Anchorage Daily News

Share our wealth with the wealthy

I'm so pleased the Alaska Legislature allowed former Gov. Hickel and other folks at his socio-economic level to be included in the energy rebate/giveaway. I personally believe the Hickel family should be awarded an additional $1,200 check for every room they keep open year round in their hotel. It's privately owned (not on the dole) and has regularly employed many Alaskans during the past 40-plus years.

You don't see Wally Jr. out there draining pipes, turning off the heating, shutting off the lights and heading south when the leaves start falling. Can you imagine what their energy bill will be? Have a heart, folks! Share our wealth -- with everyone ...

-- Sharon Lattery

Eagle River

Where will rebate go? To stores

$1,200 for every person to ease the high cost of heat and gasoline? How can we call this a "resource rebate"?

Does the family with six kids use $7,200 more in heating their home and driving their cars for the year compared with a single person? I'm trying now to picture toddlers budgeting their "energy rebate" to offset the high cost of gas or heating oil. If this is energy relief, why then is it tied to individual dividends, and not households?

Although people across Alaska will appreciate the donation, the problem with an entitlement is that if you give it once, you'd better be ready to give it every year. To see the true results of this "energy rebate," head on over to Costco and Best Buy in the first couple weeks of October.

-- Troy Christenson

Anchorage

Don't add money to PFD check

I hope they do not put the $1,200 on top of our PFDs. The energy rebate will not help a lot of families out there who have their PFDs garnisheed because of student loans or child support. Please do not put the energy rebate on top of PFDs.

-- Katey Lamberson

Anchorage

Rebate will boost price fixing

Kudos to the Legislature for finally ponying up on some of their stashed cash for fuel help. Problem is it will only encourage the price fixing by the state refineries and retailers. Here in Homer, we're a full buck above the national average. The other problem is Anchorageites on natural gas and $4.30-a-gallon gas getting the same as the poor guys in Bethel. But the Anchorage politicos delivered for their voters; that's the important thing!

-- Richard Kent

Homer

Axing Stevens bad for Alaska

I am, politically speaking, a pragmatic centrist, which in Alaska puts me on the left. I have voted for Ted Stevens six times in my life. I am voting for him again this fall.

Ted has been one of the most powerful figures in Washington for at least 20 years. In that time, there have been no serious allegations of wrongdoing. Ted has worked like nobody else for the people of our state: all creeds and ethnicities, men and women, urban and rural, R's or D's. He takes care of our needs.

If we turn him out, be prepared for the results: closure of military bases and redeployment of military assets out of Alaska, decline of federal support for our world's best fisheries management, reduction of federal dollars for critical infrastructure (roads, bridges, ports, etc.), dismantling of programs for the Bush. There is no facet of life in Alaska that has not been positively affected by Ted Stevens. The Senate operates on seniority, and Ted has it in spades. To turn him out over a couple of hundred thousand dollars of undisclosed gifts would be disastrous for our state, even worse than replacing Ernest Gruening with Mike Gravel in the '60s. Voters, please get real. Don't kill the golden goose.

-- Anthony Pippel

Palmer

Greed to blame for our gas prices

So Alaska's high gas prices are due to our own local greedy companies. So some of our own people are to blame.

Is it OK that many more people are having to visit our local food banks and asking for handouts because they can't afford food, or gas for their cars, coats and clothes for their children to attend school, etc.?

They are charging more than the lower states because our local markets will bear the higher price! Who are these people who think it is fine to charge Alaskans more? The gas tax here is not the cause: How much will 8 cents a gallon change your gas bill? Shame on the people who are allowing the market to dictate the price -- people in Alaska live in areas where they have to use their vehicles to get to work, the store and schools and just about anywhere.

Gas isn't cheap anywhere, but it seems the gas prices here are artificially high, for no real reasons other than greed.

-- Joyce Boese

Wasilla

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