Hope springs in D.C.; now how about Juneau

It's been a big week. My heart goes out to newspaper editors. By the time a story is written, well, it's no longer the story.

It's still cold. If winter reads this column, a special note: Move on, good sir.

The longest serving Republican in the House of Representatives, Don Young, had a special moment when Speaker Paul Ryan got down on one knee to beg for his vote on Trumpcare. Whatever went down in the voting tally, the bill was aborted. That doesn't make me sad. I'm happy millions of Americans will continue with Obamacare until we can get something better.

Here's the best takeaway from these recent events: Your voice makes a difference. With a Republican House, Senate and White House, and after promising for seven years to repeal the Affordable Care Act, they failed. They failed because when push came to shove, people stood up in defense of what should be a right.

Oh, it's all been said, resaid, blah, blah, blah about what this all means for the political circus on a national level. All that and a dollar can get you a cup of coffee. I just keep shaking my head and widening my eyes as I begin to get it through my thick skull that CONGRESS ACTUALLY LISTENED! What could be next? What could we possibly do with this newfound superpower of being heard? Then, while watching the eagles chasing ducks, it occurred to me. Maybe, just maybe, if we paid attention to our lawmakers in Juneau we could have a similar result!

There's a lot happening in our state Legislature that would bore the gills off a halibut.

The House is humming along with their bipartisan attempts to fix some major crisis that could have been averted years ago. The Alaska Republican Party keeps throwing fits that Paul Seaton can't possibly be a real Republican because he doesn't come when they yank his chain. It's sort of adorable. The Senate? Wow. They are a hot mess.

[Alaska Senate passes bill paving way for Uber, Lyft; House vote comes next]

This week they tackled the pressing issue of Uber. Maybe it hasn't hit your radar, but Uber is one of the alternatives to taxis. Think of them as sort of an Airbnb of transportation. Their lobbyist sat in the Senate gallery pulling strings on their puppet senator regarding which amendments should be voted up or down. It wasn't subtle. Ride-sharing programs like Uber and Lyft have had a lot of problems in other parts of the country. Do you think we'd learn from them? The short answer is "no." The long answer is, "Not with this Senate." Solutions shot down included requiring Uber to keep customer information private. Worse, if there are any legal problems, they will have to be addressed in California, under California law. Yeah. Maybe you can Uber a plane ride to California to get your complaint heard. Towns and cities in Alaska that charge taxes on taxis won't be able do the same to Uber. Why? Because the Senate majority doesn't really walk that whole "local control" thing. Basically, thanks to Republicans in Juneau, a company has an invitation to operate in our state with no regulatory oversight or taxation and no penalties or fines if they break the law. It's a grand episode of "What Could Go Wrong?!"

Here's the deal, my dear Alaskans. The Senate figures they can sit in their chamber in all their power and glory, and have their strings pulled by lobbyists and that you're too busy figuring out what to do with all those garden starts in your window. They figure you have other fish to fry, and maybe this Uber fish wasn't one you even knew that you had caught in its migration up the Gulf Stream.

[Deceptive language in state oil tax law leads to constant argument about where credits are due]

We are going to have to come to terms with our broken oil tax structure. Yes, again. Bet your sweet Permanent Fund check that there will be more lobbyists than lawmakers when that day comes around.

Both party systems try to tell us that they know what's best for us, and most of us don't believe either one of them. Over half of us are independent or nonpartisan voters and we make up our own damn minds. It's not too soon for you to find your senator's email or phone number and let them know you're paying attention. If you want to be heard you have to be louder than the locust cloud of lobbyists.

It's good to take the wins where we can. They matter. Oh, look, the tiny marshmallows in my cocoa haven't completely melted yet. See? Win. I'm taking it.

Shannyn Moore is a radio broadcaster.

The views expressed here are the writer's and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary@alaskadispatch.com. Send submissions shorter than 200 words to letters@alaskadispatch.com.