Palin: IRS Official to Plead Fifth

Posted to Governor Palin’s Facebook page:

IRS official to plead the Fifth to avoid embarrassment or burden? But no worries about citizens’ embarrassment or burden while being targeted.

Palin then linked to this ABC article:

Lois Lerner, the top IRS official who is at the center of the controversy for the targeting of tea party and other conservative groups, will refuse to answer questions at a congressional hearing Wednesday and invoke her Fifth Amendment rights, ABC News has learned.

She is set to appear before the House Oversight Committee.  Congressional aides said today that they received a notice from Lerner’s lawyers that she would not answer their questions because it is now part of a criminal investigation.

“She has not committed any crime or made any misrepresentation, but under the circumstances she has no choice but to take this course,” according to a letter that her lawyer, William Taylor, sent to Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the committee, which was first reported by the Los Angeles Times.  More

 

Palin: Scandalous Hat Trick

Ft. Wasilla is fully engaged.  You’ve been warned!

Posted to Sarah Palin’s Facebook page:

Scandalous Hat Trick

Mr. President, when it rains it pours, but most Americans hold their own umbrellas. Today in the Rose Garden you dismissed the idea of a Special Counsel to investigate the IRS scandal. With that, your galling political hubris shined bright in the midst of today’s dark clouds.

Mr. President, how can we trust your Justice Department to conduct an independent investigation when there is a systemic violation of the Hatch Act throughout your administration?

Surely you are aware that the Hatch Act prevents certain federal employees from engaging in political activity. Specifically, it’s illegal for these federal employees to engage in action in support of or in opposition to a political party, a candidate for partisan political office, or a partisan political group.

Yet that is exactly what’s happened within the IRS, the Justice Department, and in the Benghazi cover-up. This scandalous hat trick is on your watch. It is not believable that you knew nothing about Obama administration actions in dealing with these scandals. And in regards to Benghazi, when you should have taken appropriate action to save American lives – for instance by calling in the Marines – you were AWOL. Just weeks before the election your team scrubbed the Benghazi talking points in 12 different versions, lied to the American people about some YouTube video being to blame for the deaths of brave Americans who put our country first, and you prove Michael Barone right when he writes, “What actually happened in Benghazi was out of sync with the Obama campaign line.” That’s why you all did what you did. Pure raw politics were at play during a horrific time of loss.

For more evidence of Hatch Act violations right under your nose, simply consider DOJ’s “massive and unprecedented intrusion” into the free press. Do you think they picked up some political talk when tapping the phones in the House press gallery?

Your team is out of control. Those who cannot remember the past and learn from it are doomed to repeat it, and that is exactly what is happening. Look back exactly 40 years ago this week and apply that disheartening chapter of American history to the team you’ve chosen and lead today.

Some of us warned America; we cautioned voters in 2008 that a community organizer with no executive experience and no sense of accountability would be a very poor choice for the nation’s top management position.

Mr. President, you said today that you have “complete confidence” in the Attorney General. America doesn’t. Eric Holder needs to appoint an unbiased Special Counsel to investigate the illegal political action of this administration. And then Eric Holder needs to resign.

Most Americans see ominous dark clouds looming beyond the White House Rose Garden, Mr. President. They’ll roll away only when light is shined on the Obama administration’s antics, and America will only recover when you cease avoiding responsibility in this mission of yours to fundamentally transform America. For that to happen, the press had better learn from their experiences of being duped and provide a deserving public fairer, more intelligent coverage.

Speaking of coverage, glad you finally called in the Marines… shame it was just to hold your umbrella.

- Sarah Palin

Ouch! That had to sting.  And because I just couldn’t resist:

Palin: “We See the Corruption at the Heart of Big Government”

I sense that the pot is about to boil over.  Americans want answers on what transpired in Benghazi on September 11, 2012.  (Sorry folks but entirely too many stories to link and besides, you should be well aware of this one.) Americans are confused as to why a Muslim Cleric would be allowed to “disparage and damn” the bodies of Seal Team Six members, and now we find out that the so-called “paranoia” of conservative and Tea Party Group audits and other IRS difficulties was indeed real.  Stories here, here, and here.

