Pastors pitch may have tilted election
That veritable font of sterling virtues, the Rev. Dr. Jerry Prevo, deserves commendation, not condemnation. Those pious opinions to his malleable flock of fertile minds may have defined the outcome of this election. Pray tell?
— Ken Flynn
Anchorage
Votings over: Time for signs to go
Now that this election is a thing of the past, the people have voted and there's a new mayor — let's get all those political signs picked up and discarded. Get Anchorage cleaned up from all the political pollution that comes with an election. Please and thank you.
— Sandra Quinones
Anchorage
City will pay for Berkowitzs ideology
So.
It appears as if Ethan has won the mayorship of Anchorage.
Let us see if he truly is a "fiscal conservative" as he claimed he is.
Let us see if he truly represents the taxpayers of this city, rather than those that receive from the taxpayers of this city.
Let us see him fulfill his promises to the people of Anchorage, without costing them more in taxes.
Now come unto reality.
He will tax unto the cap, and promote either an income tax or sales tax to pay for his proposals, as is his wont, and the end result will be a poorer citizen, though not a better off citizen from the money taken from them.
Ethan is simply this: A bigger-is-better government ideologue. The citizens of Anchorage shall pay for this ideology, just as the citizens of this nation are paying for the same ideology nationwide.
Enjoy the fruit of your votes, Anchorage.
See you in three years.
— Randy Lee Harkins
Anchorage
Schools, not bridges, are states future
According to the Alaska Dispatch News, on Tuesday the Anchorage School Board approved a new budget reflecting cuts of $15.7 million from the 2015-16 school year budget, removing funding for 60 teaching positions and other staff, supplies and programs. This is what we've ended up with after our Republican-led Legislature severely cut education funding and then didn't even bother to fund the whole year's budget before adjourning — like they were done with their job!
The Legislature needs to restore funding for education and replace the $1 billion it pilfered from the education fund that forward-funds education, so school districts can have a chance of planning budgets ahead of the start of the school year, and the Legislature needs to draw back the funds budgeted for the Susitna Dam and the Knik Arm Bridge to help make up the difference.
We are not in desperate need of those projects; let's claw back those funds and put them toward our state's true future: Educated children.
— Suzanne R. Little,
public education advocate
Anchorage
North Pole legislator needs a map
Rep. Tammie Wilson compared her drive from North Pole to Anchorage to a drive from Haines to Skagway. Apparently Tammie does not know that the Haines to Skagway trip entails entering Canada to complete the drive. Her apparent lack of Alaskan geography is amazing.
At the same time Tammie does not seem to realize the main economy in Skagway is tourism. The ferries to and from Haines and Skagway are an integral part of that economy.
— John Parker
Kodiak
Pebble mine backers just dont get it
I was disappointed to read the recent ADN story, "Pebble mine backers aren't ready to give up the gold" (May 2), learning that Pebble Limited Partnership still won't give up. What part of "no" does Pebble not understand? Alaskans have said no to Pebble by voting in a 65 percent majority to add protections in Bristol Bay. There were also close to 20,000 comment cards submitted in favor of EPA protections in Bristol Bay last summer.
Alaskans value fish and the rivers they spawn in over gold and copper. While Pebble desperately tries to dig up our land in search of more money to line their pockets, creating a seemingly never-ending fight, Bristol Bay prepares for another banner fishing season. The rivers they hope to mine and would ultimately destroy play an integral part of an industry valued at $1.5 billion, and that provides 14,000 jobs year after year.
After numerous studies, we have repeatedly found that Pebble mine and salmon cannot safely coexist. Just look at the Mount Polley disaster in British Columbia.
So, until the day Pebble runs out of money completely, loses its lawsuits, or fails to get its permits, we will continue telling them to stay far, far away from Bristol Bay.
— Ryan Astalos
Anchorage
Rogoff may have answer to budget woes
In his April 29 commentary, John Havelock addresses Scott Goldsmith's April 24 solution to Alaska's budget problems. Dr. Goldsmith proposes a plan that combines a major reduction in expenditures with using projected earnings from state investments, and assumes that oil revenue will double over the next 3 years. Professor Havelock disagrees with this plan primarily because of the uncertainty of Goldsmith's assumptions, and suggests that the only reasonable plan must include income taxes. Over the past few months various other state leaders have discussed this issue and suggested variations on these two approaches.
But I have been unable to find much of a response to or consideration of Alice Rogoff's April 11 radically different proposed solution. My reaction to Ms. Rogoff's commentary was "alright, finally" — someone sees what should have been apparent to Alaska's financial leaders years ago. We can use Alaska's huge assets (Permanent Fund, etc.) as collateral to borrow billions at low interest rates (currently approximately 2 percent), to be invested and managed prudently. Even a conservative net annual earnings rate of 8 percent could provide the state with $4 billion per year in revenue on $50 billion invested. The Permanent Fund would be unaffected by this leverage, and could continue to grow (and double approximately every 10 years).
— Jim Lieb
Palmer
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