Runways need plowing too

Where is the maintenance that my aircraft taxes pay for? Saturday and Sunday Dec. 27 and 28 were both beautiful days, just right for winter flying. But Birchwood Airport and Big Lake Airport both were both not plowed, and possibly others. Not even a pass down the runway for an emergency landing area!

The roads all seemed to get plowed after the snow on Christmas Day, but why stop before plowing the airports? As an aircraft owner I pay the state for tiedown and lease fees, and for some reason I have to pay taxes to the Municipality of Anchorage as well, which I don't understand; what does the muni do for any pilot? And calling to speak with a human on the weekend was impossible. As I was at the airport on Sunday, all I could do was look up and admire the beautiful blue, empty, quiet sky.

-- Pat Thorall

Chugiak

Claman has lost 1 vote for mayor

I will not be voting for Mr. Claman as the permanent mayor of Anchorage. I believe his delay in announcing a run for the office is to give himself an unfair advantage over other candidates.

In today's climate of Alaska politics, every effort should be made to be open, transparent and honest. What would amount to politics as usual should be avoided at all costs.

Mr. Claman would have us believe that he is only stepping up to do his duty to this city and any agreement with colleagues about stepping down as chair of the Assembly is a matter of timing.

Well, I for one think that his reasoning is self-serving.

-- Tina Ortiz

Anchorage

Coal sludge disaster back east shows Alaskans the industry lies

The recent coal industry catastrophe in Tennessee, where a billion gallons of coal sludge is contaminating drinking water with arsenic, is evidence that there is no such thing as "clean coal." The deceitful coal industry, knowing that coal is a fuel of the past, has been pouring millions of dollars into ad campaigns to mislead the public into thinking that burning rocks is an effective means to generate electricity.

Alaskans shouldn't be fooled by these lies. The true cost of coal is measured in destroyed fisheries, childhood asthma and an increasingly altered climate. We should not invest another cent in the troubled, expensive Healy coal plant and should not permit the ill-advised Chuitna mine, which would obliterate subsistence and commercial salmon fisheries across Cook Inlet.

Instead, we should promote and entice the development of modern forms of energy -- geothermal, wind, wave and tidal. These resources are plentiful in Alaska, making this the ultimate place to develop new technology -- and reap a profit doing so.

If Alaska is going to have a viable economy once the oil and gas run dry, we must not embrace 18th-century solutions to 21st-century problems. We must seize the opportunity presented by renewable energy and energy efficiency. The power to do so lies squarely in the hands of the incoming Legislature and Gov. Palin.

Thanks, and happy New Year!

-- Matt Rafferty

Anchorage

Cooking classes promote health

As a nurse for over 25 years, I want to recommend something accessible to everyone that can prevent and often reverse the chronic diseases that cause the majority of deaths in the U.S.: a healthy diet based upon vegetables, whole grains, fruits and legumes.

We are incredibly fortunate to have a certified instructor for The Cancer Project (www.cancerproject.org) teaching Food for Life nutrition and cooking classes here in Alaska. I have taken the classes myself and can vouch for the delicious food, which everyone gets to sample, and the fun spirit in which it is prepared.

As we begin a new year, many of us want to lose weight, reduce our risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes, and just plain feel better. We can become a powerful example for the health of our children. There's no better or more enjoyable way to do this than by registering for one of the upcoming classes.

-- Peggy Robinson, RN MPH

Wasilla

Palin's an embarrassment; kick her out of the gubernatorial 'nest'

Letter writer Uwe Kalenka says, "All Alaskans can and should be proud of her (Palin). So please quit your whining and stop soiling your own nest." Really! When I completely disagree with someone, I try to understand what could create such a divergence of opinion.

Mr. Kalenka and I share a common birth year (1944). He was born in Bavaria, I in the United States. His formative years were in close proximity to Joseph Stalin and Marshal Tito, dictators both. Perhaps that is where he acquired his absolutist approach to supporting the leader. Not having close exposure to dictatorial attitudes, I developed a healthy skepticism for people who put themselves forward as worthy to lead.

Although I did not help elect Palin, I was initially surprised by what appeared to be good judgment. With time, my opinion changed. I believe Sarah Palin, who had the advantage of a father who was a teacher, is one of the most poorly educated people I have seen in any statewide leadership role. ... OK, she is running a close second to Don Young. Worse yet, she is delusional enough to believe herself capable of becoming president.

Sarah Palin is an embarrassment and we should sweep her from the "nest" of Alaska in 2010, should she have the temerity to run for a second term.

-- Caroline Bolar

Anchorage

No pardons for Bush war abetters

If you don't condemn the war crimes committed by the Bush administration, that makes you an accomplice. Do not allow the guilty to go free. Block any and all pardons of those who allowed this to happen on their watch!

-- Cliff Ward