Money for Nothing: AK Lawmakers Vote to Override

Meeting in a one-day special session, the Alaska Legislature acted Monday, without a vote to spare, to override former Governor Sarah Palin's veto of federal energy stimulus funds.

The legislators got an Obama offer they couldn't refuse -- "money for nothing, checks for free":



Our own lyrics to "Money for Nothing"
(with sincerest apologies to Mark Knopfler)

Now look at them yo-yos thats the way you do it
You take the money that comes from D.C.
That aint workin thats the way you do it
Money for nothin and checks for free
Now that aint workin thats the way you do it
Lemme tell ya them guys aint dumb
Maybe get a blister on their sorry backsides
Maybe get a blister on their bums

We gotta install brand new insulation
Custom building deliveries
We gotta meet fed'ral regulations
We gotta meet those IECCs

See the little maggot there in Obama's pocket
Don't matter if he's R or D
That little maggot works ninety days a year
That little maggot makes fifty Gs

We gotta install brand new insulation
Custom building deliveries
We gotta meet fed'ral regulations
We gotta meet those IECCs

I shoulda learned to be a legislator
I shoulda learned to play both sides
Look at Jay Ramras, deep in the tank for BP
Man we could take some bribes
Stay down in Juneau, for what? about 90 days?
All it's gonna cost you is your sovereignty
That aint workin thats the way you do it
Get your money for nothin get your checks for free

We gotta install brand new insulation
Custom building deliveries
We gotta meet fed'ral regulations
We gotta meet those IECCs, lord

Now that aint workin thats the way you do it
You take the money that comes from D.C.
That aint workin thats the way you do it
Money for nothin and your checks for free
Money for nothin and checks for free

I want my
I want my
I want my
authority

- JP

AK Legislators Confirm Campbell as Lt. Governor

By a vote of  55 to 4, Alaska lawmakers meeting in a one-day special session approved Lt. Gen. Craig Campbell, former Governor Sarah Palin's selection for lieutenant governor. The legislators are now voting on whether to override Palin's veto of veto of more than $28 million in federal stimulus funds for energy efficiency projects.

- JP

ADN: AK Legislators voting on Palin energy stimulus veto

The Alaska State Legislature is meeting today in special session to consider two holdover issues from the term of former Governor Sarah Palin. The legislators will vote whether to override her veto of federal stimulus money for energy cost relief, and it will also decide whether to confirm Lt. Gen. Craig Campbell as lieutenant governor.

The vote to override the Palin veto could go either way. A 75 percent majority vote of the Legislature is required to override, which means that only 14 votes are needed to sustain the former governor's veto.

According to Sean Cockerham of the ADN, about 150 anti-stimulus protestors gathered outside of the Egan Center. One of the signs they displayed read, "Override=You're fired."

Cockerham says he talked to State Rep. John Coghill (R-North Pole) whot told the reporter that he intends to vote against the override but believes the legislature will vote to override the veto.

- JP

Why Gov. Palin will not veto much of the stimulus

This editorial in today's Fairbanks News-Miner explains:

Given our legislators’ demonstrated enthusiasm for laying federal dollar on top of state dollar, they likely would override the vetoes and go home.

It as simple as that, really. Of course, the Palin-hatin' bloggers on both the right and the left won't mention that inescapable fact.

- JP

AK legislature adjourns; Gov. accentuates postitives

Alaska's "doolittle" state legislature adjourned Sunday night. The next session will convene in January.

Governor Sarah Palin said that the legislative session just wrapped up was a more conventional one, as no really dramatic measures were passed.

The governor, who has the power of the line-item veto, also said that although the State Legislature has accepted the federal stimulus funds, she will reviewing them, as it is her job to administer the funds in a prudent manner.

A good analysis of what Gov. Palin was able to get from the legislature is at Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's Accomplishments.

- JP

Meanwhile, back in Alaska

Governor Palin's 36-hour visit to Indiana for two events left her very little time for relaxation, save what rest she was able to get on the plane. Now back in Alaska, the precious few hours away from the 49th state may seem like a vacation. Here's some of what she returned home to:

The "Legislature of No" cut off funding for an intra-state natural gas line, Gov. Palin's top priority. The governor's $9 million request for the in-state gas transmission line might resurface in a supplemental bill the Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to consider today.

A federal appeals court has called a halt to expansion of oil and gas development in Alaska's coastal waters, ruling that the Interior Department did not adequately evaluate the environmental impact of offshore drilling. The ruling will likely delay oil and gas exploration off of Alaska's northern coast for what could amount to years.

