Each Alaskan got $1,200

John McCain chose Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, as his running mate for the 2008 election.

Palin joined the ticket at an event in Dayton, Ohio, on Aug. 29, 2008, delivering a speech discussing her biography and qualifications to be vice president.

When she entered public office, she said her goals were “to stop wasteful spending, and cut property taxes, and put the people first.”

“When oil and gas prices went up so dramatically and the state revenues followed with that increase, I sent a large share of that revenue directly back to the people of Alaska,” Palin said of her accomplishments as governor.

We looked into the record and found that Palin did push for a measure to return state surplus revenue back to residents of mineral-rich Alaska. On Aug. 7, 2008, the Alaska Legislature approved a measure she promoted that would send $1,200 to every Alaskan who qualifies.

That comes to about $741-million for state residents, out of an estimated $2.7-billion in increased oil taxes and royalties.

Purists might argue that the rebates only come to 35 percent of the estimated excess revenue. But still, it seems fair to us to describe a $741-million outlay as “large,” and $1,200 per person is a nice windfall. We find Palin’s statement True.