Swimsuit model should give us semi-naked truth
Since Hannah Davis gave such an articulate and compelling defense of her provocative photo on the cover of the latest Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue (Page 2, Feb. 13 ADN), I wonder if she could answer a question I've long had: Exactly what sport is the annual swimsuit issue covering (or uncovering, as it were)?
— Wendy Withrow
Anchorage
Getting rid of daylight saving time would open Alaska up to all manner of irritations
Exempting Alaska from daylight saving time is dangerous.
Forget about keeping Alaska businesses and our citizens in step with the rest of the nation; does Sen. Anna MacKinnon realize that her bill would cause "Judge Judy" to come on an hour later? For that matter, all TV programming would change twice a year! Yikes! What health hazards would that cause?
Did the senator consider who is going to pay for the 12-year-old kid to come in and reset all of our digital electronic devices (cellphones, microwaves, digital TVs, online devices, automation networks, car clocks and just about everything else with a computer or GPS for a heart) that automatically adjust for DST twice a year.
I am suspicious of the science that claims DST is unhealthy. Did Sen. MacKinnon consider that it may be kinder in the long run to subject our young people to DST now and let nature take its course than to wait for them to grow up and die a slow, lingering death should they get a job with shift work, or perhaps become serial killers due to the psychological trauma of jet lag? In fact, the opposite may be true. Getting out of the chair or off the couch twice a year to reset a clock might be considered heart-healthy exercise for some. Besides, without the "spring forward" of DST, how would we remember to check the batteries in our smoke detectors? Now, that could be dangerous!
In fairness to the senator, I did read of the Arkansas farmer who hated DST because the extra hour of sunshine was burning up his crops in the field and a corn farmer in Ohio who said the extra daylight had caused his crop to un-grow several inches. It must be true; I saw it on the Internet.
Perhaps someone should do a study to see how many tax dollars are wasted on this kind of fluff legislation.
— Elmer Webster
Anchorage
FCC is overstepping its authority
I am very concerned about the soon-to-released FCC regulations that will assert their authority over the Internet. While this is being marketed as "Net Neutrality," I'm reminded of the irony in the title of the "Patient Affordable Care Act." Once the government gets its regulatory and revenue seeking claws into the Internet, consumers will lose.
The Internet began as a government program. It is notable that it remained within the nearly exclusive purview of academic scientists and DoD bureaucrats for nearly 30 years until access was opened to the general public. The result was a positive disruption in society that affects nearly every aspect of our lives.
As I see it, the FCC is far overstepping its authority as a regulatory agency. Congress has ceded so much authority to the executive branch and stand-alone agencies such as the Federal Reserve and the Federal Election Commission that the founders must be turning in their graves. By allowing federal departments and agencies to usurp your congressional power, we've all lost our voice and our individual freedom in a steady drip, drip, drip of regulatory usurpation.
The FCC appears to be trying to fix a non-problem. If there are issues between Internet providers and high data content services such as video streamers, the free market will sort it out. For example, there are currently a number of proposals for worldwide wireless Internet access via satellite constellations, such as the recently announced partnership between Google and SpaceX. Monopolies tend to collapse when not able to rely on crony capitalism or the good intentions of politicians and bureaucrats who feel compelled to "do something."
Alaska's congressional delegation can fix this. It's very simple. I'm sure they can find bipartisan support for a one-sentence law that reads, "The Federal Communications Commission has no authority to regulate the Internet."
The American people don't want this. Please act now.
— Rick and Lisa Currier
Juneau
Susitna dam project still being promoted
This week I attended the Alaska Forum on the Environment, visiting outreach booths and attending education presentations. One major participant in the forum surprised me. I was shocked to see that despite a work-stop, no- spending order from the governor, the Alaska Energy Authority was there promoting their ill-fated Susitna dam.
In addition to an outreach booth, where they distributed Susitna-Watana dam branded water bottles, they held a panel on Wednesday where they updated the public on the project, presented aspects of their science research, and continued to try to convince the Alaska public that this project was in the best interest of the state.
— Matt Koenig
Anchorage
DST has been working for 97 years; keep it
Every five years or so, folks with too much time on their hands decide daylight saving time has no benefit for Alaskans.
Tell that to the thousands of softball players, golfers, gardeners, runners and cyclists who cherish that extra hour after work so they can recreate in the summer.
Without DST, sports leagues would have to radically adjust their schedules, allowing for fewer games in late July and August. If they move them up an hour, it will be that much harder for athletes, coaches and spectators to get to their games or activities. Cyclists, runners and tennis players will have less time every night to do what they live in Alaska to do.
Not to mention the economic impact: Time between Alaska, Pacific, Eastern, etc., will change twice a year.
Daylight saving time has been around for 97 years. It works.
Please contact your state representatives and urge them to keep daylight saving time.
— John M. Sweeney
Anchorage
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