Sarah Palin, the new “up and coming maverick” of the Republican Party, has made her foray into politics by flaunting her conservative budgetary skills by purchasing up to $150,000 dollars on numerous business attires and outfits for her campaign flare.
When appearing on stage during her rallies, she is always well dressed, so it was no surprise when I discovered that she had enjoyed a huge spending spree when purchasing her outfits.
In comparing photos of Palin before she was nominated for vice president with ones she of her now, there is a remarkable difference in the quality of the clothes and her style. Recently, however, she has been seen wearing high-end attire and looking her best with outfits such as the red leather suit jacket she wore to her campaign in Colorado, and her many other garbs she has worn in cities like St. Louis, Mo., and Reno, Nev.
I cannot help but to wonder where the heart of this Republican campaign lies…at the feet of the people or at the entrance of high-end designer clothing stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Banana Republic? Is this the kind of fiscal responsibility that the Republicans have been touting?
The GOP reportedly spent a whopping $150,000 to make this governor from Alaska look the best that she possibly could when appearing in front of her supporters, according to an article by Jeanne Cummings on Politico.com.
From her numerous trips to Saks in St. Louis and New York, she has reportedly spent $49,425.74. At a few other shopping stores in Minneapolis, she dropped $75,062.63. For her hair and make-up she has added an additional $4,716.49 to the tab. It seems evident that she cares more about how she looks than the issues at hand with our country.
With the rising hardships that many American families now face — with the stock market plummeting every day, and many workers getting laid-off — it is hard to imagine that Palin would have spent this much money on items that are not that important to her everyday needs of living. The average annual income for working families in the United States was about $50,233.00 in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, three times less than the amount of money Palin spent on her clothes.
I think this is a horrible thing that Palin has done, particularly since the unemployment rate has grown so significantly in past months, and we now are seeing more people having to foreclose on their homes. If she really cared, then why not donate that $150,000 to a bunch of ailing families about to lose their houses?
Because the Alaskan governor clearly has no problem wasting her money on frivolities, I believe that she should donate her clothes to the Dress to Success donation program. This not-for-profit organization has been developed in order to give disadvantaged women business attires to help them succeed in the work field. This program will arrange specific attires that are suitable to the women who are in need of help, according to DressforSuccess.org.
I feel like this would make Palin look better in the public eye, and more importantly to her supporters and potential voters for this coming election.
