Sarah Palin has collected more than the amount established by law by cashing in her per diem checks. Alaska Statute 39.20.050 (Exclusive Compensation) states that the compensation fixed by law for the governor and lieutenant governor is in full for all services rendered by each of them in any official capacity or employment whatsoever during their respective terms of office. Per diem is therefore any added expenses incurred while in travel status, not when living in your own home.

State travel regulations say that per diem can't be claimed when travel is less than 50 miles from a state employee's workplace. The IRS and state finance officer have already determined tha...

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Sarah Palin has collected more than the amount established by law by cashing in her per diem checks. Alaska Statute 39.20.050 (Exclusive Compensation) states that the compensation fixed by law for the governor and lieutenant governor is in full for all services rendered by each of them in any official capacity or employment whatsoever during their respective terms of office. Per diem is therefore any added expenses incurred while in travel status, not when living in your own home.

State travel regulations say that per diem can't be claimed when travel is less than 50 miles from a state employee's workplace. The IRS and state finance officer have already determined that the per diem is considered income. The governor's workplace in Anchorage is only a 45-mile commute from her Wasilla home.

As a Wasilla resident I know that thousands of valley residents commute into Anchorage for work every day. They don't receive checks from their employers for sleeping at home. Governor Palin does. And it's wrong, not to mention unethical, for her to even submit these per diem claims. To me, this is a roundabout way for Palin to give herself a raise.