Anchorage Daily News

Do community service at home

In Afghanistan, nuke the narcotics, walk away from the war, and do community service at home instead.

-- Loyd L. Peck

Anchorage

Obama has enslaved the future

How ironic and sad that the first black president has already enslaved his and our children and grandchildren with this nation's debt, already in the trillions and likely to grow as these bailouts go on.

Millions in paper money printed with nothing behind it (no gold). Never were the statements "follow the money" and "paper trail" more literally fulfilled.

Truth has never been popular. Just ask Jesus. Nothing changes in world history. World powers come and go until Christ's Kingdom comes.

-- Karen E. Hallak

Anchorage

Rail link to Canada could share route with new gas pipeline

Rep. Jay Ramras' Compass piece on the commercial, mining and energy potential of Alaska was a valuable blueprint for the shaping of our state's future. Possibly over-ambitious in part, it gave us direction and objectives for thought and action. An unmentioned goal, which should be considered a necessary early step, is the extension of the Alaska Railroad from the Delta area to a meeting with the Canadian railway system.

This linking of our railroad net with that of the remainder of the continent will benefit Alaska, Canada and the Lower 48. A cheaper means of hauling out our mining and logging products, and of bringing in bulk goods to our people and industries, would financially benefit all, and would generate jobs. The convenience and economy of taking passenger cars to the Lower 48, especially during the winter months, would help Alaskans and tourists alike. The ability to bulk ship petroleum products may be a lifesaver if the pipeline has a major malfunction -- physical or economic.

If a gas pipeline is to be built, its right-of-way could possibly be formed to also serve as a roadbed.

I believe the railroad link would be of more benefit to us than any project being considered, especially the road to Nome.

-- Don Neal

Anchorage

House arrest too good for Cowdery

A year of strict confinement for John Cowdery (allowing him to leave the house only for going directly to and from medical appointments) and a $25,000 fine is more than kind and much less than he deserves; John Cowdery belongs in jail.

Living as we do in Senate District O, my family went without representation in Juneau for months -- despite repeated requests directly to him for Cowdery to vacate the seat so someone else could represent us. This was when he knew perfectly well he was caught and guilty.

Cowdery's arrogance in his corrupt offenses while in office is exceeded only by his shameless presumption in insisting he should receive extraordinary leniency in sentencing.

Maybe if Cowdery had vacated District O's Senate seat at the earliest moment he knew the game was up, so as to at least allow people in our district some representation -- but since he cynically chose not to resign, forget it!

-- Steven Jacquier

Anchorage

Ferguson's death leaves a hole

On Tuesday, March 3, Chevak lost a great woman of the community. Lena Ferguson passed away due to worsening health caused by cancer. I have been living in this village for only a short time, but in that time I was fortunate to get to know Lena. She was a strong woman: an amazing mother, teacher and mentor. I want to publicly say thank you to Lena for sharing her heart, her culture, and her friendship with me. Lena, quyana for our "steams."

-- Misty Dawn Nelson

Chevak

Paper must expand its coverage of vital School Board election

I'm writing to express concern over the lack of news media coverage of the School Board candidates. This past Wednesday I, along with most candidates, attended the NEA (teachers union) meeting. There were no reporters attending the School Board portion of the meeting.

The School District budget is fast approaching $750,000,000! Three of my opponents in the race for Seat E (Jody Smith, Kathleen Plunkett and Jim LaBelle Jr.) fell all over themselves pandering to the teachers trying to secure the endorsement of the NEA.

Voters need to know who the candidates are and where they stand. If all of the promises made to the teachers union (by three of my six opponents) were to become law, the school budget and our taxes would take a huge jump. Thankfully we have the tax cap to protect property owners.

For the record, 26 years ago, I wrote the tax cap charter language that voters approved in the 1983 municipal election. Because of my efforts as "father of the tax cap," property tax payers have been spared hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes.

Please give more attention to the School Board election. Taxpayers need to know where all the candidates stand on the issues and how they would spend your money. The lack of coverage to date has left voters in the dark.

-- Don Smith

School Board candidate

Anchorage

Bill will help poor keep kids well

Catholic Social Services serves approximately 12,000 children a year living in poverty through Beyond Shelter, Clare House, Refugee Assistance and Immigration Services, Pregnancy Support Services, the Teen Homes and St. Francis House. Catholic Social Services knows how important health care is to families in need.

Please tell your legislators that you support increasing eligibility for Denali KidCare (government health insurance for children of working families) to those earning 200 percent of the federal poverty level. This will mean Denali KidCare will be available to more people who are struggling to meet the basic needs of their families.

-- Susan Bomalaski

executive director, Catholic Social Services

Anchorage

Both parties have failed America

We should stop pairing the terms "liberal" with Democrats and "conservative" with Republicans. Bill Clinton balanced our federal budget and left office with a surplus while George Bush created massive government and spent recklessly, leaving a huge deficit.

I consider myself a fiscal conservative yet a social liberal. As such, neither party fits perfectly, but since the current Republican party's recent track record is one of fiscal liberalism, greed, Christian social conservatism, "spreading the wealth" to the upper class, hypocrisy and dishonesty, I simply cannot give its members my votes.

How about a party that truly represents smaller government, careful spending, honesty, integrity, financial system oversight, civil liberties, etc.? Maybe someone like Ron Paul could head it. I say let's work to change the two-party system!

-- Erik Wegscheider

Anchorage

Ice fishers, clean up your mess

I am writing to ask those that ice fish to think a little about what they are doing and what they are leaving behind. When spring comes the leftover firewood, trash and sometimes even the wooden ice houses, end up in the lake, where they are hit by boaters and water skiiers.

Usually it's a broken prop or a near miss, but sometimes the toll is higher.

This past weekend someone intentionally took a large piece of firewood and jammed it in their ice fishing hole when they left, sticking straight up, which subsequently froze into the lake. The wind soon covered it with a light dusting of snow. Last night my teenage son was coming back from a friend's across the lake and struck that vertical post at high speed on his snowmachine. He was thrown forward and off the machine, slicing open his knee, and his snow machine was substantially damaged.

Because of someone's total neglect and disregard for the safety of others, thousands of dollars in damages occurred and my son could easily have been killed. Come on guys! Clean up your messes, pick up your firewood and let's do better than this.

-- John Dieffenderfer

Eagle River

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