An Alaskan state commission is recommending that Sarah Palin be given a $25,000 raise. The commission also proposed raises for other state officials and state legislators.

The raise for Palin would be a 25% increase. Apparently, the commission felt that Palin needed a pay raise since she was pulling double duty last year as governor and a Vice-Presidential candidate. Palin also had to spend precious time warding off charges of abuse of power over the Troopergate scandal involving her former brother-in-law.

With all those responsibilities, who wouldn’t need a raise?

How impartial is that commission? The governor selects the five-member commission, although two of the members come from lists presented by the state legislature. Lo and behold, they were recommended for a raise too.

Not everyone is happy with the pay raise proposal.

“I thought we just gave a raise to the governor and the commissioners,” Rep. Jay Ramras, a Republican representing Fairbanks.

It is interesting that Ramras didn’t say anything about the legislature’s pay raise.

The governor did get a pay raise in 2006. It was a 46% increase then, from $86,000 to $125,000.

“I would expect this governor to probably donate that to her favorite charity. Because I believe that she very much serves for the service, not the pay,” said Rick Halford, chairman of the commission.

That blows the argument for the pay raise, but logic doesn’t usually fit into these decisions. Oh, yeh, Halford’s a big Palin supporter.