Bring back Saturday newspaper
I have a question: Why do you still advertise as "Anchorage Daily News" when you aren't a daily paper any longer, since you no longer publish a Saturday edition? It would be nice if you reinstated the Saturday edition and actually became a daily paper once again.
— Herbert Gray
Anchorage
2-party system ruining democracy
The Republican and Democratic parties are private corporations with an iron grip on nationally recognized party status. As much as they vilify single-party Communism, one thing they agree on is no third party. Either of them would wipe out the other, making the U.S. a one-party nation if they could.
The Democrats and Republicans have created barriers to the development of nationally recognized third parties. In one hundred and fifty years not one political movement has navigated its way to ballot access in all fifty states as required for national party recognition.
The U.S. is the only western government with only two parties.
It is time for the courts to consider whether or not the barriers to ballot access created by the two nationally recognized parties secured an unconstitutional monopoly on political power, denying the majority of Americans the right to associate with and vote for candidates who share their convictions.
If the Republican Party of Alaska can deny ballot access to a professed Republican; if Democratic Party officials can manipulate primary election outcomes, as they did with Hillary, this nation is no longer a democracy.
— Ray Metcalfe
Anchorage
Where is pot revenue going?
Amazing amount of money being collected in taxes for marijuana sales. One question — where is that money going? Hopefully not the "general fund." If I missed the location, I apologize. Wonder if it could go for some sort of grant application process for needy organizations? Just a thought.
— Marilyn Montgomery
Palmer
Patients must be the bottom line
I read with interest the article about Dr. Gross. I too am a physician — family medicine — and have practiced in Southeast Alaska for more than 13 years. Physicians' costs make up about 9 percent of the total cost of the health care expenditure in this country. We are the only industrialized nation without a national health care plan. Our infant mortality ranks 25th in the world. Our life expectancy has declined. We as a nation need to realize that prevention (lifestyle modification), not procedures, will be the answer to many of our ailments. Heart disease and cancer are still the No. 1 and No. 2 killers in this country. We know that smoking, obesity and diet are all contributors to these two families of illnesses. Unfortunately these issues can be the hardest to modify.
I suggest that if Dr. Gross really wants to change the delivery of health care, he support a universal-payer plan that would help reduce overall costs. When the bottom line is the stockholder and not the patient, there is a moral hazard that cannot be resolved, even with the best of intentions.
— J Russell Bowman
Juneau
Trump, Moore should resign too
Sen. Murkowski: On Wednesday, Dec. 6, your Facebook page stated this:
"We are seeing a culture of harassment and assault being exposed on almost a daily basis. Whether you are in the media, politics, or anywhere else abuse of power is unacceptable, wrong, and shouldn't be tolerated at any place at any level. We can no longer turn a blind eye to it. Senator Franken must know that and that is why he must step down."
I completely agree. Harassment, assault and abuse of power and should never be tolerated. Given that we all agree, I am sure you will be making the same statements about
POTUS as well as withdrawing your support for Roy Moore, both participating fully in game of power and abuse.
When will you be making your demands that they step down as well?
— Nancy Stone
Anchorage
ANWR numbers don't add up
Thursday's coverage of the latest North Slope oil and gas lease sales should prompt readers to question the myth being put forward by Sen. Lisa Murkowski and the oil industry's other allies in Congress as they attempt to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling.
Tracts in the NPR-A just sold for an average of less than $15 per acre. To reach the $1 billion in federal revenue that Murkowski claims would be raised by leasing the refuge's sensitive coastal plain, the per-acre price would have to be 166 times higher.
Murkowski's bill calls for leasing 800,000 acres in the Arctic Refuge. Every one of those acres — and it is rare for all acres to be leased in a sale — would have to sell for $2,500 to raise enough revenue to cover the 50/50 split with the state and provide $1 billion to the federal government. Does anyone believe an oil company would pay more than 150 times as much for an acre in the refuge than it would in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska?
The numbers don't make economic sense, and Sen. Murkowski is using them to trick Congress into selling off land that is sacred to the Gwich'in Nation and the American people.
— Nicole Whittington-Evans
Alaska regional director
The Wilderness Society
Anchorage
Bipartisan discussion lacking
What I dislike most about the GOP tax plan is the complete lack of bipartisan discussion and public input into the legislative process. Nearly half of senators are Democrats, but they were not involved in the development of the bill. I doubt they will have input into the Senate/House compromise. This happened recently with the GOP plan to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. When asked why no Democrats were involved in the development of the health care overhaul, Donald Trump said "Oh, they would just want to add things."
Sen. Murkowski spoke about her dissatisfaction with the lack of legislative process on the health care bill and the failure to reach across the aisle, but I notice she had little to say about the tax plan. Give her a few barrels of oil and she gets in line. When are we going to demand that our House and Senate adopt a more inclusive approach to legislation? Millions of Americans feel they have no say in their government. Who is supposed to fix this mess? The voters? Someday, perhaps. But for now it's up to our current senators and congressmen, and it doesn't look as if they're particularly motivated.
— Connie Nuss
Wasilla
The views expressed here are the writers' own and are not necessarily endorsed by the Anchorage Daily News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a letter under 200 words for consideration, email letters@adn.com, or click here to submit via any web browser. Submitting a letter to the editor constitutes granting permission for it to be edited for clarity, accuracy and brevity. Send longer works of opinion to commentary@adn.com.