Letters to the editor (7/5/09)

This is a message to all those turncoat Republicans who prejudged Ted Stevens before the last word was in through the courts. Tighten up your safety belts. With the Al Franken win in Minnesota you get to watch as the Democrats, with a majority in the House, Senate and executive branch, dismantle most of the vestiges of the capitalistic system the Founding Fathers created.

No longer will the drive to excel have its rewards. The failed socialistic systems of numerous European nations are where we are headed. You turncoat Republicans can take personal responsibility for this.

You retired an Alaska Republican in the Senate who was known for getting the job done. Sooner or later one of the new Socialist Democratic party initiatives will affect you personally. When it happens you have no one to blame but yourself. You let your state and party, and the nation, down. How do you look at yourself in the mirror in the morning?

- Steve Grantland

Palmer

Knik span could be landmark

San Francisco has the Golden Gate, New York the Brooklyn Bridge, Sydney the Harbor Bridge, and the list goes on. Why must we suffer the mediocrity of a concrete slab across Knik Arm? Imagine a span across Knik Arm that would create a landmark for Anchorage and the Mat-Su and bring some much-needed character to Anchorage, something that would show the world that indeed we are not "nowhere."

Anchorage and the Mat-Su leadership should band together instead of the divisiveness that has been the norm of late. This project would address many of the transportation and land-use issues that have plagued the long-term planning for Southcentral Alaska for decades, affecting roads, rail and the airport.

Anchorage is getting choked; the time to expand is now. Engineering or environmental issues, there should be nothing keeping Alaskans from having a magnificent Bridge TO Alaska from Anchorage, the Gateway to Alaska.

- Sam Devon

Anchorage

S.C. governor had some sense

Across America people are up in arms about South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford having sex with some woman from Argentina. That's not so bad. At least he has enough common sense to know that if he is going to have sex with someone, it will be a woman. You have to give him credit for that.

- John Suter

Chugiak

On the presidential Olympics

You want a president who can run a sub-4 marathon?

Or one that could win - and spell - an academic decathlon?

- Shelly Gill

Homer

Local trails in terrible shape

Assemblywoman Harriet Drummond was recently quoted in the ADN as opposing the Knik Arm bridge, stating that "they want this 2-mile-long bridge (Knik Arm crossing), and we can't take care of the streets we have." I am certain she will be of similar opinion the next time the Assembly contemplates putting bonds on the ballot for new Anchorage trails, given the deplorable state of the trails we currently have.

- Chris Morton

Anchorage

City should get roads contract

I'd like to express my appreciation to the local businesses and homeowners along the state roadways and trails here in Anchorage who took it upon themselves to clean the trails and sidewalks along their property. The Municipality of Anchorage has also done an excellent job cleaning local streets.

Why can't the state DOT in Anchorage do the same?

What's surprising about DOT's lack of responsiveness regarding this matter is its claim that it's the contractor's responsibility. Given that DOT purchased specialized equipment last year for cleaning the multipurpose trails and sidewalks, it's odd that this equipment now sits idle. How shortsighted and what poor planning by DOT!

DOT should return to contracting with the Municipality of Anchorage as it once did.

- Curt Harris

Anchorage

Ordinance debate teaches hate

I attended two Assembly meetings on the gay rights ordinance and I also listened to another one. Teaching our children the importance of civic involvement is a great lesson, teaching the moral values you hold dear is an important part of parenthood, but teaching name-calling and hate is disturbing.

On the first day I sat in the Wilda Marston Theater, where I listened repeatedly to parents call out names like "pervert" or "freak" when painful stories were shared in the other room. This was the role modeling that they did for their children.

I don't want to be in a city that teaches hate.

- Margaret Gadsden

Anchorage

'Public option' sorely needed

I've read that opponents of a "public option" in health care reform claim that it would be unfair to private providers of health insurance, that private insurers couldn't compete. Well, duh. Isn't that exactly the point?

If there were an alternative, why would we choose a more expensive plan that is inherently hostile to our medical claims? If there were an alternative, why would we entrust the funding of our health care to entities that are exclusionary to pre-existing conditions, intentionally obfuscate claims, and profit from increasing costs and denying coverage?

It isn't difficult to understand why the insurance industry doesn't want competition from an organization that doesn't have to pay dividends to its shareholders and huge bonuses to its CEO.

- Andrew Smith

Anchorage

Sharks smelled blood

Our governor and our state were cast into the international spotlight and were unprepared, and Gov. Palin’s Cinderella moment turned into “Nightmare on Elm Street.”

Lesson 1: The press has the right to know about potential VPs through public records. The state government was not ready to handle the governor’s international status. That is not the press’ fault.

Lesson 2: Washington eats its own. Our governor was not ready for the professional character assassins in and out of the Republican Party. You can pass’s the blame around, but she chose to swim with the sharks and they smelled blood.

— Chris Smith

Anchorage

There ought to be a law

Once again, a politician on an ego trip resigns or takes off to campaign during an elected term, with hopes of or to run for a higher office. So many politicians use local or state elected office as a steppingstone to move up to higher office, not finishing out the term for which they were elected, thereby disrespecting and disenfranchising the electorate who put them in office.

There should be a law against any elected-position politician running for or being appointed to any office other than re-election to the one he/she is occupying during their elected term, or running for elected office in an election cycle during which they resigned from any office. Getting politicians to pass such a law is, unfortunately, a pipe dream, the same as meaningful ethics reform.

— Lance Duncan

Eagle River

Governor’s a quitter

Re: Palin quitting. Ambition, but no staying power. Pathetic.

— Logan W. Hovis

Anchorage

'Lame duck’ lame indeed

So Gov. Palin is stepping down from her governor’s post with only 2½ years served. She gave a few lame excuses.

Sarah did not like the “lame duck” status. She is $500,000 in debt answering to ethics complaints. I personally do not believe those are the reasons. They sound lame to me. But I for one am glad she made the move. This will push the Michael Jackson fiasco off the front pages for a while.

— Gary Abramowicz

Allentown, Pa.

Go for higher office, Sarah

Today, Gov. Palin says she will resign as governor of Alaska in two weeks. Supposedly, none of the state representatives knew of this. I don’t blame her for keeping it quiet.

This is a very intelligent lady and one with honesty and backbone and has been really good for Alaska. The country needs her and I hope she does go on to run for the Senate or White House. I would love to see a presidential ticket of Perry (Texas) and Palin.

Sarah, the country needs you.

— Jean Cameron

Hopewell, Va.