Sarah Palin

Template:TOC-right Sarah Louise Heath Palin (born February 11, 1964), the 11^th Alaska state governor, is the U.S. Republican Party's presumptive vice presidential nominee for the 2008 United States presidential election. She was chosen by the party's presumptive presidential nominee, John McCain, in August 2008.

Before coming to national attention as McCain's running mate, Palin was elected governor of Alaska in 2006. Her political experience prior to this consisted of two terms as mayor/manager of Wasilla, Alaska (pop. about 9,000), from 1996 to 2002, and two terms as a Wasilla City Council member (1992-1996). She had also been a chair of the Alaska Conservation Commission which regulates oil and gas, and was president of the Alaska Conference of Mayors.

Family background and education

Palin graduated in 1982 from Wasilla High School and received a bachelors degree from the Univerisity of Idaho in communications-journalism in 1987. She has lived in Skagway, Eagle River and Wasilla. She married Todd Palin and together they have five children - Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper and Trig. She has been praised by pro-life groups for not terminating her pregnancy after learning that Trig had Down's Syndrome (trisomy 21).

Political ideology and positions

Palin is politically conservative, an anti-abortionist, and a long-time member of the National Rifle Association. Although she vetoed a bill to deny benefits to gays, because she felt it was unconstitutional, she believe marriage should only between a man and a woman, and is in favor of constitutional ammendments to deny gay rights. She touts herself as an anti-corruption leader, although she is currently under investigation for using her office to fire Walter Monegan, the Public Safety Commissioner she appointed, for refusing to fire her former brother-in-law, Michael Wooten, an Alaskan state trooper.

Palin is an evanglical Protestant, and supports the teaching of creationism in public schools, although hasn't pushed this policy during her governorship in Alaska.

The environment

She opposed the protection of salmon contamination due to mining operations, and as governer she had the State of Alaska file a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to overturn Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne's decision to list the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.. She is business-friendly and encourages the increased development of the timber, mining, drilling, and fishing industries in Alaska, including the opening of ANWR for oil drilling.. She is an avid hunter and fisherman.

Government reform

As governer, she presented a wide-reaching ethics reform bill to the Alaska Legislature on January 24, 2007, that focused on tightening ethics rules for the executive branch. The bills tightens employments restrictions after leaving office, increases disclosure of conflicts of interests, enhanced financial disclosures, bans gifts from lobbyists and improves electronic access. She favors cleaning up the Republican Party. In a July 2008 interview she stated "It seems to me the GOP has just got to cleanse itself of all the pork barrel, corruption, lobbying, cash-for-favors that cost them the Congress back in November 2006. Although initially supporting the now infamous $400 million "Bridge to Nowhere" to the town of Ketchikan, Alaska during annual trips to Washington, D.C., she is now against the bridge and all Congressional earmarks.

Taxes

Palin favors reducing or eliminating taxes that hinder business and "nuisance taxes", such as the tire tax. As governer she stated "I will propose reducing or eliminating burdensome taxes on our citizens like business license fees and the tire tax" As mayor she cut property taxes, increased the city sales tax by half a percent and put more money into public safety.

Death penalty

Palin favors the death penalty, declaring:

"If the legislature passed a death penalty law, I would sign it. We have a right to know that someone who rapes and murders a child or kills an innocent person in a drive by shooting will never be able to do that again..

Drugs

Palin admits that she smoked marijuana when it was legal under Alaska law, but not U.S. law, and stated "I can't claim a Bill Clinton and say that I never inhaled". She now favors strict drunk driving laws and opposes the legalization of marijuana and other drugs, and finds particular trouble with methamphetamines.

References

http://gov.state.ak.us/bio.html

See also

• John McCain
• U.S. Republican Party
• 2008 United States presidential election