In response to the IRS revelation, Governor Palin offered the following commentary on her Facebook page:

Let the Light Shine

Today we learned that our government targeted and harassed conservative Americans who simply wanted to be involved in the national discussion. Is it any wonder why Americans are so distrustful of D.C.? I’m sure President Obama is grateful for all the help the IRS gave his reelection campaign, but, still, you have to wonder how the bureaucrats who tried to pull this off can sleep at night.

So many Americans knew this was happening, but many felt defenseless and even helpless against a government that seems to roll along without accountability or sense of obligation to the people it’s supposed to serve. These Americans were mocked for being concerned about this, but now we see light shining on the truth, finally.

This IRS revelation is another step in the unraveling of the Obama administration’s self-proclaimed “hope and change.” Between the Benghazi cover-up and the IRS targeting Obama’s political opponents, we see the corruption at the heart of big government.

Americans should remember that this same corrupt IRS will be in charge of enforcing Obamacare. And this same inept and corrupt government will supposedly secure our now unsecured borders in advance of immigration reform and will implement a completely ethical and non-political IPAB panel to make life and death health care decisions for you and your family. Forgive me for not trusting these big government promises any more than I trust the White House’s latest Benghazi spin or the IRS’ fairness.

Despite all of this, I still believe that this “fundamental transformation of America” is temporary. This attempted transformation into a disheartened, weakened, unrecognizable nation is so far below anything Americans deserve. It becomes permanent only if we throw up our hands and surrender to the corruption and cover-ups.

We must demand more light shine on all that’s transpiring in D.C.’s self-absorbed bubble. On the IRS scandal, we must have accountability and a full investigation. On Benghazi, Speaker Boehner must create a Select Committee with full investigative and subpoena authority to get to the bottom of the cover-up. Keep the faith, friends.

- Sarah Palin

It’s not always easy but I’m keepin’ the faith Guv.

Media Mocks Concerned Americans Seeking Answers

I am weeping for for my country today.  It used to be that journalism was a profession of honor.  It was a career for seekers of truth; people with curiosity and writing skills who wanted to provide the “who, what, when, where, and why” of what happened in a particular situation.  Providing just the facts allowed the reader to form his/her own opinion on the matter at hand.  Sadly, that seems to no longer be the case as is evidenced here.  Earlier today, The Washington Post posted the following tweet regarding the hearings into what  happened in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012.

In case you’re having a hard time reading the tweet from the above picture, let me help you out:

Who’s tweeting about Benghazi? Rich, middle-aged men and Chick-fil-A lovers http://wapo.st/18YFgKP

Yes, you’re reading that correctly and yes, the “Twitter voice” of the Washington Post has stooped to mocking Americans who are deeply concerned about what transpired in Benghazi that fateful day when  four American lives were lost.

In response to the tweet from the Washington Post, I replied as follows:

My tweet:

@washingtonpost Our ancestors & those that currently serve shed blood & DIE for a free press. Your job is seeking #truth . How dare you!

Posted to Palin’s Facebook page in response to the above:

Is there any wonder why distrust of arrogant, out-of-touch media is at an all-time high? During today’s Benghazi hearings, the Washington Post actually tweeted: “Who’s tweeting about Benghazi? Rich, middle-aged men and Chick-fil-A lovers.” This would be the same Washington Post that broke the story on Watergate. Now they just mock concerned Americans who want answers to why four brave Americans died, including two distinguished vets. And the Obama administration asks, “What does it matter?”

- Sarah Palin

I don’t know that I can pinpoint exactly when journalism died but without a doubt, she’s dead and gone.

