This diary again involves the RNC's spending over $80,000 on the now famous Sarah Palin wardrobe (with another $70,000 or so spent on the rest of the Palin tribe). Frankly, I still find it mind blowing, and I would like some input, primarily from women, but also from men who might be familiar with their wives' or girlfriends' spending habits. I've constructed an hypothetical situation that, while a bit unusual and/or exaggerated, basically reflects the corporate world I used to work in.
Imagine that the president of your company called an early morning meeting of all company employees and said:
"Next week our company is holding our national sales convention
in Miami and I would like a number of people here in our home
office to attend. We want to show our thanks to the sales force
and let them see the real people who support their efforts. Our
home office employees that attend the convention will be asked
to appear on stage with the CEO and other company executives and
a few of you may field a question or two from the audience.
This is our chance to put a face on the home office staff, so we
of course want to put our best foot forward and look our best.
Some or all of you may have your picture in next year's annual
report. Therefore, anyone who wants to participate at the
convention should take the rest of the day off and go shopping.
Shopping for clothes you will wear at the convention. Save all
your receipts -- the company will reimburse you, but there is a
$900 limit. Wear your new outfits to work tomorrow. The managers
and I will look you over to see if you pass muster. Everybody who
has an acceptable outfit will go to Miami!"
Well, if that happened in my old company most of the women would gleefully accept that slam-dunk assignment. Many of them were already dressed acceptably in their everyday work clothes. And they were capable and knew what they were talking about; they understood simple things like preconditions and handled far more complex things while juggling family and career.
But, is this somehow n o t a slam-dunk assignment? Try the poll and let me know. If the assignment is doable, then why couldn't Palin have a nice $10,000 wardrobe?