Government Dirt

StopThinkVote.com Reports: The Palin family home is a two-story, 3,450-square-foot, four-bedroom, four-bath, wood house situated on Lake Lucille.

According to Palin's income tax returns, the house was assessed at more than half a million dollars — $552,000 to be exact.

Todd Palin told Fox News that he built the 3,450 square-foot, half million dollar home himself with the help of some "buddies." Since Sarah Palin blocked an effort to require the filing of building permits as mayor of Wasilla, there is no record of who Todd's "buddies" were.

Coincidentally, at the same time that Todd and his "buddies" were building the Palin house, the $12.5 million dollar Wasilla sports complex and hockey rink was under construction right down the road.

The architect who was awarded the $12.5 million sports complex, Blase Burkhart, is the son of Roy Burkhart, a Palin campaign contributor and the head of the local Republican party. Additionally, several of the subcontractors on the sports complex - including Spenard Builders Supply - were also contributors to Palin's campaign.

In addition to contributing to Palin's political campaign, Spenard Builders Supply happens to be the sponsor of Todd Palin's snow-machine team. Atoine Bricks, a Spenard Builders Supply employee, stated that Spenard supplied the materials for the Palin house. If the Spenard name sounds familiar, that's because they are one of the contractors that worked on Senator Ted Stevens house.

Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens was indicted recently, for accepting $250,000 worth of free renovations to his house from oil pipeline company VECO. Spenard Builders Supply is one of the contractors that worked on Stevens house.

Palin worked on Senator Ted Steven's 527 group. Palin's name is listed on 2003 incorporation papers of the "Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service, Inc.," a 527 group that could raise unlimited funds from corporate donors. The group was designed to serve as a political boot camp for Republican women in the state. She served as one of three directors until June 2005, when her name was replaced on state filings.