Taxpayers are losers on SAP
Mayor Berkowitz is certainly justified in calling a "timeout" for the municipality's SAP information technology project. When I read the muni's project is $70 million over budget and at least three years behind schedule with a 40-person consulting team currently burning through $350,000 of budget a week I ask myself: "Can this really be accurate? Where were the practitioners of project management that allowed this to happen? What can be so complicated about the muni's payroll and accounting system that could give rise to such an overrun?"
What is puzzling to me is the apparent lack of taxpayer outrage. Hopefully the mayor's pause will give rise to sensible solutions to either get the project on track or scrap it altogether.
— Michael Hall
Anchorage
Barn doors should be left in sea
I love to fish. And it's exciting to catch a big halibut. But killing a big halibut (any halibut over 100 pounds) should be viewed by Alaskans like the killing of Cecil, that sweet old lion. It should actually be worse.
Those big halibut are the breeders. Those big, sweet halibut will make it possible for our kids and theirs to catch a halibut (if the warming seas don't send them all to Point Hope).
Kudos to all the halibut derby organizers who give prizes to the biggest fish photographed! And major raspberries to media folks who glorify those who pose with their "barn doors."
— John Blaine
Anchorage
Being PC is in eye of beholder
Reg Henry, in his Aug. 17 comment on political correctness, equates being politically incorrect with bad manners, that the screaming vicious response by so-called "progressives and their media cohort" to someone who disagrees with them is due to the offensive, vile language used by the person who disagrees. Baloney. It doesn't matter how carefully, calmly and politely you word your position, if you dare to support that which is not politically correct, such as immigration laws or conservative Christian values, you will be attacked.
— Jim Lieb
Palmer
Planned Parenthood is safe
My mother, a social worker, was upset to find teenage girls lying in pools of their blood from failed attempts of coat-hanger abortions or back-alley abortionists. She helped found Planned Parenthood in our community to provide girls and women with access to birth control and safe abortion procedures.
Our society continues to fail at tackling the issue of unwanted children, whom I counseled when I was a counselor — children "punished" with cigarette burns or coat hanger whippings — physical scars of abuse; or mentally scarred with the punishment of being forced to watch their puppy tied in the hot sun to suffer and die. Unwanted children come to us handicapped with fetal alcohol syndrome and drug addiction — parents who do not want children do not seek good pre-natal care. Only a "fortunate few" of unwanted children are lucky enough to be adopted in loving homes.
Planned Parenthood tackles the complex societal problems of unwanted children with education, contraception, wellness care, and abortion. Defunding this nonprofit will not end abortion, but simply move it from safe medical providers into the hands of back-alley butchers. I do not want my daughters deprived of the services this agency provides.
Shame on Lisa and Dan for voting to curtail funding. So they naively believe this will end abortion? Their vote was a vote against vulnerable women. I can no longer support Lisa for re-election. Ohio Dan never had my vote. Critics of Planned Parenthood spout negatives but fail to offer viable alternative solutions to our societal problem of unwanted children.
As a financially challenged grad student, I received excellent wellness care from our local Planned Parenthood clinic. I thank them for their service to our women's community with my personal "thank you" and my donations.
— Marty Margeson
Anchorage
Alaska VA gives prompt services
I second Larry Slone's point challenging the negative publicity about Alaska VA (ADN, Aug. 17). Whenever my husband has had to go to the VA hospital or doctors or clinics here, he gets prompt and thorough attention and care.
Thank you Alaska VA.
— Svaja V. Worthington
Chugiak
Naked riders should protest law
On Aug. 15 Sean Doogan of ADN reported, "Anchorage naked bike ride cancelled after warning from police." I hope, this naked ride is reorganized as a protest of the so-called "public decency" law APD is charged with enforcing, because naked bodies are not indecent, but beautiful creations. I hope they, also, protest against our Legislature for trying to block Gov. Walker's expansion of Medicaid to help low-income people get access to health insurance, for which we elected him.
We have a constitutional right to free expression, and we should use it, and fight to keep it. We should use it to remind our elected representatives that we voted out Gov. Parnell, and we can vote out any legislator or Assembly person.
— Daniel Russell, Libertarian
Willow
Leadership acting like children
The commentary by Rep. Chenault and Sen. Meyer on Aug. 19 was the worst piece of horsefeathers I have read in a long time. This year's legislative sessions were a complete disaster due to Republican infighting. They knew from the start expansion of Medicaid was a priority of Gov. Walker's and that it is supported by the public, according to recent polls on the subject. Now that Gov. Walker has taken a leadership position and instituted the necessary actions to accomplish this they are reacting like spoiled 2-year-olds. Their own counsel has already told them the actions taken by Gov. Walker are constitutional, so why are they willing to spend nearly half a million dollars when the state is in a fiscal crisis on a lawsuit they can only lose.
People without insurance often use the emergency room (the most expensive care) as their primary care provider. When they cannot pay, the cost is shifted, usually to those with insurance. Expanding Medicaid should save the state money in the long run. How many of the legislators involved in this stupidity do not have good insurance for themselves and their families?
— Peter Jenkins
Eagle River
Suit is real waste of state funds
The Alaska Legislature's current decision to sue Gov. Walker for expanding Medicaid is a waste of our state's finances. In light of the current state's budget and deficit, the decision to spend $450,000 to sue the governor for making a decision to enhance the well-being of eligible residents is unjustifiable.
The argument Sen. Higgins makes regarding the justification for proceeding with the lawsuit is a non sequitur. He argues it has to do with the "separation of powers" which makes no sense and is not relevant to the argument as to why thousands of eligible Alaskans will be denied health coverage. The funds, which will come from the feds, is not coming from the state's coffers and therefore does not impact the state's budget. The money, which is to be used to insure 40,000 Alaskans, will be covered 100 percent until 2017. After 2017, Alaska will have to find a way to continue to support the funding for Medicaid. That leaves more than a year for the Legislature to figure out the state's finances. Instead of behaving like spoiled brats that don't get their way, as is in the case of the Republicans, this panel should personally be financing this lawsuit instead of wasting the state's money on hiring an Outside law firm that does not represent the interests of Alaskans.
— Kari Singsaas
Anchorage
Suit sent steam through my ears
About five minutes after I saw that the legislative council had decided to sue Gov.Walker over Medicaid expansion (and spend state money on very expensive lawyers to do it), there was steam coming out of my ears. Fortunately for me, I have health insurance to cover the cost of treatment for this condition — unlike the people Gov. Walker is trying to help here!
— Doug Miller
Anchorage
Meyer, Chenault disingenuous in casting lawsuit as 'noble fight'
The commentary piece by Senate President Kevin Meyer and House Speaker Mike Chenault attempts to paint the legislative council's lawsuit to block Medicaid expansion as a noble fight. They'd have readers believe they are defenders of the constitution, stalwarts of separated powers.
This is what they fail to mention: a majority of the Legislature supports Medicaid expansion. It would have passed during the legislative session if not for their efforts to prevent a floor vote on it.
If anyone else did this, it'd be unbelievable. Meyer and Chenault are suing the governor on behalf of the Legislature to block something a majority of its members support. When you throw in the fact that Dittman Research shows 60 percent of Alaska's citizens support it, their claim that "Today we stand not against Alaskans," falls a little flat.
Alaska deserves better than this. When our legislative leaders waste $450,000 in state money to subvert the will of their own body and citizens, something needs to change. These guys clearly need new jobs; how about we change "Senate President" and "Speaker of the House" to "Minority Leader," or, even better, "Private Citizen."
— Paul Oliva
President, UAA College Democrats
Anchorage
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