Palin: Taxed Enough Already

Sarah Palin reminds everyone what the “TEA” in Teaparty stands for.  I would encourage you to take time to read all the way to the  “P.S.” at the end where Palin reminds us that anything the government gives us for “free” is being paid for by our hard-earned tax dollars.   Posted to Palin’s Facebook page May 7th:

Taxed Enough Already?

This new tax increase – the internet sales tax – must be stopped in the House. The Senate just passed it, and many Senators want to justify their tax increase vote by claiming that it will somehow “level the playing field” for brick and mortar retailers. This isn’t legit.

This is actually a boon to the big online powerhouses like Amazon who can afford the insane paperwork that comes with complying with government’s newest tax. The smaller mid-size online operations and smaller brick and mortar businesses, many family-owned with small staffs, who want to have larger online presences will be swamped with the regulatory paperwork of complying with the tax requirements for all these different states.

This new internet tax is not only another barrier to entry for smaller online start-ups, it’s a disincentive to grow a company. This will hit these smaller companies right where their margin of profit is, which means that this will cost jobs because when businesses lose profitability, they lay off workers or shut down.

Did Republicans who voted for this new tax on businesses forget that it will trickle down to consumers in this dangerously weak economic era? And when smaller and mid-size operations are pushed out of business, we have less competition and fewer choices in the marketplace.

Here’s an example: say you want to order Runner’s World’s re-release of Dr. George Sheehan’s book “Running and Being.” I just ordered it. You could get it at Amazon, and they’d have no problem calculating the minutia of sales tax regulations for your state because they have a boatload of employees (and lobbyists) to deal with this burden, but their base price for the book might be higher than the smaller online business competing with them. But thanks to this new internet sales tax, that smaller business will now have a whole new burdensome level of stifling government bureaucracy over their heads as they scramble to comply with various states’ sales tax rules and rates. And when this smaller business goes out of business because they can no longer make a profit, someone will lose his or her job and you will be left with fewer options when you go shopping for a better price online. Amazon doesn’t sweat it – in fact they support it.

Those “small government champions” of our middle class’s mom and pop businesses should ask themselves why they want to be any part of limiting the growth opportunities for smaller operations? More and more shopping is done online today, and every smart brick and mortar mom and pop wants to get in on that; and when they do, they should be allowed to produce by the sweat of their brow and ethically grow beyond being just a small online operation without worrying about a massive regulatory burden if they gross more than $1 million in sales in a year.

Bottom line: These anti-small business measures disincentivize the start-ups we need, and any measure to stick it to the consumer by increasing taxes for government growth is not what Republicans are supposed to fight for. I bet that once the tax increase is explained, your constituents won’t want you to contribute to government growth via increased internet taxes. And that’s what this is all about. House GOP, read your constituent’s lips: No New Taxes.

- Sarah Palin

P.S. I see that some are saying that a “positive” measure in this bill that the GOP Senators who voted for it liked is that it requires the government to provide “free” sales tax calculating software to all companies for compliance. Here’s a little newsflash: when it’s from the government, it’s not “free”! It’s being paid for by the very same people this new tax will hit in the pocketbook. That would be “We the People.”

Palin: My Tribute to the Clear-Sighted Senator from the Bluegrass State

Rand Paul (KY-R) has been named to Time’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world and Sarah Palin penned the article associated with this honor.  Readers may recall that Governor Palin was named to “Time’s 100 Most Influential People” in 2009.

From Time:

When the Tea Party movement wanted to send a message to the Senate in 2010, it elected a clear-sighted eye doctor from the Bluegrass State. In a D.C. too often defined by the venal equivocations of a permanent political class more interested in consolidating its own power than in upholding the Constitution or defending the common good, Senator Rand Paul is a voice of reason awakening the public to what must be done to restore our prosperity and preserve the blessings of liberty for future generations. His brand of libertarian-leaning conservatism attracts young voters, and recently he inspired the nation with his Capraesque filibuster demanding basic answers about our use of drones. I sent him some caribou jerky from Alaska to help keep up his strength on the Senate floor. There’s more where that came from for this bold Senator with 20/20 vision willing to take a stand for liberty.

