Pigs Fly

I know it's up in other places, but I could not believe my computer screen. SEIU members for Scott Brown:



I just want to note that Sarah's Facebook post on the unions was probably one of her smartest moves so far. It would be something else if the grassroots union members buck their party leadership and support Sarah, wouldn't it? It could happen. I never thought I'd see purple shirts for Scott Brown.

Vids - Beck on O'Reilly on Palin

Glenn Beck and O'Reilly talk Palin:



Oh, please. Fox is as stupid as the other networks sometimes. They buy right into the narrative. First the meme was, "Palin can't name a newspaper she reads." Now it's, "Palin can't name a founding father she likes." Give me a flippin' break. I personally, don't have a favorite founding father. I like all of 'em. I don't have a favorite anything, not even a color. The focus on this says more about the people who aren't able to have more than one thought at a time than it does about Palin. No wonder her shields are up, she can never guess where the stupidity is going to come from.

And here are the brilliant MSNBC people attempting to mock Sarah Palin. They can't even mock intelligently:

My Two Cents on Alaska's Oil Taxes

ABC came out with this article:

Gov. Sean Parnell said Thursday that he wants to give oil and gas companies greater incentives to do business in the state, a plan he says will boost production and create potentially hundreds of new jobs for Alaskans.

The plan comes amid forecasts of slumping oil production on Alaska's North Slope and concerns by some Republican lawmakers that a state tax on oil and gas production — passed two years ago at the urging of then-Gov. Sarah Palin — is doing more harm than good and hindering new development.

Nice little shot over the bow there, but keep reading...

A report released Thursday by the state Department of Revenue did not attribute industry woes to the tax; in fact, it found the tax was performing as expected.

Alas, all is not Sarah Palin's fault.

However, it did recommend ways the system could be improved to spur additional development, including expanding tax credits for drilling and well work costs.

Parnell said the recommendations strike a balance between protecting Alaska's interests and declaring the state open for business. While the state currently has billions of dollars in budget reserves, Parnell said its economy is struggling and he's trying to create more jobs and opportunities. The estimated hundreds of millions of dollars in additional tax credits are a small price to pay, he said, for a state that runs on oil and gas revenue.

He said he'd ask lawmakers, who begin meeting in regular session next week, to approve his plan.

Whether they do is anyone's guess.

It goes on to quote different lawmakers, including Ramras. Don't get me started on Jay Ramras. Jay Ramras is a tool for the big oil companies. He is the definition of tool, just so you know that every thing he says comes straight from the oil companies' butt.

The most important part for Palin supporters is the first bolded section. The most important part for Alaska is the second. I have no problem with this. Palin herself has said that some changes to the tax system are open for consideration. There is nothing wrong with that.

Here's the thing: The oil companies had Alaska over a barrel with Murkowski. Palin was able to take Alaska's power back and put the state in a position of strength. Because the state is now in that position of strength, negotiation is now possible. But no real agreements could ever be made while the oil companies had a choke-hold on the state.

You cannot make a fair deal unless the parties are in a position to look each other in the eye. Palin put the state in that position. Now it's up to Parnell to work out the details.

Nothing is ever finished with one politician or one governor. It is an ongoing and hopefully continually improving process. I have long said that the state will probably have to put in some predictability on oil taxes into AGIA in order for the line to get built (not necessarily the changes under consideration, just an example). The Palin administration originally put that into their plan in the first place, but the legislature took it out.

So shut your face, Dan Fagan, as I'm sure it's already wide open.

More specific details about Parnell's proposals can be found here.

He wants the state to suspend gasoline taxes again to help Alaskans.

He wants further studies on an in-state gasline.

Lawmakers have praised his proposals, but some are encouraging him to go even further. Bottom line - now that the partisanship that surrounded Palin after the election is gone, the state of Alaska is moving forward. Palin was right.

The Hockey Mom and the Puck

Dennis Miller and his name suggestions for Palin's segment. Cracked me up:

Glenn Beck on Meeting Palin

Glenn Beck on his radio show discussing his interview with Sarah Palin. (I prefer plain audio because I like to just focus on what's being said, but if you want video, it's below):









I know a lot of people are saying that the Palin/Beck interview was her most relaxed interview, blah, blah, blah.... but I honestly thought that she was a little more guarded going into this one than she has been on a few others. Maybe it's just me.

Maybe it was the idea of meeting someone that you actually like and you don't want to ruin the like, I don't know. But that was just my impression. I think she got looser as the interview went on, but she waffled between guarded and unguarded.

You know, I didn't want to say anything, but when I saw Palin at the Wisconsin Right to Life... I don't know. Apparently, I'm the only one that felt that way because every other account was glowing - practically had her walking on water. I thought that maybe it was just because I had been up for a long time and was dog tired and out of my mind, but for me, it was as if all the star power and all the "punch" was stripped away - all I saw was a woman.

A woman who perhaps has been stabbed in the back so often she's afraid to let her guard down now. I didn't peg that at the time. At the time I was just struck by how absolutely normal she was. Average. She could have been anyone.

On the way home I sat in the car wondering how on earth it is that this person has come to be in this position. The only conclusion I could draw that night was that it wasn't her. I know this is going to sound incredibly tacky, but she's just a person; I think she was dead on when (if) she told Steve Schmidt that this whole thing was God's plan.

Maybe Sarah Palin is George Washington, then again, maybe not. Maybe (probably) Glenn is just a little overdramatic. Doesn't really matter. She's not really running this show anyway, I don't think. We'll just have to wait and see.

One thing's for sure - this woman is receiving Presidential-level criticism and has been for over a year now. You think that woman's not going to be ready for the Presidency? Think again.