Helping state or next campaign?
Sen. Cathy Giessel says she wants to create jobs (Commentary, May 11). If Alaskans had received what they should have received from Prudhoe Bay, we wouldn't need jobs. What will Sen. Giessel, chair of the Senate Resources Committee, do if the newly hired oil consulting companies tell her committee that an above-average profit for oil companies is all Alaska needs to incentivize oil companies to do everything we want them to do? Over and over these consulting companies have told our legislators that they are giving away Alaska's oil, but legislators who take the appropriate action won't get their next campaign financed. A profit structure that pays oil companies many times the profit they make elsewhere won't make them do anything they would have done anyway. However, it will divert money to BP, ConocoPhillips and Exxon's nonresident stockholders, and that will get a campaign financed.
The money Giessel proposes to give away is money that could have gone into dividends and/or created Alaska jobs building and maintaining Alaska's infrastructure. It is possible that Giessel has no idea how oil profits in Alaska compare to oil profits elsewhere, but I doubt it. More likely, I suspect she pretends not to know because she likely knows to do otherwise would undermine the financing of her next campaign.
— Ray Metcalfe
former Alaska legislator
Anchorage
New FBI head has a job to finish
I am concerned about the ongoing investigation of the Russian interference in our national election and the subsequent dismissal of the FBI Director Comey. Part of Trump's rationale for dismissing Comey was the fake news and investigation of the Russian interference. There is a responsibility for the Senate to confirm the new director and ensure that this director be a suitable replacement and a person who has the integrity to maintain the credibility of the FBI and finish the investigation of the Russian hacking of our election.
— Jim Bailey
Anchorage
Republican required reading
Sherry Eckrich's May 14 letter to the editor responding to Rep. Dan Saddler's request for constituents to make their views known should be required reading for all state representatives and senators, especially the Republicans.
— Lloyd V. Morris
Anchorage
Don't want paper to disappear
Although I agree with local letters to the editor about political bias in Alaska Dispatch News, I have noticed some great reporting recently — particularly shining a light on our state Legislature. Having once been a print media reporter and editor for many years, I don't want to see newspapers disappear. Paper, ink, delivery costs all factor into what is an expensive product delivered to our doors. Newspapers used to give away a lot of space to increase readership: weddings, anniversaries, obituaries. Now, all are quite costly to the consumer, but they do sell newspapers. People want to read about their family and friends and share in their joy and sadness. Ideally, advertising pays for the paper. If ADN can continue to get hard-hitting news out there quickly, enhancing a few other areas might just beef up sales. You have some of the finest photojournalists. With Alaska and its people as the rich landscape of photo opportunities, the sky is the limit. A picture's worth a thousand words may sound cliche, but it is true. Listen for the stories from the "regular folks" in Alaska and frame them with the incredible landscape we are so lucky to call home. You might just beef up sales to both Alaskans and tourists flooding our state this year.
Will Rogers said, "I read eight newspapers a day. When I'm in a town with only one newspaper, I read it eight times." Though I don't always agree with the bias in political philosophy, I don't want ADN to become extinct. There is so much value in letters to the editor, news about our community and the world and having a paper to hold and read with a cup of coffee. When I was an editor on deadline, I always kept my Dad in mind — sitting on his porch, waiting for his newspaper to be delivered. There are still many like him out there.
— Jacqueline Fries
Anchorage
Goodbye, TV News
The main reason I purchased the Sunday fish-wrapper was to get the weekly TV News section, which has now been discontinued. Thanks for saving me two bucks!
— James Bachman
Palmer
State financial instability is driving Alaskans out
Our elected leaders in Juneau need to pass a comprehensive fiscal plan immediately. Only borrowing from the budget reserve and tapping the PFD, as proposed by SB 26, is kicking the can down the road again and prolonging the economic instability of our state. The Senate's solution does not fully address the revenue side of the equation, and without a reliable revenue estimate, one cannot successfully build a budget. Alaskans are holding their breath, watching Juneau and deciding whether to stay or leave the state. Businesses are doing the same: Stay here or move to a more stable economy. Restaurant sales are down. Retail sales are down. My parents' home has been on the market since before Thanksgiving. A friend just lost his job in the home-loan sector because there are no buyers for all the houses on the market. The list goes on.
Here is the point: Nobody likes taxes, but government instability and unpredictable services are worse for our economy than modest taxes. At least businesses and families can plan budgets and make forecasts if they can anticipate what the costs will be.
Nobody can plan when our government funding is unstable. School districts across the state are about to issue pink slips to hundreds of teachers. Many state workers will soon receive the same. Will they stick around and hope that the Legislature will figure out a budget so that they might keep their jobs? Or will they grab a more stable opportunity elsewhere outside of Alaska? According to a report published last month, teacher turnover costs our state about $20 million a year, and that's only one service sector in Alaska.
We have always had a difficult time recruiting and keeping talent in Alaska. Sometimes the only choices you get are between bad and worse. Alaska has reached that critical tipping point. It's time to stabilize our state funding so that the rest of our economy can grow.
— Anne Adasiak-Andrew
Anchorage
We face a constitutional crisis: Trump and Russia
Trump can claim one record for the first 100 days of an administration: the greatest number of top administration officials to plead the Fifth within 100 days of inauguration. He fired Sally Yates for trying to warn him about Flynn's Russian connections and didn't fire Flynn until 17 days later, when the Flynn story hit the papers. Now he's fired FBI Director Comey, who had just requested more funds for the Trump-Russia investigation, signalling to all who pay attention that there is plenty of material to investigate.
Rotten to the core, these guys. Sessions already lied twice under oath during his confirmation hearing. Here's another pretty significant lie:
Despite his pledge to recuse himself from all dealings related to the Russia investigation, Attorney General Jeff Sessions recommended that Trump fire Comey and, reportedly, was tasked with finding a justification for Comey's ouster Sessions isn't advising Trump on how to obey the law; he's advising him how to break it!
Trump does not understand the U.S. Constitution and is a serious threat to our democracy. He has got to go, and the sooner the better. We need an independent special prosecutor now and an impeachment and removal ASAP. It remains to be seen how many GOP legislators will also be indicted; Speakers McConnell and Ryan are already actively participating in the cover-up. If Pence is implicated and the 2016 election called into question, we stand on the brink of a major constitutional crisis.
— Lars Opland
Wasilla
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.