Submitted to a Candid World

by Dewey Whetsell

The last 45 of my 66 years I’ve spent in a commercial fishing town in
Alaska. I understand Alaska politics but never understood national politics
well until this last year. Here’s the breaking point: Neither side of the
Palin controversy gets it.It’s not about persona, style, rhetoric, it’s
about doing things. Even Palin supporters never mention the things that I’m
about to mention here.

1- Democrats forget when Palin was the Darling of the Democrats, because as
soon as Palin took the Governor’s office away from a fellow Republican and
tough SOB, Frank Murkowski, she tore into the Republican’s “Corrupt Bastards
Club” (CBC) and sent them packing. Many of them are now residing in State
housing and wearing orange jump suits. The Democrats reacted by skipping
around the yard, throwing confetti and singing “la la la la” (well, you know
how they are). Name another governor in this country that has ever done
anything similar. But while you’re thinking, I’ll continue.

2- Now with the CBC gone, there were fewer Alaskan politicians to protect
the huge, giant oil companies here. So, she constructed and enacted a new
system of splitting the oil profits called “ACES”. Exxon (the biggest
corporation in the world) protested and Sarah told them “don’t let the door
hit you in the stern on your way out.” They stayed, and Alaska residents
went from being merely wealthy to being filthy rich. Of course the other
huge international oil companies meekly fell in line. Again, give me the
name of any other governor in the country that has done anything similar.

3- The other thing she did when she walked into the governor’s office is she
got the list of State requests for federal funding for projects, known as
“pork”. She went through the list, took 85% of them and placed them in the
“when-hell-freezes- over” stack. She let locals know that if we need
something built, we’ll pay for it ourselves. Maybe she figured she could use
the money she got from selling the previous governor’s jet because it was
extravagant. Maybe she could use the money she saved by dismissing the
governor’s cook (remarking that she could cook for her own family), giving
back the State vehicle issued to her, maintaining that she already had a
car, and dismissing her State provided security force (never mentioning-I
imagine-that she’s packing heat herself). I’m still waiting to hear the
names of those other governors.

4- Now, even with her much-ridiculed “gosh and golly” mannerism, she also
managed to put together a totally new approach to getting a natural gas
pipeline built which will be the biggest private construction project in the
history of North America. No one else could do it although they tried. If
that doesn’t impress you, then you’re trying too hard to be unimpressed
while watching her do things like this while baking up a batch of brownies
with her other hand.

5- For 30 years, Exxon held a lease to do exploratory drilling at a place
called Point Thompson. They made excuses the entire time why they couldn’t
start drilling. In truth they were holding it like an investment. No
governor for 30 years could make them get started. This summer, she told
them she was revoking their lease and kicking them out. They protested and
threatened court action. She shrugged and reminded them that she knew the
way to the court house. Alaska won again.

6- President Obama wants the nation to be on 25% renewable resources for
electricity by 2025. Sarah went to the legislature and submitted her plan
for Alaska to be at 50% renewables by 2025. We are already at 25%. I can
give you more specifics about things done, as opposed to style and persona .
Everybody wants to be cool, sound cool, look cool. But that’s just a
cover-up. I’m still waiting to hear from liberals the names of other
governors who can match what mine has done in two and a half years. I won’t
be holding my breath.

By the way, she was content to to return to AK after the national election
and go to work, but the haters wouldn’t let her. Now these adolescent
screechers are obviously not scuba divers. And no one ever told them what
happens when you continually jab and pester a barracuda. Without warning, it
will spin around and tear your face off. Shoulda known better.