Posted on 09/13/2008 5:43:10 PM PDT by samkatz
WASILLA, Alaska — Gov. Sarah Palin lives by the maxim that all politics is local, not to mention personal.
So when there was a vacancy at the top of the State Division of Agriculture, she appointed a high school classmate, Franci Havemeister, to the $95,000-a-year directorship. A former real estate agent, Ms. Havemeister cited her childhood love of cows as a qualification for running the roughly $2 million agency.
Ms. Havemeister was one of at least five schoolmates Ms. Palin hired, often at salaries far exceeding their private sector wages.
When Ms. Palin had to cut her first state budget, she avoided the legion of frustrated legislators and mayors. Instead, she huddled with her budget director and her husband, Todd, an oil field worker who is not a state employee, and vetoed millions of dollars of legislative projects.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Compare this to Travelgate.
Sheesh.
“Ms. Havemeister cited her childhood love of cows as a qualification for running the roughly $2 million agency.”
Mr. Obama cited his childhood love for domestic terrorist Bill Ayers as a qualification for running a failed $160MM “education” project called Annenberg.
Ah, no one else have ever done this? /sarc
The New York Times.
OK, no need to read any further, we all trust the Times implicitly, for it is a shining beacon of truth and accuracy, and impartial reporting.
Pardon me, I have to go take a long hot shower, to get the smell of vomit off me.
Being lashed by Palin... huh?
The federal government is littered with similar and much worse stories. Just what was Franklin Raines' qualfications to head the OMB and then a large mortgage scandal waiting to happen?
This will blow over because it is not news. If there is any tape of Ms. Haemeister saying "God bless these cows? No, G D these cows!", now that would be news.
I’ve lashed some folks in my day. They loved it.
Just some more crackhead confabulations from the lying, death freak, plague rats, of the Red Rag Hag. AKA: NYTs.
Obama’s slime the opponent strategy has begun in full.
This will only get uglier.
No one gets to the Governors office without making enemies.
Ever try to run just a little group of people in the same city, or town? No one ever is liked 100%.
Putting doubts in voters minds is one thing that Obama is good at. We need to be very careful not to fall into his trap.
They released this on Saturday?
Bad timing.
The Lamestream Media is in complete Meltdown...I guess it's no big deal when Democrats hire old friends, acquaintances, and cronies to run agencies and man Cabinet positions. But, oh, those mean and nasty Republicans!
Spare me.
This sounds positively Clintonesque. Perhaps Sarah studied Hillary
Perhaps she will fire all the US Attorneys when she gets to DC. Perhaps she was selected for her hatchet man skills. Perhaps the Travel office staff will be sacked
Wouldn’t you be expected to hire people you trust? Are they doing a bad job?
I liked how they tried to make it sound bad that her Husband helped her with the budget.
I don’t remember the NY Times being upset when Bill Clinton got his wife, who was not a federal employee, to help him with his job.
File under “TO the Victor Goes the Spoils”. Ask Bill Clinton about the travel office and ALL US Attorneys.
“Natural Resources Commissioner Tom Irwin appointed Franci A. Havemeister Director of the State Divsion of Agriculture on August 1, 2007. Director Havemeister has first hand knowledge of the day to day business of agriculture in Alaska. She has worked as a real estate agent, served as the Children’s Education Director for the Crossraods Community Church, volunteered as a youth basketball coach, owned her own businss and worked as a Case Processor for the State of Alaska.
Franci and her husband, Bob, have four children and are lifetime Alaskans. She has spent her life actively involved in agriculture from the 4-H program to varied agriculture sectors including dairy, potato, vegetable and greenhouse production.
Director Havemeister stated she will strive to increase communication and make a positive difference by promoting the long term success of the agriculture industry in the State of Alaska.””
http://www.nasda.org/cms/7195/9474/8783.aspx
Palin appointed her?
What do they expect? That Sarah should hire enemies?
This is another hit piece that’s going nowhere .....
Palin taxed the evil oil companies, cut government spending and had an 80% approval rating. The people complaining are other politicians who are pissed she wouldn’t approve their pet projects. Oddly enough, an earlier AP story chided her for increased government spending.
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