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Sarah Palin is the Governor of Alaska and Republican vice presidential candidate for the 2008 United States presidential election. Palin has been described as more conservative than Republican presidential nominee John McCain.

Social issues

Abortion and sex education

Palin is pro-life and is opposed to abortion in all cases (including rape and incest) except when necessary to save the life of the mother. In 2006, while running for governor, Palin was asked what she would do if her own daughter were raped and became pregnant; she responded that she would "choose life." She and her husband have stated that they have "faith that every baby is created for a good purpose." When asked what she would do as governor if Roe v. Wade were overturned, she responded "it would not be up to unilaterally ban anything. It would be up to the people of Alaska to discuss and decide how we would like our society to reflect our values." Palin has supported bills to outlaw late-term abortions and to require parental consent for abortions in Alaska. Palin has been a member of Feminists for Life since 2006.

Palin supports sex education based on both abstinence and the teaching about contraception methods such as the use of condoms. According to her response to a candidate questionnaire during her gubernatorial run, Palin does not favor "explicit sex-ed programs" which, in the context of the questionnaire, included "explicit sex-education programs, school-based clinics and the distribution of contraceptives in schools".

Education and creationism

While running for Governor of Alaska and asked about the teaching of creationism along with evolution in public school science classes, Palin answered: "Teach both. You know, don't be afraid of information. Healthy debate is so important, and it's so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both". When interviewed the next day, she stated that while open debate between the two ideas should not be prohibited if it came up in discussion, creationism did not specifically need to be part of the curriculum. However, she supports teaching intelligent design alongside evolution.

Equal pay

According to the McCain campaign, Palin favors the concept of equal pay for women (the abolition of wage differences based on gender), but opposes the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which would have allowed more time to bring suit under the Equal Pay Act of 1963.

Gay unions

Whilst campaigning for election as Governor of Alaska in 2006, Palin declared that she supported the 1998 Alaska constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

In December 2006, following long-running litigation and a 2005 ruling, the Supreme Court of Alaska ordered the state to begin paying health and retiree benefits to the same-sex partners of state employees. Declaring that there were "no more judicial options to pursue" to avoid paying the benefits, Palin agreed to comply with the ruling. At the same time, in her first legislative act, Palin signed a bill ordering a non-binding referendum for a constitutional amendment to deny the benefits.

Palin subsequently vetoed a bill that would have denied the benefits, declaring that "signing this bill would be in direct violation of my oath of office" due to the state Supreme Court ruling. Although the referendum passed in April 2007 with 53% of voters supporting a constitutional amendment, a bill to place such an amendment on the ballot in November 2008 stalled in the state legislature.

Legal issues and ethics

Capital punishment

Palin has declared herself in favor of capital punishment. She has stated: "If the legislature passed a death penalty law, I would sign it. We have a right to know that someone who rapes and murders a child or kills an innocent person in a drive by shooting will never be able to do that again."

Gun rights

Palin is a strong proponent of the Second Amendment, and supports gun-safety education for children. A life-long hunter, she is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association, and is popular among gun rights activists.

Jury Rights

On August 31, 2007, Palin signed a Jury Rights Day Proclamation, commemorating September 5, 2007, as the 337th anniversary of the acquittal, in defiance of the legal direction of the bench, of William Penn and William Mead for preaching a Quaker sermon.

Drugs

Palin admits to smoking marijuana as a youth, during the time Alaska had decriminalized possession, though she says she did not enjoy it. Palin regards methamphetamine as a greater social threat than cannabis.

Stem cell research

Palin stated in 2006 that because she believes embryonic stem cell research causes the destruction of life, it is inconsistent with her pro-life position and she does not support this research.

Government Spending

Sarah Palin describes herself as a fiscal conservative. At the Republican National Convention, Palin stated "I suspended the state fuel tax, and championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. I came to office promising to control spending - by request if possible and by veto if necessary."

Shortly after becoming governor, Palin canceled a contract for the construction of an 11-mile (18 km) gravel road outside Juneau to a mine and sold the state's Westwind II jet purchased by the Murkowski administration against the wishes of the Legislature for a $600,000 net loss. While governor, she slashed the state budget by $231 million for FY2008. The cuts - which covered 36 spreadsheet pages - drew praise from those who believed the budget originally reflected too much spending, but ire from those who thought Palin went too far. The $237 million in cuts represented over 300 local projects including an expansion of the Port of Anchorage and the Fire Island wind energy project.

