Right on the problem, wrong on the remedy
Charles Wohlforth brought up the biggest issue of the day in a recent column. Why can't lower- and middle-income people make ends meet? He's right. But his remedy was wrong. He took a very negative approach, saying we need more government spending and subsidies. If lower- and middle-income people can't pay their expenses without government subsidy, then all is lost. We're done.
But the fact is, you can't raise a family on a $15 an hour wage with today's expenses.
So what's wrong? First, we need to pay folks a living wage. Wages need to increase. At present, our political/economic system forces down wages. This has got to stop. Second, the cost to live and raise a family is too high. Health care expense must decrease. Education costs must go down. The cost of government must decrease. Taxes are too high for all. We must become more efficient.
These things can be done if we have the political will to do so. More government and subsidy concedes defeat for our state and our country.
— Dave Cuddy
Anchorage
Oil credit repayment could help development
There are roughly a billion dollars of outstanding oil tax credit certificates. Companies invested in marginal oil fields because they made sense under the program that was in place. Now, they are sitting on our oil resources, unable to develop them themselves and preventing others from doing so.
The state doesn't have enough revenues to make these purchases right now. The only option would be to draw a billion dollars out of savings, but a slower payment on these purchases makes more financial sense (and the slower the better).
However, a slow payment schedule doesn't give the companies the capital they need to move forward. In fact, too slow a payment probably only pays the interest on their loans — delaying foreclosure, but never getting them to development.
House Bill 331 is a way get the capital into the hands of the developers to move forward, but has the cash flow effect of a longer payment schedule for the state. This could result in a win-win for the state as we get both the development of the resources and the benefit of interest by leaving more cash in the interest-bearing account — so long as the Legislature doesn't spend those savings.
— Ed King
Juneau
More laws, less crime?
I would like to congratulate Charles Wohlforth on his excellent pro-gun-control opinion piece on May 7. Drawing on a fine tradition, he argues that the best way to stop people from doing bad things is to pass laws. This makes sense — this is how we eliminated drunken driving and rape from our fair cities. Drug abuse is a thing of the past, thanks to the effectiveness of the war on drugs. And who could forget the resounding success of Prohibition?
We have no reason to think that gun control laws will be any less salutary. Truly, if history has taught us anything, it's that giving away liberty is the best way to achieve safety and security.
— Jeffery Perry
Eagle River
Thanks to Alaska congressional delegation — seriously
On May 7, I attended a showing of "Bending the Arc" at the Bear Tooth Theatre, an event celebrating National Nurses Week. This film is a powerful documentary following the work of Dr. Paul Farmer, Jim Yong Kim and Ophelia Dahl as they sought to better serve the medical needs of the poor, first in Haiti, then Peru and Rwanda. Their accomplishments and their commitment serve as examples of what can be done, even when it seems impossible.
This film moved me to offer a sincere statement of gratitude to the three members of our congressional delegation, Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and Rep. Don Young. Each of these members of Congress has shown support for programs mentioned in this documentary, from PEPFAR and GAVI to the Global Fund.
Sen. Sullivan, while working in the Bush administration, was instrumental in getting the president's support for PEPFAR, the program to combat HIV-AIDS, primarily in Africa. Rep. Young is a co-chair of the TB Caucus in the House. Their support is vital in ensuring that these programs are adequately funded.
— Patricia Kennish
Anchorage
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