# Palin Collected Travel Per Diems While At Home **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 9, 2008, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-collected-travel-per-diems-while-at-home/462778 "2008-09-09T14:19:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-collected-travel-per-diems-while-at-home/462778/61 "2008-09-09T19:22:12Z")
> [@pepperlandgirl](#): > > If the private chef is being paid $45,000/year to work in one area, and is making, one would guess, a similar salary working as a “relations assistant” before being moved to a museum, and ultimately, the Legislative Lounge, then that’s not actually saving anybody any money. Sure, it looks good. It’s a great PR move. But the bottom line is that the state is paying her $45,000, whether she’s working at the Governor’s mansion or not. If the point is to laud Palin for saving money, then well, I’m not impressed and I don’t think she deserves to be lauded. Since she charged some $16,000 per diem, she ended up costing the state $61,000, not saving it $45,000. > > As for the jet, I don’t think she did anything wrong, but once again, taxpayers were the ones who got shafted, while Palin ends up looking like some sort of no-nonsense reformer. Translation: you got nothin’. and how do you know that by her going to her new job that another person didn’t have to be hired to do it. Barring that, that the job was not a useful one. My advice? Relax. She won’t be nearly as bad a VP as you are imagining. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-collected-travel-per-diems-while-at-home/462778/62 "2008-09-09T19:24:39Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > They don’t, really. They do make six figures, so it’s not like they’re at minimum wage, but they pay for their own housing. They pay their travel expenses back and forth from their district, as well. (They are allowed to deduct this on their taxes, though) Is that right? A congressman or a senator has to pay for the travel to and from his home district or state. It seems that, at the least, there’d be an allowance for a certain number of flights per year, particularly for congressmen. Is that not the case? ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-collected-travel-per-diems-while-at-home/462778/63 "2008-09-09T19:34:03Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > She’s 44 years old. Unlikely she will have another child. While technically able to she has plenty of kids now and having children at that age is dangerous to the woman and the child. The chances of having a child with Downs Syndrome also rise dramatically with pregnancies over the age of 40. I honestly cannot see her or her husband having any desire for more kids at this point, particularly if she is serving as VPOTUS. > > Of course I do not know what the Palin family thinks about this, just saying for my part I am not worried in the slightest about a White House VP being pregnant. Seriously, **gonzo** , what are you saying here? It sounds very much as though you either think 1) women of childbearing age shouldn’t be allowed to be Pres or VP, or 2) if they are allowed, and they get pregnant, they should have an abortion. Do you really want to defend either of those positions? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-collected-travel-per-diems-while-at-home/462778/64 "2008-09-09T19:46:30Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > Is that right? A congressman or a senator has to pay for the travel to and from his home district or state. It seems that, at the least, there’d be an allowance for a certain number of flights per year, particularly for congressmen. Is that not the case? I’m sorry. I misspoke. It looks like travel expenses to and from the home district are usually covered by the office allowance. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Lance_Murdoch)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-collected-travel-per-diems-while-at-home/462778/65 "2008-09-09T20:55:03Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I don’t have to - this kind of shit souffle collapses under the weight of its own absurdity. First, she was giving birth to her own grandchild. Next, she was a bad mother because she didn’t quit her career to stay home with her children, as any real woman would do. Now it’s some other horseshit about her expense report. > > Half the fun is watching the facility with which you leap from one ridiculous assertion to something even dumber without admitting it. The other half will come in November, when with quivering lip and tear-filled eyes y’all wonder how come the American people won’t do as they’re told and vote for Obama and his new way of campaigning. > > Regards, > Shodan Calling it “horseshit” doesn’t make it go away. That’s no argument at all. And the other stuff is irrelevant to this discussion. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-collected-travel-per-diems-while-at-home/462778/66 "2008-09-09T21:16:12Z")
> [@Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](#): > > Calling it “horseshit” doesn’t make it go away. You are correct - nothing will make this horseshit go away except if Obama wins the election. If he doesn’t, four years of it, minimum. > [@](#): > > And the other stuff is irrelevant to this discussion. Sure it is. Fool me once… Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-collected-travel-per-diems-while-at-home/462778/67 "2008-09-09T23:50:49Z")
The fact that the jet was sold for a loss can hardly be blamed on Palin - depreciation comes into play there. But you can hardly say the move didn’t save the state money - jets cost bundles just sitting at the airport, and more when they fly. Factor in maintenance, fuel and personnel costs, and you’re talking about lots of money. In most cases, parking fees would apply as well. In the case of a government jet, that may be mitigated by using government facilities like National Guard bases to an extent, but they can’t be dodged all of the time. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2008, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-collected-travel-per-diems-while-at-home/462778/68 "2008-09-09T23:57:42Z")
> [@Mr.Moto](#): > > The fact that the jet was sold for a loss can hardly be blamed on Palin - depreciation comes into play there. McCain claimed she sol[d the plane at a profit](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/05/AR2008090503722.html?referrer=digg): > [@](#): > > “You know what I enjoyed the most? She took the luxury jet that was acquired by her predecessor, and sold it on eBay – and made a profit!” McCain declared in Wisconsin at a campaign stop Friday. He lied. I blame McCain for lying. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-collected-travel-per-diems-while-at-home/462778/69 "2008-09-10T00:07:28Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > Enlighten me for I’m failing to see how selling the private jet, getting rid of the chef and failing to claim per diem on many of the children’s expenses, despite the fact their presence was requested and then becomes legally allowable under state statutes, is “claiming every benefit.” It looks to me like in many cases she’s done exactly the opposite. > > Are there some outstanding per diem violations? Don’t know, that’s what we’re trying to get clarification on. Not to rain on anything else you said, but the bit about getting rid of the chef (Stefani Marnon) never happened. She was reassigned to cook for the state legislature. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-collected-travel-per-diems-while-at-home/462778/70 "2008-09-10T01:06:41Z")
