+++UPDATE November 14, 2010+++
Rarely a day without news from the colourful life of Sarah Palin!
As the ADN reports today, Sarah Palin bagged the considerable amount of $1.25 million as an advance payment for her bookdeal. Palin mentions this figure in her new obligatory financial disclosure form for 2009 (the forms includes all income for 2009 until she resigned as Governor on July 26, 2009).
This advance payment, however, doesn't come as a great surprise, taken the fact into account that the previous speculations ranged somewhere between $ 2 million and $ 7 million. Still, nice to have this figure finally confirmed. Did she receive a similar amount as an additional payment recently when the manuscript was handed in, or even more? As always, we can only guess.
Then comes surprise No 1:
In the form, on the first page, she mentions the number of her dependent children ("biological children, stepchildren, adoptive children") as "3".
So...there is Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper and Trig. Everyone knows that Track was in the army during this time, so he most likely doesn't count as a dependent child any more.
But Bristol? Was she not a dependent child during the first half of 2009? She had her High School commencement ceremony on May 14, 2009, and cleverly combined this event with a cover-story in People-magazine. She also had her press-opportunity with the Candie's foundation on May 6, 2009. For both contracts Bristol certainly received a substantial sum of money. Whether this also "removed" her status as dependent child, I cannot answer right now, as I haven't got the specific legal knowledge. We have to be careful with quick conclusions: It might very well be legally possible to consider her as a non-dependent child, taking into account the substanial amount of money she has earned and the fact that she was already 18 years old.
But there is one great inconsistency, and these are the little things which can drive one crazy when it comes to analysing Sarah Palin's "dealings": On her financial disclosure form for 2008, she declared that she had "4" dependent children.
So far so good - "obviously" Track didn't count any more, because he joined the army in September 2007. Or DID Sarah still count him as a dependent?
This question is justified, because curiously, Sarah Palin still mentioned in the attachments to the form for 2008 what the "child" Track Palin earned from January to December 2008 - $ 21,903.20. So, why didn't Sarah Palin mention the income of Track and Bristol in the financial disclosure form for 2009 - in contrast to what she did for 2008? Or did she purposely exclude TRIG in 2008 and didn't count him as a dependent child?
Now to the second surprise: Sarah Palin owns the "Pie Spy LLC".
Huh? The wonky name makes it instantly believable that a Palin is involved in this business. But what exactly is the "Pie Spy LLC" doing?
Thankfully, the ADN already did some digging. From Alaska's corporation database, we learn that the business was founded on April 3, 2009. It provides "Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities". The business has never been mentioned anywhere before - a google search brings no results. Confusingly, in classic Sarah Palin fashion, in her financial disclosure form for 2009, the purpose of the business says "Marketing".
The registered agent of the business is Sarah's "infamous" lawyer Thomas Van Flein.
Who else is involved? From the copy of the "Articles of Organization" for the "Pie Spy LLC" we learn that Meghan Stapleton acts as the "Organizer".
This document was faxed from "Rebound Sports and Orthopedic Physical Therapy LLC" which belongs to Meghan Stapleton's husband Eric Steenburgh.
So what is the real purpose of this business, why was it set up? Why is it not out there on the market, advertising itself? Why is Sarah's lawyer the registered agent?
I could think about some sneaky purposes for this business. As always, we are just left to speculate. At some point, we will maybe hear more about it.
Update: Celtic Diva has a very informative post with interesting speculations about the "Pie Spy" business.
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