Paying (for) the Piper, Bristol & Willow too!

Sarah Palin has charged the state of Alaska, $21,012 for her three daughters' 64 one-way and 12 round-trip commercial flights since she took office in December 2006. She also has charged the state for hotel rooms for the girls.

In October 2007, Palin brought daughter Bristol along on a trip to New York for a women's leadership conference. Plane tickets from Anchorage to La Guardia Airport for $1,385.11 were billed to the state, records show, and mother and daughter shared a room for four nights at the $707.29-per-night Essex House hotel, which overlooks Central Park.

In February 2007, the three girls flew from Juneau to Anchorage on Alaska Airlines. Palin charged the state for the $519.30 round-trip ticket for each girl, and noted on the expense form that the daughters accompanied her to "open the start of the Iron Dog race."

The children and their mother then watched as Todd Palin and other racers started the competition, which Todd won that year. Palin later had the relevant expense forms changed to describe the girls' business as "First Family official starter for the start of the Iron Dog race."

The state is already reviewing nearly $17,000 in per diem payments to Palin for more than 300 nights she slept at her own home, 40 miles from her satellite office in Anchorage.

Tony Knowles, a Democratic former governor of Alaska who lost to Palin in a 2006 bid to reclaim the job, said he never charged the state for his three children's commercial flights and did not claim their travel as official state business. Knowles, who was governor from 1994 to 2002, is the only other recent Alaska governor who had school-age children while in office.

"There was no valid reason for the children to be along on state business," said Knowles, a supporter of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. "I cannot recall any instance during my eight years as governor where it would have been appropriate to claim they performed state business."

Worse~ Palin would sometimes be invited to a function, she would call and ask if she could bring her child along. The organizer of an American Heart Association luncheon on February 15 in Fairbanks said Palin asked to bring daughter Piper to the event, and the organizer said she was surprised when Palin showed up with daughters Willow and Bristol as well.
The three Palin daughters shared a room separate from their mother at the Princess Lodge in Fairbanks for two nights, at a cost to the state of $129 per night. ~ CNN Reports

               Mommy, what does "embezzle" mean???

So Ms. Palin is puttin' on the Ritz~ and sendin' the bill to the State of Alaska.
Makin' due with $700-a-night hotels for 4 days?

What is the phrase I am trying to think of............ PORK BARREL MAVERICK?

Wow! Palin has discovered a fricking Gold Rush bonanza, billing the State for her kids travel & hotels, livin' high on the hog.

Troopergate revealed Abuse of Power. Now we have Abuse of funds.
Will "fancy pagent walking" save her ass this time?

Gotcha journalism ~ or Abuse of Power? You decide