click here to see her daughters waving the flag at the race.

Oh, and there was also a little matter about a 2007 trip to New York, where the governor attended a five-hour women's leadership conference.  Plane tickets from Anchorage to La Guardia Airport for her and Bristol at a cost of $1,385.11 were billed to the state, records show.

Sarah and Bristol 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.

AP reports that all totaled, she’s charged Alaska $21,012 for her three daughters' 64 one-way and 12 round-trip commercial flights since she took office in December 2006.

In some other cases, she has charged the state for hotel rooms for the girls.

Would US taxpayers like to start picking up the clothing and travel tab for VP Palin's kids in 2009?

And her kids' kid?

Not in this economy! Most of us have already had to cancel family trips due to the dismal financial climate.

What do you think?

Photos: WireImage

Comments

[CC]

You ask would US taxpayers like to start picking up the bills for the Palin family? What do I think? I think the author's head has been in the sand. Are you kidding me? You obviously have no clue what the US taxpayers have paid for decades for the Pres and VP and their respective families.

For example, you apparently felt that Chelsea Clinton broke open her piggy bank to pay for herself (Bill and Hillary were virtually penniless when he was elected) rather than taxpayers pay for the cost, not only for her but for an accompanying troop of secret service personal on each and every trip?

[HawaiianJ]

I've done business trips for State & Federal Govt. and a charitable services org. It was the most basic understanding that bringing family was to be on your own dime as was staying extra days. Using public funds and/or charitable dollars for these purposes was unethical. Palin has to know this and so, not only should she pay taxes on the $, but she should be investigated by the ethics commission--if there is one in Alaska. Disgusting!

[Bob N]

First was it legal in Alaska? If so what are you whining about? As VP she won't be traveling commercial, right? So how much can her family add to her travel on Air Force 2? If she wasn't taken them with her you would whining about how she neglected her children. BTW Alaska is a oil rich state and I doubt that taxpayers are paying for her travel. Not much in the way of taxes for the average Alaskan. In fact the Alaskan government GIVES money to each of its residents.

[HijoDeVerdad]

Isn't that misappropriation of people's funds?
The case should be pursued and investigated.

[Speaktruth]

Apparently, Gov. Palin thinks the taxpayers should "spread the wealth" directly to her.

To the poster who mentioned the costs of Chelsea Clinton's travel - Unless it was official gov.t business, (and it usually was not) the Clintons themselves picked up the tab. You can believe that Ken Starr looked!

Secret Service details for the members of the president's family are a bit different. The secret service is required to go wherever the protectee goes - you don't get to hold family members captive just because you want to save money.

Do you think that the Bushes pay for Jenna Bush's Secret Service detail? No!

[Dick Kolklayshr]

Business and other organizations go through this all the time. Someone or some department interacts with the employee to approve or deny expense claims. Who is responsible for the Alaska Government's expense accounts and have they any authority over the top of the governor in the expense account area or are they under-authorized to deal with the governor's power. It's a pity if this is the case. The Hen's pocketbook should not be open to the Fox's sticky fingers. Guide lines should rule and not absolute rules that can be circumvented with a drive around. One governor will have kid's and another will have a dependent adult that might be deserving of a legitimate expense account charge that is created because of the demands of the office of Governor of Alaska.

[Mia]

They should have spent $150,000 on tutoring instead of a new wardrobe. Because nothing says "I'm not part of the Washington Elite" like a $75,000 Neiman Marcus shopping spree. And anyway, she may look cute, but she sounds really stupid.

[milquetoast]

Actually, she sounds really smart! Let's not be naive here: Sarah is a shining star in the Conservative heavens. Do we fault Obama for driving Ayers around Chicago, receiving 50 million in Annenberg winnin's and distributing this booty to left wing educational extremist organizations with the intent, as Ayers put it, to "radicalize the students?" Who paid for that gas? The American Taxpayer, that's who! See how stupid a partisan can sound, Liz?

[Andrea Westmoreland]

I wonder how the Alaskan Joe the Plumber and Joe Six Pack feel about their tax dollars paying for Palin family travel expenses??

