Anchorage Daily News

Permanent Fund must cut ties with firms investing in Sudan

Recently, I was wearing a "Save Darfur" shirt and was asked, "Are you saving the forests or saving the gorillas?" Many Alaskans are still unaware of the first genocide of the 21st century. For the past four years, the government of Sudan has attacked, raped and killed its citizens in Darfur, torching villages, looting grain stores and poisoning wells with mutilated body parts. Survivors flee to squalid refugee camps to face further attacks.

In an attempt to pressure Sudan to end the genocide, 24 states have passed targeted divestment laws. In Alaska, legislation has been introduced that would divest the Alaska Permanent Fund from a group of targeted companies doing business with the Sudanese government (HB 287 and SB 227). However, members of the House State Affairs Committee are reluctant to pass the legislation out of committee. Michael Burns, Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. chief executive, testified that he opposes this limited divestment, for it is "not good investment policy." I would like to ask him, "How much is a life worth?"

Targeted divestment from Sudan is the right thing to do. In the words of Edmund Burke, "All that is necessary for evil to triumph, is for good men to do nothing." Standing up for the lives of others is always a good investment.

-- Nancy Blake

Wasilla

Retaining current Chugach board is in the best interest of members

Tony Izzo, Mark Wiggin and Janet Reiser -- the IBEW gang -- accuse Uwe Kalenka of ignoring wind power. The truth is that Fire Island wind power is uneconomical, and much more expensive than hydroelectric power. Also, a Fire Island project may not be approved by the FAA because it might interfere with the electronic operations at the airport.

They said that the board has no plan, and now say that the board wants to sell Chugach. The truth is that the board has met with Mayor Mark Begich and other utilities to combine generation in Anchorage and merge the utilities in the Railbelt. This should have been done decades ago and will save untold millions of dollars.

They criticize the firing of the CEO. He was ineffective and worse, and the firing was for cause.

And it goes on and on. The truth is in the official 2007 Chugach annual report, mailed to members, which lists the accomplishments of the present reform board. Please read it.

After you do, I am sure that you will join me in retaining Liz Vazquez, Uwe Kalenka and Rebecca Logan. Chugach and its members need them.

-- Kenneth Jacobus

Anchorage

Passage of SB 152 is critical for public and charter schools

Thank you to the governor and the Legislature for the education funding bill. The changes to the funding formula address the true costs of special needs students and update equality of funding between districts. It is a good piece of legislation.

Unfortunately, the job is not done. There still exists a separate and unequal class of students. They walk in the backdoor of the school. In our public school, the backdoor public students get 30 percent less funding than the front-door public students: same grades, same school building, same pro-rated cost structure. In some districts, funding discrepancies are much higher. This year, Homer, Juneau and Nome backdoor schools get the funding red lantern. The funding discrepancy approaches $3,000 per student for similar-sized public schools.

In the South, prior to Brown v. The Board of Education, backdoor students were blacks. In Alaska, prior to the Molly Hooch decision, backdoor students were Alaska Natives. In Alaska, 2008, backdoor students go to public charter schools of less than 150 students. Small public charter schools are funded without regard to the school funding formula. Their funding is much less; it is arbitrary and it varies annually.

All advocates of public school funding equality and choice in schools should respond to their senator. The job is not done till Senate Finance acts on SB 152.

-- Brad Faulkner

Homer

Editor's note: The writer is on the advisory committee of a charter school.

Identity theft bill passes House; press senators for same result

The Alaska identity theft bill (HB 65) contains six important protections for Alaska consumers.

1) Companies must disclose breaches of security involving personal information. 2) Consumers can freeze and unfreeze access to their credit information. 3) Sale and distribution of your Social Security number is restricted. 4) Victims have the right to file a police report and declare innocence. 5) Merchants can print only the last four digits of a credit card number on a receipt. (Federal law currently requires truncation.) 6) Complete destruction of electronic and personal records required.

The bill passed the House 35 to 0 in late February and has almost 30 co-sponsors. I am worried that a similar bill failed in the Senate during the 2005-2006 Legislature and could do the same this year. Contact your state senator today and let them know the above protections are important to you.

