THE SYSTOCRAT PAPERS

Fellow Systocrats:

I posted this a couple of weeks ago after following up on some of the statements contained in Anne Kilkenny's now well-circulated email in which she gives us the local perspective on Sarah Palin.  This information was buried at the bottom of my Anne Kilkenny post, and since that time, this story has died - nobody in the mainstream media is talking about "Sports Complex-Gate."  I think this story really demonstrates why Palin is not ready to occupy the top spot in the executive branch of the United States government, so I've republished it here as it's own post.    

Of particular interest is a recent piece by the Wall Street Journal re: the ongoing Wasilla Sports Complex litigation, which Ms. Palin commissioned while she was Mayor.  As reported by WSJ, essentially, Ms. Palin's "administration" negotiated a favorable price ($126,000) for the 80 acre parcel of land that the Complex was to be built upon, but then failed to close the deal by executing the necessary documents confirming the sale agreement.  Meanwhile, another developer swooped in and bought the property out from under the town, precipitating a lawsuit by the town of Wasilla against the developer.  When the federal court ruled in favor of the developer, the town then (after Ms. Palin had left "office") decided to take the property by eminent domain. 

For the moment, the town has prevailed in that legal action - sort of.  An arbitrator recently ruled that Wasilla had the constitutional right to acquire the property by eminent domain, but that the developer was entitled to receive a whopping $836,378 for the land, plus an additional $336,000 in interest!  Obviously, that's a far cry from the $126,000 purchase the town had initially negotiated.  Further, Wasilla's city attorney estimates Wasilla's attorney fees at a quarter of a million dollars, and it's not over yet!  The developer has appealed, arguing that he's entitled to more interest! 

I would love to be able to report the actual language the judge(s) used to describe the town's incompetence in failing to close this deal, but my search of the usual online legal databases for the actual text of these decisions yielded nothing.  Nada.  Not a word about this ongoing dispute. 

Bottom line: as a result of the Palin "administration's" sloppy actions, the town of Wasilla is out well over a million bucks, with more attorney fees to come.  All because her administration didn't bother to do something that anyone who's been in business for twenty minutes would have done - get the contract signed! 

And there are people in this country that actually believe that Sarah Palin will be ready to lead on day one?  All I can say to those people is "wow."