Sportfishermen and dipnetters don't own Cook Inlet fisheries
I find Karl Johnstone's vision for the future of fisheries in Cook Inlet repulsive (Commentary, Feb. 14).
Tens of thousands of anglers using the river? 100,000 dipnetters? 278,000 nonresident licenses and growing? Over $500 million in assessed valuation of homes along the Kenai River? Millions and millions in sportfishing-generated revenue? Plenty of room for expansion! Economic development at any cost! Out with the old! In with the new! Blah. Blah. Blah.
Is money everything? How does riparian habitat fare in this scenario? It's a publicly held resource. Commercial fishermen and women don't own it but sportfishermen and dipnetters do? Say what?
Does the quality of the experience count for anything? What do you guys like best, being on the highway with all the other thousands of partygoers or maybe it's those nice plastic outhouses?
Consider: Habitat protection — not user group allocation — is our biggest challenge.
Unless you guys want to start piggy-back dipnetting, participation will, at some point, need to be limited. It happened a long time ago for commercial fishing and the most popular big game hunts.
Trophy sportfishing selectively removes big fish from the gene pool. Hook and release tactics have a wastefully high mortality rate.
If you guys just hate commercial fishermen so badly and want to put some out of business, why don't you put your money where your mouths are and buy out and retire some permits? They're traded on the open market.
Switching sides: Commercial fishing is still an honest way to earn a living. We provide high quality seafood for those who either can't or don't want to get it for themselves. It's an age-old profession, challenging, frustrating, sometimes perilous and, as Karl Johnstone pointed out, seldom lucrative. But also immensely satisfying.
— Chris Worley
Cook Inlet drifter and IFQ halibut fisherman
Seldovia
Murkowski and the unions
Like a lame caribou being culled from the herd by a pack of wolves, Sen. Lisa Murkowski has been singled out by the Democrats/labor unions. Their aggressive campaign to tear apart the Republican majority in Congress has found willing support from Murkowski on the DeVos nomination. Without a strong majority, government-hindered projects like ANWR will never become reality. If this is Murkowski's goal, why is she allowed to continue calling herself a Republican? If the caribou herd is ever going to arrive in ANWR it must remain strong and united. Anyone else remember "United We Stand, Divided We Fall"?
— Mike McBride
North Kenai
America didn't get to where it is today by just being average
I would like to acknowledge Linda Beller's response to my letters to the editor. The term that really intrigues me that she uses is "us normal Americans." If you look up the definition of normal it states, "conforming to a standard, usual, typical, or expected."
That is equivalent to a grade of C on a test, which is average or normal as she attests to. America has been average for way too long, and we didn't get to where we are today by being average.
It is refreshing to see someone in our leadership position want to see America strive for an "A" grade, which means striving to be better, working to be more than "typical or expected" — although I don't agree with a lot of Trump's antics. My inspiration to write actually comes from Obama. I figured if he could strut up to the podium and lie to millions of Americans I could certainly write letters to the editor and tell the truth to thousands of Alaskans.
Oh, and Ms. Beller's assumption is incorrect. The only one I worship is my Savior.
— Rolf L. Bilet
Anchorage
Let churches get into politics — and pay taxes like the rest of us
So Donald Trump wants to "totally destroy" the Johnson Amendment, allowing tax exempt (think religious) organizations to contribute to politicians. Thus allowing organizations to join individuals and corporations in the free speech of money in politics. Great, all for it.
Of course they should also forfeit their 501c tax-free status, personal and property, just like those other individuals and corporations yearning to be free.
I can hear that minister now: "Why no, little Billy, we didn't give your offering to the Sisters of Mercy Orphanage, we gave it to Don Young so he could be reelected, because we need him in Washington."
Or the tax preparer: "Why no, Bill, those contributions, donations and pledges to the Little First and True Word of God church are no longer tax deductions. That church is taking part in supporting the community by paying their fair share of the costs for the roads, water, electricity and other needs of our great community, like other individuals and corporations. But in return, the church gains the free speech option to proselytize from the pulpit, so we know whom to elect in the governance of our community, state and nation." Yup, all for it.
— Brian Bennett
Anchorage
Learn about Trump/Bannon agenda
I would recommend that everyone, regardless of their political persuasion, read Steve Haycox's comment in the ADN Feb. 10. The subject that he covers should be front page reading in all print material and the top story reported in all broadcast news.
To learn the back story of what motivates Trump and Bannon, and where they want to take America, would frighten Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike.
If this information had been widely available and fact-checked prior to the election, I would think that even those people opposed to Clinton would have been so repulsed by the Trump/Bannon agenda that they would have "held their nose" and voted for Clinton.
For reasonable people to have different opinions is understandable. But for the same people to see the direction that our current president and his advisers want to take America does not make any sense to me at all. If these people succeed, America is going to look vastly different in many ways in the near and distant future. Different in ways that no one could have imagined before the election.
