You ask a very important question, and one I’ve been researching all weekend. What I’ve come up with is not good. Let me share JUST ONE item I found in my research.
Here’s something she CAN do: misuse eminent domain and leave her town deeply in debt, even AFTER a tax increase. Oh yes, she did:
http://www.adn.com/matsu/story/474934.html
After she pushed through the building of a $14.7mm sports complex (that’s over $1500 for every man, woman and child in Wasilla), she forgot to buy the land, so it was purchased by a developer named Lundgren. Without any basis whatsoever, Palin tried to take the land from Lundgren using eminent domain. The city has spent nearly $2mm in legal fees since then and still hasn’t won the case, although it completed the sports center (on Lundgren’s land) in 2004.
The city is still $7mm in debt on the sports center and the residents are still paying higher sales taxes to support it and the litigation goes on.
I thought Freepers opposed abuses of eminent domain. I thought Freepers opposed raising taxes to fund government boondoggles. Oh well, I guess that went out the window when we collectively abandoned our principles to support John McAmnesty.
It’s all there in the article. Expect the MSM and the left to be all over this soon. And believe me, there’s more.
She “forgot” to buy the land? What kind of statement is that? I’ll tell you what kind—it’s a statement loaded with bias, unless you have evidence justifying use of the word forgot.
From the article:
“The court battle launched in August 1999 when both Lundgren and the city sought to purchase the same land from national charitable organization The Nature Conservancy.”
“Lundgren was declared the rightful owner in 2002 and the city immediately sued to take the land by eminent domain.”
Seems there are facts missing. Not enough here to make any kind of conclusion. Note that Lundgren is a major industrial developer, not just a regular private individual.