Alaska's resources can move state forward

Today we plan, discuss, debate, study, review and then study some more and seemingly get nowhere. I've heard people say the reason we can't accomplish anything is that we no longer have dynamic, visionary leaders like the late Bob Bartlett, Ernest Gruening, Jay Hammond, Walter Hickel, Bill Egan and Stevens. Others have theorized there are too many lawyers and environmentalists who block every approach to reasonable, responsible development, and that our thousands of laws and regulations stifle progress.

Then there are all the polarizations that have taken on a life of their own over the years -- Republicans versus Democrats, conservatives against liberals, government mistrust of private industry, the Bush community versus urban, sports fishermen vying against commercial fishermen, hunters versus non-hunters. There are special-interest factions within each of these groups, each focused on what will benefit them rather than what is best for the whole.

Perhaps when our population wasn't as large, when there weren't so many voices crying out for their place in the sun, legendary leaders like Bob Bartlett and the rest were able to pursue and achieve real objectives. But I think it's more than that. These leaders possessed a broad vision of what they wanted for the state and its people. They knew how to build consensus and work collaboratively with diverse groups across the political spectrum. And they were good listeners.

In recent history, former Governors Tony Knowles and Bill Sheffield -- both Democrats -- knew how to work collaboratively with different constituencies, particularly Alaska's oil and gas industry. As businessmen they knew that the best way to move the economy forward was to build a partnership with the industry that provides about 85 percent to 90 percent of the state's revenues -- not work against it with excessive taxes and burdensome regulations. They had their disagreements with industry but knew how to at least sit down at the table, agree to disagree in some cases, but always move forward.

Today, it seems that for every entrepreneur in Alaska trying to move our state forward, we have a phalanx of government bureaucrats, lawyers and environmental extremists standing in their way. And with most of our land under federal ownership, much of that obstructionism comes from outside our borders.

At this point in our history, it's imperative that we not only have strong leadership at our state's tiller, but also the unified support of our congressional delegation, state legislature and citizenry. We all need to work with our elected leaders, hopefully some new ones, to get this state moving again. If we want our elected officials to act responsibly, we need to become more active and communicate with them frequently. They need to know what we expect from them.

With Alaska's bounty of natural resources and energy options, we do not need to be stalled in the U.S. recession doldrums of the Lower 48. We no longer have Uncle Ted and some of our other iconic leaders from the past to work for us. But we have plenty of intelligent young people today who know how to think and see outside the box. Let's help them rather than standing in their way, blocking their vision.

I know it's what Uncle Ted and the other great leaders of our past would want.

Frank Baker is a freelance writer who lives in Eagle River. He is a 65-year resident of Alaska.