— Rich Melms
Anchorage
High tax on studded tires will hurt those who really need them
Way to go, Cathy Giessel. Nice way to significantly hurt the lower-income people in this great state by proposing your stupid idea of $75 per studded tire. That's about the most ridiculous idea I have ever heard of.
As a widow, I don't have a nice guy with a cushy state job to buy me another vehicle if my 16-year-old Jeep gets wrecked. I need the safety and security of my studded tires to protect myself and others from the dangers on the road when it isn't plowed in a timely fashion, and from the risky driving of others.
Trust me on this. If you get this through, I'm pretty sure we will all get our tires from Amazon.
Instead of looking at a tax like this, how about if you try:
Possibly a state income tax. (This would allow the people who work here and live elsewhere to help support our state.)
Repeal SB 21 and go back to ACES. If you tweak ACES it could work really well.
Get down to business and finish the session in a timely manner instead of going into overtime.
Vote yourselves a pay cut to show good faith.
No more excessive legislative travel and spending.
Raise the prices in your dining area to be in line with what you would pay in a real restaurant.
I think there are a lot of places to raise money rather than dinging those of us who can't spend $50,000 on a cushy new vehicle with all the safety bells and whistles.
— Vicki Williams
Anchorage
Editor's note: Sen. Giessel has reduced the amount of her proposed studded-tire tax from the original $75 per tire to $50 per tire.
What country is this, anyway?
On Feb. 12, President Trump's "senior policy adviser," Stephen Miller, appeared on all the Sunday morning news shows and demonstrated that he could read a script of easily debunked statements on topics ranging from alleged voter fraud (in general, and in the 2016 New Hampshire voting specifically) to the alleged record of terrorist attacks within the United States by immigrants and refugees. Miller's performance apparently met with the full approval of President Trump, who enthused via Twitter, "Congratulations Stephen Miller — on representing me this morning on the various Sunday morning shows. Great job!"
Among all the fraudulent assertions, however, a most noteworthy statement was made by Miller on "Face the Nation" (CBS): "Our opponents, the media, and the whole world will soon see as we begin to take further actions, that the powers of the president to protect our country are very substantial and will not be questioned." Let that sink in: President Trump's senior policy adviser believes that "the powers of the president … will not be questioned." Also let it sink in that President Trump fully approved Miller's message. Doesn't that make you feel like you somehow woke up in another country on Sunday morning? Or maybe that the Trump administration doesn't quite accept all that cumbersome stuff in the Constitution?
The president is not a dictator — any of the president's actions can be questioned. Unless our representatives in Congress actually believe that President Trump is a dictator, they should publicly set him straight on this point. So far, they have been silent. Contact Sen. Murkowski, Sen. Sullivan and Rep. Young, express your concerns, and demand that they publicly correct Stephen Miller and President Trump on their assertion that "the powers of the president … will not be questioned."
— Douglas Pengilly
Kodiak
Plan for PFD is just a tax
Nobody likes taxes, but what they did and are planning to do with the PFD is a tax. It is just a disproportionate tax on the poor and working families. Take a family of six, with one parent having to stay home for child care, paid a $6,000 tax last year. Or an extended household in a village having to pool their income due to lack of jobs, paid a $10,000 to $20,000 tax last year.
I say leave the dividend alone and use a sales tax on nonessentials and a progressive income tax to take back those dividend dollars and more from those who have little interest in the dividend, as it means little to their livelihood after paying much of it to a progressive federal income tax.
It would also collect from all the nonresidents who earn high salaries here and then go home with all of it despite using our government-provided services.
Get involved and vote. We are disproportionately represented by the wealthy and corporations protecting their assets, and they are willing to spend our savings as it means little to them.
— Tim Pritchett
Anchorage
Planned Parenthood a necessity
I have always gone to Planned Parenthood for my women's wellness exams, including vital cervical and breast cancer screening. I strongly support their mission of providing non-judgmental reproductive health care to Alaska women. In this state we already face barriers when it comes to accessing quality health care, so I am deeply concerned about recent efforts to defund Planned Parenthood at the federal level.
I was glad to read that Sen. Murkowski supports women's health and generally opposes "broadly defunding" Planned Parenthood, but we need more concrete action than that. As a left-leaning citizen who voted for Sen. Murkowski, I and my family and friends will be watching to see that she votes with integrity to protect Planned Parenthood and the services they provide.
— Diana Redwood
Anchorage
Thanks for proposed solution
Yay! Rep. Paul Seaton and Rep. Neal Foster have introduced HB 115, a sensible solution to our state budget problems. Thank you. They know we must use a multifaceted approach for "this to be a fair fiscal plan" (ADN, Feb. 12, "Deficit-reduction plan uses tax, Permanent Fund earnings").
I'm confounded however, by Rep. Lance Pruitt's statement regarding the plan when he says, "I don't want to have anything to do with a bill that's going to say, 'We need more money from you' " (ADN, Feb. 12). Well, I'm not paying anything right now to support our state government and the extensive services Alaska residents receive. In fact, they are paying me.
— Gretchen Nelson
Anchorage
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.