It's About the Money

So over the 4th of July weekend, the news was all abuzz because Governor Sarah Palin gave her resignation notice. There were speculations and criticisms. In general, the pundits criticize her move as a step backward politically if she wanted to move forward. Did you actually see the entire video? This is the entire resignation speech as posted on Washington Post.



Around 8 minutes into the speech, she talks about how she had to spend more than $500,000 in legal fees defending herself from frivolous ethics charges, especially when there's no way to stop person from just filing charges. If you recall, before the election, all the candidates released their financial positions. Palin and her family was the least wealthy -- in fact, they were (and probably still are) the only candidate that could be classified as middle class to upper middle class. She doesn't make millions, and the family didn't have millions. For a middle class family, more than $500,000 in legal fees is a LOT of money. Do you have that much to spend? I don't. And I don't have a family to support.

At the end of the day, she appears to have given her resignation because the family doesn't have sufficient money to keep spending money on legal fees to defend herself against frivilous charges that were piled on after she burst into the national political scene. I am not a Republican. But I think it's ridiculous that politicians are crucifying her move without giving a second thought to her family's finances.

Without being in the position that keeps draining her finances, she could be free to pursue other deals (talk show, book deal, etc.) to bulk up her finances. That may give her more freedom to once again pursue political positions where even if she has to spend money on frivolous or meritorious charges, she has the financial wherewithal to do so.

It's a really sad statement that this American society is so litigious that someone without money (well, gobs of money) cannot maintain an elected political position.

I disagree with most of Sarah Palin's positions. But I'm also disgusted that money is pushing someone out of the political position. And I'm also amazed that this sad fact seems to have escaped the notice of other politicians. Have and have not's apparently run all the way into our political system.