Two cradles
Phillip Labay Mikes in his letter to editor (ADN, July 13) is confusing two things: the cradle of the Homo sapiens — which indeed is Africa — and the cradle of civilization (see the dictionary for the definition of the latter).
As far as his alleged references to the Bible by me, well … yours truly is an atheist.
— Rudy J. Budesky
Anchorage
Brinksmanship aside, all
of us need to pay our fair share
Our state needs a balanced budget soon! I am thankful that a budget was passed to avoid throwing our state's people and economy into chaos at the beginning of this summer, but it shouldn't have to be a game of brinksmanship. And just like with any family budget, we should be doing all we can to avoid spending our precious savings on day-to-day needs.
We need a truly balanced budget. To say we should not spend savings on day-to-day needs does not mean that we should neglect our day-to-day needs. Again, using the family analogy, the most important need for state funding is education, from preschool through college and graduate school. Shortchanging education does long-term harm to the human potential, social well-being, and overall economy of our state. A compassionate and enlightened society also must maintain and care for our vulnerable populations, including the very young, the elderly, and disabled who have no means to support themselves, and take care of the mentally ill, and reduce homelessness. Also, this state must support its villages and rural areas where our Native populations have lived since time immemorial but now economic opportunities fall far short compared to the needs of people who live there. There are many other needs that the state budget must address, both short and long term. These needs must be addressed in order to maintain a strong economy and promote the well-being of all Alaskans.
While seeking efficiency and reducing unnecessary expenditures in state government is laudable and necessary, cutting it back to a bare minimum is not the answer to all the state's financial problems. State government must be made to serve the needs such as I have mentioned above. The resources to do this must come from everyone who lives and works in and benefits from our state and its resources. Yes, this means that everyone with means to do so should be willing to pay moderate taxes when necessary. It also means that our leaders must see to it that businesses and corporations that extract profits in Alaska return a proportional share. They, and all of us, should regard this not as an undue burden, but a proper allocation to operating costs for the state from which they extract wealth.
I am heartened to know that our state leaders are continuing to work on a balanced budget, beyond the usual legislative session. I hope that the will of the people to have a healthy, functional state government and a strong economy can overcome the narrow interests that seek to preserve wealth for a few and ignore the greater good.
Sincerely for Alaska,
— Jan Conitz
Fairbanks
Cradle of civilization
In a letter to the editor on July 12th, Rudy Budesky states that the term "cradle of civilization" refers to the ancient fertile crescent of the Middle East. Current thinking does not limit this term to only the Middle East but also includes the Nile River, the Indus River, the Yellow River, the central Andes, and Mesoamerica.
He does this to a reply to a letter from Philip Labay Mikes (July 11) who refers to Africa as the cradle of civilization. Mikes' letter does include Africa, which should be limited to Nile River.
— Walter Glooschenko
Anchorage
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