Anchorage Daily News

Employees should speak up when paycheck error noticed

I believe the employees of the city should have noticed if their checks were right or wrong. When I worked I always knew close to what I was receiving each week in my check. Most of the time the checks were correct but if there happened to be an error I would go to payroll if I was short on my check or if I was overpaid.

I'm happy that they have now corrected it but what a cost to the public.

-- Gary D. Ferriss

Palmer

Student loan program needs to follow lesson of its past

Thank you for your Sept. 27 editorial ("Student loans") regarding my vote on H.R. 3221, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act. I would like to clarify my position. This bill is bad for Alaskans and all Americans.

Currently, the Federal Government provides loans for higher education using the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program and the Direct Loan (DL) program. The FFEL program offers subsidized loans from private lenders. Under the DL program, the Department of Education serves as the lender and funds come directly from the U.S. Treasury. Historically, the DL program has paid more in interest to the Treasury than the amount of interest it has gotten back from borrowers - at a cost of millions to taxpayers. H.R. 3221 would eliminate the FFEL program and shift all student loans to the DL program.

Pursuing education should be affordable, and I want to see more of our youth attending college and technical schools. However, the best way to achieve this goal is not to replace a successful program with a program that is historically inefficient.

-- Don Young

US House of Representatives

Statistics 101 teaches us that Erickson is wrong about PFD

Mr. Erickson likes to pick on UAA's Institute for Social and Economic Research economists ("Warning: PFD could be hazardous to health," Sept. 27). He says they ignore important research because two Outside economists discovered an increase in the mortality rate of Alaskans following the direct deposit of PFDs. That study has many limitations -- on their analysis of the entire Alaskan population, their findings were statistically insignificant. That means any association between the PFD payout and elevated mortality could have been by chance. Moreover, a fancy math model does not prove cause and effect. There are other questionable aspects of the study that would bore all but the most ardent number nut.

ISER economists don't waste their time on issues that have no policy implications or real world applications. The bigger lesson here is to students -- Learn Your Math! The principles covered in Statistics 101 will easily guide you to deciding whether or not you would agree with Mr. Erickson's pronouncement that "There is little doubt that the PFD is the cause."

-- Yvonne Wu Goldsmith

Anchorage

Editor's note: Ms. Goldsmith is the wife of Scott Goldsmith, faculty and former director of ISER.

Thanks for the invite, GOP

As a registered Republican since the mid 1970s and an unashamed and vocal conservative, I wish to express my profound disappointment in the Republican Party and/or my fellow conservatives for not inviting me to the "vast right wing conspiracy" meetings.

My thanks to President Bill Clinton for having the courage to talk about it.

-- Marc McNab

Anchorage

Show us the gas usage chart before blaming private users

Without exception, our utilities here in Anchorage have reached an all-time high and Alaska has the highest gas pump prices in the nation. The strain has become unbearable to the consumers, as many are having to leave the Anchorage area to seek relief.

Now you tell us that we need to turn our thermostats down and take cold showers. I assume that this will be monitored at our gas meters and we'll probably have to pay more if we exceed a certain amount of usage.

The paper mentioned that the failing is the gas company's capacity to meet high demands during cold weather. Where is all the money from the higher prices we have been paying? If the utilities don't have the capacity to serve their customers they should gear up or move over.

I would love to see a gas usage chart for all commercial and private users so we can equally share our conservation efforts.

-- Pat Wendt

Anchorage

Media too soft on Sen. Begich

It appears to this reader that Sen. Begich's letter ("Starr's witch hunt wastes money," Oct. 1) falls somewhere between "... I think thee protest too much" and "why you pickin' on me?"

There are many questions here but it all boils down to the old "what did you know and when did you know it?"

Instead of relating any data which could shed light on this story he throws out a blanket statement like "... I proposed an S version budget appropriation (like the average reader knows what the hell that is). This smacks of pure political obfuscation.

What the senator has going for him is a very compliant media. Where are the crackshot journalists who delved into Sen. Stevens and every frivolous ethics charge against our ex gov? I suppose for Sen. Begich it's "no news is good news."

-- Mark Mendonsa

Wasilla

Read carefully, Mr. Begich

Well, well, well ... what have we here? The former mayor inherited a $31 million deficit when he took office but flew the coop less than two terms later with a potential projected shortfall of $33 million. ("Dueling contract opinions to get look," Sept. 30.)

The chicken has left home to roost along with his band of merry pranksters, but will they read the health-care bill closer than he read the city revenue forecast? Inquiring minds would like to know.

-- Dave Eubank

Anchorage

Liberal columnists fall short compared to conservatives

I haven't done a statistical review of how many times you've printed articles by Jonah Goldberg, Charles Krauthammer or other conservative journalists, but I certainly see the likes of NYT representatives Thomas Friedman and Maureen Dowd.

In his latest screed ("Political climate becoming dangerous," Oct. 1) Friedman conjures up fears of racism, and hints at possible presidential assassination -- drawing an analogy to former Israeli PM Yitzhak Rabin. And who are the potential evil-doers? Conservatives, of course! He echoes other rabid liberal bloggers who equate legitimate concern over Obama policies to kooky, radical right wing nuts. Note: Friedman said not one word about the leftist film portraying the assassination of President Bush or against any anti-Bush attacks.

Maureen Dowd has delusions of grandeur. She misinterprets and arrogates unto herself an analysis that all anti-Obama policy is being driven by racism. Her literary talents are confined to name-dropping in a remembrance of William Safire ("Safire's thin thongs, tasty tongues will linger long," Oct. 1), and complaining about the "vile and vitriol of today's howling pack of conservative pundits: Limbaugh, Beck and Coulter" -- to whom she could not hold a candle.

-- Chuck Orr

Anchorage

Pioneer Peak fire crew is grateful for all the help

We would like to express a long overdue and heartfelt thank-you to the hundreds of individuals and businesses that were part of the donations and fundraising for our crew after the break-in and vandalism at our Pioneer Peak firefighting facilities during August. The public response was awesome and showed a level of caring and thoughtfulness that was truly remarkable.

From the Valley to Anchorage and down to the Kenai people donated funds, energy and time to our cause without hesitation. The outpouring of generosity was reason to believe we truly do live in a place where people care about one another and we can reside in a place of security and hope. We would also like to humbly thank our brothers and sisters of the fire community throughout the entire state who responded to this event. Thank you all so much for keeping the tradition of family alive and well in our line of work.

I am happy to say that through the efforts of all those involved we will be able to repair and replace much of what was damaged or stolen.

In addition, many thanks to the Alaska State Troopers and their professionalism.

We apologize for the delay in expressing our gratitude but we have just finished traveling after a long, arduous season.

-- Matt Jones

crew superintendent

Pioneer Peak Interagency Hotshot

Fire Crew

Palmer

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