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Sarah Palin on Drugs
Republican Governor (AK); 2008 nominee for Vice President
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1996: Allow Wasilla bars to stay open until 5 AM
Sarah focused the secular aspects of her mayoral campaign on two issues: closing hours for local bars and liberalization of Alaska's already lenient gun laws. In regard to bars, the issue was whether to allow them to remain open until 5 AM or require
them to close at 2 AM, as did the bars in Anchorage. Both Mayor Stein (Palin's opponent) and Wasilla's police chief advocated the earlier closing. To Stein, a 2 AM closing "seemed like a no-brainer, what with the epidemic of drunk driving plaguing us,
and especially in a city with such a strong Baptist and fundamentalist presence."You'd think an evangelical Christian mother such as Sarah would have agreed. You'd be wrong. The bar owners argued that the hours between 2 AM and 5 AM were particularly
lucrative and that city government didn't have the right to interfere with free enterprise. Sarah wholeheartedly agreed. She saw the bill that would mandate a 2 AM closing as a classic example of government interference with personal freedom.
Source: The Rogue, by Joe McGinniss, p. 61
, Sep 20, 2011
Rejected making Wasilla bars close earlier than 5 AM
At the Republican Convention, Sarah Palin talked about her hometown as if it were a place painted by Norman Rockwell: “We grow good people in our small towns, with honesty & sincerity & dignity.” She talked about conservative values and fiscal discipline
So you might imagine that Wasilla, Alaska, is a tight-knit community with a general store, cozy cabins and a quaint bar where everyone knows your name, all centered around a town square with a steepled church and a frozen pond.
But barely anything like that exists in Wasilla. You certainly can have a great time swigging beer in two bars that are allowed to stay open until 5 AM. It was Mayor Palin who rejected attempts to make them close earlier. (If Palin had completely had her
way, in fact, you could have sidled up to the bar with a gun.)
For all that, Wasilla is not a bad place. Rather, it’s an unexceptional, gritty town, bisected by a four-lane highway where used-car lots sit next to fast-food joints next to pawn shops.
Source: Amanda Coyne in Newsweek
, Sep 22, 2008
Highway fatalities down because of strict drunk driving laws
Keeping Alaskans safe on our highways is a top priority of my administration. I’m pleased to report highway fatalities in Alaska are down this year. Since July 28, Alaska has recorded 34 fatalities for the entire year of 2008, and that number is below
the decade-average of 46 at this point in the calendar year. Strict enforcement of laws regulating drunk driving, reckless driving and seatbelt use have contributed to this positive news.
Source: Alaska Governor’s Office: August 2008 Newsletter
, Aug 20, 2008
Maintain alcohol sale database; bar giving alcohol to minors
The governor today signed two alcohol-related bills. Senate Bill 128 is aimed at preventing bootleggers from ordering alcohol from numerous package stores in violation of local option. SB 128 requires the ABC Board, in conjunction with package store
licensees, to maintain a database documenting the sale, distribution, and purchase of alcoholic beverages, ordered in writing, from people living in damp local-option communities. The Governor also signed House Bill 118, sponsored by Representative
Kevin Meyer. The bill closes a gap in statute by making it a non-criminal violation to permit underage people to possess alcohol in your home. Under current law (AS 04.16.050), a parent who allows their own child to possess alcohol is not subject to the
violation because they are allowed to provide alcohol to their children. Under HB 118 however, a person throwing a party where an underage person possesses alcohol, even if they were not responsible for providing the alcohol, would face a $500 fine.
Source: Alaska Governor’s Office: Press release 07-156, “Signing”
, Jun 25, 2007
Questions cruise ship gambling, under casino gambling ban
Palin questioned business aspects of the new cruise ship law in an Oct. 17 letter to the Alaska Travel Industry Association, the state’s major tourism group: “We all have to recognize that voters passed the measure--it is water under the bridge--but now
we have to work together to make sure that it doesn’t have a negative impact on you--as small business owners,” Palin wrote.Palin worried about the law’s new tax on gambling while ships are in state waters. “Currently casino gambling is prohibited in
Alaska. So what are we getting ourselves into?“ Palin also asked.
Though she didn’t say how she would do it, Palin told the ATIA she would work with the tourism industry to ”mitigate some of the impacts“ from the new law.
Knowles spokeswoman Patty Ginsburg said Friday that her boss supported taxing the cruise industry but he was unhappy with the law’s other provisions.
Source: Anchorage Daily News: 2006 gubernatorial candidate profile
, Oct 30, 2006
Opposes legalizing marijuana, but meth is greater threat
What about the social issues that Alaskans, especially the party faithful who often decide primary elections, may find important? Here’s what Sarah Palin has to say about marijuana.
Palin doesn’t support legalizing marijuana, worrying about the message it would send to her four kids. But when it comes to cracking down on drugs, she says methamphetamines are the greater threat and should have a higher priority.
Source: Anchorage Daily News, “Little play,” by K. Hopkins
, Aug 6, 2006
Smoked marijuana when it was legal under Alaska law
Palin said she has smoked marijuana--remember, it was legal under state law, she said, even if illegal under U.S. law--but says she didn’t like it and doesn’t smoke it now.
Palin adds, “I can’t claim a Bill Clinton and say that I never inhaled.”
Source: Anchorage Daily News, “Little play,” by K. Hopkins
, Aug 6, 2006
Top priorities include gangs & drugs; they harm family life
Q: In relationship to families, what are your top three priorities if elected governor?A: 1. Creating an atmosphere where parents feel welcome to choose the venues of education for their children.
2. Preserving the definition of “marriage” as defined in our constitution.
3. Cracking down on the things that harm family life: gangs, drug use, and infringement of our liberties including attacks on our 2nd Amendment rights.
Source: Eagle Forum 2006 Gubernatorial Candidate Questionnaire
, Jul 31, 2006
Page last updated: Nov 28, 2011