Don't expect too much sunshine from a V.P. Palin
As
The New York Times reported Sunday, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has taken keeping people in the dark to an all-time low, using personal e-mail accounts to avoid public scrutiny of their actions.
As the Times recounted:
Interviews show that Ms. Palin runs an administration that puts a
premium on loyalty and secrecy. The governor and her top officials
sometimes use personal e-mail accounts for state business; dozens of
e-mail messages obtained by The New York Times show that her staff
members studied whether that could allow them to circumvent subpoenas
seeking public records.
Rick Steiner, a University of Alaska professor, sought the e-mail messages of state scientists who had examined the effect of global warming on polar bears. (Ms. Palin said the scientists had found no ill effects,
and she has sued the federal government to block the listing of the
bears as endangered.) An administration official told Mr. Steiner that
his request would cost $468,784 to process.
When Mr. Steiner
finally obtained the e-mail messages — through a federal records
request — he discovered that state scientists had in fact agreed that
the bears were in danger, records show.
“Their secrecy is off the charts,” Mr. Steiner said.