The newest anti-Sarah meme running about the internet: she’s against helping rape survivors. Specifically, the meme goes: while she was mayor of Wasilla, the city charged rape victims for the cost of rape kits ($1,200) and continued the practise until the sainted then-Governor signed legislation that required municipalities to cover this cost.
Now, problems with unfunded mandates aside (as we here at Haemet only appear to be cold-hearted conservatives), this meme doesn’t hold water. Simply put, as mayor, Sarah Palin had no power over this practise. According to the City of Wasilla, it is the City Council, not the mayor, who makes such decisions:
The City Council serves as the Legislative body for the City of Wasilla. Responsibilities include, enacting laws that govern the city, setting the mill rate for property taxes within the city, approving the annual budget for the city, and appropriating funds to provide for city services. The City Council also establishes policy statements, which are executed through Administration.
Basic separation of powers. The Police Department could have asked for additional funds; the City Council could have appropriated them. The executive has the power of the sword, not of the purse, so she is not able to do this herself. (Funny how liberals are all about the unitary executive when it suits their needs.) Asking why Sarah Palin allowed this to go on is kind of like asking why the Supreme Court allows the war in Iraq to continue.
Anger is best directed at those who knew about this and refused to do anything about it, such as the police chief who preferred to bill the victims and then seek retribution from the offenders - a nice idea in theory, but not in practise. Being mayor of a small town does not make one a king (or queen) of the village.
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Good effort, but I think you should try something else. Say your analysis is right. So the town was engaging in this awful practice and Mayor Palin was simply *helpless* to stop a small-town council from continuing it? That doesn’t bode well for her ability to “take on Washington and change the way they do things”.
“Palin had no power over this practise.”
Hey, didn’t we fight a war with someone so that we could spell it ‘practice’?
Kevin’s last blog post..Why We Should Not Vote For Palin
Skeptical,
You’re assuming a lot, without substantiation. (If you have, in fact, sent along links, and you’re stuck in the spam filter, either Tieki or I will fish it out for you.)
You’re assuming that she knew this was happening. While Wasilla is a small town, it sounds as if the chief of police was more than content to let things go as they were. He likely never applied to the city council for extra funds for these kits. Unless you can demonstrate that Sarah Palin knew or should have known that this was happening, then your argument doesn’t hold water.
While it’s very, very easy to be outraged about this - a sentiment I agree with - it sounds as if few people knew this was going on. Remember, the police department itself was only started up in 1993. If we’re old enough to be blogging or blog-commenting, we’re old enough to remember 1993… and 2000, when this came to an end.
So if you’re asking me if I think it’s a problem that Sarah Palin is not omniscient, the answer is: no, because no human being is.
A question for you: what is your take on separation of powers?
Kevin,
We continued to follow their spellings up through the beginning/middle of the 20th century. :p
That begs the question: which war are you talking about?
Good show ! Yeah I stumbled upon the blogs and was slack jawed. It is such a subject that deserves some second looks and I hope people do.
Alfie’s last blog post..Do you REALLY want this guy in your corner ???
Sarah Palin served on the Wasilla City Council from 1992-1996. Now what’s your excuse for her inaction on this crucial and relevant women’s issue? That she wasn’t a powerful force on that Council? That doesn’t hold water; if she hadn’t been, she would not have been elected mayor. Ignorance? Hmm. Do you really believe that there are so very many items on the budget that the Council submits (to the Executive, btw) for that town of 6000 that she would not have noticed? Do you think that not one of her constituents (a rape victim or family member of one) ever alerted the City Council or the Mayor’s Office (which would still have plenty of pull with her old collegues in the City Council) to the iniquity of this policy? During the entire 8 years she served in Wasilla government as a legislator then Mayor she had no opportunity to review this issue? Bullhockey.
Kate,
If you think that Sarah Palin knew about this but did not care, it is YOUR job to prove that she had that knowledge, not your ability to make accusations and our duty to refute them. Clear?
As I said, there was not even a police department until 1993. Do you expect them to immediately be a model of progressive thought?
Furthermore, the Police Commissioner seemed loathe to even ask the city for this funding (read the article), which makes me think that this was never an issue before 2000. Without the request for funding, there is no reason for ANYONE to know that this was not being covered.
Under the Violence Against Women Act (of 1994), the state was supposed to pick up the tab, not the municipalities. Blame the Gov. of Alaska - but that doesn’t fit your anti-Palin agenda, now does it?
FINALLY, the police would bill the insurance company for this. In all likelihood, the women never saw a bill, which is why this did not become an issue.
Roxanne,
Your response makes sense… so it will be lost on the Obamorons.