I think Sarah Palin is a great pick. Along with asking her if she supports card-check and the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, some enterprising Democratic campaign for President might want to let the good people of the other 49 states know that record gasoline, heating oil, and natural gas prices translate into record welfare checks for every Alaskan resident. In 2007, every resident of Alaska received $1654 from this fund, with the 2008 total payment expected to reach at least $3200.
Of course, Alaskans have high energy costs as well, which is why the state legislature recently voted to send "nearly every resident" a one-time payment of $1200 to offset those costs. Correct me if I'm wrong, of course, but if an average home uses approximately 1,000 gallons of heating oil every winter, and each $1200 check can purchase 200 gallons at current prices, then that's not too bad. Especially with a high likelihood of each household containing multiple recipients of the payment; it will allow people to pre-purchase their oil through a co-op or other bulk plan.
To be clear, I think it's a good plan. Often the people who live closest to a resource such as oil pay the most for the products made from it, a problem even more acute in Alaska. But it's doubtful McCain chose Palin because of how progressive such programs can be.
The real problem for the McCain/Palin ticket is that Americans are somewhat. . .irrational when it comes to the price of petroleum products. The idea of a bunch of Alaskans getting thousands of dollars in free money that comes straight out of their bank accounts isn't going to sit well. I just hope the Obama campaign has the nerve to hammer this home.