The parental notification bill is going nowhere, and even a compromise endorsed by Gov. Palin wasn't able to save it. The legislation had passed the house, but liberal Democrats in the Senate, including kangaroo court commander Hollis French, locked it up in committee. How dare parents want to know when their underage daughters try to get abortions!

Alaska's unemployment rate has risen to 8.5%, making it equal to the national average. That is up 0.6% from February and two percentage points from a year ago. On the upside, Alaska is one of only four states which have economies still growing despite the national recession.

Gov. Palin will have the opportunity to make another appointment to the state Supreme Court. Justice Robert Eastaugh has announced his intention to retire in November. The Judicial Council will accept applications for the vacancy for 30 days, and then the legislators will submit at least two names to the governor from which she can make her selection.

Good news! The House has passed a bill outlawing bestiality. The vote was unanimous. It remains to be seen whether liberal Democrats in the Senate will allow the measure to pass, as it may be considered "discriminatory" by some. Hey, some people are just born "that way." Besides, the government has no business sticking its nose into people's barnyards. [/sarc]

Update: Gov. Palin's reaction to the gas line vote is here.

- JP

Alaska House and Senate: The legislature of 'No'

Alaska's legislators said 'no' to Gov. Sarah Palin's nominee for state Attorney General today. They voted down the appointment of Wayne Anthony Ross, 35 to 23.

The governor's office called the move "unprecedented":

"I believed I knew what Alaskans wanted when I selected an individual who is a strong backer of 2nd Amendment rights, a staunch supporter of the state Constitution and a defender of life," Governor Palin said. "Wayne Anthony Ross supports responsible, ethical development of Alaska’s rich resources. I'm surprised that legislators in this case really did not seem to represent their constituents and allowed themselves to be swayed by side issues. Mr. Ross is a fine Alaskan. He is held in high esteem by many Alaskans. I appreciate his willingness to serve the public."

This comes on the same day that one of her nominees to fill an empty seat in the state Senate, Joe Nelson, withdrew his name from consideration as a candidate.

Also today, the lawmakers rejected the governor's nominee for the Board of Fisheries, Brent Johnson, by a vote of 42 to 16.

More on the showdown between Gov. Palin and the legislature from Ron Devito here.

- JP

AK legislature a 'a sniveling bunch of brats'

"Sarah Palin's Romper Room" is the title of a post by K. Carpenter up at Stepping Right Up! In the view of TX4P, the metaphor of a romper room for the Alaska Legislature is an appropriate one:

I have never seen such a sniveling bunch of brats that need someone to hold their hands so they can get their jobs done.

Click. Read.

- JP

Quote of the Day (April 12, 2009)

"I'll be gone for one day. I already have been on record with lawmakers on this. I told lawmakers, you know what, 'Please, don't make me feel that I have to ask you permission, lawmakers, to leave the capital city.'"

- Gov. Sarah Palin, on her upcoming trip to attend the Vanderburgh County Right to Life dinner and an event for special-needs children in Evansville, IN next Thursday.

- JP

Do-nothing legislature: 'It's all Palin's fault'

With the Alaska legislative session winding down and only a few days left to go, the state's lawmakers are pointing their fumbling fingers at Gov. Sarah Palin. They are accusing her of not being "engaged" in the legislative process, along with a lot of other things. The relationship between the lawmakers and the governor is deteriorating, they complain, and it's all Sarah Palin's fault. Gee, perhaps she shouldn't have pursued that ethics investigation against them... Oh, wait. It was they who organized a politically-motivated witch hunt against her. Little wonder the relationship has been going downhill.

The truth of the matter is that the state legislators have accomplished relatively little work of substance:

Only a few bills (just 9 of the 419 introduced) and a handful of resolutions have met with approval from both the House and Senate, prompting some legislators to scoff at what they say is a dearth of meaningful work.

Sen. Con Bunde, R-Anchorage, has been particularly outspoken, singling out bills establishing Marmot Day and creating Iditarod license plates in contrast to weightier issues unresolved, such as retirement benefits for state employees, health care issues and energy matters.

At least the lawmakers have taken a lot of time to talk to reporters and posture in front of the television cameras, telling them that it's the governor's fault that the House and Senate haven't done their jobs.

The governor has remained in the state during the entire legislative session, except for a quick weekend trip to Washington, D.C., and she was roundly criticized by the Democrats and some Republicans for making that one excursion to the lower 48.

Who do they think they're fooling?

- JP

Gov. Palin 'on message as a fiscal hawk'

Gov. Sarah Palin surprised Alaska lawmakers with her enthusiastically support for a move Thursday by the Senate Finance Committee to her capital projects budget by half a billion dollars. KTUU's Rhonda McBride reported that the governor's willingness to accept the cuts keeps her "on message as a fiscal hawk":



- JP