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politics and politicians Title: Sarah Palin's true reality: 'Free' Alaska is a welfare state that enjoys generous federal subsidies Sarah Palin's true reality: 'Free' Alaska is a welfare state that enjoys generous federal subsidies Make sure to check out the premiere of "Sarah Palin's Alaska" Sunday night. After all, we helped bankroll it. I don't mean the new reality show. I mean the state. Alaska gets $1.84 in federal spending for every dollar it pays in federal taxes. We in New York get just 79 cents on the dollar. Which means we subsidize Alaska even as it enjoys a $2 billion-plus budget surplus. Even as New York faces a huge deficit that will require ever more painful cuts. And, on top of a budget surplus, Alaska has a special fund drawn from oil profits that doles out dough to every resident annually. The check this year is $1,281 for each and every person who has resided in Alaska for a year. Those who die or are born in the midst of a year still get the full check. The amount is liable to federal taxation, but that same $1.84 back for every dollar comes into play for the state as a whole. All told, oil-rich Alaska tops the list of states that get more back than what they give. So, how's that subsidy, welfare-y thing working out for ya, Sarah? Apparently, pretty well, as she tells it on her new reality show. "I love Alaska," Palin says in the online promo. "I understand the uniqueness of this land. It's about family and community." She adds, "I'd rather be out here being free." In real reality, Palin quit being governor because it would have required her to spend too much time in Alaska rather than in the lower 48, where she can promote herself and her agenda. As shown in the reality show, Alaska has abundant wildlife and vast open spaces, but precious few voters. However much or little Palin may like the great outdoors, there is no question that she loves a big crowd. Grizzly bears don't laugh or cheer when you tell jokes about mama grizzlies, but those Tea Party crowds sure do. Anyway, the only reason she is doing the reality show in the first place is to get paid and appear before a big viewing audience. Maybe there will be more reality shows featuring other big names in the Tea Party who call for cuts in government spending even as their home states are subsidized by the rest of us. There could be Sen. Jim DeMint's South Carolina, which gets $1.35 on the dollar. There could also be Sen.-elect Rand Paul's Kentucky, which rakes in $1.51. Compare those states to two that are in financial crisis and suffer an even worse balance of payments than we do in New York. California receives only 78 cents on the dollar. And New Jersey gets just 61 cents, though it does have a hit reality show. The fans of "Jersey Shore" include the younger Daly girl, who expressed some surprise on hearing that Palin is participating in a reality show. "You don't want Snooki in the White House," my daughter noted. Just imagine the Situation in the Situation Room. Only Palin is no Snooki and the Alaska show may actually further what seems to be her ultimate ambition. In every state, class is almost as much a factor in our politics as race. The show may help convince even more white working people that Palin is one of their own. The subtext is that liberals are elitists, which is at least partly true. Palin clearly harbors hopes that such passions will carry her into the White House. If not, she can just go back to Sarah Palin's Alaska and enjoy that subsidy welfare-y thing.
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