Anchorage Daily News

Dimmer lights aren't as safe

In an apparent attempt to cut costs the municipality is jeopardizing citizens' safety.

This week the street lights on busy Wisconsin Avenue were replaced with what I assume are more cost-effective ones. The lights that were replaced lit the entire street and aided pedestrians and driver alike.

Now Wisconsin Avenue is poorly illuminated and dangerous. A large number of school children walk this route every day in the dark. I would like to see the old lights returned.

-- Richard Demmons

Anchorage

Lincoln's failed presidency deserves serious challenge

This is a response to the comments about Abraham Lincoln by Stephen Haycox in his column Nov. 14 ("Obama's election a watershed moment for US").

The Gettysburg Address was a deception in which Lincoln, a nonbeliever, invoked the name of a religious God in order to justify a war that devastated millions of lives and savaged the Constitution. Lincoln reveals his inadequate historical understanding with these opening words: "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation." Our fathers did no such thing. In 1776 they brought forth 13 new nations, each of which was a sovereign state. In all 13 of them slavery was legal.

If Lincoln "hated slavery," as Mr. Haycox asserts there is scant evidence of it before 1854. Lincoln, who had enjoyed the service of slave labor during visits to Kentucky, was a late arrival to the antislavery cause. In fact, as late as 1847 Lincoln was defending slavery in a court of law as a lawyer for a slave owner named Robert Matson. This is characteristic of Lincoln, an avowed racist and Anglophile who believed that America and Great Britain were destined to rule the world.

A nation often lives by myths and challenging these myths can be dangerous. However, the brutal and failed presidency of Abraham Lincoln continues to benefit from many bad myths that urgently need to be challenged.

-- August Cisar

Seward

Medicaid proposal punishes poor

The poor have Medicaid because they cannot afford to pay for health care. To ask them to provide copay on a limited income is unreasonable. I believe that Medicaid in its present form should continue to take care of medical problems that could otherwise turn into chronic conditions.

Routine preventive care like dental checkups and cleaning are absolutely imperative, as tooth decay and infection can cause infection in other parts of the body and damage organs such as the heart.

Immunizations are important too. Diseases that were once dormant are coming back, more aggressive and resistant to current drugs, and more often fatal.

All these things are covered by Medicaid and if it is changed as proposed by new federal rules, the poor will be punished for being poor.

It is shameful that we spend billions of dollars helping the rich stay rich but cannot improve conditions for those who need it.

-- Rosabella H. Stevenson

Anchorage

Well, now that per diem is clear

Thanks to Gov. Palin for explaining the state's per diem policy. Just so that all state employees are absolutely clear on this, it is OK to submit for per diem while staying in your own home, as long as your duty station is somewhere else Correct, governor?

-- Stephan Mills Eagle River

There's a reason for attempting to keep dogs off good ski trails

I came home from skiing on Wednesday night before Thanksgiving feeling very thankful for the beauty and utility of Kincaid Park. I always love watching the groups of junior nordic skiiers clad in purple and green hit the trails.

On Thanksgiving I read the letter by Daniel Dillehay, which describes many nordic skiiers as having an entitlement attitude, wishing to exclude dog owners from decent trails. He claims that his ski poles leave larger holes than the feet of his 50-pound dog, and he says nothing about dog excrement. I don't know what kind of poles he uses, but the baskets near the tips usually keep poles from punching through very deeply.

I am writing to say I am sorry he feels that way. The Nordic Ski Association, its numerous volunteers, and its many members who voluntarily buy annual ski pins help provide the city with world-class skiing conditions. Many young skiiers have gone on to compete on the world stage and many amateurs enjoy life-long fitness. This year, the city will host world-class competitive events. This community is simply not a group that feels entitled.

On the other hand, a dog can easily ruin the trail conditions for everyone, and that is why fewer trails are open for multiple use.

Got a trail pin?

