“We of course are going to be prudent,we’re going to live within our means. We don’t want any Alaskans to assume that government is the answer to all of the challenges and issues and problems that any individual faces.”

Who said this? It was, of course, Alaska’s governor Sarah Palin earlier this month when she put forward her proposals for the state’s 2009 budget.

“As Alaska’s coffers are filled mostly by oil revenues, the recent drop in prices has caused revenues to slow” reports David Karki. “In response, Governor Sarah Palin’s $4.9 billion budget calls for a 7 percent cut in overall state spending, mostly in capital projects. Combined with a modest 2 percent increase in the operating budget for state agencies, the budget outline would result in a $388 million surplus in 2010 if projections hold.”

Sounds like a sensible, conservative move – and it seems to have the support of outgoing Anchorage mayor Mark Begich who in a few days time will be sitting amongst fellow Democrats when he becomes Senator Begich. Of course you probably won’t hear anything about it at ConservativeHome or Iain Dale and certainly not from self proclaimed US political expert James Forsyth at Coffee House. Forsyth’s focus on US politics rarely reaches beyond Washington or NewYork and his take on Palin tends to be referenced by Tina Fey and Andrew Sullivan so the idea of her actually framing a multi billion dollar budget is a little outside his payscale.

The same about refusing a $25,000 pay rise – “Imagine that – keeping spending to less than available revenues and refusing a pay raise. Politicians across the nation are scratching their heads, asking themselves: ‘You mean you can really do that?’ “ Well, as a certain President –Elect might say “Yes we can”……..but Forsyth and Co. won’t be interested as it doesn’t quite fit into their image of Palin as a shopaholic airhead who never reads anything more complex than a spupermarket receipt……

Hat Tip – North Star Writers Group