Special Only When It Is Convenient

Along with her recent speeches on the campaign trail, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin delivered these lines earlier this month at the Republican National Convention: "To the families of special needs children all across this country, I have a message. For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. I pledge to you that if [Sen. John McCain and I] are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House."

Although Special Olympics Alaska requested a budget of only $550,000 for the upcoming fiscal year, Palin exercised her line item veto power to reduce that amount by fifty percent, to just $275,000. And since the state's Republican controlled legislature had already approved the $550,000 budget, Palin certainly went out of her way to implement the cut. Now I certainly am aware of the fact that budgets for state and federal programs are reduced on a consistent basis. However, you would think that Palin would have been able to locate a lousy $275,000 in the $223 million she kept from Congress for the "Bridge to Nowhere". I guess that, when it comes to increases for individuals with special needs, Palin only cares if those numbers concern the polls.