[Nancy]

How much would the Governer's jet cost the Alaskan tax payers? Wouldn't her and her family been able to use it for all of these same trips? I think the jet would have been far more expensive to the Alaskan taxpayers.
Come on. What about the $100.00 haircuts of John Kerry and John
Edwards???

[donnakay]

Republicans are completely hypocritical.
Shame on them and Sarah-with her makeovers and her first class lifestyle. "Hockey Mom" my butt!

[Dean]

It's October. Why aren't all these children in school?

[Anni]

Sarah Palin gave up her government assigned chauffeur and cook and drives herself to work in Alaska which saves taxpayers money. Sarah Palin takes her baby to the office with her and forgoes a Nanny which saves taxpayers money; and you accuse her of wasting it? Did you question Hillary Clinton about her clothes, and traveling expenses for her family? I remember travelgate. Do you question Pelosi or Boxer using the Airforce jet to fly home? And there are plenty more examples of rampant waste of taxpayers' money by current Washington politicians costing us far more. All you have to do is look it up without hatred involved. Get real!

[Energizer]

One more corrupt Palin syndrome! She charges the state perdiem for working from home. She charges the state to fly her kids around needlessly. She lets her husband use the governor's office to bully state employeers for personal reasons. She sells the state jet at a loss, then complains she can't get the state prop plane because it's busy with rescue commitments. (Fly commercial or charter). She shows the early behaviour of every corrupt politician that has walked that Washington stage.
When will neocons wake up?
Only when a Dem jaywalks.

[jf]

Actually, Palin DID use the state jet for her family's transportation also, even though the family members were NOT officially representing the state (which is NOT appropriate use) and all to the tune of $43,490.00!!! That was on top of the $21,000.00 plus commercial fares charged to the people of Alaska on her family's behalf.
This was on top of $17,000.00 per diem paid to Palin for 312 days of staying at her own home while away from Juneau (this was on top of her $124,000.00 salary) and NOT claimed on her taxes, just as the transportation costs were not on her taxes. So much for honesty, ethics and the common, down-to-earth average person she presents herself to be. Her extravagant use of paying for personal WANTS with tax-payers' money (without claiming them on her own taxes) using clothing that costs more than I would earn in 6 years (even doing without buying medicine and medical insurance and any extras) while portraying herself as a down-to-earth commoner, yet traveling with a hair and make-up person that has cost $35,000.00 for approximately one and a half months, shows deceit, hypocrisy and fraud. The mainstream media needs to do a much better job reporting factual information rather than opinion. Americans need to work at becoming broadly informed and willing to become more discerning of truth.

[jf]

Actually, Palin DID use the state jet for her family's transportation also, even though the family members were NOT officially representing the state (which is NOT appropriate use) and all to the tune of $43,490.00!!! That was on top of the $21,000.00 plus commercial fares charged to the people of Alaska on her family's behalf.
This was on top of $17,000.00 per diem paid to Palin for 312 days of staying at her own home while away from Juneau (this was on top of her $124,000.00 salary) and NOT claimed on her taxes, just as the transportation costs were not on her taxes. So much for honesty, ethics and the common, down-to-earth average person she presents herself to be. Her extravagant use of paying for personal WANTS with tax-payers' money (without claiming them on her own taxes) using clothing that costs more than I would earn in 6 years (even doing without buying medicine and medical insurance and any extras) while portraying herself as a down-to-earth commoner, yet traveling with a hair and make-up person that has cost $35,000.00 for approximately one and a half months, shows deceit, hypocrisy and fraud. The mainstream media needs to do a much better job reporting factual information rather than opinion. Americans need to work at becoming broadly informed and willing to become more discerning of truth.

[Debbie]

I don't hear anybody talking about all the millions that Obama is spending every day. He's going through all his donations as fast as he receives it. Is this what he's going to do if he becomes President? We definitely don't need someone who will do that with the state of the economy today.

[Ron Link]

What do I think? I think Sarah Palin should go back to Alaska and bury her head in the snow. I think she is a dumb, snobbish ideologue who operates by a double standard.
It's called hypocrisy.