When the state began using the plane in November 2005, prisoner transport accounted for 58% of the jet's use, and Murkowski's office used it 23% of the time. Over time, Murkowski's usage increased.
 

It wasn't her idea to use it for transporting prisoners and the plane was not just used for executive travel.

Former Gov. Frank Murkowski bought the jet, which cost the state about $2.6 million, over the protests of the Legislature and used it to fly around the state, sometimes mixing campaign errands with government business.

Palin was very popular for doing what she did and they didn't want the plane. she tried to sell it FOUR TIMES on ebay.

The last marshal flights to and from Arizona transported 145 prisoners at a cost of $127,000, or about $875 per prisoner. That's cheaper than the jet, whose per-prisoner cost averaged $1,674.

Former Governor Frank Murkowski warned her the state would take a loss if she sold it because the encumbrance was the same as the fair market value.

If so, then Obama's comment about bills he co-sponsored, or the fact that the Banking Committee is one of his, or the story of his parents meeting during Selma, etc.  come back into the discussion, and all his other lies are fair game.  Do you want to go there?

Planes are expensive.  They have to be specially housed and there's the cost of pilots, mechanics, fuel. They are money pits.  And I can easily believe that the costs saved by selling the plane have more than made up for whatever loss was taken on the purchase price.  

But different things find different things important.  And myths that are unchallenged grow into truths.  If Jeralyn wants to mention it, and it is important to her, then she should do so.

  I've added an Updates section that uses mostly later articles to expand on the situations, and truth is very complicated.  VERY good articles in NY Times and in TIME about her time in Wasilla and when running for and serving as Governor.  No white-washes, just good info.  The problem with her, for us, is that she's formidable as an opponent, much more so than some realize (or it's realized and people are flailing around trying to stop any momentum).  For each energized person she brings to McCain though, she drives another to the Dem ticket.  But already today, the National polls show a virtual tie again, with margin of error taken into account.

  Interest in the page is high.  Yesterday alone, there were 53,000 web-requests for the page.

  My take is she's pretty ruthless while being smart about what people want and bent on giving them that where possible.  Despite her reputation she was re-elected in Wasilla by a 'landslide' (numbers of people voting aren't high).  And then won the governorship against truly difficult odds.  

  Her goal seems to be mainly getting done what she wants done but her goals and ours will often conflict.  Still, I've found with more reading that she is not as prone to using legislation to meet religious beliefs as I had thought.  

 Another problem is her being as incurious as she has been on life outside America, which is too reminiscent of Bush.    
 But with her political life, running things, including a family with 5 children, she's said there wasn't time.  

  Others have mentioned she would have a lot more time to spend with family as VP then she did as governor of Alaska.

 Definitely not ready for the world stage at this point.  Question is, if they win, can she get up to snuff?  Can she be trusted not to let her belief system override the rights of others?

 Oh, re troopergate: my page has her very long typewritten letter about Wooten that was written in 2005 before she became Governor.  On page 2 there's a harrowing scene described that has Wooten also threatening to taser Bristol.  IF that scene is true, I have nothing against her going overboard (I realize the abuse of power there),  but with regard to placing the investigation with the personnel board instead -- that board's 3 people were hired by the former governor, not by her.