Thursday 30 April 2009

Sarah Palin's Arctic Cat snowmobiles



I found an article from Sports Illustrated that has this passage:

Some Iron Doggers have spent upwards of $30,000 to finance a once-in-a-lifetime run into the wild heart of Alaska. Tapping their credit cards, they've shelled out $10,000 each for a 2009 snow machine, $10,000 more for an identical training sled, $2,500 for the race entry fee and a few thousand more for trailing airplane support. Palin and Davis, in contrast, have spent almost nothing. They are prodigiously sponsored, with their names monogrammed in script on their matching Arctic Cat jackets. (Palin even has the names of his five kids and his wife, SARAH, THE GOV, appliquéd on his snow machine hood.) They give inspirational speeches at trade shows.

So... Sarah Palin "inherits" Todd's previous year's snow mobiles. As he doesn't really pay for them and the governor goes on to take possession of these "gifts", isn't wearing Team Arctic gear in her official capacity as governor twice as unethical?

I'm not an expert on tax returns and what everything means, in the US or anywhere else, so I ask my readers to have a look at all these bits and pieces and give an opinion. Please bear in mind that the tax returns are filled in their joint names, if that's relevant at all...

Let's recap what we have found out so far about Sarah Palin's involvement with Arctic Cat, Team Arctic and other sponsors:

- Wearing Team Arctic gear when acting in her official capacity as governor.
- Official government website links to Todd's various sponsors.
- Sarah Palin inherits Todd's old snowmobiles.

Do they sell the old snowmobiles? Do they have a pile of them by now?

Was this get-together with Paul Teutul Sr at her Anchorage government office? Was Sarah Palin really promoting Arctic Cat from the governor's office?

So many questions from us and so many answers not forthcoming from the esteemed governor...

Tax forms 2006
Tax forms 2007

Slightly OT: Very good post about Sarah Palin's legal fees here.

Recall Sarah Palin

.

15 comments:

palinoscopy said...

Anything they are given, like snow machines, gear, clothing, as well as money should be declared as income, as far as I know.

palinoscopy said...

There's another tax issue that I'm sure they are liable for. You remember earlier this year when Sarah belatedly realized she had to declare the state owned car she used as income, so she sent it back? Well, what about the "mayor mobile" that the city of Wasilla had to lease for her? Since she only figured out this year she was liable for taxes on such a bennie, how likely is it she ever paid taxes on her previous freebie vehicles? Not bloody, I'd say.

regina said...

They declared something relating to Arctic Cat snowmachining, but have you seen the deductions?

If they declare this stuff as income, then wearing Team Arctic gear is definitely unethical, because they profit from it...

Reg

palinoscopy said...

The other fishy part of it is the huge amount, 10,000 dollars in 2007 they wrote of for "depreciation." Very suspect. And then there's the write off for part of the house used exclusively for business. 10,000 in 2006 and 1,200+ in 2007. This particular deduction is the single fastest way to get audited known to human kind. Because it's almost always bogus and the IRS knows it. My household includes a painting studio, used entirely for professional activities. The only thing that happens in there is painting. We don't write it off because it's not worth the risk. If an auditor walks in and your weed whacker's been placed on the floor of that area, your done. Exclusive means exclusive. If they have a 10,000 dollar write off for an are used for the business and someone so much as surfs the internet in that room for a pair of naught monkey pumps, or stored their extra bags of clothes from the RNC there.... Well, not good. Really, really suspicious.

Anonymous said...

From the SI article:
"There is something masterful about Todd Palin. He is almost invariably calm, and he is handsome and rock-steady in an affable, unobtrusive way. He is the perfect political husband. But he is also a sort of sphinx -- you keep trying to crack the enigma and glimpse the gears spinning away in his mind. You watch him."

Keep an eye on that guy--I'm sure the sphinx will crack eventually.

basheert said...

IRS
IRS
IRS

Did you know if you file a complaint and it is found VALID and they collect, you get a finder's fee.

