Sarah Palin: A Successful Governor

Ben Brown wrote a piece on the success of Sarah Palin as the Governor of Alaska. Mr. Brown is an Juneau attorney and writes for The Juneau Empire & The Alaskan Observer.

Palin came to office with some specific goals, some of which she has accomplished outright, others which she has advanced appreciably along the spectrum from inception to completion. The Petroleum Profits Tax revisions were passed in time to help Alaskans reap unprecedented financial gains from our most marketable natural resource, and also in the wake of an ethics scandal that caused some Alaskans to doubt the fundamental integrity of state government.

The debate about the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act resulted in legislation that has advanced the progress about this mega-project to a point I at times wondered if I'd ever see in my lifetime. Exxon has now signed on to work with TransCanada, and BP and ConocoPhillips are displaying vocal, tangible plans to get the gas to market. Palin has submitted reasonable, fiscally-prudent capital and operating budgets to the Legislature, which have been scrutinized and ultimately passed largely in the form she proposed.

Palin has not always been as supportive of Juneau's role as Alaska's capital city as her predecessors, but she has clearly done some good things for us. She has unwaveringly supported the Kensington Gold Mine, which is now closer than ever to opening and bolstering our economy at a most crucial point in time.

Palin has thoughtfully considered the costs and benefits of the Lynn Canal Highway, and come down in favor of the project, also a key to our bright future. When Sen. Kim Elton resigned from the state Senate, Palin took the time to listen to a wide variety of Juneau voices in selecting the right person to serve out his term. In Sen. Dennis Egan, Juneau residents enjoy a qualified experienced leader who believes in responsible resource development.

One area the author did not mention is Governor Palin saw a lot of success is in the area of the states budget. Being a fiscal conservative she continually cut the budget. Back in 2006 & 2007 most Governors and politicians were expanding programs and spending like mad but not Governor Pain. Even though times were good Governor Palin put away state funds for any future down turn in the economy and still cut the budget. California, Florida and New York are all bankrupt and wish they had a Governor like Sarah Palin

Full Article At:

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