Earmarks

Alaska's Federal congressional representatives cut back on pork-barrel project requests during Palin's time as governor, however Alaska is still the largest per-capita recipient of federal earmarks, requesting nearly $750 million in special federal spending and obtaining $295 per citizen from the federal government.

While Mayor of Wasilla, Palin paid a lobbying firm $140,000 to help secure federal earmarks for the town. She also personally went to Washington to ask for more earmarks from the state's congressional delegation. According to a review by Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan group, Wasilla (a town of 6,700 residents) benefited from $26.9 million in earmarks in Palin's final four years in office.

"Bridge to Nowhere"

In Palin's 2006 gubernatorial campaign, she supported the building of a bridge from Ketchikan to Gravina Island which was later nicknamed the "Bridge to Nowhere" due to the island's population of 50. Palin ran on a "build-the-bridge" platform, arguing that it was essential for local prosperity, saying in August 2006: “We need to come to the defense of Southeast Alaska when proposals are on the table like the bridge, and not allow the spinmeisters to turn this project or any other into something that’s so negative.”

After Palin became governor in 2007, the $223 million Congressional earmark for the bridge was criticized nationwide as wasteful federal spending. Congress replaced the $223 million bridge earmark with a $223 million infrastructure grant for Alaska to use in its discretion. Palin then reversed herself and canceled the bridge project but kept the $223 million federal grant for the state "because the money would otherwise have to be returned to the federal government." Mike Elerding, Palin's campaign coordinator in Ketchikan, says, "She said 'thanks but no thanks,' but they kept the money." According to Palin’s communications director Bill McAlister, the bridge "isn’t necessarily dead"; it may still be built with "a less costly design.”

In her nomination acceptance speech, Palin said: "I told the Congress "thanks, but no thanks," for that Bridge to Nowhere." McCain/Palin television advertisements also claim Palin "stopped the Bridge to Nowhere."

Housing issues

On September 6, 2008 Palin stated that the mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have "gotten too big and too expensive to the taxpayers. The McCain-Palin administration will make them smaller and smarter and more effective for homeowners who need help." Supporters touted this as her reform-mindedness, while critics pointed to it as an example of Palin's lack of knowledge in the area, noting that the mortgage entities technically operated until September 7, 2008 as quasi-private companies.

Healthcare

Palin supports free-market competition in health care, and laws allowing patients better access to medical pricing information. In 2008, Palin said she was considering incentives for employers to provide health insurance. She added that changes must also include citizens "choosing to take more personal responsibility" to be healthier.

Taxes

As mayor, she passed a 40% property tax cut, while supporting a sales tax increase to pay for a new sports complex. As governor, Palin helped pass a tax increase on oil company profits, although she opposes the Windfall Profits Tax proposed by Senator Barack Obama.

Energy and environment

Oil and gas development

As Governor, Palin has strongly promoted oil and natural gas resource development in Alaska, and supports opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling.

In an interview with Time in 2008, Palin argued that energy independence through ANWR drilling was essential to reducing American dependence on hostile foreign regimes.

In June 2008, Palin stated that she would work to create jobs by building a pipeline to bring North Slope natural gas to North American markets.

Water

While governor, Palin opposed The Alaska Clean Water Act stating that "very stringent regulations and policies already in place."

Global warming

Governor Palin plans to create a new sub-cabinet group of advisors to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions within Alaska. On August 29, 2008, Palin stated in an interview: "A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. I'm not one, though, who would attribute global warming to being man-made."

Endangered species

In December 2007, Palin wrote an opinion column in which she described her opposition to the listing of polar bears as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, basing her position on a review of expert opinion. Alaskan state biologists and environmental groups disagreed with Palin's position. After the United States Department of the Interior listed the bear as threatened on May 14, 2008, Palin threatened to sue the federal government, warning that it would adversely affect energy development in Alaska, while again questioning the scientific basis for the listing.

Palin has opposed, on economic grounds, the designation of the Cook Inlet beluga whale as an endangered species. Palin cited state scientists who claimed that hunting was the only factor causing the whales' decline and that the hunting has been effectively controlled through cooperative agreements with Alaska Native organizations. Recent research suggests that despite hunting controls beluga whales in Cook's Inlet remain severely depleted and at high risk of permanent extinction. As governor, Palin allowed Chevron to increase the quantity of industrial waste it allows to flow into Cook Inlet waters. Federal scientists do not attribute the decline in the Cook Inlet beluga population to human pollution.