She must declare all this stuff as a gift. Look at the hoop de doo the WH has to go through when it receives gifts.

A gift is a gift. Sponsorship for Todd does not translate to freebies for The MoronInCharge.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous@22:02,

Todd Palin has a very squeaky voice. Not very masterful, IMO.

KW

Ennealogic said...

KW, lol... I've always thought that GINO was the materfamilias!

Contrary to what her religious beliefs would seem to indicate, also, too...

Anonymous said...

I'd love to see the sponsorship contract. How long have they been sponsored by Arctic Cat? I imagine it would run a 12 month period?

so, is Arctic Cat prodigiously sponsoring Todd and in return Sarah is prodigiously sponsoring Artic Cat? eh?


Prodigiously Sponsored.....

Prodigiously
Pro*di"gious*ly\, adv.

1. Enormously; wonderfully; astonishingly; as, prodigiously great.

2. Very much; extremely; as, he was prodigiously pleased.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Cite This Source

spon⋅sor
   /ˈspɒnsər/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [spon-ser] Show IPA
–noun

1. a person who vouches or is responsible for a person or thing.

2. a person, firm, organization, etc., that finances and buys the time to broadcast a radio or television program so as to advertise a product, a political party, etc.

3. a person who makes a pledge or promise on behalf of another.
4. a person who answers for an infant at baptism, making the required professions and assuming responsibility for the child's religious upbringing; godfather or godmother.
–verb (used with object)

5. to act as sponsor for; promise, vouch, or answer for.

Synonyms:
1. patron, backer; guarantor. 2. advertiser. 5. guarantee, finance, back, underwrite.

spon·sor (spŏn'sər)
n.

1. One who assumes responsibility for another person or a group during a period of instruction, apprenticeship, or probation.

2. One who vouches for the suitability of a candidate for admission.
3. A legislator who proposes and urges adoption of a bill.

4. One who presents a candidate for baptism or confirmation; a godparent.

5. One that finances a project or an event carried out by another person or group, especially a business enterprise that pays for radio or television programming in return for advertising time.

Anonymous said...

remember, they weren't decked out last year, this year new story, VP fame, magazine articles, world wide news coverage on national tv, you tube, SNL, all showing over and over Arctic Cat.

Also remember, Todd and Sarah stopped by the Arctic plant while on the campaign trail.

Ya think there may have been "someone" pumped up from all the glory lights and fame gamin, now brain stormin with the "sponsors" for upcoming advertising possibilites? Some heavy duty wheelin and dealin going on? hmmmm, of course!

How many times is the "First Duds" "hobby" brought up? um.....every tv interview, every mag article, every book written, THE STATE WEB SITE.

She's probably thinkin now it's the Palins who are getting the short end of the stick, more gifts please! and throw in something big for the trouble of taken an ethics complaint over it.

Didn't she wear a second arctic cat coat at the ski over the water event?
Don't think that had anything to do with the iron dog race, was this a gift coat also?

how much do these cost, retail?

Anonymous said...

I forgot to mention all that FREE thanks to Palin media advertising would have cost Arctic Cat A TON OF MONEY!

patstevens said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
regina said...

IRS whistleblower scheme:

http://palingates.blogspot.com/search/label/IRS

Anonymous said...

hmmm, last fall, gee, do you think they twittered about Palin? also too, gee, do you think "last fall" they were exploring "other" avenues of low cost advertising to incorporate with social networking?



"Despite a customer demographic that seemed to skew anti-techie, Arctic Cat last fall decided to take a ride on the Internet's social networking train by promoting its snowmobiles and ATVs on websites such as Facebook and Flickr."

"The Plymouth-based company moved cautiously, devoting less than 5 percent of its advertising budget to social marketing, but noticed results almost immediately. With little promotion, Arctic Cat's link with customers and enthusiasts jumped from 400 to 1,400 users in months."

JCarter said...

What is Palin going to do with the motorcycle the OC is building for Alaksa's 50th? I didn't hear any mention of it.