You had to either laugh or cry after reading Frank Jeffries’ Nov. 22 ADN commentary, “Alaska can’t slump its way to future success.”
In his article he noted, “The University of Alaska Center for Economic Development just produced a report regarding Alaska’s economic performance relative to the rest of the states and Washington, D.C. For the period from 2015-2021, Alaska ranked 50th out of 51 in GDP growth (-7.1%), employment growth (-8.4%) and unemployment (6.5%), as well as 51st out of 51 — dead last — in net migration (-8.8 per 1,000).”
If you’re an elected official in Alaska or going to Washington, D.C., as an elected official from Alaska, the data should be both eye-opening and an embarrassment. Alaska has the resources to be retooled and retrained if the desire is there — on both sides.
Electoral and corporate incompetence and greed, along with continually importing Outside workers and political crony phoneys, won’t fix Alaska’s position as the biggest failure financially and in growth in the U.S. Not to mention our public health failures from uninformed or ill-informed decisions made by our elected officials.
Homegrown trained competence in the job market and better quality of political leaders from the governor down, with less waste, fraud and abuse, could help Alaska grow out of its status as a failed state. Voting for competence rather than money, with more women in power, would go a long way in improvements for our state. Since 2015, looking at who we’ve put in charge, they have taken us from great to good to OK to “no thanks!” Wake up, Alaska, we’re a national failure.
— Patrick Ozment
Anchorage
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