Uh huh. You do know that canning a state employee without cause can be problematic, and the easiest way to handle the situation might be to find her another job elsewhere in the government and handle matters through attrition cuts, right? If that is what happened (and I’m not saying it did, but that’s how I’d do it) it would be entirely fair to say you got rid of the personal chef at the governor’s mansion. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-collected-travel-per-diems-while-at-home/462778/71 "2008-09-10T01:13:22Z")
> [@Mr.Moto](#): > > If that is what happened (and I’m not saying it did, but that’s how I’d do it) it would be entirely fair to say you got rid of the personal chef at the governor’s mansion. But it is not entirely fair to claim that by doing so, you were cutting spending. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-collected-travel-per-diems-while-at-home/462778/72 "2008-09-10T01:18:36Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > But it is not entirely fair to claim that by doing so, you were cutting spending. If the cook was replacing personnel that were leaving the dining room at the legislature and weren’t replaced, you sure can. Note what I said about attrition cuts. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-collected-travel-per-diems-while-at-home/462778/73 "2008-09-10T01:19:04Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > Amtrack loses millions of taxpayer dollars every year. So do public roads. That’s a giant expense, but we think of free public roads as our God-given right, that the government should rightfully tax us for and provide. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-collected-travel-per-diems-while-at-home/462778/74 "2008-09-10T01:42:34Z")
A moment’s thought convinces me that this doesn’t make a lick of sense. Professionals in Alaska generally are paid pretty well to compensate for the high cost of living - and by all accounts Marmon is a great chef. There is no way she is making $45,000 a year in salary. Seems to me scaling back her services to the governor’s mansion saved money in a partial salary and salary to sous chefs and other kitchen staff. No proof yet - but if the balance sheets come to light I’d be shocked if it were any other way. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-collected-travel-per-diems-while-at-home/462778/75 "2008-09-10T02:21:25Z")
> [@Mr.Moto](#): > > A moment’s thought convinces me that this doesn’t make a lick of sense. > > Professionals in Alaska generally are paid pretty well to compensate for the high cost of living - and by all accounts Marmon is a great chef. There is no way she is making $45,000 a year in salary. > > Seems to me scaling back her services to the governor’s mansion saved money in a partial salary and salary to sous chefs and other kitchen staff. > > No proof yet - but if the balance sheets come to light I’d be shocked if it were any other way. Sure, we can come up with all kinds of imaginary expenses that went along with this chef, can’t we? ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-collected-travel-per-diems-while-at-home/462778/76 "2008-09-10T02:30:34Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > McCain claimed she sol[d the plane at a profit](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/05/AR2008090503722.html?referrer=digg): He lied. I blame McCain for lying. I guess it depends on how you look at it. For example, to justify the plane, it was being used for prisoner transport. After the plane was sold, the Guard transported prisoners. The office of the Comptroller did an analysis and found that the Governor’s jet was costing Alaskans $1674 per transfter, and after it was sold the cost per transfer dropped by close to a thousand dollars per. Then there’s the depreciation she saved the state, and the maintenance costs, and the salaries of the pilots… But no, she didn’t sell it ‘at a profit’. She sold it for market value ($300K under the black book value, which is about average thee days), and in so doing saved the state a pile of money. It should also be noted that Palin did not charge for lodging fees when she was home - only travel expenses. Alaska’s a huge state. The distance from the Governor’s mansion in Juneau to her home in Wasilla is almost 600 miles. Her overall travel expenses are something like 80% lower than her predecessor’s. Also, it should be pointed out that this is not really an optional thing for the Palins. They are not rich. Their total family income, including the Governor’s salary, is a little over $200K per year. In Alaska, that’s a good upper middle class salary, but it’s not wealthy. And they’ve only been making that for a couple of years. Before she became governor, she and her husband were doing commercial fishing in the summers and hunting game to make ends meet. She drives a Volkswagen. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-collected-travel-per-diems-while-at-home/462778/77 "2008-09-10T02:32:28Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > McCain claimed she sol[d the plane at a profit](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/05/AR2008090503722.html?referrer=digg): He lied. I blame McCain for lying. That’s hard to determine one way or another. You have to take into account the use it had and the (for lack of the actual thing) the blue book value. If you buy a new car for 30k, use it for 3 years and the blue book is 12k, how much do you have to sell it for to make a “profit”? 31k? 12k + $1? On preview it appears **Sam Stone** already addressed this. ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-collected-travel-per-diems-while-at-home/462778/78 "2008-09-10T02:38:39Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > Uhh… you’re blaming Palin for attempting to rectify Murkowski’s egregious transgression? > > What is it exactly that you maintain she did wrong? Lie through her teeth about it. Repeatedly. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-collected-travel-per-diems-while-at-home/462778/79 "2008-09-10T02:45:03Z")
> [@Frostillicus](#): > > Lie through her teeth about it. Repeatedly. What, specifically, is the lie? ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2008, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-collected-travel-per-diems-while-at-home/462778/80 "2008-09-10T02:48:27Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Not to rain on anything else you said, but the bit about getting rid of the chef (Stefani Marnon) never happened. She was reassigned to cook for the state legislature. So. That means that the legislature didn’t have to hire someone else. Right? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-collected-travel-per-diems-while-at-home/462778.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palin-collected-travel-per-diems-while-at-home/462778.md?page=5)