Although Gov. Sean Parnell and legislators were elected to their positions by people who largely agree with whatever positions they espoused during their campaigns, when they took the oath of office, it was to represent all of their constituents. Public feedback in the form of hearings, and even lawsuits, are some of the most important ways of making sure that they are representing their whole constituency, not just those who follow their exact lines of thought. House Bill 77 severely limits the ability of all Alaskans to inform and affect their representatives' and government's thoughts and actions. It even limits the people's knowledge of what their government is doing.
HB 77 moves Alaska toward totalitarian government, not representative government. Backers espouse efficiency, but only efficiency in toward their own goals, not the people's goals. Representative, democratic government is messy and argumentative and sometimes involves delays and false starts. But that's what keeps it representative of all of the people's wishes.
HB77 is a bad bill for the people of Alaska. Don't let it become law.
— Allen Tigert
Anchorage
Anchorage