Want Palin's e-mails? That'll be $15 million

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Source: MSNBC

Sarah Palin's office has discovered a new renewable resource to bring millions of dollars into Alaska's economy: the governor's e-mails.

The office of the Republican vice-presidential nominee has quoted prices as high as $15 million for copies of state e-mails requested by news organizations and citizens. No matter what the price, most of the e-mails of the governor, her senior staff and other state employees won't be made public until at least several weeks after the Nov. 4 presidential election, her office told msnbc.com on Thursday.

How did the cost reach $15 million? Let's look at a typical request. When the Associated Press asked for all state e-mails sent to the governor's husband, Todd Palin, the governor's office said it would take up to six hours of a programmer's time to assemble the e-mail of just a single state employee, then another two hours for "security" checks, and finally five hours to search the e-mail for whatever word or topic the requestor is seeking. At $73.87 an hour, that's $960.31 for a single e-mail account. And there are 16,000 full-time state employees. The cost quoted to the AP: $15,364,960.

And that's not including the copying costs. Although the e-mails are stored electronically in Microsoft Outlook and on backup servers, and although a blank CD-ROM costs only 41 cents at Capital Office Supply in Juneau, the governor's office says it can provide copies only on paper.

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27228287/

[Miss Chybil]

1. Bullshit. Should be public property.

Oh, my bad. I was thinking about when people who worked for the government were "public servants." I'm sorry that was pre-Bush.

[joeglow3]

10. It is public property, but

I know if I request any information from our city, I have to pay the costs of doing so. Now, as to the rates, I don't know what they are.

[LeftyMom]

2. Finding an archived email takes > 5 minutes and a grade schooler could do it.

Total cost? Whatever the going rate is for an entry level employee's time is for a bare fraction of an hour. >$5

[ReadTomPaine]

3. How cooperative they are with the rule of law. This is their standard for transparency. n/t

[Make7]

4. Palin: "We'll bring that kind of transparency..."

"We’ll bring that kind of transparency, that responsibility, and accountability back. We’re going to bring that back to D.C." - Sarah Palin


Perhaps this is the "kind of transparency" she wants to bring to Washington.

If I am not mistaken, Todd Palin is not an employee of the Alaskan government - so I'd be curious to know what "security checks" are required of emails to a private citizen. Would sending information to him not make the material essentially public already? Since there is no need for security checks, I think that should greatly reduce the price of transparency in the great state of Alaska.

-Make7

[MrBadExample]

5. Five hours?

> five hours to search the e-mail for whatever word or topic the requestor is seeking

That's such a bullshit inflated figure that it's not even funny--unless they're being stupid enough to print the email out and then search it by hand.

[bean fidhleir]

6. No wonder government is filled with criminals - nobody calls them on their criminal BS

That claim is preposterous. A judge should already be telling them to produce for not more than the cost of 1 day's work or face criminal charges.

[mac56]

7. But..but..she's a maverick!

She's so mavericky, what with her maverickness and all.

[sattahipdeep]

8. on polar bears, wolves and other topics $15 million.

NBC's price quote for e-mails sent to Todd Palin $15 million.

The AP's price for e-mails between state employees and the campaign headquarters of Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain: $15 million.

And the AP again, for e-mails between state employees and the National Park Service (on polar bears, wolves and other topics): $15 million.

By Bill Dedman
Investigative reporter
msnbc

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27228287/

[sattahipdeep]

9. You've already recommended that thread.

Polar Bear Cubs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ijq0qmH_Q9I&feature=related

[ET Awful]

11. First, it doesn't take a "programmer" to recover a back-up or archive from tape or whatever

other backup method they use.

Second, it doesn't take 6 hours. An entire server, along with ALL user accounts can be restored in an hour or two.

Hell, if my e-mail server goes down, I can build a NEW server from the ground up, restore all old e-mails from backup and have it completely functional in the 6 hours they cite.

They're lying.