-- Jackie Cason

Anchorage

Put off name change for airport

I recently did a TV interview saying that, with emotions raw, I was not interested in joining others to pound the drums to change the name of Ted Stevens International Airport. That's an issue for another day when heads are calmer, not today, on the heels of a heated campaign.

On Sunday a note in the Ear interpreted that TV story to conclude that I had joined others to demand for an airport name change. The full TV story can be found at KTVA.com.

I do agree with the Ear's position that hitting someone when they're down is wrong, and was explicit about that during the interview. I didn't vote for Sen. Stevens, but I don't think it's right to look for ways to embarrass people when they're hurting.

Today there is a question whether a witness in Sen. Stevens' trial committed perjury. If the judge confirms the verdict, then I think it is obvious there will be a public discussion about this issue, and about the practice of naming major facilities after sitting politicians. But I hope we can do that respectfully -- later and not now.

-- Rep. Les Gara

Anchorage

Quit blaming teachers union

Jonah Goldberg feels that teachers unions are "holding public education down." He decries the fact that in D.C., where he lives, "more than half of every dollar of education spending goes to the salaries of administrators." Does he think that the teachers union there is somehow responsible for this financial allocation?

Mr. Goldberg favors merit pay. If I thought that merit pay could be allocated fairly in public schools, I would not question that either. Alaska's limited experience with cash bonuses to schools, a form of merit pay, has not been a big success so far. In Anchorage, four of the eight schools that received bonuses were alternative schools that draw students of highly motivated parents (a big plus) from all over the district. The teachers union, superintendent and the commissioner all agree that this needs improvement.

Judith Kleinfeld wrote about some results published in the December 2005 issue of Psychological Science: Angela Duckworth and Martin Seligman found that students with high self-discipline "... had better school attendance, spent less time watching TV, spent more time doing homework and started their homework earlier." They sacrifice short-term pleasure for long-term gain. Do the majority of students in D.C. do that?

-- John Jensen

Anchorage

Continue shake-up in Congress

A story on CNBC claimed that top neurosurgeons were once the highest paid professionals. Now top neurosurgeons make $2.9 million per year and Wall Street executives put away $100 million. That would suggest Wall Street executives' value has increased 50-fold due to our sleeping Congress. Corporate CEOs once averaged 25 times the average worker's salary, but now Fortune 500 CEOs average over 500 times. For years we have witnessed this outrage, which allowed the world to slip into economic turmoil. How come 100 senators witnessed this and did nothing? Stevens is only the beginning. Let's continue to vote everyone out of office until this is corrected.

-- Brian O'Fallon

Soldotna

'If Everybody Did' worth reading

In Daniel Dillehay's letter "Public Trails should be multi use," he complained about getting yelled at because he took his dog on ski-only trails. His 50-pound dog didn't cause much damage to the tracks. He should read a book my Mama read to me when I was a child, "If Everybody Did," by JoAnn Stover.

Daniel, could you imagine what would happen if everybody brought their dogs on the trails? The trails would look like all the other dog trails. The dogs don't know not to stay off the groomed tracks; they probably love to run on the smooth "paths."

The book is an easy read and you can get it on Amazon.com for about four bucks. It isn't a matter of only damage to the trails. Some of these trails are used for racers, and they don't want to be dodging dogs at every turn.

-- Laura Kelly

Anchorage

Bad management should pay too

Gosh, I thought you read what you put on the editorial page.

Headline on Jonah Goldberg's column about Washington, D.C., schools: "Unions holding public education down."

Quote: "More than half of every dollar of education spending goes to the salaries OF ADMINISTRATORS." (My emphasis.)

Unions merely try to get more for their members. Management agreed to everything in all union contracts. Bad management leads to poor results.

If a restaurant serves food not liked, it fails. Get rid of bad management.

And as long as we are on that topic: The baby's mother is too busy; shame on her. We have no governor. Resign, Sarah. We will not pay you while you are on the political stump while we have a financial crisis. The Permanent Fund has lost over $8 billion while its managers are rewarded with huge fees. We are underwater, Sarah. Where are you?

-- Dennis Maloney

Anchorage

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