'Sarah Palin's Alaska' and Government Funding

Sarah Palin has frequently said she trusts the market more than government bureaucrats. But she doesn't object to all government programs. Case in point her TLC show "Sarah Palin's Alaska" in which she hunts caribou and camps in the wilderness with Kate Plus 8 star Kate Gosselin: it will receive over $1 million in transferable tax credits for filming in Alaska, as part of a state subsidy that Palin signed into law when she was Alaska's governor. The measure--which has also benefited shows like "Ice Road Truckers" and "Deadliest Catch"--enables film and television producers to recoup 30 percent or more of the cost of filming in Alaska.

Though the law originated in Alaska's legislature, Shayna Leah at Yahoo contends that Palin--a proponent of reining in government spending--approved the public funding for self-serving reasons. While those who support the subsidy argue that Alaska benefits from temporary jobs and commerce, she says, the real beneficiary is Palin herself:

Palin, clearly thinking of her future strategic use of the generous subsidy in advance of her planned 2012 presidential run, created the law as one that would be good until 2013 ... Despite criticizing President Barack Obama's budget cuts as being "minuscule" on her Facebook page, Palin seems to have no problem raiding the state tax coffers to line her own pockets--whether she needs to or not.