Some major issues gone unaddressed

In her 22 months in office, Palin has not addressed many of the matters - education, healthcare, trade, budget - in a...

In her 22 months in office, Palin has not addressed many of the matters 8211; education, healthcare, trade, budget 8211; in a significant way, pursuing a narrower agenda rooted in Alaska8217;s resource-based economy.

Palin has approved increased spending for education and the elderly, sued the federal government for listing the polar bear as a threatened species, and pushed for a bill that would have reduced state regulation of new medical facilities. But by and large, oil and gas issues have dominated her tenure.

8220;You can8217;t think of another area where there8217;s been another drive or initiative coming out of the administration with the same level of intensity,8221; said Scott Goldsmith, a professor of economics at the Institute of Social and Economic Research at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

Well before she became the Republican vice-presidential nominee, Palin was positioning herself nationally on resource development and energy issues. She is the chairwoman of the natural resources committee of the National Governors Association. The committee has not yet taken action under Palin, but a spokeswoman for the association said committees usually did not take up business until later in the fall. Palin8217;s work on oil and gas issues was part of a wider effort at overturning the work of her predecessor, Governor Frank H Murkowski, also a Republican.

Palin does not appear to have made any trade missions since taking office, and former state officials said the state8217;s trade staff had been reduced under her watch. Palin has shown support for developing Alaska8217;s natural resources. Her views are largely in line with those of voters in her state, but not with environmentalists.

Even with the state enjoying a multibillion-dollar surplus because of high oil prices, Palin has vetoed about 500 million in capital spending projects requested by state lawmakers in two consecutive budgets.