Do you know what I was doing when I was seven? I was doing my best to avoid getting beat up in school, working on my vocabulary list at home, and was in bed by 8:30. Apparently there’s a 7-year-old out in this world conducting “State Business”. According to Gov. Palin, the Alaska paid over $21,000 in travel expenses for her children to conduct state business. Oh, and attending a taping of “Total Request Live” is also state business.
I work for a mid-size company. When I travel, I do something called, “take vacation” time and then I pay for my way to go visit set family member. Although I am quite entertaining on an airplane, I am not conducting corporate business. I am conducting personal business… mainly, keeping myself entertained and keeping the fellow passenger from falling asleep on my shoulder. (It has happened)
I remember as a child, that when my family went on vacation, we did it the old fashioned way. (We were also far from rich.) We hopped in the car and I suffered long hours in the back seat with my sibling as we crossed the country. During the course of one travel day in the car, I could count on being threatened to end up in the trunk by my mom. Normally, this was after my sister instigated something and I managed to catch the rap for it. I never did figure out how she got out of stuff. While on travel, we did not dine at fine restaurants. We were acquainted with Bob Evans, Taco Johns, (which needs to open a franchise somewhere out here in the Mid-Atlantic) and small-time diners. If my sister and I were allowed to order a soft drink instead of water, we were living the high life!!! Instead of five star hotels, we stayed at the Knights Inn, Motel 6, or at a family member’s house.
My first experience on an airplane did not come until I was eleven. Back then, I must say, I had way more leg room than I did today. Then again, I was eleven and had shorter legs. Do you know what I was doing when I was eleven? I was still working on my vocabulary, playing the violin, and was in bed by 9:00.
My first work experience did not happen until I was fifteen. I started off as a bagger at a local grocery store. By sixteen, I had hit it big – I was a cashier. By the time I had turned seventeen and had joined the military, I had flown on airplanes about three different times. Do you know what else I was doing when I was seventeen? Not getting pregnant.
So, I would say that as a child, I was a better representation of an average child living in (whatever) state I was at the time, than Gov. Palin’s. My travel, as a youth, was also done on a budget. So, in essence, perhaps I should write to all the states I had resided in, until I left for the military, and ask for them to send checks to my mom to reimburse her for my travel. After all, I believe that I did my part to spread the good name of (insert name of state here) in my travels. In the end, do you know how much it would total? Probably less than $2,500. That’s no shit.
One last thing: Grooming one’s little brother as if you are a cat does not qualify as conducting state business, Piper!!! That’s right, I’m calling you out, you little brother-groomer!!!
Filed under: Palin, Unethical Tagged: | human lollipop, no shit, State Business, travel
