Why isn’t Sarah running?

Hot Air ^ | 2/12/12 | J.E. Dyer

[SoConPubbie]

You're entitled to your opinion, but when you hold Gov. Palin on a pedestal so high that you cannot bear the slightest negative comment about her, no matter how true it may be, without ad hominem attacks on the messenger, then you have lost the argument in my opinion.

Once again, you doubled-down on the same perjorative nonsense the left likes to use.

The supporters of Governor Palin do not "hold Gov. Palin on a Pedastal", they do not idolize her and they do not worship her, HOWEVER, Governor Palin does walk the walk and talk the talk where limited government is concerned, where social conservatism is concerned and where a strong national defense is concerned. She is also not afraid to take the fight to the enemy and seems to eschew politicial correctness and the nonsense of running to the middle, all characteristics that fit the purpose of FreeRepublic quite well.

I'm sure you can find issues with her, we can find more issues with Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, and need I say it, Mitt Romney.

Keep spewing your Left-wing inspired talking points of how our brains are not engaged where Sarah Palin is concerned, once again, you've lost the argument.

[SoConPubbie]

Would you deny my opinion to me?

What???

How can I deny you your opinion?

Do I have some God-like power that allows me to keep you from both having and posting your opinion?

Do you not realize that when you post such nonsense concerning Sarah Palin supporters that they either worship her, Idolize here, or put her on a pedestal, you are simply mimicking the tactics of the Left-wing and you sound like a member of the GOP-E?

Supporters of Governor Palin support her because of the following:

1. She is a limited-government conservative. (You do realize she cut the Alaska budget by over 1 billion dollars, right?)
2. She is a social-issues conservative.
3. She is a national defence conservative.
4. She has more fight in her than all of the current crop of POTUS candidates.
5. She is a Tea-Party conservative, much more so than either Newt or Santorum.
6. She is unafraid to take the fight, in a polite way, to Romney.

[SoConPubbie]

The results of her policies cut business, increased social spending in Alaska. The taxes placed on oil companies stiffled new capital investment while at the same time it was booming in Canada and the lower 48.

You don't happen to work in the Oil Industry in some fashion do you?

[thackney]

As can be seen on my profile page, yes I do.

Alaska is extremely dependent upon the oil industry to keep their government subsidized. 91.6% of all the tax revenue collected in the state is paid by the oil/gas companies.

http://www.tax.alaska.gov//programs/documentviewer/viewer.aspx?2462f
Alaska Tax Division 2011 Annual Report
Executive Summary
Page 4, figure 1.

As an example of the unique taxes solely on the Alaskan oil/gas work, only property with oil/gas development pays state property tax. No other industy or commercial property pays state property tax, only local taxes, paid by all including oil/gas.

[cracker45]

“Please stop trashing Sarah Palin on FR.”

Thank you Jim; I’ve been biting my tongue for two days because I over-reacted once before against folks who unjustly berated her and her objectives and nearly got banned for my responses!

JC

[cracker45]

So what is the problem? Alaska’s citizens own all its oil and gas resources which energy companies extract and sell under license for profit. If that profit isn’t profitable (no pun intended), you folks wouldn’t do business there, and your complaint would be moot!

You would do Alaska, and yourselves, better to lobby against unrealistic restraints by the bam regime on exploration and development of those resources. I wish you all the best in that regard!

JC

For full disclosure, I have a son and grand children in Western Alaska and the Alaska fund is critical in directly distributing proceeds from oil and gas sales to citizens throughout the state. I believe this type of fund is unique to Alaska and and benefits citizens directly, not the state which could merely exploit it for political purposes. Many natives that live the subsistence lifestyle absolutely depend on this for necessities like fuel oil, gasoline, boats/motors and such requiring cash to acquire. It’s a tough life, real jobs that pay wages are very scarce and it’s their resources to start with. I would demand more of a share myself!!

[donmeaker]

I would suggest that the lady believes that she paid into SS, and has an account. I get annual reports on the money I have paid into SS. If it were privatized, along the lines of Chile, that would become a separate account. Medicare is supposed to be much the same. By contrast, Medicaid is supposed to be a means tested welfare program.

[donmeaker]

Of course we are talking about the US. You don’t believe that the Energy Department has been stifling energy production? You don’t think that reining in the Energy Department would increase production?

Perhaps you don’t want the booming economy that would come along with lower energy prices?

[LibLieSlayer]

:-)!

LLS

[thackney]

you folks wouldn’t do business there

That is the point. While business is booming in Canada and the lower 48, the amount of investment for new projects has been dismal in Alaska. The projects here since 2007 were at first completing the ones already substantially underway (equipment already ordered, designs complete or near complete) and then a switch to maintenance type projects and not designed to produced more oil.

That is why the engineering and design groups that lay out new capital projects dwindled to less than half in size.

The problem is not that state ownership of the oil/gas minerial rights. The royalties for that are competitive with the rest of North America.

The problem is the excessive taxes on top of the royalty rights. Some tax is expected and necessary for the state to handle their part of that business.

But when it cost 45% in total taxes/royalties/etc to produce in the Gulf of Mexico and 85% in Alaska, you have got to recognize something is way out of whack.

Alaska fund is critical in directly distributing proceeds from oil and gas sales

The PFD is strickly from the royalties and the interest those investment earn. I am not talking about touching or changing any of that. I am strickly talking about ACES, the money from that is NOT distributed to the citizens, it is only for funding the government.

On of the primary reasons there is now a push to go offshore Alaska into federal waters is that none of ACES or the Alaskan Royalties that add to the Permanent Fund would apply.

Alaska has been strangling their golden goose. And the oil companies that feed that goose have been sending their feed to Canada, North Dakota, Texas and others. The return on investment is just too low under the present tax structure.

There is a lot of hope that enough Alaskans have recognized this. There are Alaskans I know that are now working in North Dakota because that is where the growth in jobs are.

[thackney]

I forgot to add a link I suggest to all that want to learn more about how ACES changed the tax structure, why it is not competitive with other locations, and how it does NOT touch the permanent fund or change the way and rate dollars flow into the fund.

http://www.makealaskacompetitive.com/learn-more/

If anything, getting the tax more in line with the lower 48 and Canada would increase cash flow to the permanent fund with increased oil production. The percentage of $/barrel would not change.

[mojitojoe]

Thank you sir. She doesn’t deserve it.

[cracker45]

Thanks for the link; I’ll send it to my son there in Alaska.

JC

[thackney]

Your welcome.

I have followed this closely since it weighed in my decision to leave Alaska in 2007. I have seen nothing proposed or discussed from any group suggesting a change in the way royalties are split and shared into the Permanent Fund.

[thackney]

Your You're welcome.

sigh...

[dontgivein]

Yep. Her choice. I don’t really think about her anymore since she declared she isn’t running but she definitely has more cred than Coulter, Rove et al. I’m happy that we have Newt and Rick running.