Voter apathy is totally unacceptable
Unbelievable.
The low voter turnout. 25 percent. Really?
Are the Anchorage residents that apathetic?
Letting a small percentage of the people of Anchorage approve spending money we simply do not have.
Unbelievable.
— Jim E. Gallagher
Anchorage
Income tax would hold lawmakers accountable for wasteful spending
If you send a teenager clothes shopping and expect them to spend wisely, you will demand the child pay for part or all of their clothes. If a teen has their parents' credit card, they will be sorely tempted to buy the coolest brands and purchase more than they need.
If Alaskans are truly interested in reducing government spending, we must demand reinstatement of a progressive income tax. Legislators would be accountable to keep the budget in line, because it would be taxpayers' hard-earned dollars being spent, and waste wouldn't be acceptable. Instead, we are using Big Oil money, and we can't continue to count on that revenue.
If I'm paying taxes to the state of Alaska, I will demand the money be spent on schools, roads and public safety, not frivolous lawsuits and questionable investments. Unfortunately, I don't think the politicians in Juneau are listening to voters like me, as we are not truly funding our own government.
— Kimberly Evans
Palmer
Leave final judgment to the final judge
Ahhh, Mr. Minnery!
Always a delight to read him. I was so entertained by his recent defense (ADN, April 10) of the multi-state campaign to save religion from the sinful inroads of reason and justice. His line about individuals who hold "natural" views on marriage was greeted by such a rumbling AMEN! from his minions, one might have thought another earthquake was upon us. No evolution of morals or standards for them — no suh!
I happen to have been witness to a good deal of evolution of "natural" marriage in my 60 years, and so it is safe to say he has witnessed it, too. I have no doubt that every Sunday he sits down with numbers of the divorced, the adulterous, the lecherous. He certainly has every right to despise their sinful failings. (Yet one doubts he despise them quite enough to deny their trade.) And — I simply must use that word … evolution is an historical fact of "natural marriage." If Mr. Minnery doubts that, why put it to the test. Take a big stick and beat your wife thoroughly for serving you pork and shellfish. She is endangering your entry into paradise! Try that on a few occasions and see how long the little woman keeps her rightful place by your hearth. I have a suggestion for him, lawyers, florists and pizza makers who despise gays. Gently advise these potential clients that you very much despise their "sin." Then simply serve them to the best of your ability. Just the way you serve the divorced, the adulterous, the lecherous, those who take the name in vain. Leave final judgment for the final judge.
— Michael Eastman
Talkeetna
Speedy trials for juveniles improves outcomes for everyone involved
What is Senate Bill 65 and why is a juvenile's right to a speedy trial important?
SB 65, granting juveniles the same right to a speedy trial as adults, has been introduced to address the need to hold juvenile offenders accountable in a more timely fashion. In doing so, victims are likely to be made whole within a reasonable amount of time. In addition, offending juveniles will be less likely to recidivate both during the course of the legal proceedings and while on probation if their cases were resolved in a timely manner. This will pay dividends to the community as a whole by enhancing public safety and reducing costs to the state treasury.
How would a juvenile's right to a speedy trial enhance the mission of the Division of Juvenile Justice and improve outcomes for victims?
Every Alaskan can go to the Division of Juvenile Justice's official state website and the first page informs our citizens of its mission: "Accountability, Community Protection and Competency Development." This evidence-based model is commonly known as "restorative justice." The "right" to a speedy trial is not just a right extended to a juvenile, but it addresses the rights of victims to have juvenile offenders be held accountable in a timely manner and to receive restitution in a timely manner. In addition, juvenile delinquency legal proceedings will move more efficiently in the court system and save the state treasury costs.
In conclusion, it is DJJ's mission and duty to hold juvenile offenders accountable in a timely manner in order to address the needs of victims, restoring juvenile competency, reducing recidivism and enhancing public safety. These goals can be diminished and compromised in part because without SB 65 there is no juvenile right to a speedy trial.
— Chris Provost
Anchorage
Education cuts will define our future
I realize the difficulty of cutting the state's budget and that many programs have important benefits, however, none is more important than our future. Alaska's future must be preserved. By underfunding education, the GOP-led caucus of the Legislature will impinge on the right of our state's children to reach their full potential. Alaska must fully educate every child. The state continually worries about brain drain to the Lower 48 and providing quality employees for our businesses. The cuts to education contained in the operating budget are unacceptable. The state's No. 1 priority should be the education of our children and young adults.
The Legislature must restore the funding to education that has been cut by both the governor's and the Senate's versions of the operating budget. In addition, they must restore the forward funding that was set in place last year. Forward funding was a good plan when money was tight last year; it continues to be a good plan when Alaska is in an even tighter position today.
Stop the cuts to education.
— Debbie LaRue
Palmer
Minnery's analogy doesn't cut it
There is a fundamental flaw in Jim Minnery's equating a baker or photographer refusing to provide services to a same-sex wedding with an African-American tailor refusing to provide tuxedos to the Ku Klux Klan. To the best of my knowledge members of the LGBTQ community do not have a history of keeping slaves, burning crosses or lynchings.
— Susan Soule
Anchorage
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