Palin is a former governor of Alaska

Palin: Prayers are with Everyone in Boston Today

Sarah Palin offered the following message via her Facebook page to the people of Boston and the Boston Marathon participants:

Prayers are with everyone in Boston today.

Palin: Kids, Follow Your Dreams, But Be Practical To Be Employable

In honor of daughter Willow’s graduation from Penrose Academy, Gov. Palin posted the following message to her Facebook page.  I found this message of particular interest because I have a son who, at almost 16 years of age, is thinking of his future at this time.  So here ya go, common sense advice from a mother of five. 

 

Kids, Follow Your Dreams, But Be Practical To Be Employable

As my family travels to Arizona for Willow’s graduation this week, allow me to be a proud mom in congratulating Willow and her classmates at Penrose Academy on this achievement and also offer advice to young people that I always give in graduation speeches about following your dreams.

In planning for her future, Willow thought long and hard about what kind of work would make her happy and provide her with a good income in today’s economy. She’s artistic and has an interest in making people feel and look their best, and as an entrepreneur with a strong work ethic she desires to be her own boss as a small business owner. With all that in mind, she decided to finish her high school requirements quite early and enroll in an academy for hair and skin, which allowed her to study abroad, visit the sets of major media productions, and work with the best of the best in the industry. She’ll be graduated this week with no debt and a great career ahead of her doing something she loves in a recession-proof industry (everyone needs their hair cut after all!).

It’s crucially important today for young people to think about the big picture when making education decisions. And the big picture is the goal of self-reliant business opportunities based on work ethic and not entitlements. One of the reasons I aggressively encouraged vocational training opportunities as governor of Alaska is because they lead to good paying jobs and happy careers. Young people should not be pressured into assuming that a college degree is the only path to employment today. It’s not. Some college degrees obviously lead to clear professions, like those in the medical and engineering fields, but that’s not the case with many of the liberal arts degrees young people today gravitate toward either because they aren’t sure what they want to do after college or because they’ve been led to believe that college life is a sort of rite of passage for any career. That might have been the case once, but the salary and career opportunities a liberal arts education alone can get you have been dramatically limited these days.  It’s so sad to see young people holding expensive college diplomas that come with no practical job opportunities.

I’m not discouraging a student from getting a liberal arts degree if that is his or her dream. I am always for following your dreams. How could I be against a liberal arts education when I myself got a liberal arts degree in journalism/communications from the University of Idaho? However, I knew when I was graduated from high school what I wanted to do, so it wasn’t as if I was embarking on an expensive voyage of self-discovery. And I’m proud of the fact that I was able to pay for my degree myself and graduate debt free. See how times have changed? Back then I was able to work my way through college and pay as I went. I had to go to school part-time some semesters in order to work and intern full-time, so it took me five years instead of four to get my bachelor’s degree, for which I’ve been roundly criticized by the liberal media (but how many of those critics were shackled in debt after they perhaps gallivanted around the globe with their daddy’s credit card in their backpack before finally finishing college and snagging that gig at MSNBC?). It was actually possible back in the ‘80s to graduate debt free. Nowadays it is next to impossible unless you have a full scholarship. Students today often graduate with the equivalent of a mortgage in college debt for a degree they’re not even sure they can parlay into a job. As Daniel Mitchell recently wrote, young people are buried in college debt “yet they are having a hard time finding jobs because Obama’s policies are stunting the economy’s performance. And even if they do find a job, the research suggests they will get paid less. Not just today, but for the foreseeable future.”

