Anchorage Daily News

Paper has reasons to be proud

Thank you for your reporting on the financial crisis, our political scene, our politicians and all the other interesting news in Alaska, the USA, the world and space. I am blessed to be able to religiously read the ADN and parts of The New York Times every day. Your editorials on Sarah's governing style appear factual, wholistic and fair, based on what we know at this time. Human beings, chemistry, life and the mix that creates history are all fascinating. You all have many reasons to be proud of the Anchorage Daily News and the work that is involved in your reporting the news.

-- Hugh Hays

Soldotna

Replace silly antics with thought

What is up with all those people on the Park Strip dancing around with painted faces and bashing Sarah Palin, the president and Republicans? Folks, you need to put a rubber band around your head and snap out of it.

Sarah Palin has been a wonderful governor, and if I remember right, the president cannot do anything without Congress, and Congress happens to be mostly Democrats. So why is it the president and Republicans' fault when things turn around and bite Congress in the butt? Is there ever a time when Democrats are going to stop the finger-pointing and the "I didn't do it" attitude?

We all live in this country together, and everyone has an opinion, and we can voice that opinion with a vote. These foolish antics and mudslinging are totally uncalled for. Use that energy to find the facts, do the homework and vote for whom you believe will do the best job for everyone in America.

-- K.A. Denman

Anchorage

Stevens, not voters, OK'd bailout

Senator Stevens voted in favor of the $700 billion bailout bill this past Wednesday evening, despite unprecedented mass public opposition to this bill that was expressed through thousands of letters, e-mails and faxes. Elected officials are in office for one reason and one reason only, and that is to represent the views of their constituency. Please join me in making a statement to Senator Stevens and all other elected officials by voting against him in this coming election.

-- Robert Linquist

Anchorage

Palin insults Alaska's diversity

Watching Sarah Palin in her black designer jackboots as she used racial slurs to whip Republican extremists to a froth was depressing, to say the least. How could the governor of as racially and culturally diverse a state as ours resort to such disgusting vitriol?

If she is only reciting her venomous diatribes as a puppet of her handlers in the McCain campaign, then she shows a pathetic lack of character. If she really believes what she is saying, then she demonstrates a laughable lack of intelligence. Either way, her claim to being a maverick is as empty as she is.

I once thought that Sarah Palin could be a good governor despite my misgivings about some of her political positions. Now I realize that she is just someone who can stab you in the back while smiling in your face, who can say one thing out of one side of her mouth while saying the opposite out of the other side, someone who can put lipstick on a pit bull and then call it a hockey mom.

-- Karl Becker

Cordova

Reflective tape may save your life

A reminder to all the pedestrians and cyclists who continue to walk/ride around Anchorage during the winter months: Please remember that a vehicle could approach you from the side. As a driver I don't mind sharing the road and it's great to have a headlamp and tail light but if you are only visible from the front and back it's not much help to the driver approaching a darkened cross walk or trail head that crosses the road. Reflective surfaces and/or bright clothing that can be seen from all sides on your person or bike is extremely helpful. Let's keep Anchorage safe in the darkened winter days ahead.

-- Celeste Barrett

Anchorage

Sign stealers jerks, not partisans

In response to Dani Maddox ("Ways Obama folks can save planet." Oct. 8): Please don't imply that Obama supporters have a corner on the yard sign theft market. After having two Obama signs stolen from my yard in a 24-hour period, I had to make a homemade sign (which is now booby-trapped, by the way).

I understand, Dani, that you are frustrated with your yard signs disappearing and with your candidate's declining ranking in the polls. But to suggest that Obama supporters should help the planet by not breathing, you are just as guilty of being as negative and nasty and inconsiderate as the dirtbags that keep taking Obama and McCain signs from our yards.

-- Nichole Bouwens

Anchorage

Who you calling 'friend,' politico?

Sen. McCain, I have just finished watching the second Presidential debate, and you, sir, are not my "friend."

-- Terri Anderson

Wasilla

Palin made herself popular by handing us all free money

Hate to say so, but the folks handling the McCain-Palin campaign must be brain dead. At a time when Americans worry more about money than anything else, they are wasting our beloved Sarah on recycling negative attacks on Barack. Who cares about this? All we worry about now is the financial meltdown.

John picked Sarah to save the campaign, and she is the ideal messenger. Just let Sarah be Sarah. Have her shout out the real reason we Alaskans love her: "FREE MONEY!"

Hey, she just sent each of us $3,269 "for free." No lie; she really did! For a family of, like seven, that is serious money! $22,883. Howdya like that?!

It'd pay the mortgage on a pretty decent home, or buy you a brand new Subaru Outback with change to spare. Just increase taxes on rich oil companies and other greedy businesses to pay for the free money. I guarantee everyone will understand this simple logic. Soon the economic crisis would be gone forever; and how great would that be?! Bet that would drive the polls up to 80 percent for the GOP ticket, and the nation would once again be saved from the tax-and-spend Democrats.

-- Jon Svendsen

Wasilla

All homeowners deserve same help

John McCain has proposed that the federal government will buy the bad mortgages and then re-negotiate the homeowners loan value to today's market price. So if Homeowner A bought a house for 300k that is now worth 200k he will get 100k taken off his loan. What if homeowner B paid 300k in cash for his house that is now worth 200k? Will the federal government be giving him a check for 100k? If not, why not? It's the exact same thing. That would be one of the most unfair policies in the history of the United States if Homeowner B doesn't get his 100k loss back, but homeowner A does. This is what John McCain has proposed. If you still want to vote for him, God help us all.

-- Mike Foster

Anchorage

Bust's impact on Alaskans ignored

I expected your editorial page or national coverage during the last week to include discussion on the effect on Alaska and Alaskans of failure to pass the Congressional economic recovery plan. Where was discussion of the impact to Permanent Fund holdings, our IRAs, 401(k)s, 457s and other retirement plans, not to mention the 529 educational accounts that we have invested in to educate our children, if the recovery plan failed? While none of us wants to "rescue" those who mismanaged this disaster, we also need to understand how the disaster would impact each Alaskan.

If the Congress had done its job of oversight, we would not be facing this disaster. Instead, the leadership does not accept responsibility but tries to pass the blame. There is a crisis of leadership in Congress and an inability to acknowledge failures.

-- Sue Brady

Anchorage

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