One of the principal charges levied against Alaska Governor Sarah Palin during the presidential campaign was that she was clueless. But, although it may pain some people to acknowledge it, Alaska's economy was just saved from losing at least $4 million thanks to her quick advocacy.

Japan Airlines shuttles about 20 aircraft to Alaska each winter, each packed with 350 tourists eager to glimpse the Northern Lights. But this season, budget cutbacks at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection division prompted the government to deny the airline its landing rights. There weren't enough agents to meet the planes.

Palin, though, petitioned the Department of Homeland Security to reverse the decision, pointing out the flight stoppage would cost Fairbanks' economy at least $4 million, and the rest of the state even more, in lost revenue from the Japanese sightseers. The DHS relented, and the flights are back on.

The whole affair points up a major blind spot in our government's economic stimulus goals. Tourism is a win-win industry for America. It pours money into our economy. It employs a sector of our society that is more vulnerable to economic shifts. It boosts our image abroad. It costs very little in resources, as well. After all, the Grand Canyon and the Big Easy are open every day, anyway.

Tourism delivers huge boxes of cash, practically gift-wrapped, and you'd think that America's leaders would be a little more wise to its benefits and advocate increasing it wherever possible.

Americans may know that their Thanksgiving turkeys have to die before they can reach the family table. But most are loathe to watch it happen. Sarah Palin may have unwittingly opened many of our eyes to how our turkeys are harvested; ironically, minutes after "pardoning" another turkey named "Thanksgiving" at Triple D Farms in Wasilla, Alaska.

After having pardoned the turkey, Palin gives an interview in front of the slaughtering area (two cone-shaped contraptions into which turkeys are placed, upside down, so their heads can be severed and blood drained). A farm worker is inserting a turkey as the interview begins; he keeps looking over, and takes the turkey out at one point, evidently uncomfortable with chopping the bird's head off on-camera. But he's eager to get going and puts the bird back, holding its head at the bottom of the cone while it struggles and Palin says "certainly we'll probably invite criticism for even doing this too, but at least this is fun!"

As someone who's interested in "slow food" and sustainable farming practices, I wasn't horrified; I think it's probably a good thing for Americans to become more knowledgeable about what happens to animals before they're brought to the table. But this may be a rather harsh way of opening our eyes. The video interview is after the jump, complete with struggling bird and awkward farmer.

Halloween costumes are always a difficult decision; while the right choice can make you the hit of the party, the wrong choice could lead neighborhood children to avoid your house, cause you endless embarrassment at parties, and could even lead to arrest.

One solution is to go with a political-themed costume. After all, the combination of a business suit and a latex mask makes it possible to navigate almost any social situation: if people like your candidate, you're completely golden. If they don't, you can always claim that your costume is actually a parody, which should be able to smooth things over.

As the election gets closer and closer, some political masks have become hot items and others have lingered on the shelves. As various pundits have noted, the popularity (and thus price) of Halloween masks is hardly a scientific measure of the popularity of a candidate, but it does seem to give a glimpse into the public's political interests at the moment.

For example, while John McCain and Barack Obama masks are both holding steady at $14.99, Hilary Clinton has dropped to $7.99, and Rudy Giuliani is going for $8.99. To be honest, however, it's possible that some consumers have confused his visage with that of Gollum, or are working on assembling a vintage Adlai Stevenson costume.

Ironically, George Bush masks are going for an impressive $17.99, while George Bush wigs are a dollar more. Bill Clinton masks are $14.99, although the most popular former President remains John F. Kennedy, whose mask fetches a princely $18.99.

Interestingly, the most popular politico is Sarah Palin, whose mask is going for $29.99. To be honest, however, many purchasers expressed wonder that they managed to find a mask of "that chick from 30 Rock."

Bruce Watson is a freelance writer, blogger, and all-around cheapskate. Last year, he went as Lenin, mostly because he didn't have to wear a mask.

At their most basic level, Presidential elections are a battle between archetypes. Each candidate tries to position himself or herself a particular way, hoping to project a certain image and gain the affections of some portion of the populace. The 2000 election was a battle between the populist Bush and the egghead Gore, while 2004 saw John Kerry's JFK imitation going head-to-head with the further adventures of George Bush's ersatz working class fratboy.

In 2008, the battle is fourfold, between John McCain's battle-tested veteran, Barack Obama's unflappable statesman, Joe Biden's urban manual laborer, and Sarah Palin's redneck beauty queen. As she has repeatedly reminded the voters, Palin considers herself a part of the "Joe Sixpack" portion of the populace, a down-home, hunter-gatherer subset of the population characterized by simple values and simple tastes.

What's interesting, however, is that the Palins are considerably wealthier than most of the blue collar workers that they claim to represent. In addition to the respectable $47,000 paycheck that Todd Palin brings home from BP Alaska, the "First Dude" also makes about that much as a commercial fisherman. With the addition of Palin's $10,500 prize winnings from the 2007 Iron Dog race, his earnings last year were upwards of $100,000.

Sarah Palin was even more productive. In addition to her $125,000 gubernatorial salary, she collected over $60,000 in travel costs and per diem payments for sleeping in her own home. Added to this, every member of the Palin family collected $1,654, their portion of the oil royalties that all Alaskans receive each year.

Between their salaries, real estate holdings, and assorted vehicles, it is estimated that the Palins are worth more than $1.2 million. While this is miniscule compared to the McCains' princely personal wealth, it is quite impressive, particularly for those of us who sometimes have to buy our beers by the bottle!

Bruce Watson is a freelance writer, blogger, and all-around cheapskate. He's a few beers short of a Joe Sixpack.