Follow your dreams, by all means. But don’t be blind to the fact that your dreams might be achieved outside of acquiring an outrageously expensive traditional college degree. Do not be lulled into thinking that good jobs grow on trees or that the government will somehow take care of you. The bottom line is – as my dad always told me – find out what you love to do, then find out how to make a living doing it. Learning a trade can do both. No one can take those vo-tech real life skills away from you. They lead to independence, satisfaction, and a paycheck. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.  Kudos to Willow and all Class of 2013 students for taking this lesson to heart. We’re so proud of her!

- Sarah Palin

 

In a separate post, Palin honored Willow by posting an album of photos here. 

Palin Pays Tribute to “Iron Lady” Margaret Thatcher (Updated)

Sarah Palin has, on many occasions, let it be known that Margaret Thatcher was a leader that she looked up to.  In fact, as recently as last month, Palin invoked former Prime Minister Thatcher in her CPAC speech.

“If Mrs. Thatcher were with us here today, she would remind us, there’s a big difference between being pro-business and being pro-free market. On this there can be no mistaking where free market stands. It’s time for We the People to break up the cronyism and put a stake through the heart of too big to fail once and for all.”

At time of writing, Palin has posted three tributes to former Prime Minister Thatcher on her Facebook page.

First post:

We’re deeply saddened at the loss of Margaret Thatcher. While the Iron Lady is sadly gone, her iron will, her unfailing trust in what is right and just, and her lessons to all of us will live on forever. She was a trailblazer like no other. We lost an icon, but her legacy, as solid as iron, will live on in perpetuity.

- Sarah Palin

Second Post:

In this post Governor Palin reiterated the same message as above and included this photo:

Third Post:

Sarah Palin penned an additional tribute to Margaret Thatcher which was published at National Review Online:

“The Grocer’s Daughter:

Margaret Thatcher not only broke a glass ceiling; she broke a class ceiling.”

Today we say goodbye to a towering figure of the 20th century. With the passing of Margaret Thatcher, we’ve sadly lost the last living member of that great triumvirate that included Ronald Reagan and John Paul II — those giants who defeated the evil empire of Soviet Communism and allowed the liberation of its captive nations. We’ve also lost one of the great champions of economic freedom and democratic ideals.

Many will focus on the fact that Margaret Thatcher’s career was a collection of “firsts” for women — she was the first and youngest female Conservative-party member to stand for election, the first woman to hold the title Leader of the Opposition, and the first woman prime minister of the United Kingdom.

But Thatcher not only broke a glass ceiling; she broke a class ceiling. She was a grocer’s daughter from the back of beyond who advanced to the height of power in a class-conscious society. Like her friend Ronald Reagan, she was an underestimated underdog and political outsider. Simon Jenkins, the former editor of the Evening Standard, once said, “There was no Thatcher group within the Tory Party. . . . She was utterly and completely on her own. She simply was an outsider in every way.”  More

Update:

Yesterday, Governor Palin added a 4th tribute to Margaret Thatcher on her Facebook page.  This video, “Not For Turning”, was released by ShePAC on April 8th. 

Palin & Brewer Participating in Hope & a Future’s 4th Annual Strikeout Child Abuse Walk (Updated)

Update:

Sarah Palin updated her Facebook page to promote this event:

Please join Gov. Brewer and my family at Hope & A Future’s Strikeout Child Abuse Walk this Saturday at 3pm in Phoenix, Arizona. April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, so join us and make a difference. Learn more and register at http://www.azhope.com/fundraising/strikeout.php

 

From the Facebook page of Arizonia Governor Jan Brewer:

This Saturday at 3pm in downtown Phoenix, join me and Sarah Palin at Hope & A Future’s 4th Annual Strikeout Child Abuse Walk. The walk concludes at Chase Field where we’ll watch the Arizona Diamondbacks.

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, so join us and make a difference. Learn more and register at http://www.azhope.com/fundraising/strikeout.php

Governor Brewer also shared the following link to Hope and a Future.

h/t 1*Sherrie at Team Sarah