Health care has been a hot topic over the past month, with town hall meetings drawing huge and sometimes vocal crowds here in Alaska and across the nation. President Obama addressed Congress this past week about it, while a town hall meeting held recently by Sen. Lisa Murkowski was broadcast on C-SPAN nationwide.
The cost and availability of health care is one of the largest issues facing our nation - right up there with national defense. Let's face it - when we and our loved ones don't have good health, not much else matters.
A solution must be bipartisan. "Gotcha politics" will not solve the issue. All the different entities must be involved: the medical profession, the pharmaceutical industry, attorneys who seek to protect people (but who also play a part in driving up its costs), and insurance companies who are caught in the middle. Real reform can't be crafted at the expense of any particular group. Beware the messenger who says this won't cost you a dime.
All the groups involved need to step up and recognize that they are not solely in this game to make money, but to deliver the best health care in the most cost-effective way possible.
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Over the past few weeks, I have become increasingly concerned about the future health of Alaska's oil industry. In conversations with people, I am hearing that there may be significant lay-offs and cost-cutting in the oil patch before the year is done. Oil workers are our neighbors - contributing to the well-being of our communities, our schools, and our local businesses. If these reports are true, it will hurt our economy, local jobs, and revenues to state and local governments.
The volume of oil filling the trans-Alaska pipeline is declining, down to a third from the heyday of North Slope oil production. More layoffs won't get more oil out of the ground. I'm watching this matter closely as we get closer to the start of the next legislative session in Juneau.
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On September 8, several prominent Alaskans met in Washington, D.C., to thank Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye for his selfless service to our country and to Alaska. Sen Inouye's friendship with former Sen. Ted Stevens is legendary. So strong is their bond, in fact, that they call each other brothers.
Both served with distinction in World War II and in Congress, championing such things as national defense and the rights and welfare of Alaska, Hawaii, and American Natives. Sen. Inouye has been a long friend of Alaska, helping in efforts to open the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil development and opposing plans to shut down Eielson Air Force Base.
When we saw Sen. Inouye, he had just returned on a long flight from Hawaii. He was tired but gracious. Unlike many public officials I have known, he is a quiet, humble, and self-effacing man. Upon meeting him, in fact, one might not know that he is a decorated war hero.
He accepted our honors with the grace of an elder statesman and urged us to maintain the strong connection between Alaska and Hawaii, the nation's two "non-contiguous states." He said he was overjoyed and felt wonderful that Alaskans took time to honor him and his special relationship with our former senior senator, Ted Stevens.
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I'm writing this update on September 11 - the eighth anniversary of the attacks on New York City and the Pentagon and the crashing of United Flight 93 in a remote field in Pennsylvania.
I can't help but ponder the important role played by the men and women who serve at military bases in Alaska and who protect us from further assaults from terrorists or rogue states.
This day is a sobering reminder that we must support them and be vigilant against those who are hell-bent on threatening our freedoms and way of life.
Rep. John Harris has represented District 12 in the Alaska House since 1998. He lives in Valdez and owns Valdez Industrial Supply, and has filed to run for Governor in 2010.