Predator control

Palin has supported the Alaska Department of Fish and Game policy allowing Alaska state biologists to hunt wolves from aeroplanes as part of a predator control program intended to increase moose populations. The program prompted California State Representative George Miller to introduce a federal bill (H.R. 3663) seeking to make the practice illegal. In March 2008, a federal judge in Alaska upheld the practice of hunting wolves from the air, though limited its extent. On August 26, 2008, Alaskans voted against ending the state's predator control program.

Foreign policy

Iraq

In June 2008, speaking at Wasilla Assembly of God about soldiers headed for Iraq and the Iraq War, Palin stated, " that our national leaders are sending them out on a task from God. We have to pray there is a plan and that it's God's plan." Palin supports the Bush Administration's policies in Iraq.

In an interview with Alaska Business Monthly "shortly after she took office" as governor, Palin favored an "exit plan" for the war in Iraq:

Alaska Business Monthly: We've lost a lot of Alaska's military members to the war in Iraq. How do you feel about sending more troops into battle, as President Bush is suggesting?

Palin: I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq. I heard on the news about the new deployments, and while I support our president, Condoleezza Rice and the administration, I want to know that we have an exit plan in place; I want assurances that we are doing all we can to keep our troops safe. Every life lost is such a tragedy. I am very, very proud of the troops we have in Alaska, those fighting overseas for our freedoms, and the families here who are making so many sacrifices.

Palin has tied the war to the quest for new energy supplies, saying, "We are a nation at war and in many the reasons for war are fights over energy sources, which is nonsensical when you consider that domestically we have the supplies ready to go." However, she also stipulated that a clear plan for Iraq should not include concerns with oil or energy dependence, saying, "we better have a real clear plan for this war. And it better not have to do with oil and dependence on foreign energy."

Israel

In a meeting on September 2, 2008, with leaders of the pro-Israeli lobby AIPAC, Palin stated that she would "work to expand and deepen the strategic partnership between U.S. and Israel." Following the meeting, an AIPAC spokesman stated that Palin had "expressed her deep, personal, and lifelong commitment to the safety and well-being of Israel."Palin also stated, in reference to a possible nuclear threat from Iran, that: "Let there be no doubt: I will always keep the threat of military action on the table to defend our security and our ally Israel."

According to the Washington Times, Palin's faith has made her a "favorite with the staunchly pro-Israel neoconservative elements in the Republican Party." Palin displays an Israeli flag in her governor's office in Juneau. Palin has received a strong endorsement from the Republican Jewish Coalition.

Democratic Congressman Robert Wexler of Florida accused Palin of endorsing Pat Buchanan in the 2000 Presidential election. Wexler stated that Palin had “aligned herself with a leading anti-Israel voice” and that her selection for the vice-presidential running mate "is a direct affront to all Jewish Americans." Buchanan himself remembers Sarah Palin and her husband Todd as Buchanan for President "brigaders," saying they attended a Buchanan fundraiser in 1996. Palin denies that she ever endorsed Buchanan for President and stated that her alleged "support" of Buchanan consisted of her sporting a campaign button for him in 1999 when he visited the town of Wasilla when she was the mayor. Palin explained she wore the button as a courtesy. At the time she was on the board of the campaign of Republican presidential contender Steve Forbes.

