Crew masterful in fixing pipe
Wednesday evening my family and I were privileged to witness a performance by men and machines that was every bit as inspiring as any performance at the performing arts center. It began on Wednesday evening and was completed almost exactly 24 hours later on Thursday evening about 9 p.m. A water main burst in the street just to the right of our property. A 10-foot section of pipe burst and flooded the street. The response was already underway when we noticed the drop in water pressure. Trucks, an excavator and necessary equipment vehicles arrived and positioned themselves perfectly. The performance was underway. Workers took tools from the equipment truck as needed and began the repairs. We had a front-row seat, viewing the work from our second-story living room windows. The excavator was the centerpiece of the show, masterfully operated in tight quarters with a deft touch. The show went on seamlessly when a shift change was necessary.
Kudos to AWWU and their excellent workers. My family and I wish you all a very happy new year!
— Gerald Hudspeth
Anchorage
Jenkins uses only the statistics that paint liberals in a bad light
In Paul Jenkins' column on Jan. 1 he either pulled a subconscious sleight of hand with the poll numbers or he's adopted the president-elect's technique of attempting to mislead us by making up any statistic that will strengthen his argument.
In the first part of the column he quotes the president's remarks concerning his viability as a candidate for the office he now holds, but can hold no more. To make his point, Mr. Jenkins begins to quote stats that have to do with Americans' opinions on the direction the country is headed. Apples and oranges. If Mr. Jenkins had used President Obama's approval stats he'd have a number in the mid-50 percent range — high for the end of an administration. A number like that very well may have guaranteed the president a victory last November.
The numbers Mr. Jenkins was quoting include how government as a whole is functioning. It's a shame Mr. Jenkins didn't use the polling numbers he presented to find a problem with the stonewalling Congress has engaged in for the last half-dozen years. The leaders of those two houses stymied anything that might resemble leadership in that branch of our government. Or he might have said something positive about our economy's continuing rise out of a debilitating recession. No, as usual, Mr. Jenkins prefers to keep up the "Democrats/liberal policies — bad; Republican/conservative policies — good" stance that perpetuates the myth that discussion and compromise are the enemies of good governance. I argue that it's this attitude that Mr. Jenkins continually puts forward that is the real contributor to the lousy opinion the country's populace has of the direction we're headed.
Finally, Mr. Jenkins may want to recheck the overall number of votes each of the presidential candidates received last November. He'll find, if he interprets them correctly, that a substantial majority of the voters think the direction the president-elect is heading is the wrong one.
— Mark Lovegreen
Anchorage
Human thinking can rapidly shift
Kudos to Mr. Lieb for a well-written letter that illuminated his own beliefs and did so without harsh words (ADN, Jan. 1). Hopefully this new year can bring with it more of such constructive dialogue. I truly appreciate Mr. Lieb's beliefs and the calm and cordial way in which he shares them. This kind of civilized discourse, from both sides of the political spectrum, represents exactly what democracy, especially on a local level, should manifest. That being said, I have about 100 words left to respond to your retort to my response to your reactionary missive. Yeehaw.
Well, you covered a lot of ground with that last letter, so let's start with that last bit about humanity coming down from the trees and still fighting the same fights for over a million years. Yeah, good point, but the fights have changed. The reasons for those fights have changed. And how, and who benefits from those fights has changed drastically.
Evolution is a slow process, but the evolution of human thinking doesn't have to be. We can change the paradigm. We are not, just now, getting out of the trees and nor should our reasonable minds be left behind, suspended aloft.
Thanks, Jim.
— Simon Corcoran
Talkeetna
The views expressed here are the writers' own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a letter under 200 words for consideration, email letters@alaskadispatch.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@alaskadispatch.com.