When is a shack not a shack?

During her tenure as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, Sarah Palin declined to lend her name in support of a fellow politician who was running for re-election. Why? Because the guy hadn’t paid some back taxes and she just couldn’t endorse someone who hadn’t met his civic responsibility.

Well, it turns out the Palins own a piece of property they’ve been using as a weekend retreat for years. They’ve been paying property tax on the land, but that li’l ol’ dinky shack out there? Why, it isn’t worth anything. So Sarah and Todd have been reporting a zero value on the structure.

But someone in the real property tax office for the borough of Matanuska-Susitna actually went out to take a look at the place and – whoops! – he appraised the house at almost $100,000.

I haven’t come across any comment from ex-governor Palin yet. She’s no doubt trying to figure out how to claim this is all President Obama’s fault.