Letters to the Editor

Readers write: Letters to the editor, Dec. 12, 2014

Surcharge is hidden tax

It is time to call to task the ocean freight companies on the fuel surcharges they are charging every man, woman and child in Alaska. These fuel surcharges that were originally implemented to insulate the freight companies from the volatility of high oil prices, and are not negotiated in the rates, have become instead a vehicle to enhance their profit margins. Oil prices have slipped more that 40 percent since summer, but only one of the 3 major freight companies have reduced the fuel surcharge, and that was only by 2 percent.

This is a hidden tax that consumers are paying for our Christmas trees, apple juice, and almost everything else we purchase in Alaska. At the peak of the oil price shock of 2008 when oil prices peaked at $140 a barrel, the fuel surcharges were at the same level then as the freight carriers are charging now. This kind of profiteering is inappropriate, immoral and bad for the Alaskan economy.

Joe Page

Anchorage

Letters spark further thought

Good letters from "Roundabouts do not improve traffic flow" to "Silence condones vandals' crimes" on Dec. 9.

I must agree with Judah that I don't much like roundabouts and many times will take the "long" way to avoid them, but the likelihood of them going away is slim since they are a cost-saving measure and supposedly a deterrent to speeding.

Thank you Lou for writing and expressing your outrage about the recent, shameful behavior of some in our community who choose to denigrate others by vandalizing their property. I am hopeful that this will be investigated and the offending individuals brought to feel the full measure of the law.

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If these same individuals are good Christian, churchgoing people, I would have to ask them if Jesus walked in Anchorage today: 1) What do they think Jesus would do/say? and 2) Would Jesus support such behavior? From what I understand, the man, Jesus, loved everyone and came here to show us that we can do the same.

Judie Wolfe

Anchorage

Susitna project has got to go

I am excited and hopeful as the Walker administration begins to hash out a new budget for the state of Alaska. It alarms me that the proposed budget left behind by Parnell still has huge sums allocated for the advancement of big mega-projects. Over $20 million of Parnell's proposed budget is assigned to continue studies on the Susitna-Watana dam project.

After reading Dermot Cole's article on the dam's viability (ADN, Monday), this proposed budget scares me even more. A recent economic report on the Susitna project suggests that the ultimate cost for the project has been largely underestimated. They failed to add in costs for things like upgrading transmission lines to move energy from the dam, something estimated to require an additional $880 million.

As Walker finalizes his new budget plans, I hope he looks carefully at economic reports like these. The ultimate cost of the Susitna project would directly compete with funding for other energy projects like the $7-8 billion natural gas pipeline. We need to be cautious with our budget and invest in smart energy projects like the pipeline, and not projects that we simply can't afford.

Jeremy Black

Anchorage

The views expressed here are the writers' own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a letter for consideration, email letters@alaskadispatch.com, or click here to submit via any web browser. Submitting a letter to the editor constitutes granting permission for it to be edited for clarity, accuracy and brevity. Send longer works of opinion to commentary@alaskadispatch.com.

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