Anchorage Daily News

Columnist needs to grow up

Even if President Obama leaves office with the entire civilized world living in peace, the Dow at 27,000, unprecedented wealth enjoyed by all Americans, 0 percent unemployment and 100 percent home ownership, Jonah Goldberg will still find something to complain about regarding his presidency.

Two words, Jonah: Grow up!

It's hard, if not impossible, to take seriously the predictions of someone who believes that life couldn't get any better than when Bush the Great and Powerful Conquering Hero in Whom We Should All Place Our Unyielding Love and Admiration was president.

Please!

-- Doug Hartman

Anchorage

Nanny state would be busy

Why stop at limiting the sale and advertisement of "candy" and "spiced" cigarettes? A ban on alcoholic beverages that have candy and spiced flavors would definitely lower teen drinking.

Stop fast-food places from using toys to encourage children to form bad eating habits from the youngest ages. Eliminate all candy, soda, sugary breakfast cereals and cookies. And for good measure companies making these foods should not be able to advertise at all! After all, we don't want our children to grow up to be overweight and diabetic.

Make everyone drive the same blah-brown electric car, with a regulator set to no more than 45 mph, to discourage teens from joyriding. And help save the environment at the same time!

The list could go on, and on, and on.

Maybe what really needs to happen is that parents need to start parenting and stop expecting the rest of the population to accept limited choices because they can't or won't take the time to educate their children.

-- Hazel Brewi

Anchorage

ADA critic has own agenda

In response to the letters saying the American Dietetic Association (ADA) favors processed foods over organic foods due to relations with food companies like Coca-Cola, Kellogg, etc.:

Readers should know an organization called Organics Consumers Association has asked its readers to send letters to their local paper in order to promote its own agenda.

As a member of ADA and a registered dietitian, I do not promote processed foods over organics. Many factors must be considered. For example, transport time can greatly diminish nutritional value of organic produce compared to local non-organic produce.

Organic agave syrup is about 75 percent fructose. Does that make it more or less healthy than high-fructose corn syrup at 55 percent fructose?

The writer failed to mention other companies associated with ADA: Horizon Organic and Kashi. The public can look to ADA for unbiased accurate information based on evidence, not an agenda.

-- Rikki Keen

Chugiak

Members get Chugach credits

Recently, David Arrowsmith wrote a letter questioning Chugach Electric's capital credits. We'd like to help members better understand this unique benefit of cooperative membership.

Chugach Electric Association members earn capital credits based on their annual electric patronage (the money they pay for electric service). Any margins earned in a year are allocated to members and recorded as "capital credits." Margins are invested in the business and help reduce the cost of borrowed capital.

When authorized by the member-elected board of directors, credits are paid to members. Like most American electric co-ops, Chugach is on an approximately 20-year payback schedule.

When checks mailed to the last address of record are returned, we publish the names of members-of-record in the paper and post it on our Web site. This public notice prevents unclaimed capital credits from reverting to the state as unclaimed property, and allows Chugach to pay the credits in the future if claimed by a former member.

Past and present members with questions may contact me directly.

-- Teresa Kurka

director, member services

Chugach Electric Association Inc.

Columnist makes reading fun

Julia O'Malley has become the columnist who I open the paper every morning hoping to see. It is so much fun reading such sanity. As a mother, mother-in-law, and grandmother of strong, lovely women, I, too, laughed at David Letterman's joke. It was David Letterman, for heaven's sake. I, too, have noticed that the level of outrage expressed in an opinion letter more often than not goes hand in hand with the writer's ability to misspell.

As a straight person, I believe with all my soul that every individual in this town should have equal rights, and appreciated Julia's open-heartedness in her column on Anchorage's gay rights struggles. In my time I paid for expensive perms to get my hair to look like Julia's, and loved those finger-combing days. And I won't turn out of a suicide lane until I am darned good and ready. So, thanks, you crazy liberal rag, for giving us Julia.

-- Jeanne Ashcraft

Anchorage

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