Letters to the editor (7/17/09)

On the contrary to Gov. Palin's arguments ("Palin calls Obama energy plan a threat to U.S. economy," July 14), the new comprehensive energy plan in the Senate is a promising blueprint for our 21st century clean energy economy. The bill, called the American Clean Energy and Security Act, would create millions of clean energy jobs for our nation and thousands of jobs for Alaskans. Manufacturing jobs would become available to build the new infrastructure needed for windmills and solar panels. Construction jobs would be available to build new energy-efficient buildings.

Alaska is fortunate to have enormous resource potential in tidal, geothermal and wind power and could become ground zero for clean energy solutions.

We must let Sens. Murkowski and Begich know that Alaskans support this new energy plan that will facilitate our migration into a new, clean energy economy. We look forward to their vote in favor of the ACES bill later this year.

-- Julia Beaty

Anchorage

Double standards for ethics?

I was appalled to see President Obama at the Major League All Star baseball game wearing a Chicago White Sox logo jacket. I'm assuming that Linda Kellen Biegel will soon be filing the ethics complaint on our behalf.

-- Ken Anderson

Girdwood

Sotomayor deserves respect

At the Supreme Court confirmation hearings, why is it that Judge Sotomayor is treated as some sort of radical feminist racist because she would bring her Hispanic female sensibility and experience to the court?

Did any of these rude white men questioning her, such as Sens. Sessions and Graham, worry about the upper-class, middle-age white men's sensibilities held by a vast percentage of all other Supreme Court nominees through time? And Lindsay Graham suggests she needs anger management? Hello? Check out everyone's reaction when the white males on the court act temperamentally or display fits of anger!

Please, show some respect, knock it off and confirm her.

-- Lee Holen

Anchorage

Bring on the strings

Stimulus money, big government, strings attached, "bad."

Record government spending and deficit for eight years under the Bush administration, "good."

Fortunately, there were no strings attached to those 500-pound depleted uranium bunker buster bombs that we dropped on Iraq and the billions spent there. Apparently, there are also no strings attached to the soldiers returning from Iraq who lack services or the record number who have committed suicide since their return.

No strings attached.

-- Dan Lung

Anchorage

Government can't be family

Citizens, read the July 15 front page article, "Feds halt Alaska health programs," and then read the obituaries. Many of the dearly departed were surrounded by family at the time of death. I'm sure many of these family members also bathed, cooked and cleaned for their loved ones during their illnesses or old age. They forged relationships with their families -- spent time with them, taught them to cook, knit, hunt, etc. and thus were rewarded with loving, no-strings-attached care at the end of their lives.

Where are the families of these 7,000 Alaska residents who have no one to look after them but instead must turn to impersonal charity from the government? Where are the church friends, the buddies, the neighbors?

It's a sad day when people believe paid government workers can and should replace the family. Citizens, wake up and realize the government was not meant to replace your family.

-- Amy Robertson

Anchorage

Please ignore Levi Johnston

How low will the Anchorage Daily News go? As low as making a rich star out of the high school dropout of a drug-dealing mother. What is your newspaper looking for?

I find it insulting that the media thinks I would find credibility in anything a resentful, attention-seeking Levi Johnston has to say about Sarah Palin. Do I now subscribe to the Anchorage National Enquirer?

-- Diane Cronk

Wasilla