http://www.gov.state.ak.us/omb/09_om.../proj48722.pdf
According to my reading of this document (feel free to correct me after you read it too) the actual funding request was initially for $10 million. Looks like they only requested $4m from the Feds (the stingy bastards) This was funding for a one time project (NOT their operating budget), an expansion of their facilities, that was priced out at $22m. This request is for FY 2009. I thought I saw a link for a similar request for FY 08. Haven't been able to dig up whether any funding was approved for that FY, and I'm bored, so not going to pursue it any further.
Those tightwads in the Alaska Legislature "slashed" that request to $5m. Palin approved close to $4m. Still an assload more money than they would have had at the start ($0)
I can't quite tell if these were expected or already recieved, but private donations for the project were $7m.
The group claims to receive 90% of it's funding from private donations. $3.9 million would have been 17% if the total of all funding for this project, if my admittedly faulty math is right.
Covenant House's 2006 990 form show's they received approx. $1.2m from -all- government sources that year, and had an operating budget of around $3 million, for which they were fully funded with revenues of $3.2 million from all sources.
Budgeting is a matter of setting priorities, not just handing out money hither and yon. She (apparently) still allowed a sizeable State contribution to this charity. The only way this is considered a "cut" is in the classic Democrat definition of "we didn't get 100% of the money we requested."
Apparently one message board post I saw mentions that $2million more went to a similar program in the same budget. "Anne's House" or something like that. I've lost the post and they didn't provide a link, so I can't verify right now.
Passage House, which the story mentions, would apparently not have gotten any of this money in the first place, as it's not mentioned in any of the docs I read, but maybe they were part of the facilities expansion.
In a marvelous display of "unbiased" journalistic integrity the "journalist" that wrote this for the WaPo mentions no attempt to contact Palin's office for her side of the story.
Overall I declare this story a
crank piece, but considering the current feeding frenzy it's just more chum for the sharks.
A wise person once said "can't believe everything you read"
I would have titled the article "Palin approves $3.9m Capital donation to upgrade Covenant House facilities"... but that's just me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cristiano  |