Anchorage Daily News

Take phone books back to source

What if, instead of taking the multiple phone books dumped on the front steps or the yard to the recycling centers or the trash, we just returned them to the front steps or the yard of the phone company that generated them? I wonder if the unwanted volume there would have any impact on future production.

-- Keren Lowell

Anchorage

Cut oil companies a little slack

The attempt to demonize the oil producers in Alaska defies common sense. Excessive profits? Testifying at recent congressional hearings, the oil companies pointed out that their profits were only 7.5 percent. That is a normal goal for most corporations. Hardly excessive. Name another industry on this planet that must invest billions of dollars in exploration and drilling for at least 10 years before they start to receive a return on their money.

By the way, those so-called "excessive profits" are reinvested back into our economy in the form of research and development. What's wrong with that? If we look around the state at the hospital, college buildings and other financial contributions the producers have made within Alaska, common sense tells us that the oil companies are good corporate citizens. They employ thousands of our neighbors who contribute millions of dollars to our economy, to say nothing of the volunteer work, and donations to our many non-profit and charitable causes.

We can only hope that our legislators will keep this in mind during their debate on the gas pipeline. The oil companies and their support networks are not a burden on our economy, they are the backbone of it. Tying up our resources by suing the producers if they don't do it our way will not result in a gas pipeline. Using common sense will.

-- Bob Lewis

Anchorage

Enough! It's time to clean house

In the future are we, the working people, going to look back at the early years of 2000 and say "Yes, that was when organized crime took over the oil companies"?

We are having to find out through the grapevine that speculators are buying up large amounts of oil and selling it back and forth to each other and raising the price with each sale. These investment bankers, by the way, are the same ones that have a big hand in the housing crisis that is the cause for all the foreclosures. Republicans are defending the bankers by saying that the price of fuel is being caused by supply and demand. Not! Can anyone besides me see the comparison of this scheme to the pyramid schemes that were always at the expense of the low man on the totem pole, but on a much higher scale? We, the people, have to all stick our heads out of our windows and scream "we are not going to take it anymore." Political leaders in Alaska are finally being indicted and some are already in prison. It's time we take a look at the big picture and start cleaning house beginning at the Supreme Court and the people that put them there and work our way down. Let's roll!

-- Steven Morris

Anchorage

Governor should lead by example

I read where Gov. Palin was involved in a traffic accident on Tuesday. I'm glad to hear everyone was OK. I am sure I'm not the only one wondering why, during our current energy crisis, she was commuting from Wasilla to Anchorage alone in the state's gas-guzzling Chevrolet Suburban. As she stated recently that her energy team is "working on a long term plan to promote conservation and lasting solutions" to our current crisis, she might consider setting the example by traveling in something that gets better than 15 mpg.

-- Doug Lyon

Anchorage

Vote yes on Ballot Measure 3

On July 10, the ongoing and painful saga of Alaska's corruption probe showed itself again. Three former legislators are currently serving time for corruption, while another has been awaiting trial. Now, another Alaska legislator has been indicted on federal corruption charges, which include bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery.

While it is painful to watch these indictments and convictions unfold, it also serves as a reminder of where our priorities should be.

The newest indictment quotes the conspirators saying on two separate occasions that the only leverage they had to change votes on the 20/20 PPT oil tax legislation was "through campaign contributions and by hosting fundraisers."

Without concluding that every legislator is corrupt (and having served two terms in the state House, I know the majority of my colleagues are honorable people), we can conclude that the current campaign funding system makes us vulnerable to repeated corruption.

I hope that Alaskans will seriously consider this and will vote yes on Ballot Measure 3, the Clean Election Initiative or Public Financing in Campaigns, on the Aug. 26 primary ballot. This is a critical step in fighting for good government in the best interest of Alaskans.

-- Rep. Berta Gardner

Anchorage

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