I feel a sickness has descended on Alaska. New talk of importing liquefied natural gas when we are a petroleum giant is so wrong. Exporting a large volume of oil and then importing gas would reveal us to be a state with a large carbon footprint and makes us look foolish.
What about education? All of a sudden, the state can’t step in and fill deficits in budgets for our university or K-12 schools, when all of Alaska’s oil companies have made mind-boggling profits the last couple of years.
Why is our state marine transportation system in sad shape?
What about the terrifying trends in the fishing industry, from crab populations crashing to fewer fish returning to the Yukon?
Mental health in Alaska needs some work.
Then there is the recent survey putting Alaska in the financial toilet of all states recovering from COVID-19.
Bill Egan, Wally Hickel, Tony Knowles and Jay Hammond are governors who stand out for guiding us through dynamic times. They all swore an oath that all power comes from the people and is for the good of the people as a whole. This is a moment in Alaska’s history in need of leadership with all the people in mind. So far, I see Mike Dunleavy being remembered like “Keith Miller who?” or “I have heard of Sean Parnell, what did he do?”
There is a better Alaska, and I have faith that we the people will find the way.
— William Beltz
Anchorage
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