-- Judy A. Robinson

Anchorage

City needs to direct its attention toward streets in need of repair

I agree with Sharon White-Wheeler ("Trying to change Town Square just more government waste," March 8) and Mary J. Anderson ("Leave my Town Square brick alone and direct your zeal at potholes," March 17).

Instead of spending our tax dollars ripping out Town Square and bricks (my family bought two) or building million-dollar buildings that we don't need, let's make our roads safe for the residents of Anchorage and the tourists who visit here.

March 22 marked two years and nine months since the passing of my son Charlie Burke, 23 at the time, in a crash-and-burn car accident at the corner of Northern Lights and UAA Drive on June 22, 2005.

The section of Northern Lights between Lake Otis and Bragaw was deadly at that time (potholes and deep ruts, just to name a few problems). About four weeks after Charlie's car wreck that section of road was re-surfaced. Hmmm.

Tudor was re-surfaced that summer too and both are still in good shape almost three years later.

Spend our tax dollars more wisely and efficiently.

Make our roads safe.

-- Tammy H. Burke

Anchorage

Make the mining industry pay for maintaining clean water

Sanitation isn't free. Good citizens, lay and corporate, pay their sanitation costs. Making a mess means taking responsibility. No exceptions.

The constant media barrage and the Web site opposing the Clean Water initiatives obviously cost more than what a few concerned Alaskans can afford without help. Whose help? Who benefits? If this misinformation campaign succeeds, the mining industry does. They're committed to harvesting the resource. They're spending money on media now for exemption from sanitation costs in order to increase shareholder dividends and profits later.

Expecting good corporate citizenship from the mining industry means we'll have to force them to it -- with a sanitation regulation: the Clean Water initiatives.

The initiatives are sanitation regulations like those making food in stores and restaurants safe and which keep us from dumping sewage and garbage in the street. We'll have no economic Armageddon if the initiatives pass; but we will be without protection for our resources and the jobs and future that already depend on them.

Arliss Sturgulewki and the other supporters listed at www.againsttheshutdown.com should answer for condoning manipulation of public opinion by industry and outsiders. As recently as March 5 www.againsttheshutdown.com was registered to a Virginia resident; that has recently changed. Don't be fooled; the mining industry must pay its sanitation bill. A good citizen calls a spade a spade; this is a spade. I'm calling it.

-- Wayne D. Jones

Kenai

Murkowski's Juneau access road a bad idea; it should be dismissed

I wish to publicly thank Gov. Sarah Palin for her accomplishments in undoing many of our previous governor's mistakes, and for trying to restore integrity to our state government.

There is one more of Frank Murkowski's bad choices that needs to be undone: the so-called Juneau access road. Reasons for abandoning this project are many: cost, safety, impact on wildlife, etc., and scarring of the most spectacular segment of the Inside Passage.

Recently, I attended a very impressive presentation by Mike Miller and Will Wacker that included video and slides of their trek along the proposed route, with engineering drawings of avalanche and rock slide paths prepared by Golder Associates (Anchorage).

The terrain is truly impressive and formidable, and while I have no doubt the Department of Transportation, with its well-qualified engineers, could design and build the road, the costs will be unacceptable. The mountains rise thousands of feet, nearly vertical from water that is immediately hundreds of feet deep. Some of the cut banks will be 200 feet high. Where do the goats and sea lions go?

Please support the ferries.

-- Gerard Garland

Haines

'Going big' by skier Ben Johnson helps Challenge Alaska athletes

While "going big" may mean a competition jump off a cliff for Ben Johnson ("Attempt to 'go big' at Alyeska lands telemark skier in hospital," April 2), it can mean cruising down a gentle trail in a sit-ski for others.

In this day of corporate sponsorship, the Athletes With a Cause charity drive is refreshing. Thanks to Ben's cause, Challenge Alaska, all athletes can access the "Big Wild Life" of Alaska and ski extreme.

-- Bill Rodwell

Denali Park

ADVERTISEMENT