Wow, what a trifecta! I found myself agreeing with all three Opinion page entries in last Sunday’s ADN — including, of all things, Paul Jenkins’ column. Jenkins took the Permanent Fund trustees to task for seeking to exempt themselves from our open government law. He felt that doing so was a lousy public policy that undermines trust and confidence in government.
Jenkins also felt it was a waste of time for trustees to open a satellite office in Anchorage. As others have argued, opening a satellite office in Washington, D.C., would make more sense. I agree.
Like the ADN, I found myself supporting Mayor Dave Bronson’s budget proposal, which was contrary to Chris Constant’s characterization of it as a “fantasy budget.” Bronson’s proposed budget was slightly below the municipal tax cap, leaving some room for predictable revisions and negotiations. The ADN agreed it was a reasonable opening proposal. So do I.
Finally, Janet McCabe made a case for political parties to work together. This lifelong Democrat sometimes finds it difficult to follow her recommendation, particularly when politicians operate in a dysfunctional manner like Matt Gaetz and Donald Trump. However, I also agree with McCabe that democracy is weakened when there is a buildup of hate between political parties and allegiances. Let’s stop the hate.
There you have it. Three for three.
Who’d have thought it could happen?
— Mike Jens
Anchorage
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