The Anchorage Daily News reports that Levi Johnston, boyfriend of Gov. Sarah Palin’s daughter Bristol, has quit his oil field job over questions about his eligibility to work in an electrical apprenticeship program. On Sunday, Dan Fagan – an Anchorage radio talk show host – questioned how Johnston was eligible to take part in the apprenticeship program without a high school diploma. Fagan wrote:
The governor, in trying to dispel rumors the father of her grandchild is a high school dropout, released this statement this past week, “Levi is continuing his online high school work in addition to working as an electrical apprentice on the North Slope.”
But federal regulations require all members of apprentice programs, union or otherwise, to first obtain a high school diploma, something the governor’s soon-to-be son-in- law does not have. Some apprentice programs even require the completion of high school level algebra or the post-secondary equivalent.
So how is it that the governor’s soon-to-be son-in-law is working in an apprentice program? Is this another case of the governor believing the rules don’t apply to her or her family?
Johnston resigned his apprenticeship position on Monday in an effort to “calm the waters,” his father said. The Johnston family said that neither Sarah Palin or her husband had any role in getting Johnston the job.
Update
Flashback: More than 100 of Palin’s appointments to state posts — nearly 1 in 4 — “went to campaign contributors or their relatives, sometimes without apparent regard to qualifications.” The New York Times headlined, “Once Elected, Palin Hired Friends and Lashed Foes”
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