Sarah Palin to Help Raise Autism Awareness

Over 12,000 people with autism and related disorders and their families are expected to turn out at Manhattanville College in New York today to participate in a two-mile walk around campus. The event, in its eight year, is organized by the Westchester-Fairfield chapter of Autism Speaks, one of the country's largest autism advocacy groups. But there is one expected guest who won't blend into the large crowd. Alaska Governor Sarah Palin plans to walk along with her sister, Heather Bruce. Bruce's son Karcher has autism. A spokesperson for Autism Speaks says they are "fortunate" to have the Governor show up for the cause.

During the 2008 election , when Governor Palin ran as the Vice Presidential nominee on the GOP's presidential ticket, she pledged her support for families with special needs,

"Sometimes even the greatest joys bring challenge. And children with special needs inspire a special love. 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 we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House."

Even though she didn't make it to the White House, the Governor, whose youngest son has Down Syndrome, has upheld her promise by donating her time to special needs causes such as the Special Olympics. Palin's spokeswoman, Meghan Stapleton said about the Autism walk,

"This is just a fantastic opportunity to give back to another community and another state that has been good to her."

The Governor and her family have a few other plans for their time spent in New York. On Saturday, more than 20,000 people came out to see Governor Palin in Auburn, New York, where she helped local officials celebrate Founder's Day and raise money for a museum dedicated to the life of William Seward. Seward was the Secretary of State who helped make Alaska the 49th state. Later this evening, she will receive an award from the Independent Group Home Living Foundation on Long Island. The non-profit group provides services and support for people with developmental disabilities.

Sarah Palin to Turn Down Stimulus Funds

“Will we chart our own course, or will Washington engineer it for us?” - Governor Sarah Palin
Of the $930 million in stimulus funds awarded to the state of Alaska, Governor Sarah Palin has said she doesn't want nearly a third of it. Joining the ranks of many other Republican governors such as South Carolina Governor, Mark Sanford, who are not accepting the full amount offered to them, Palin insists there are just too many strings attached. According to the Anchorage Daily News, Palin rejected money that would go towards government operations. Governor Palin had this to say:

We won’t be bound by federal strings in exchange for dollars, nor will we dig ourselves a deeper hole in two years when these federal funds are gone. For instance, in order to accept what look like attractive energy funds, our local communities would be required to adopt uniform building codes. Government would then be required to police those codes. These types of funds are not sensible for Alaska.

As expected, many Alaskan Democrats are outraged at Governor Palin and insist she's doing this for her own political gain. Despite their assertions, Palin's approval rating amongst her constituents remains strong at 61%, a number much higher than most of her fellow state governors, particularly democrats.

In other Palin news, the Governor has expressed her shock and outrage over the comments President Obama made on "The Tonight Show" regarding the Special Olympics:

This was a degrading remark about our world’s most precious and unique people, coming from the most powerful position in the world. These athletes overcome more challenges, discrimination and adversity than most of us ever will. By the way, these athletes can outperform many of us and we should be proud of them. I hope President Obama’s comments do not reflect how he truly feels about the special needs community.

Sarah Palin has a unique perspective on people with special needs as she and her husband Todd Palin have a one year old son, Trig, who was born with with Down Syndrome.