Readers write: Letters to the editor, April 26, 2017

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Alaskans should vote on tax

In Sunday's (April 23) commentary, Pete Kelly had one thing correct. That was when he stated, "I have no idea." Why would we take the PFD away from the very people who need it the most (parents with a couple of kids who only make approximately $35,000 a year)? The 45 percent or so of Alaskans who are just getting by and with deductibles would not owe any or very little income tax. An income tax would hit the Pete Kellys, members of Congress and the fairly well-to-do. He states that the Alaska Senate is fighting for you when he actually means he's fighting for his own members in the Senate and the people who can afford to contribute to his campaign.

I agree with (and I usually don't) Paul Jenkins when he states, "Let Alaskans vote on an income tax." State sales tax on food, etc., will only hurt the ones who can't afford it. If there's a sale tax, exclude food and other items needed to exist.

— Mike Gumbleton
Palmer

Josephson sums it up

I want to thank Rep. Andy Josephson for his commentary (April 25). It is the clearest summation of the fiscal options available to us through our legislators, and worth the time to read. His observations contain a particularly telling point. Josephson cites a recent poll (commissioned by the Senate Republican majority) showing that 54.6 percent of the public either strongly support or somewhat strongly support an income tax.

Do I want an income tax? No.

Do I support one? Absolutely.

— Brian Fay
Eagle River

We exist, even without evidence

David H. Lewis doesn't believe that Jesus existed. I've followed the back and forth between Lewis and Rev. Britton Johnston. In addition to the info Rev. Johnston wrote, I want to add the following:

Our very own lifelong Alaskan, Charles Wohlforth (ADN columnist) co-wrote a book with Amanda Hendrix called "Beyond Earth." The authors discuss the 1990 Galileo probe, sent to observe Jupiter (Page 75). Carl Sagan (an atheist) convinced NASA to observe Earth on the way to Saturn. The pictures, taken at random, did not show any evidence of life on Earth. I paraphrase Rev. Johnston when I point out that lack of evidence doesn't prove something (or someone) isn't there.

— Elaine Pfeiffer
Eagle River

We've already lost billions

Bob Kaufman's commentary of April 21 ("Income tax? Not until the state gets its house in order) was as close as it gets to reflecting my opinion regarding the income tax debate in Alaska. Collectively our state representatives have been grossly negligent in managing our financial resources and we the people have let them get away with it while the money flowed in. Our state government is too big and too expensive still and legislative efforts to mitigate the problem have just scratched the surface. If we allow them to implement an income tax, the pressure is reduced significantly.

Consider all the billions lost to failed projects for three government entities: Delta Barley, failed; Mat Maid milk, failed; Anchorage fish processing, failed; Knik bridge, failed; Matanuska port and Ferry, failed; Anchorage port, failed; Anchorage SAP project, years in development with $40 million wasted and projected to top out at $70 million wasted and not yet working, failed?

Charles Wohlforth's column of April 23 disagrees with Kaufman's views, and they're skiing buddies. Wohlforth is a contributor I usually agree with but not this time. He wants an income tax.

— William Ahrens
Eagle River

The Great Fall: A poem

Do you remember, y'all?

Humpty Trumpty promised you a wall.

He scrambled to Mexico to make a call,

Only to find Enrique Pena Nieto standing tall.

So are the wall's opponents in our congressional halls.

Over our country there hangs a pall,

As Humpty Trumpty has decided to stall.

Now, that takes gall!

He may have egg on his face, but sadly the yolk's on us. Sad, so sad.

Huge sad.

— Mary Navitsky
Anchorage

Writers are wonderful

I've been trying make time to submit a comment on how much I appreciated Steve Meyer's article last week in the outdoors section on confronting folks shooting and littering. Then I read an equally great article (but on a different subject), "Skiing buddies disagree on income taxes," by Charles Wohlforth.

Both of these writers do a wonderful job of writing and the ADN should be proud to have them.

Wohlforth's article presented the need for an income tax in terms everyone should be able to understand and accept.

Meyer's article on having the courage to politely confront people "trashing" our beautiful countryside was equally well done.

I look forward to their future articles.

— Glen Tilghman
Houston

Crack down on local crime

How is it that Devon Maurice Brown can allegedly tear up the Carrs Store on Saturday morning and then intentionally shoot and hit the store employee twice and only be charged with a second-degree assault charge punishable by less than 10 years in prison? Evidently this is the kind of person we want to hurry up and get back into our community. Looks like Devon did some business with APD back in December as well.

Let's hope our new police chief Justin Doll takes a no-mercy policy on the crime in this town, which is tearing at the core of this community. Between the likes of Mr. Brown and the other hoodlums emptying their spray cans on public places and shooting up this town, one can only wonder what this place will be like in another two years.

It's time we get tough and take our town back.

— Preston Rudderow
Anchorage

In protesting Real ID program, Tuck is just wasting time

Rep. Chris Tuck must be living only in the world of the thinning ADN. Real ID is for real and the Congress approved it post-9/11. If the state of Alaska doesn't want to comply, then so be it. I have a passport card and I would suggest all Alaska travelers get one just in case Rep. Tuck's views prevail. He is afraid this database is accumulating extensive information about each of us. What about the IRS? What about Social Security? What about TSA (which already has a lot of records from their Preferred Pass Program)?

Come on and get real. The moment one purchases anything online, uses Facebook or some other social media platform, does banking online and so on, do you really think these sites don't have extensive databases on you already?

Instead of wasting time protesting a sound law based on our very security in airline travel and additionally suggesting that we waste money on an unwinnable lawsuit, perhaps he and his colleagues should have finished with the budget within the 90-day session.

— Mark Bloch
Anchorage

Our society needs science

Kudos to those who participated in the March for Science.
If we allow the political to trump the scientific and the anecdotal to trump the empirical, our society is in a downward spiral.

— Merlin R. Hamre

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.