References

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2. Juneau Empire, "Abortion Draws Clear Divide in State Races," accessed 8/29/08 and Anchorage Daily News, "Governor’s Race: Top contenders meet one last time to debate," 11/03/06.
3. Alter, Jonathan (August 29, 2008). "McCain's 'Hail Sarah' Pass". Newsweek. Retrieved 2008-09-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
4. Haase, Don (2006-07-31). "2006 Gubernatorial Candidate Questionnaire". Eagle Forum Alaska. Retrieved 2008-09-01. I am pro-life. With the exception of a doctor's determination that the mother's life would end if the pregnancy continued. Cited web page was deleted on 2008-09-02. Copy of original web page as of 2007-05-01 found on Wayback Machine and archived on WebCite.
5. "All three candidates support gas line lawsuit". Anchorage Daily News. 2008-11-03. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
6. Simon, Stephanie (2008-08-29). "Anti-Abortion Activists Cheer McCain's V.P. Pick". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
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10. "Palin appears to disagree with McCain on sex education". LA Times. 2008-09-06. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
11. ^ ">Hopkins, Kyle (2006-08-06). "Same-sex unions, drugs get little play". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
12. Kizzia, Tom (October 27, 2006). "'Creation science' enters the race". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
13. Babington, Charles (August 31, 2008), "Obama deals gently with Palin on equal pay issue", The Boston Globe{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
14. Demer, Lisa (December 21, 2006). "Palin to comply on same-sex ruling". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
15. McAllister, Bill (December 20, 2006). "Gay partners of state employees win benefits". KTUU News. KTUU-TV. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
16. Hopkins, Kyle (December 29, 2006). "Same-sex benefits ban gets Palin veto". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
17. Sutton, Anne (May 8, 2007). "Same-sex benefits bill stalls". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
18. Palin, Sarah (2006-11-07). "Issues". "Palin for Governor" (inactive web site) quoted in On the Issues. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
19. Braiker, Brian (2008-08-29). "On the Hunt". Newsweek. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
20. Braiker, Brian (2008-08-29). "On the Hunt". Newsweek. Retrieved 2008-09-08.
21. Davis, Susan (2008-08-29). "Conservative Activists Praise Palin as McCain's VP Pick". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2008-08-30. Sandra Froman, a member of the NRA Board of Directors, described McCain's selection of Palin as "outstanding."
22. "Jury Rights Day Proclamation of 2007". established forever the English and American legal doctrine that it is the right and responsibility of the trial jury to decide on matters of law and fact", and "Whereas, the Sixth and Seventh Amendments are included in the Bill of Rights to preserve the right to trial by jury, which in turn conveys upon the jury the responsibility to defend, with its verdict, all other individual rights enumerated or implied by the U.S. Constitution, including its Amendments.
23. Stefanie Balogh (2008). "Is Sarah Palin a real vice-president contender?". Courier Mail. Retrieved 2008-09-08.
24. Lerer, Lisa (2008-08-29). "Palin: She Inhaled". The Crypt. CBS News. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
25. Sarah Palin, Andrew Halcro, Tony Knowles. 2006 Alaska Governor's Debate among Sarah Palin, Andrew Halcro and Tony Knowles (Televised debate). Anchorage, Alaska: KTOO Television. {{cite AV media}}: Unknown parameter |airdate= ignored (help)
26. McAllister, Bill (December 14, 2006). "Palin cancels contracts for pioneer road to Juneau". ktuu.com. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
27. "No bidders on eBay; sold it offline". PolitiFact.com. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
28. http://dwb.adn.com/news/alaska/story/9090623p-9006670c.html
29. Bradner, Tim (July 8, 2007). "Lawmakers cringe over governor's deep budget cuts". Alaska Journal of Commerce. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
30. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26611103/
31. The Associated Press, Woodward Calvin, http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ici5RhMkh6-9V07yckpLBEEjzf6QD932MU100
32. http://www.startribune.com/politics/27791154.html?page=1&c=y
33. http://www.usnews.com/articles/opinion/2008/09/04/data-points-sarah-palins-lobbyist.html
34. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/02/politics/washingtonpost/main4406403.shtml
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37. http://www.gannettnewsservice.com/?p=2448
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39. http://www.adn.com/politics/story/511471.html
40. http://www.newsweek.com/id/157696/page/3
41. Kizzia, Tom (2008-08-31). "Palin touts stance on 'Bridge to Nowhere,' does not note flip-flop". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
42. "Where they stand". Anchorage Daily News. 2006-10-22. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
43. Rosen, Yereth (September 1, 2008). "Palin "bridge to nowhere" line angers many Alaskans". Reuters. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
44. Rosen, Yereth (2008-09-01). "Palin "bridge to nowhere" line angers many Alaskans". Reuters. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
45. http://www.gannettnewsservice.com/?p=2448
46. http://portal.gopconvention2008.com/speech/details.aspx?id=38
47. http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/09/08/politics-of-the-bridge-to-nowhere.aspx. The Washington Post called the claim a "whopper," and the New Republic considered it as "a naked lie."
48. Hall, Kevin G. "Candidates briefed on seizure of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac", McClatchy Newspapers, 6 Sept 2008. Available online.
49. Sarah Palin (2008-01-15). "2008 State of the State Address". State of Alaska. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
50. "Palin's maverick trail goes from city hall to gov's mansion". Retrieved 2008-09-02.
51. Yardley, William (2008-08-29). "Sarah Heath Palin, an Outsider Who Charms". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
52. Quinn, Steve (2007-05-10). "Alaska governor balances newborn's needs, official duties". Associated Press. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
53. Barnes, Fred (July 16, 2007). "The Most Popular Governor". The Weekly Standard. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
54. "State of the State Address Jan 17, 2007". January 17, 2007. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
55. Newton-Small, Jay (2008-08-29). "Transcript: TIME's interview with Sarah Palin". Time. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
56. Johnson, Gene. "Palin: Iraq war 'a task that is from God'", Associated Press, 3 Sept 2008. Available online. Archived.
57. Lamb, Jason. "'Governor's hat' off, Palin blasts Clean Water initiative", KTUU News, 22 Aug 2008. Available online.
58. Kizzia, Tom (April 12, 2007). "State aims to reduce emissions". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
59. Coppock, Mike (August 29, 2008). "Palin Speaks to Newsmax About McCain, Abortion, Climate Change". Newsmax. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
60. "Cook Inlet, Alaska". Retrieved 2007-02-03.
61. Gov. Sarah Palin (December 18, 2007). "Alaska takes seriously its job of protecting polar bears". Adn.com. Retrieved 2008-09-08.
62. Tom Kizzia (May 25, 2008). "E-mail reveals state dispute over polar bear listing: Polar Bear News". Adn.com. Retrieved 2008-09-08.
63. ^ Joling, Dan (2008-05-22). "State will sue over polar bear listing, Palin says". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
64. Bryan Walsh (2008-09-01). "Palin on the Environment: Far Right". Time. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
65. "Governor Palin Urges Feds to not list Belugas as Endangered". State of Alaska. 2007-08-07. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
66. ^ "2008 Status Review and Extinction Risk Assessment of Cook Inlet Belugas" (PDF). U.S. Department of Commerce. April 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
67. Hunter, Don. "Alaska's beluga whales in decline: Federal assessment shows chance of extinction in 100 years", Anchorage Daily News, 8 Jan 2007.
68. Leonard Doyle, "Palin: the real scandal", The Independent, 6 Sept 2008. Available online. Archived.
69. Sean Cockerham (2008-01-30). "Palin wants to shoot down wolf lawsuits". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
70. Bolstad, Erika (2007-09-26). "Lawmaker seeks to ban wolf hunting from planes, copters". Oakland Tribune. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
71. Alex deMarban (2007-03-31). "Judge orders state to stop wolf bounties". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
72. "Alaska voters shoot down predator control initiative". newsminer.com. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. 2008-08-27. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
73. Johnson, Kirk (September 6, 2008). "In Palin's Life and Politics, Goal to Follow God's Will". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
74. ^ Orr, Vanessa (March 1, 2007). "Gov. Sarah Palin speaks out". Alaska Business Monthly. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
75. ^ Sullivan, Andrew (August 29, 2008). "Palin on Iraq". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2008-09-01. Cite error: The named reference "Sullivan" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
76. Bartiromo, Maria (August 29, 2008), "Bartiromo Talks with Sarah Palin", Business Week{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
77. Gourevitch, Philip (2008-09-08). "Palin on Obama". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2008-09-02. This article was available online the first days of September, despite its later 'printed' date.
78. "Sarah Palin tells AIPAC she's pro-Israel". Retrieved 2008-09-04. {{cite web}}: Text "Jewish Journal" ignored (help)
79. Palin expresses support for Israel by Yitzhak Benhorin, Ynetnews.com, September 3, 2008.
80. ^ Evangelical faith drives Palin's pro-Israel view, by Ralph Z. Hallow. Published in the Washington Times on 4 September 2008; accessed 8 September 2008.
81. Palin meets with AIPAC leaders, Jewish Telegraph Agency (JTA), September 2, 2008.
82. Democratic Rep.: Palin pick is 'direct affront to all Jewish Americans' by Haaretz Staff, Haaretz, August 31, 2008.
83. http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0808/Buchanan_Palin_was_a_brigader_for_me_in_96.html?showall
84. Republicans Say Palin's Israeli Flag Says It All by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu, Israel National News, September 2, 2008.
85. Allies, foes scrape through Palin bio for Jewish material by Ron Kampeas, Jewish Telegraph Agency (JTA), September 2, 2008

External links

• On the Issues - Sarah Palin's issue positions and quotes
• Sarah Palin news portal at Anchorage Daily News

• Political positions of United States presidential candidates, 2008
• Political positions of United States governors
• Sarah Palin